PechaMaker

As earlier mentioned in this thread, I'm working on a new project that I've named PechaPublisher.

This has come as a result of a lot of deep thinking over the past few months (being a developer by trade, this is something that I can't avoid doing while using software) as well as a series of other "causes and conditions" Of particular note, I'd like to mention recent email discussions that FWJ and I have had about potential features for PechaPublisher and improvements that could be made in PechaMaker.

Ideally, we would have started with the PechaMaker codebase, but as that is closed source and will almost certainly remain so, the only alternative is to start a new project that will start as the conceptual heir of PechaMaker and -- if all goes well and we have community interest in the project -- could end up as its actual heir. I was delighted to discover that this is something FWJ has wanted to happen for a while. Hopefully, we can talk him into regular contributions to PechaPublisher

I won't go on and on in this post, as I have put up initial content and further notes on both a blog post announcement as well as the google code project site itself (links below). I will say that considerable time will be spent pouring over the discussions on this forum before putting together the development plan for PechaPublisher. None of the PechaMaker community efforts or comments will go to waste. What's more, if folks are interested in discussing this, we can do one of two things:
* chat about it in this thread if the context is an emphasis on PechaMaker (or if you are more comfortable talking about this here), or
* start new discussions as needed on the PechaPublisher google groups list for developers (again, links below)

In no way am I trying to take usership away from PechaMaker. I want to continue using it for some time. It is not only production-quality software and meeting most of my needs, but it will be the reference point, the benchmark against which PechaPublisher will be measured during every stage of its development. Furthermore, software development takes a long time, and if we only have one or two active contributors, it will be a year or two before we have a product to show for our efforts.

Without further ado, here are the links I promised
* Project Site: http://code.google.com/p/pecha-pub/
* Developer mail list/forum: http://groups.google.com/group/pechapub-dev (this is where all planning and design conversations will be taking place)
* Initial Announcement: http://mountaindharma.blogspot.com/
* Anticipated software dependencies: http://code.google.com/p/pecha-pub/wiki/AnticipatedTech
* Super tentative proto-roadmap: http://code.google.com/p/pecha-pub/wiki/RoadMap
* Wiki start: http://code.google.com/p/pecha-pub/wiki/FrontPage

Indeed, this is a very good idea that I fully support.

PechaMaker needs to be upgraded to include Unicode support, but that is a big effort. If that effort is going to be expended, it seems wise to start out on a new code base which can be released and thus live on. All the better if the base for this new PechaPublisher starts as a multi-platform full featured Unicode editor with undo/redo and image support already built in. Pecha creation features can then be added that are perhaps inspired by PechaMaker or completely new, whichever is most useful. Backward compatibility with PM can easily be included where it's useful.

I hope PechaPub can get started soon. Please contribute your ideas and help.

FWJ wrote:
[snip]

I hope PechaPub can get started soon. Please contribute your ideas and help.

Thanks FWJ!

I wanted to let people know that almost all future updates to the PechaPublisher project will be made via the pechapub-dev mail list. Barring big news, I won't abuse the generosity of the PechaMaker forums The mail list is linked on the project site, but here's a direct link for convenience: http://groups.google.com/group/pechapub-dev/

You have the choice of using it like a forum (reading updates in your browser), joining the mail list to receive email updates, and/or adding the Atom/RSS feed to your news reader.

I've spent this weekend working on the GUI layout, and will be writing a post about that to the mail list shortly... with a link to a screenshot

Already, Chris has made some contributions -- don't miss out on the fun!

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Duncan I thought this was you. Good to know you trying to help with this pecha thing?. PM is a blessing from Guru Rinpoche, FYJ must be an emanation of Penchen Thomi Sambhota !!!

I would help but in truth I know nothing of code or programming. But I do know how to make and what pecha should look like, for all that?s worth. If you plan to go so far as to make a new program I have ideas about a lot of needed thing like ornamental cover-pages. and there really does need to be support for images within the side brackets in the 'fancy-pages' (because adding pictures in PDF kills the quality of the whole text, but especially the page you edit the images into) as well like on Tony's pecha-program it is good to have a "Fancy deity-page" (if you do not understand what this is, it is a bracket cut out in the middle along with the two on the sides like on the Fancy) but there needs to be image support for these two & three brackets other wise don?t bother. Also there is a need for an 'ending fancy-page' which is just a bracket in the middle (for stupas or lama-seals things like this) which are often used. I make, as you may know a LOT of pecha, and these are things that I need not always but often. These are also things that are not in Tony?s or anywhere else unless you make your own pecha-temps in an art program, which makes great peach but not very efficient or useful when make a lot of pages, I never do it this way unless for English and Tibetan peach because of needing or wanting images throughout the text. I always wished for these thing to be part of PM but some of these ideas are far from it?s original / basic operations (like image support within the brackets on Fancy-page, etc.). Without image support within the brackets and in-line on your new program, you will be making nothing new or of real need. Since you are starting from the ground up you really should make it the BEST it can be. And since we see each other now and again I will do what I can to help you!

Then there are the more basic pecha layouts which where/are most often what is used when written in Umay script and now that we have some Umay fonts it would be nice to have these. They again would not be needed often but would be good to have. You could make a basic temp that would be much like Tony?s or PM?s (adding the Deity-fancy and Ending-fancy) to be added or taken out just like it is now in PM for the Cover and Fancy pages, but have other style temps that can be uploaded. This could be the case with the ornamental cover-pages as well, which there are 2 or 3 common styles of out there. There is also much need for an extensive means for making custom page (as in paper) sizes. And support for printing more than one copy per print. Meaning, lets say I am printing on 11?x17? Portrait and I want the whole front page to be page #1 and the whole back to be page #2, you get what I?m trying to say? This is only useful when print a lot as in more than 2copies. On a 11x17-P size, I could put about 5 copies this is production quality, you know what I mean.

Now I will end with saying that unless you truly make something perfect and complete, myself I don?t see the need. Maybe because I don?t know about the open source thing, so I don?t see the need, but if we can not use the best looking Tibetan font (like we can in PM ) then not many will use it. It should support every single Tibetan font out there, TTF and Uni what have you, much like the UDP program which you can chose the font you want and the key-board you want to type it in (given you have the fonts on your drive), though not even UDP is as complete in this way as it could be. I always wished PM and UDP where one program. Being able to type any Tibetan font on your drive in which ever key-board you know (or like) is truly a gift and if that was in PM, OOO man!!! What I can dream cant I ?? So I advice that the time be taken to ?make it the best it can be? with everything it will ever need, things which are not in one or the other of the two main pecha programs.

Though in truth the easy of how to teaching Rinpoches, Lamas and Tibetans how to use PM will always be needed. PP and PM really need to be inter useable, like UDP only back and forth. PM already reads and displays almost every font there is and a child can use it!!!