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FlightGear Newsletter May 2012: Difference between revisions
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Default interview style. Add release status update.
Jonsberndt (talk | contribs) (Beginning to answer questions and add new ones.) |
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== Development news == | == Development news == | ||
=== Preparing a new release === | |||
In preperation for the next FlightGear release, repositories will be frozen as of June 17. This means that no new features or major changes shall be pushed onto the development streams (neither source nor data). The repository remains open for aircraft developments till the day of the release, with the exception of base package aircraft that should not receive major changes from June 17 onwards. | |||
See our [[release plan]] for more details. | |||
=== Language Support === | === Language Support === | ||
For a long time, FlightGear's multi-language support for the menus was broken. The language feature has been restored now, so it is again possible to translate the menu into different languages. Currently, only plain [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Standard_Code_for_Information_Interchange§ion=5#ASCII_printable_characters ASCII] characters and its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin1 Latin1/ISO-8859-1] extension are supported though, which covers Western European languages only (Portuguese to German, Italian to Norwegian). | For a long time, FlightGear's multi-language support for the menus was broken. The language feature has been restored now, so it is again possible to translate the menu into different languages. Currently, only plain [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Standard_Code_for_Information_Interchange§ion=5#ASCII_printable_characters ASCII] characters and its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin1 Latin1/ISO-8859-1] extension are supported though, which covers Western European languages only (Portuguese to German, Italian to Norwegian). | ||
Please see [[Howto: Translate FlightGear]] if you are interested in helping to translate FlightGear. We're currently looking for someone volunteering to update the existing, but incomplete '''Spanish''', '''French''' and '''Italian''' language resources. Also, you're welcome to add support for additional languages (e.g. Portuguese, Swedish, ...). | Please see [[Howto:Translate FlightGear]] if you are interested in helping to translate FlightGear. We're currently looking for someone volunteering to update the existing, but incomplete '''Spanish''', '''French''' and '''Italian''' language resources. Also, you're welcome to add support for additional languages (e.g. Portuguese, Swedish, ...). | ||
If your language isn't supported by FlightGear's limited character set yet (i.e. Japanese, Chinese, Russian, ...) then please be patient - a rework of the GUI library, which will also improve support for arbitrary fonts and character sets, is already in progress. | If your language isn't supported by FlightGear's limited character set yet (i.e. Japanese, Chinese, Russian, ...) then please be patient - a rework of the GUI library, which will also improve support for arbitrary fonts and character sets, is already in progress. | ||
== Interview with a contributor | == Interview with a contributor (Jon Berndt) == | ||
''In each edition we have an interview with a contributor. Suggestions for possible questions are available on [[interview questions]], you are invited to come up with new questions and interview ideas obviously! Anyone is free to write an interview (with him-/herself or others) for next month's newsletter!'' | |||
* How long have you been involved in FlightGear? | '''[http://www.flightgear.org/contributors/ Read previous interviews at our website's archive].''' | ||
For over ten years - maybe almost 15. I'm the development coordinator (and occasionally accused of being the BDFL) for JSBSim. | |||
* What are your major interests in FlightGear? | * '''How long have you been involved in FlightGear?''' | ||
For over ten years - maybe almost 15. I'm the development coordinator (and occasionally accused of being the BDFL) for [[JSBSim]]. | |||
* '''What are your major interests in FlightGear?''' | |||
Flight dynamics and control, but I really like the whole aspect of specifying a model in XML (and other) files - a truly data-driven simulation. | Flight dynamics and control, but I really like the whole aspect of specifying a model in XML (and other) files - a truly data-driven simulation. | ||
* What project are you working on right now? | * '''What project are you working on right now?''' | ||
Continued development of JSBSim. There are always things to tweak. Recently, I extended the PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control component in JSBSim to support some work I have been doing. | Continued development of JSBSim. There are always things to tweak. Recently, I extended the PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control component in JSBSim to support some work I have been doing. | ||
* What do you plan on doing in the future? | * '''What do you plan on doing in the future?''' | ||
Writing more documentation. | Writing more documentation. | ||
* Are you happy with the way the FlightGear project is going? | * '''Are you happy with the way the FlightGear project is going?''' | ||
I really enjoy seeing the progress being made in the visuals - such as the Rembrandt project. | I really enjoy seeing the progress being made in the visuals - such as the Rembrandt project. | ||
* What do you enjoy most about developing for FlightGear? | * '''What do you enjoy most about developing for FlightGear?''' | ||
* Are there any "hidden features" you have worked on in FlightGear that new users may miss? | * '''Are there any "hidden features" you have worked on in FlightGear that new users may miss?''' | ||
* What advice can you give to new developers who want to get started on their first aircraft/new feature/Nasal script? | * '''What advice can you give to new developers who want to get started on their first aircraft/new feature/Nasal script?''' | ||
'''[http://www.flightgear.org/contributors/ Read previous interviews at our website's archive].''' | |||
== Snapshot releases == | == Snapshot releases == | ||