As I scramble away in the middle of exam week, I feel the need for good documentation the first time through a project, even if you fully (and truly) understand the methods used. Memory will fail, and this fact will likely come back to bite you. T.T
In phase 3 of the Portable Canvas project, I had resolved to get the program working on Macs as well as Windows. Now, I'm stuck trying to figure out how to build on said Mac, because I mentioned that I "compiled" MyBrowser for Windows back in phase 1. Does it mean I really compiled it, like I'd compile Firefox with Mozbuild? Does it mean it isn't really compiled, just a bunch of JS files that call XUL functions? I can't even remember the search terms I used to find the XUL documentation anymore.
Alas, agony is the seed of wisdom. If I survive this, good things will come. ^^;;
On the bright side, I've got Canvas 3D examples running on my local machine now... =D
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Back to Episode One
The final stretch of DPS 909 rolls in, but the work hasn't gotten any easier. I've learned so much, yet it seems I'll never run out of stuff to learn. This is both good and bad.
There was the comment on my v0.2 Portable Canvas; it doesn't work on Mac. The solution seems simple enough; compile it on Mac, just like I did on Windows. But, after all the trials and tribulations that came *after* the simple compile the first time around, I've forgotten how to build the thing! It's like starting 0.1 all over again, and that took a while...
The next major obstacle is the new feature I've set for myself (with Cathy's approval). I want Portable Canvas to be able to load a local file. Such a simple goal represents a mountain of dirt to dredge through...
For one, there's no such thing as a Canvas 3d file. C3d creates objects by modifying data within a canvas element tag, so the state of the tag is constantly changing. The complexity is enormous, never mind the fact that I haven't created a working example online yet.
Next up is the modification of code. I've never written a serious JavaScript application in my life, and now I'll have to write one that dynamically creates local content. Tom Aratyn was kind enough to perform a guest lecture on JS; it'll be a big help for sure, though I still feel a little under-prepared.
The word of the day is "worry", because there'll be plenty of it. ^^;;
There was the comment on my v0.2 Portable Canvas; it doesn't work on Mac. The solution seems simple enough; compile it on Mac, just like I did on Windows. But, after all the trials and tribulations that came *after* the simple compile the first time around, I've forgotten how to build the thing! It's like starting 0.1 all over again, and that took a while...
The next major obstacle is the new feature I've set for myself (with Cathy's approval). I want Portable Canvas to be able to load a local file. Such a simple goal represents a mountain of dirt to dredge through...
For one, there's no such thing as a Canvas 3d file. C3d creates objects by modifying data within a canvas element tag, so the state of the tag is constantly changing. The complexity is enormous, never mind the fact that I haven't created a working example online yet.
Next up is the modification of code. I've never written a serious JavaScript application in my life, and now I'll have to write one that dynamically creates local content. Tom Aratyn was kind enough to perform a guest lecture on JS; it'll be a big help for sure, though I still feel a little under-prepared.
The word of the day is "worry", because there'll be plenty of it. ^^;;
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Mozilla in Cahoots with Ghostbusters?
Along my journeys across Mozilla code, I couldn't help but notice this line:
The keymaster and gatekeeper were key characters (no pun intended) of a niche movie called "Ghostbusters" which appeared in the early 80's. The gatekeeper of that story also happens to go by the name of Zuul (pronounced XUL).
On top of that, Mozilla's JavaScript debugger (or de-ghoster?) shares its name with Peter Venkman, one of the lead Ghostbusters.
One must wonder if there's a connection...
var t = document.createElementNSThe thing that stood out most was the strange, but almost deliberate, folder structure of the XUL include file.
("http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul", "tab");
The keymaster and gatekeeper were key characters (no pun intended) of a niche movie called "Ghostbusters" which appeared in the early 80's. The gatekeeper of that story also happens to go by the name of Zuul (pronounced XUL).
On top of that, Mozilla's JavaScript debugger (or de-ghoster?) shares its name with Peter Venkman, one of the lead Ghostbusters.
One must wonder if there's a connection...
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