Name : ralf_tracker_0.3a Author : Raphael MOLL Version : 0.3 alpha1 Machine : BeBox with BeOS 1.1d7 Status : freeware with sources publicly available. SUBJECT ------- Ralf_tracker_0.3a is a tracker player for the BeBox under BeOS 1.1d7. There are two archives : - Ralf_Tracker_03a_app.tar --> the application that you run on the BeBox. - Ralf_Tracker_03a_src.tar --> the sources with the projects for CodeWarior 8 on the Macintosh. The sources are TARed. When you untar them, a directory is created. If you can, untar them with Suntar on the Macintosh. This will correctly reset the resource fork for the CodeWarior project files. Disclaimer ---------- I currently work in a small french company called MIPSYS. There is no link between this software and MIPSYS. I originally started the port of the amiga tracker as a play. Beside that, it gave me some interesting experience about the BeBox programming, especially for threads and BAudioSubscribers. Important --------- This software is a preliminary version. Anything can happen. It can crash, but it can also hangs your computer at any moment. I am not responsible of any damage that you, your work, your computer or anything else on Earth can be subjected to due to the usage or misuage of this software. Subject ------- Ralf_tracker is a so called "sound tracker", which plays music files called "modules" and output them to the audio output of your prefered BeBox. Distribution ------------ There are two possible archives. The first one, "ralf_tracker_0.3a_app.tar.Z" contains the application. As an example, a module called "cripto.mod" is bundled with the archive. More modules can be found on every ftp site on the Internet. Just ask for ".mod" with Archie. Modules typically can be found in music-related subdirectories or in Aminet mirrors. The second archive will be called "ralf_tracker_0.3a_src.tar.Z" and will contain the whole sources, with the CW8 projects. CW8 means "CodeWarior 8", which is an Integrated Development Environment" which runs on the Mac. There is a version of the IDE for the BeBox which is called "BeIDE". I used the Mac version. The projects are to be used on a Macintosh. You must recreate the projects to compile under the BeIDE. For this to be possible, there are two files, ralf_tracker.pi.txt" and "tracker_lib.pi.txt" which contains a textual description of the CW8 projects. History ------- The ralf_tracker is heavily based on a C-source tracker running under several unixes (Linux, Solaris, HP, etc.), created by Marc.Espie@ens.fr. See file tracker-3_19.readme (yes, I do not already use the version 4!) How to use ---------- This time it is very easy to use it since I coded the inferface... Just launch the application and drop files from the browser onto the list (on the left). Then select a file in the list and 1) double-clic it, or 2) click the "play" button. This make the tracker starting playing that file. The list is a play list. This means that when a module is finished, the tracker plays the next one in the list or wraps. I added the items in the main menu, and so I provide some shortcuts. Bugs ---- Still to be coded are the four buttons to manage the list (load, save, reorder). Sometimes the next button doesn't work : when you press it, instead of playing the next module, it stops. Workaround : just click stop and then click play again. There was an old bug that made the application crash if the quit button was used while playing a module. I think I exterminated that bug but I'm not quite sure. You still can't drop a directory -- I will code this in order to load all the directory contents (recursively). [LAST MINUTE MAID : I DID IT !] When you load several files, the window is locked while it processes the entry names. The End ------- Just play with that and tell me. o-------------------------------------------------------------o Raphael MOLL ------------ e-mail for personal information : moll@linux.utc.fr web page for personal information : http://linux.utc.fr/~moll/ o-------------------------------------------------------------o