Release 0.91

• NXTSavePanel: center panel on display if there's no saved frame yet.
• SELinux modules were added.
• back-art: removed WindowMaker appicon hack.
• libfoundation: new library derived from Apple Core Foundation with added CFNotificationCenter and CFFileDescriptor implementations.

Applications

Terminal

• "Paste Selection" menu item was implemented in Terminal.
• Unblock signals when launching apps from the dock.
• Added support for setting title via xterm escape sequence.
• Quit alert panel now conforms to OpenStep UI guidelines.
• Use shell configured in preferences if "Default Shell" option was set.
• Terminal Services: wait for background task until exit before output data processing.

Workspace

• Launching icon fixes.
• "Open in Workspace" service was implemented (thanks to OnFlApp)
• Do not show keyboard layout value if single keyboard layout is used
• Another portion of focus handling related fixes and optimizations.
• Implemented custom 'Hide' menu item action - all windows are hidden, Workspace menu stays on screen, application remains active
• Sanity check was added to prevent appearance of "BadMatch (invalid parameter attributes)" errors
• Huge refactoring of Worksapce/WM code (for short: most part of the WINGs was replaced with CoreFoundation):
  • use CoreFoundation for data handling instead of WINGs;
  • event handling loop now is non-blocking (used CFRunLoop and CFFileDescriptor for X11 events monitoring);
  • all notifications inside WM now implemented using CoreFoundation's notifications and notification center;
  • use CFRunLoop timers for mouse tracking, balloon and workspace name appearance handling;
  • use CFPropertyList to handle WM configuration files (defaults);
  • track for changes each configuration file individually;
  • all static function were prefixed with underscore;
  • all functions across WM were renamed to w<Object><Action> style;
  • added experimental bridge between AppKit and CoreFoundation notification centers (potentially it may be used for communication between applications and window manager)

Release 0.90

General

• Based on latest release of GNUstep libraries with some custom patches and improvements which are left unmerged to master branch. GNUstep GUI and Back now have gnustep-gui-nextspace and gnustep-back-nextspace branches to hold these specific changes.
• Switched to use LLVM/clang from distribution repositories (SCL for CentOS 7, CentOS 8 and Fedora already have correct compiler).
• Reduced debug output to console.
• WRaster library moved out of Workspace and can be used by GNUstep Back as shared library.
• Configured CircleCI automated build check.
• /etc/skel/.zshrc renamed to .zshrc.nextspace to prevent conflict with zsh RPM resource file.
• Numerous SoundKit fixes and improvements.
• Created scripts for automated creation of RPM packages.

Applications

Login

• Startup and shutdown sequences were re-engineered. Login completely handles Xorg start and stop. loginwindow.service now handles only Login (doesn't kill Xorg on service stop).
• Defauls splitted into system (/usr/NextSpace/Preferences/Login) and user ($HOME/Library/Preferences/.NextSpace/Login). User defaults is a place were login/logout hooks are placed by "Login Preferences".
• "LoginHook" and "LogoutHook" preferences were added to defaults file.
• On unclean exit of user session dialog is shown to select restart (keep running application) or cleanup (kill user applications).
• Fixed panel positioning on monitor dimension and monitor layout changes.
• Fixed bug specific to Linux child processes handling: by default SIGCHLD signal handler is set to SIG_IGN. In this case waitpid() returns -1 with error explained as "No child process" - waitpid looses tracked child process by some away. To prevent it from happening signal handler should be set to SIG_DFL.

Workspace

• Copy operation now 4 times faster for large files.
• "Shutdown" and "Power Off" return exit code for correct Login application handling. Workspace returns exit code 11 on quit if "Power Off" button was pressed. As a result Login application performs OS shutdown without ordering front panel - should switch to Plymouth shutdown screen.
• Current keyboard layout now displayed in first Dock icon - quite ugly but it remains until I'll find better design solution (window titlebar is not an option for me - it's ugly too).
• Bell sound is played via SoundKit with "event" type, so it can be controlled via "System Sounds" application/stream in Mixer.
• While window moved/resized current window position/size displayed in window titlebar temporary replacing application titlebar text.
• Help Panel was added as result of NXTHelpPanel (table of contents, index, clickable links in articles, backtrack).
• Console on-the-fly applies font changed in "Font Preferences".
• Reuse appicon created by launch from FileViewer for appeared application instead of creating new and remove icon with 'launching' state.
• Improved application execution handling. When application double-clicked in FileViewer several things happen:
  • icon slides down to IconYard and appicon with 'launching' state created holding WM name and command;
  • if application quits with error (no app was started) appicon removed from screen and alert panel appears;
  • after successful startup of application 'launching' appicon get used as normal application icon.
• Ubuntu and Fedora logos were added.
• Running apps' appicons which are dragged out of the Dock are automatically slides into the Icon Yard now.
• Launcher: Workspace Launcher: changed completion logic: on first Escape press directory name completed, on second press - shows directory contents in completion list.
• Fixed alpha channel handling while drawing application icons.
• Set _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DOCK property to icon core window. This helps compositing managers like compton correctly handle dock icons and miniwindows.
• Some fixes to Recycler icon positioning.
• Xinerama support replaced with XRandR.
• WINGs and WUtil libraries now compiled statically so vanilla WindowMaker may be installed aside.
• Fixed WM's internal string drawing: prevents appearance of RenderBadPicture X internal error in Console.

Preferences

• Login: add initial implementation of - you can setup login and logout hooks now.
• Password: added implementation (needs more testing).
• Font: sends notification on font changes to NSDistributedNotificationCenter.
• Sound: was implemented (uses SoundKit).
• honor system keyboard settings if no keyboard preferences found in defaults file.
• Keyboard: added data and UI elements for keyboard model selection section.

Frameworks

DesktopKit

• Implemented NXTOpenPanel : NXTSavePanel and NXTSavePanel : NSSavePanel. Differences to NSOpenPanel and NSSavePanel:
  • No icons in browser.
  • Keyboard focus always stays in textfield but Up/Down/Left/Right arrow keys browsing still available (Left/Right only if texfield is empty).
  • Improved performance of scrolling through the list on long Down/Up key press.
  • Selecting directory with keyboard requires Enter key press to load directory contents.
  • Unified with File Viewer sorting and displaying hidden files (configurable through "Expert Preferences" "Sort By" and "Show Hidden Files" options).
  • Panels save/restore its position and size;
  • Escape key press pastes current path into textfield - default completion shortcut (also used in Workspace's Finder).
• NXTSound: new class to play sounds leveraging SoundKit.
• NXTAlert: set window level to modal; fixed placement of programatically created panel.
• NXTIcon: fixed problem of NXTIcon usage inside one application but from different classes.
• Fixed and optimized label resizing in edit mode. Problem: if NSTextView is not sized to draw new character or text GSLayoutManager fails to find glyph for character and label doesn't receive textDidChange: message. Now NXTIconLabel receive adjust it's frame in insertText: method (called before GSLayouManager's methods) and paste:.
• NXTListView: new class for creating comprehensive (attributed text, icons, sections) lists.
• NXTHelpPanel: NeXT-style application help panel usually available at "Info->Help..." menu item.
• Helvetica.nfont: recreate bitmaps for sizes 8,10,12,14 for Medium, Bold and Oblique.
• Keith.nfont: created new fixed width font similar to Ohlfs NeXTSTEP font.