Terria Development devlog

URLBase sneak-peak

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 12:54:28

Here's a screenshot from the current development build of URLBase 6:

NetRouser automated shutdown/reboot

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 10:51:46

Last week we've begun working on the first update for NetRouser, which will introduce scheduling options for shutting down and rebooting computers. Today we completed the work on NetRouser and are now in the process of updating the service. Earliest release date for the update is Wednesday, March 15, 2006. As always, keep an eye on the forums and web site for the official announcement.

Update: NetRouser Update 2 is ready and will be released on March 15, 2006.

Back in the saddle

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 12:07:57

Things have slowed down considerably here in the coding dungeon the last few days due to the common cold. Usually it's not that much of a problem but this year's edition had a bit more punch. I'll spare you the details So with handkerchiefs within easy reach, let me update you on things to come.

NetRouser 2 is almost ready for release. Only a few things need to be ironed out. Once those are done the project will move into the Release Candidate phase.

On the URLBase front there are also some things happening. Update 2 is nearing completion. Most significant change in this release is the support for separators. If you wonder why URLBase needs to support separators: check out any non-IE browser...most of them allow you to add separators to your bookmarks. URLBase will support them too but they will only show up in your database if you sort your shortcuts manually (on the View menu: Arrange items, by Custom order).

Last but not least we're also working on the long awaited release of URLBase 6 Personal Edition. It will contain a subset of the functionality offered in the Professional Edition and will be available free of charge.

So lots of things going on. More information about all of the above will be posted when it becomes available.

Netrouser 2 Beta 1 release date

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 14:22:45

Netrouser 2 Beta 1 will be made available for download on Monday, January 16, 2006. The beta can be obtained via the Terria Development bugtracker. A signup form will be posted shortly for those of you who do not have an account yet.

Netrouser 2 almost done

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 15:55:48

Just 5 minutes ago the first beta version of Netrouser 2 was successfully compiled! It's not ready for release yet as we still need to run some tests and add a few finishing touches. Everything should be done after the weekend so stay tuned for more info!

Netrouser 2 sneak preview

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 15:51:20

Netrouser 2 has been under development for little over a month now and making good progress. Time for a sneak preview

In the above screenshot you can discover some new features. To make things easier, we've highlighted 5 of them:

1. Nested groups
Netrouser 2 introduces support for nested groups and includes a groups treeview for easy navigation. The treeview can be partially hidden from view, leaving a button at the left side of the window. Placing the mousepointer over this button will slide the treeview back into view.

2. Enhanced menus and toolbars
The toolbar in Netrouser 2 can be fully customized. By default, Netrouser 2 will use the Office XP display style (same as Netrouser 1.0) for menus and toolbars. You can also select the display styles Standard (Windows classic), Office 2003 and Windows XP theme.

3. Remote shutdown
New in Netrouser 2 is the ability to shutdown or reboot networked machines. Netrouser utilizes the native Windows NT abilities, which will display a message on the target machine for a specified amount of time. You can set the default behaviour in the Options dialog, which will apply for the standard shutdown/reboot commands. Netrouser also allows you to override these default settings, using the dialog shown in the upper right corner.

4. Enhanced eventlog
The eventlog has been dramatically improved, displaying more detailed information about all events occuring during a session. Netrouser 2 also provides a simple but effective user interface to browse through all events present in the log. Saving the eventlog will generate an XHTML document, far easier to read than the text format generated by Netrouser 1.

5. Sending messages
Netrouser 2 allows you to send messages to other machines on the network, utilizing the Messenger service (net send). Netrouser 2 monitors the status of the Messenger service and allows you to start/stop it when needed.

Many more features are still to come, as well as plenty of optimizations. As for a possible release date: with the current progress I think the first beta release will surface in January. More details to follow in the near future

Mini-disclaimer: do keep in mind that this is a snapshot of the current development status of Netrouser 2 and everything shown/mentioned is highly subject to change.

Current activities

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 15:03:14

After a few hectic weeks, including some drastic renovations to our building, we're back in the coding dungeon again. First up is the first update for URLBase 6, which will address some minor issues and introduce some new functionality. This update will also include Dutch translations, which are being finalized at this moment. Estimated release date is Friday, october 28th.

At the same time we're also working on Netrouser 2.0, which is progressing nicely. Many optimizations have been implemented and we've made some changes to the user interface. We're now in the process of optimizing and extending the Netrouser database, which will ultimately make it easier to manage computers and groups in the database. Unfortunately we don't have an estimated release date yet for Netrouser 2.0 so stay tuned for more updates!

Internet Explorer marketshare drops below 90%

Tue, 23 Nov 2004 17:47:01

The global marketshare for Microsofts Internet Explorer seems to be declining rather rapidly at the moment. OneStat has published a press release in which it states the global marketshare of Internet Explorer has now dropped below 90%. Compared to the statistics of 6 months ago, usage of Mozilla has gone up, which is largely due to the success of their new FireFox browser.

Another interesting trend in the statistics is that the use of Internet Explorer 6 seems to be increasing, which is probably caused by all the negative publicity around Internet Explorer in relation to spyware, adware and exploits.

Microsoft is not yet planning to release a new version of their browser any time soon, the earliest may be when the next version of Windows, codename "LongHorn", is released.

The next of URLBase version will have revised Import and Export routines for Mozilla / Firefox. Details on this will be released somewhere in the development process. Any suggestions on features you would like to see incorporated are welcome, if you've not yet submitted them already.

For the future it will be interesting to see if other parties are willing to mix themselves in the browser wars, now that the Internet Explorer monopoly seems to be breaking up.

[OneStat article and links via Tweakers.net]