1##################################################################
2 Desktop Mascot Program for UNIX
3 macopix : Mascot Constructive Pilot for X
4 ver 1.7.4
5 Document in English : README
6
7 2008.06.24 Kurumi Chimari
8 chimari@rosegray.sakura.ne.jp
9 http://rosegray.sakura.ne.jp/
10##################################################################
11
12=============================================================
13 -- Table of Contents --
14 - About this program
15 - Environment
16 - Install
17 - How to Start
18 - Creating files, necessary files
19 - Mascots
20 - Launcher Menu
21 - Biff function
22 - Time Signal
23 - Socket Message
24 - Duet Animation
25 - Nokkari-Chara Support
26 - SSL Support
27 - Tranlucent Windows
28 - To Do
29 - Copyright
30=============================================================
31
32
33**About this program
34 This is a desktop mascot program running under UNIX / X window
35 systems.
36
37 With ver1.6.0 or later, MaCoPiX can be avairable also on Microsoft
38 Windows, using Gtk+/Win32 (all Gtk+ libraries are included in Win
39 binary version).
40 This Windows version is distributed as compiled (binary) package.
41 Most of the text in this document describes about MaCoPiX UNIX
42 version. So, fo windows, please see Readme-win32.jp (sorry, Japanese
43 only, yet).
44
45
46 This program could be an evolved one from "ActX" (Activate X
47 window system).
48
49 Currently, you can make following types of mascots using MaCoPiX.
50 - Focus follower (Window sitters : likely ActX)
51 - Fix style (Desktop wappen?)
52 Furthermore, you can select with or without a digital clock for
53 each types of mascots. So, MaCoPiX can be used as a sort of desktop clock
54 applications. (But the clock function could be still poor.)
55 And, the biff function is also available for POP/APOP/UNIX local
56 spool/qmail Maildir environments.
57 At once, users can create mascots and change their settings from GUI
58 instead of editing mascot files directly.
59
60 Please pay attention that the mascot file of MaCoPiX has no
61 compatibility with that of ActX.
62
63
64**Environment
65 Basically, MaCoPiX needs UNIX / X window system or Microsoft Windows.
66 [for UNIX]
67 - Gtk+ > ver1.2.0 (or Gtk+ > ver2.0.0)
68 - gdk-pixbuf > ver0.7.0 (or Gtk+ > ver2.0.0)
69 - libpng . (or Gtk+ > ver2.0.0)
70 - gettext > ver0.10
71 are necessary.
72 MaCoPiX can be load all image types supported by gdk-pixbuf.
73 But, you need libraries to support each types of images
74 (ex. libtiff, libpng) in order to load each types of images.
75 The official MaCoPiX mascots are served in PNG files now.
76
77 [for Microsoft Windows (binary package)]
78 - Windows2000,XP or later (Still unconfirmed on Vista)
79 - Including TAR32.DLL(GPL) in the binary distribution.
80 * You can dounload it (free-software, GPL) form the HP of
81 "Common Archiver Library Project".
82 URL http://www.csdinc.co.jp/archiver/index-e.html
83 - All required libraries (Gtk+ etc.) are also included in the
84 binary package.
85
86
87**Install (Unix from source)
88 1. extract source archive, change directory to the created one.
89 2. ./configure
90 ##################################################################
91 ./configure options
92 [Gtk+] (default is for Gtk+2.x)
93 ./configure --with-gtk1 (use Gtk+1.2)
94 [Cairo] (default is on)
95 ./configure --disable-cairo (not use cairo)
96 [SSL] (default is OpenSSL)
97 ./configure --with-gnutls (use GNUTLS instead of OpenSSL)
98 ./configure --disable-ssl (none support for SSL)
99 [Win32] (default is for UNIX)
100 ./configure --with-win32 (making for Win32)
101 [TAR32] (default is off)
102 ./configure --with-tar32 (use TAR32.DLL)
103 [UNLHA32] (default is off)
104 ./configure --with-unlha32 (use UNLHA32.DLL)
105 ##################################################################
106 3. make
107 4. su
108 5. make install
109 (If you need to internationalize your menu message (using gettext),
110 you have to do "make install" as a root.)
111
112
113
114**How to start
115 In anyway, you have to download one mascot file at least (at present).
116 Without mascot files, you cannot do anything with MaCoPiX.
117 Please download or prepare more than one mascot archive (*.tar.gz)
118 and start macopix.
119
120 With MaCoPiX ver1.6.4 or later, you can install downlocaded mascot
121 archives (*.tar.gz) with drag & drop on the running MaCoPiX mascot
122 (or on the 1st message window for environment with no installed mascots).
123
124 Just running MaCoPiX,
125 % macopix
126 After started up, please install mascots with drag & drop (or from GUI).
127
128 If you want to fix the mascot at your startup of MaCoPiX and have a
129 mascot file (mascot.mcpx), please run the following command.
130 % macopix mascot.mcpx
131 After starting the application, you can change any settings from the
132 pop-up GUI.
133
134 And you can see the command line options, using -h (or --help) option.
135
136
137
138**Creating files, necessary files
139 MaCoPiX needs (and creates) the following files...
140 a. Mascot file (*.mcpx)
141 And a mascot includes images (and sound files, if necessary).
142 b. Resource file (* .rc)
143 c. Launcher Menu file (*.menu)
144
145 Basically, these files are copied or created in the "User Directory"
146 (HOME$/.macopix/ for each users).
147
148 About a., please see the following item as "Mascots".
149
150 b., the resource file is the file described the parameters kept all
151 times regardless of changing mascots.
152 If you do not appoint any files for the resource file (you can
153 appoint the resource file which you want to load with "-r" option),
154 the default one (HOME$/.macopix/macopix.rc) should be loaded.
155
156 c. is the Launcher menu in which your favorite mascots are registered.
157 Please see the following item "Launcher menu".
158
159
160
161**Mascots
162 The mascot of MaCoPiX is made up with
163 - a mascot file (*.mcpx)
164 - image files (You can use any image types loaded by
165 gdk-pixbuf)
166 likely in the case of ActX.
167 Of course, you can use shaped mascots, if you appoint the shaped
168 images with alpha values (ex. png, gif, xpm).
169
170 At the starting time of the application, the mascot file should be
171 appointed as "% mascot mascot.mcpx".
172 In such case, MaCoPiX automatically searches the mascot file
173 according to the following priority.
174 1. absolute path or relative path from the current directory
175 2. User Directory ($HOME/.macopixrc/)
176 3. Common Directory (/usr/share/macopix/ ?)
177 User directory(2) should be automatically created at the first time
178 for using MaCoPiX.
179 Distribution Directory(3) will be determined by the installer
180 at the time of installation.
181
182 Image files should be appointed in the mascot file.
183 These files are also searched according to the following priority.
184 1. same directory where the mascot file exists
185 2. User Pixmap Directory ($HOME/.macopixrc/pixmap/)
186 3. Common Pixmap Directory (/usr/share/macopix/pixmap/ ?)
187
188 And, if you selected automatic install (option -a; saved in the
189 resource file), mascot files are automatically installed at the time
190 of loading.
191 Starting with the -O (--over-write) option, the priority of loading
192 will change to 1 > 3 > 2 in order to overwrite mascots in user
193 directory with ones in the distribution directory installed by
194 RPM package etc.
195
196 You should take care of the locale of your system to use mascots.
197 Mascot files should be written in one of the locale (in Gtk+1.2).
198 If you use the mascot in the different locale environment, balloons
199 and menus could not be presented correctly.
200 The author of this application will release his mascots in "ja"
201 (Japanese-euc) locale.
202 If you interested in them, please translate them for your environment.
203 Furthermore, if there is a gettext message file (in po/ directory of
204 the source tree) for your environment, you can change the dialog
205 messages of GUI into your language.
206 When you translated these files, please contact with the author.
207
208
209
210**Launcher menu
211 In the field "Mascot Launcher" of the po-pup menu, you can register
212 your favorite mascot for easy changing.
213 To use this function, you have to prepare the launcher menu file (*.menu).
214 You can load and create it from the pop-up menu in every time.
215 And you can also edit it in the configuration dialog.
216
217 It is difference from the ActX one that the menu file has two levels
218 as "Category" -> "Mascot".
219 All "Mascots" have to be included in "Categories".
220
221 Each resource file can appoint one menu file as its default menu file.
222 If no menu files are appointed at the starting, this default menu
223 should be loaded.
224 If no mascot files are appointed at that time, a mascot selected at
225 random from the menu file should be loaded.
226 Furthermore, if you don't the appointment of the default menu in your
227 resource file, the menu selection dialog will appear in startup.
228
229
230 If you appoint a menu file at the starting time, please use "-m" (or
231 "--menu") option.
232
233
234**Biff function
235 MaCoPiX can be a mail checker for the following types of the mail
236 environment.
237 1. local spool (UNIX mbox : /var/spool/mail/$USER etc)
238 2. POP3 (SSL/TLS)
239 3. POP3 (APOP auth) (SSL/TLS)
240 4. qmail (Maildir)
241 5. MH + Procmail
242 After preparing proper configuration, please start MaCoPiX with "-b"
243 (or "--biff") option, or please check "Biff Check" on the pop-up
244 menu.
245 If you use the biff checker in POP, your password are saved in the
246 resource file with plain text.
247 So, please be careful for the management of the resource files.
248 (Basically, the resource files can be seen only by yourself.)
249
250 - for POP3/APOP
251 In "Server information" of GUI, input "Address", "UserID", "Password",
252 "POP3 Port No."(You should not change it in usual cases.).
253 You don't need to edit "File" entry.
254 POP over SSL (SSL/TLS) has been supported from ver 1.6.2,
255 experimentally.
256
257 - for qmail (Maildir)
258 In "File" entry of "Server information" of GUI, input the
259 Maildir directory in which newly arrived mails are stocked
260 ( $HOME/Maildir/new in the most of cases ).
261
262 - MH + Procmail
263 In "File" entry of "Server information" of GUI, input the
264 full-path of log file for procmail, "procmail.log". (In the most
265 of cases, this file are appointed in "LGFILE=" entry of
266 $HOME/.procmailrc )
267 The mail directory for MH is automatically searched as the
268 following order, (1) "MAILDIR" entry in $HOME/.procmailrc,
269 (2) $HOME/Mail .
270 If you want to poll to the mail server periodically via fetchmail
271 or something else, you should input command for polling into
272 "Polling" entry in "Operating Information of Biff GUI.
273
274
275
276**Time signal function
277 MaCoPix has a time signal function, which do some actions (external
278 command, mascot changing ... etc.) every hour on the hour (00 minute).
279 After preparing proper configuration, please start MaCoPiX with "-s"
280 (or "--signal") option, or please check "Time Signal" on the pop-up
281 menu.
282 The configurations for this function are saved in the resource file.
283 "Mascot Random Change" cannot work, if you do not appoint any menu
284 files.
285
286
287**Socket Message
288 Now mascots can speak any messages appointed in command line externally.
289 1. Start MaCoPiX with --sockmsg option.
290 You can start only one mascot at the same time.
291
292 2. From terminal command line, type
293 macopix --message "Hello!"
294 You can see this message on your mascot balloon.
295 You should change character code of the message following your locale.
296
297 3. If you want to change the expiration time to display each socket
298 messages, you can appoint it like this way.
299 macopix --message "Hello!" --message-expire 5000
300 Using this --message-expire option, you can set the expiration
301 time to display each messages (unit is msec).
302 Without this option, the default expiration time will be used.
303 It can be set on GUI.
304
305 4. In the socket message balloon, you can also use "Stepping mode".
306 This mode will set "%c" control character automcatically in your
307 sending message.
308 This can be set in GUI and also in command line options to send
309 a message.
310
311**Duet Animation
312 Using socket communication, some animation can be connected between
313 two mascots.
314 If you start Sachiko-sama and Yumi at the same time, and click one
315 of them....
316 - Each mascots makes /tmp/macopix-(userID)/macopix-(mascot file) temporal
317 file. If MaCoPiX was stopped abnormally these files can remain,
318 but they will not affect the next time.
319 - If the two or more same mascot start, the later will use this
320 temporal pipe file.
321 But, if the former is stopped or changed, this pipe should be closed.
322
323
324
325**Nokkari-chara Support
326 Now data conversion from/to Nokkari-Chara (an Window sitter
327 application for MS Windows) is supported.
328 But it is very experimental one and maybe for mascots developers.
329 Please read NKR.README.jp in this archive (sorry, only in Japanese).
330
331
332
333**Difference between Gtk+2.x / Gtk+-1.2 version
334 Now, there are some difference points between Gtk+2.x and Gtk+1.2
335 version of MaCoPiX including anti-alias effects in their font display.
336 - Character Code
337 In Gtk+1.2, you should select same locale as the character code
338 in mascots/menus files for your environment.
339 In the case of Gtk+2.x version, the character code of mascot
340 file should be understood, according to the following priority.
341 1. [General] code=xxxx setting in .mcpx file
342 2. current locale environment
343 3. MaCoPiX default (EUC-JP)
344 If MaCoPiX cannot understand the character code, you should
345 find "Invalid Character Code" display in Gtk+2.x version.
346 - Font selection
347 Fonts to be selected is difference in each Gtk+ versions.
348 If you find any alert, you should select suitable fonts for
349 your systems, using the font selection dialog of MaCoPiX.
350 Of course, Gtk+2.x version requires much memory area. compared with
351 Gtk+1.2 version.
352
353
354**SSL Support
355 This program can compile with a link to OpenSSL or GNUTLS libraries
356 (or without either) to support POP over SSL on its biff function.
357
358 Because OpenSSL is a non-GPL freeware. I have to add a special
359 exception for GPL to link this program with OpenSSL.
360 If you feel uneasy about this license issue, please link with GNUTLS.
361
362 You can switch it with ./configure option before compiling.
363 - OpenSSL (default)
364 - GNUTLS (./configure --with-gnutls)
365 - without SSL (./configure --disable-ssl)
366 When your environment for gnutls development does not satisfy to make
367 this program, OpenSSL will be used instead of GNUTLS.
368 (I confirmed a build completion with gnutls-1.4.1, but I couldn't with
369 gnutls-1.0.2 .)
370
371 In actual operation, GNUTLS version has some different points, compared
372 with OpenSSL ver.
373 - GNUTLS does not support SSL v2.
374 - GNUTLS ver. always skippes confirmation on SSL certification.
375 If you neglect the license matter, I recommend to use OpenSSL rather
376 than GNUTLS.
377
378
379**Tranlucent Windows
380 Translucent Panel Clock and Balloon can be used also on UNIX with
381 MaCoPiX ver1.7.0 or later.
382 To enable this function, you need to compile MaCoPiX with
383 - Gtk+ 2.8 (or later; cairo library is required.) .
384 Furthermore, you also need to run MaCoPiX on
385 - appropriate Window Mangers supporting translucent window rendering
386 (Compiz, Beryl KWin etc.)
387 * You should turn ON "Desktop Effects", "Visual Effects" etc.
388 to use this translucent function.
389 With Gtk+2.10 or later, MaCoPiX can ditermine your desktop support
390 for translucent windows automaticaly. But, with Gtk+2.8, you should
391 check "Forced translucent rendering" in the config window (Common->
392 Font/Color).
393
394 With non-translucent environment, panel clock and balloon rendered
395 by cairo also can be used. The opacities of each colors are
396 effective only with cairo rendering. With non-translucent
397 environment, cairo will render each parts of clock and balloon over
398 a white plane base with translucent colors.
399 If the colors of clock and balloon are different from your
400 expectation, you should change opacities of each colors to 255 (100%).
401
402 Mascot and biff images also can be rendered translucently with Cairo
403 rendering.
404 Required environment for this function should be same as above.
405 In this cairo rendering mode, scaled-down (up) mascots can have
406 anti-aliased outline with composited environment.
407 Furthermore, Now "Drop shadow of mascot" option is avairable with
408 this mode.
409 This mode automatically turns off with non-composited environment
410 (Gtk+2.10 or later).
411
412 For Windows version of MaCoPiX, it already has translucent rendering
413 function using Windows native API. So, you are never required any
414 special environments.
415 In Windows' cairo redndering, opacities of background colors will be
416 ignored and used ordinal Balloon/Panel clock opacities instead of it.
417
418
419**To Do
420 - Sockmsg mode for Windows?
421 - Enhancement of the clock & alarm function
422 .............
423
424
425**Copyright
426 The code in this distribution is Copyright 2002-2008 by Kurumi Chimari.
427
428 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
429 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
430 the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option)
431 any later version.
432
433 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
434 but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
435 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
436 GNU General Public License for more details.
437
438 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
439 along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
440 Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
441
442 In addition, as a special exception, K.Chimari gives permission to link
443 this code of this program with the OpenSSL library (or with modified
444 versions of OpenSSL that use the same license as OpenSSL), and distribute
445 linked combinations including the two. You must obey the GNU General
446 Public License in all respects for all of the code used other than OpenSSL.
447 If you modify this file, you may extend this exception to your version of
448 the file, but you are not obligated to do so. If you do not wish to do so,
449 delete this exception statement from your version.
450