I updated to Jaunty today & found a few issues with mumbles, the most problematic being the need for the plugins to be built with python 2.6.

I have updated the 0.4.2 branch to work in Jaunty.

Again, this is the branch that is in line for the next release and any testing/feedback would be appreciated as we work out the rest of the kinks.

On top of the plugin update, I updated the libnotify interceptor to replace the new Jaunty notify-osd (comments on notify-osd later…). The interceptor still has some issues with certain parts of the Freedesktop spec, so it can be unstable (it’s known to crash gwibber) and needs to be updated before we can release this version. The interceptor has just been updated to support the freedesktop 0.9 spec. This fixed my problem with gwibber and is hopefully complete enough to function without problems (though more features of the spec would be nice). Let me know if you run into any problems.

I also updated the theme handling so that themes can now use system theme colors (or continue to use theme overrides) - you’ll notice a new default theme and some updates to a few others. This was a feature request a while back and I think it it’s a very nice addition.

I know I suggested the release was coming out “soon” quite some time ago, but life managed to get in the way for all of us working on it (especially me). We do still have some things to update before it can be released but hopefully we can get it out the door soon.

Hi all, we’ll still working away on some very cool stuff - to be released soon. If you’re interested, please take a look at the 0.4.2 branch in svn.

In the process of getting the new stuff ready for release, I realized/remembered I wasn’t too thrilled with the current icon & panel applet. My design/inkscape skills only went so far, and it’s time for mumbles to get a design upgrade.

So if you or anyone you know would like to contribute to the project, I invite you to break out your favorite vector graphics program and enter the mumbles icon design contest! Have an artist friend? Please pass this post on and encourage them to submit an entry!

We will be creating some mumbles t-shirts for the new release and would very much like to have a new icon for them. The winner of the contest, on top of the very prestigious credit in the mumbles contributor list, will receive a free t-shirt.

Icon, must be a svg file and have a compatible license to be release as part of the mumbles project. Otherwise we’re open to design choices, though using colors from the mumbles website/existing icons (tango compatible) is encouraged.

Winner will be chosen using any combination of: my opinion, irc discussion, picking out of a hat, or whatever means we find useful. Depending on the number of submission, a public vote to decide the winner may also be held. Please email your contributions to dot_j (at this domain). Deadline for submission will be Oct 20th with the winner to be announced shortly after.

Thanks

dot_j

I just logged into the admin site and found quite a few comments awaiting moderation for which, for some reason, I did not receive an email update. I have approved those comments and apologize to all of you for the delay in getting them on the site.

Please note, that while I appreciate any comment, those with questions are encouraged to post on the forum It’s easy for questions (that are probably useful to others) to get lost in the comment thread.

I will try to respond to the backlogged questions in the next day or two. Again, I apologize for the hiccup. Thanks for stopping by.

I took the twittercheck script from my last post a bit further and created a Twitter Screenlet.

The mumbles plugin here will work with the screenlet (it will continue to work with the simple twittercheck script there as well).

Let me know what you think.

Note: mumbles users will most likely want to turn off “use libnotify” in the screentlet preferences. This is my opinion of how applications should use libnotify/dbus. Provide the users with a default libnotify notification, but also, the option to turn it off while continuing to send DBus notifications that other apps can pick up. Here’s to hoping this practice catches on!

[edit 03.23: Files linked here are for the current version 0.4. svn has been updated working towards 0.5 - if you are running an up to date mumbles from svn you can find the updated twitter plugin there.]

[edit 03.24: Updated the twitter check script. Added option to check public timeline (by default if no account information is supplied) and fixed bug preventing script from running via Gnome Sessions. If you previously downloaded the file, it's advised to update. Links below point to current version.]

If you’re looking to get right to the plugin, download here, or find more information below. But first, some updates:

I realize it’s been a long while since I’ve posted anything. I had a failry busy last 6 months, but I hope to keep the site a bit more up to date going forward. Thanks to all of you still hanging around and sending comments.

So, in an attempt to keep the project moving foward and to encourage more participation, I wanted to post a few ways to get in touch with me and with others working on/using mumbles. Like always email (dot_j at this domain), and comments work, but I also want to keep the conversation about mumbles open and ongoing. So I have created a few new avenues of discussion:

IRC: #mumbles on irc.freenode.net

I try to hang around in here as much as possible. If you stop by and I’m not responding or away, try to hang around - I will respond when I can. I’m hoping other users and developers will also start to hang out here to help with plugins, questions and ideas.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/dot_j

I just got turned onto twitter and quickly realized it would be (among other things) a great place to talk about mumbles. It takes a little more time and attention to update the website and often there are things I’m working on or thinking about related to mumbles that do not warrant a full post here, so why not twitter?

Please consider taking part in either of these ways of following the mumbles project. I have recieved lots of feedback/suggestions and have a roadmap scetched out (post coming soon) for version 0.5 and I hope to see the discussion and participation pick up with new development.

And now for the plugin:

Download the Twitter Check Script & Mumbles Plugin

People have asked for it, and I now have an account, so I better have a plugin, right? It’s in an early stage with lots of room for improvements (version 0.5 will include some new functionality that will be added in future updates), but it works and is a great way to keep an eye on your twitter account. See the README in the archive for instructions. Like always, more information can be found at

http://mumbles-project.org/plugins

http://mumbles-project.org/extras

My man, magicrobotmonkey, just published a cool tutorial about using compiz and mumbles to make self destructing desktop notifications. Video included. Check it out.

I’ve been getting pretty regular questions about the state of the project, so I thought I’d start a new thread and ask for some feedback from those of you following the site (and asking me about it).

I’ve been preoccupied with the job thing, so I haven’t been working too much on Mumbles. With the most recent updates (svn is at a state where release 0.4 is coming shortly), it’s at the point where it does what I wanted it to do (scratched the itch as they say), so going forward, the project is really going to be driven by those of you that use it (and take the time to file a request). So please let me know what you want from the project in the comments for this post. More application plugins? Which applications would you like to see Mumbles support? New features? Better configuration?

As a starting point, here are some things I’ve been thinking about (and built the project with the idea of implementing in future releases):

* RSS notifications - I’ve had a request for this from another user and would like to see this myself - it’s probably the next thing I’ll work on. I’m a bit undecided about how to pursue this - should there be a script for something like Liferea that sends dbus notifications, should I write a simple RSS aggregator that sends dbus notifications? Any ideas/comments?

* Plugin-specific configuration - It seems like an option to only get a notification if your name is said in an IRC room makes sense. I also have the ability to handle clicks on the notification, so things like brining the application to focus or opening the website for the RSS feed make sense (the code in svn has some of this implemented). I believe Growl also keeps notifications open if you mouse over them - should Mumbles?

* libnotify output - I’ve been thinking it makes sense to make output plugins much like the application (input) plugins and have seen some comments from others who prefer libnotify alerts. So why not let you choose to use the Mumbles (composite enabled) notification or a libnotify notification - or any other kind of output for that matter (save to a database, SMS, email…?)

* Documentation/Tutorials - I’d like to drive contributions and assume writing some documentation or a tutorial about how to write a plugin would help on that front. Contributions about contribution would be good too. I’ve seen a few comments about how people are using Mumbles with other applications and feel the word could really get out with a few examples about how to use the mumbles-send script and/or the Mumbles dbus object (like Chris’ Thunderbird example)

* Themeable notifications/images - one could “theme” Mumbles by just swapping out the background image - do we want the ability to easily support themes (or use Gnome settings)? Should mumbles use buddy icons/album art/whatever else for the notification icons (see the point above about plugin-specific) configuration). Do we want to be able to choose font styles/sizes?

* deb package - I would really like to see this in order to make installation easier. I don’t have much experience with packaging files, so any help here would be greatly appreciated. What systems are you using Mumbles on? - do we want rpm, debs…?

That will hopefully get things going. Thanks to those of you following the project - the floor is open - I look forward to your ideas & comments.

Welcome to the mumbles project!

Please take a look around, download and get involved!

Mumbles is (as of yet) a small project and (we hope) is a great opportunity to get started in an open source project. Contributions of all kinds are greatly appreciated - write a plugin, make something better, send in some artwork or find another way to participate.

Thanks for stopping by - we hope you enjoy!