Cardapio Announcements (sign up here to receive email announcements)

[Thiago Teixeira]

I will be using this bug report to make announcements about Cardapio.

If you wish to receive these announcements as emails, use the "subscribe" option on the right sidebar of this page.
We also use Launchpad’s official announcement system in addition to this. If you are more comforable with that or prefer to receive updates via news feed, go to https://launchpad.net/cardapio/+announcements and disregard this bug.

Please DO NOT post a reply to this non-bug.

Thanks

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Cardapio 0.9.95 has now a GUI for pinning applications! Just right-click on anything (an app, a local result, a web result) and choose "Pin this item". Finally :)

However, the applications at the root of Gnome's "Application" menu are no longer treated as "pinned" by Cardapio -- which means your pinned list will be reset when you update. So I just wanted to give people a heads-up.

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

A quick poll:
====================

There is a possibility that I will remove the "side pane" feature from Cardapio, so I wanted to hear from you guys: Do you use the side pane at all? Would it matter to you if it was dropped? (reply at the link below)

The reason for removing the side pane is that I would like to make room for a new button, probably called "System", which would toggle Cardapio from "Application browsing mode" to "System browsing mode".

In "System browsing mode", the categories on the left would be the same as in Gnome Control Center, and the icons on the right would be the icons from the Administration and Preferences menus.

To reply and/or discuss this, please use the blueprint where this idea originated: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/always-show-administration-and-preferences.

Thanks

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Important:
====================

Cardapio's old PPA (ppa:tvst-hotmail/cardapio) has been replaced with the more official-sounding ppa:cardapio-team/unstable . Please update your sources!

The old PPA will stop working in a few weeks!!!

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Road to 1.0 -- And how you can help
==================================

A call to all coders out there: Please take a look at the bugs and papercuts listed on the blueprint below and see what you can do to help Cardapio reach the big one-point-oh :D

https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/road-to-version-one-point-oh

    ~

If we get enough help with these bugs, there is a chance that the following NEW AND AWESOME FEATURES will also make it into v1.0:

- Zeitgeist plugin
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/integrate-app-usage-frequency

- Ubuntu Software Center plugin (to show programs that *aren't* installed!)
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/software-center-plugin

- Gnome Control Center plugin (to reorganize the Administration and Preferences menus)
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/always-show-administration-and-preferences

Thanks

[Jan (jancborchardt-deactivatedaccount)]

Configuration poll:
====================

Hey, I’m Jan-Christoph from the Cardapio team and we need your help for research!

(Not only) to decide on Cardapio’s default configuration, I have set up a poll where you can post your settings: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/configuration-statistics

We would like to know about:
 – General usage
 – Settings for main window & panel applet
 – Plugins, in order of usage
 – Manual changes to config.ini (if any)

Please add your settings to the whiteboard of the blueprint in the format / order as described there. Also please provide the reasoning behind your decisions and don’t forget to update them in case you change it.

Thanks

[Jan (jancborchardt-deactivatedaccount)]

Announcement about announcements:
===============================

From now on, we will use Launchpad’s official announcement system in addition to this. If you are more comforable with that or prefer to receive updates via news feed, go to https://launchpad.net/cardapio/+announcements and please unsubscribe from this bug.

If you want to continue getting the announcements by mail, disregard this announcement as we will continue to cross-post both there and here. :)

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Plugin suggestions for coders to hack on!
===============================================

There are quite a few plugins I would love to see for Cardapio, but have no time to implement as I'm trying to iron out the last few bugs before v1.0.

But if you have a free weekend and feel like doing something awesome, here are some suggestions for you: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/plugin-suggestions

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

System menus, new plugins, and more!
===============================================

Cardapio v0.9.132 has been released* and it now brings a mouse-based interface for browsing the System menus. This was a commonly asked-for feature, and its design came directly from our discussion in a Launchpad blueprint [1]. How does it work? See the blueprint :)

...or just toggle the new mode-switcher button (labeled "System"), which is present at the bottom of the menu, and see Cardapio become a Gnome Control Center of sorts. Good times!

*well, the package has been waiting in the queue in Launchpad for the past 17hrs. So hold your horses :)

    ~

The next news-item is that Cardapio users have been hard at work on some of the plugins we suggested in the beginning of July [2]. As a result, we are now (after just two weeks!) shipping *four* new plugins with Cardapio -- courtesy of Pawel Bara. These are:

* Bing plugin
* Yahoo plugin
* Wikipedia plugin
* Youtube plugin

Great work, Pawel! I should also take this opportunity to thank Clifton Mulkey for writing plugins *even before* we ever made that public call. He's responsible for the Software Center and Virtual Box plugins. You guys are awesome :)

    ~

Next step
=================

With the great plugin proliferation, searching with Cardapio may become a bit unwieldy, especially if you have too many plugins turned on. So there's a small usability tweak that will soon be coming to Cardapio, as proposed by user Bert de Bruijn [3]. It is only a small feature, but l think it will be pretty amazing.

The idea is to assign customizable search prefixes to different plugins. So, for example, you could search for "Gnome" on Wikipedia just by typing "?w gnome". This would cause Cardapio to only show results from the Wikipedia plugin -- possibly showing more results than usual as there would be more UI space to play with.

    ~

In sum, things are shaping up nicely for the big v1.0! So keep those blueprints coming, keep on hacking on Cardapio plugins, and please take a look at some of the outstanding bugs that need some attention [4].

[1] https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/always-show-administration-and-preferences
[2] https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/plugin-suggestions
[3] https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/letters-to-use-only-specific-search-method
[4] https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/road-to-version-one-point-oh

PS: As of *right now* the old PPA will no longer be updated. The correct PPA is ppa:cardapio-team/unstable . Please help spread the word about this. I wouldn't want any Cardapio user to be left out of the fun :)

You can update your PPA either through the Software Sources application (search for it in Cardapio!) or on the terminal with these commands:

$ sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/tvst-hotmail-cardapio-*
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cardapio-team/unstable
$ sudo apt-get update

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Two new features for power users!
===============================================

1) Browse inside subfolders with the slash key!
See https://answers.launchpad.net/cardapio/+faq/1238

2) Now with initial support for search keywords! (as discussed in the previous announcement)
See https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/letters-to-use-only-specific-search-method

[Jan (jancborchardt-deactivatedaccount)]

Show off your Cardapio setup!
===============================================

We added a screenshot link to the overview page that leads to a Flickr tag page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/cardapio-project/

That way you can upload an image of your own configuration for everyone to see! Be it as normal panel applet, dock applet or custom GTK edits, we would like to see how you use Cardapio.

As a side effect, this is useful info for future development. You are also welcome to take part in the configuration poll for a detailed description of your settings: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/configuration-statistics

So upload your screenshots on Flickr, add the tag ›cardapio-project‹ and see how others are using it. :)

And in case you didn’t notice: We now have a Humanity-based icon!

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Now with mountpoints in Places menu!
=========================================

Cardapio has just gained the ability to show your mountpoints under the Places category.

Mountpoints are, of course, updated live as they are plugged in or ejected. Also as expected you can simply click on a mountpoint to open it in your file manager, or even use the context menu to unmount it without ever having to launch Nautilus!

As part of this change, the Places category has also been reorganized, and the links to "File System" and "Computer" removed. (The former to follow Nautilus's example, and the latter because "Computer" becomes redundant given the new capabilities of the Places category itself. More details here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/cardapio/+bug/593141 )

As usual, please stress-test this new feature and let us know of any bugs by opening new bug reports.

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Call for help: The state of local search
==============================================

So, I just clean-installed Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) and, obviously, the first thing I did was to install Cardapio -- as I a;ways feel digitally-crippled without it. So I guess this is me patting myself in the back, but more importantly also praising the ever-increasing Cadapio team and our amazing bug-hunting contributors. Yay to all of us :)

Anyway, the big downside of this whole transition is that it broke local file search for me. Tracker, as has been called to our attention before, is still at version 0.8.x which is incompatible with Cardapio for several reasons. However, now even the unstable branch (version 0.9.x) doesn't seem to cut the mustard anymore. I installed it on my machine but can't get Cardapio -- or even Tracker Search Tool -- to display any results. I'm sure I could tweak some configuration files and make it all work, but that defeats the purpose. Cardapio aims to be usable to everyone, even those who don't know how to manually edit config files, or do not want to.

Of course, this situation should come as no surprise. Tracker has been iffy / barely-usable for a while now, and I am starting to feel like it may take years before it gets to a mature state. This is a sad state of affairs.

Luckily, there is a solution in sight, and I wanted to see what people thought.

As you may already know, the KDE project has recently adopted a desktop search daemon called Strigi, which is platform-independent (does not require QT) and, by all accounts, fast and reliable. It is also readily available in Ubuntu's repositories. All of this makes me interested in writing a new file-search plugin, using Strigi as a backend rather than Tracker.

So, for this blueprint I would like to discuss:
1) Have you used Strigi before? What are your thoughts on it?
2) Have you developed for Strigi before? Where should one start? Would you like to help?
3) Is Strigi ready for the average Joe? That is, does it "just work" and is it easily-configurable?

Ok, enough talk on my part. Discuss at https://blueprints.launchpad.net/cardapio/+spec/the-state-of-local-search

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Tracker now works out-of-the-box on Maverick!
==================================================

CRISIS AVERTED!!!

Only a few days ago I posted a call for help with the local search plugin. For several reasons, I was considering giving up on Tracker as our search backend, and using Strigi or Recoll or something else instead. However, it turns out that Tracker 0.8.7, which is available in the standard Maverick repositories, *does* work with our dbus-based plugin just fine -- after minor modifications, that is.

This modified code is already in the PPA, so update your Cardapio installations and give it a try RIGHT NOW!

Note, though, that due to a limitation of Tracker 0.8.x the filename search plugin is case-sensitive. This is not a problem if you use Tracker 0.9.x. Alternatively, to get around this issue, you can also use the full-text-search plugin instead, which is case-insensitive in both 0.8.x and 0.9.x.

Happy searching! Let me know what you find :)

    ~

PS: You should also give the subfolder search feature another shot, as it's now much more stable. For instance, type "ho/mu" to show the contents of "Home > Music" in Cardapio. Or just choose "peek inside folder" from the context menu.

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Cardapio MiniMode, Docky helper, and more!
==========================================

This week the Cardapio team has delivered a new version which fulfills several of the most common requests from our users. Below are a few:

* MiniMode: By checking the option to "Reduce size of Cardapio's main window", you collapse the category sidebar into a vertical row of icons -- saving lots of precious screen space! I find this is great for netbooks.

* Docky helper: Install the "cardapio-docky" package (in Ubuntu) to access to a new Docky helper that let's you click on the "Anchor" icon to open Cardapio. So now Docky users have even less reason to use the default Gnome panel, if that's what floats your boat!

* Reduced memory usage: Cardapio is now smarter about loading plugins into memory, which not only saves your precious RAM but also makes startup times *much* faster! In addition, we have finally fixed the sneaky memory leaks that existed in the Firefox Bookmarks and Software Center plugins. So now the latter has been re-added to the Cardapio's default plugins list.

* Search box location: Also worthy of notice is that among the many bugfixes and feature-requests included in this version, Cardapio's search box is now sensitive to Cardapio's location. That is, if Cardapio is being launched from the top panel, then the search box resides on the top of Cardapio's window as it always has. If, however, Cardapio is on the bottom panel, then the search box moves to the bottom of the window, making it much more easily accessible.

* Etc etc etc: This release contains one month worth of work, so I may be forgetting other changes. So just try it out for yourself!

Screenshot of Docky + MiniMode:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56377980@N02/5211917962/

    ~

One thing about the Docky helper: it seems that Docky uses some serious black magic to make sure it always appears in front of other windows. This is a problem, because it causes Cardapio to appear behind Docky at times, especially when Docky's "zoom" option is selected. If anyone has any pointers on how to fix this, please let us know!

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

AWN support is go!
=================================

Good news, everyone! Cardapio now finally comes with an AWN applet.

Installation is as you would expect it to be:
1) Upgrade to Cardapio 0.9.163
2) Install the cardapio-awn package
3) Add the Cardapio applet to AWN as usual
4) Stop by and let us know what you think!

    ~

Another notable addition is that Cardapio now lets you record its keybinding instead of typing it out as you used to. Much better this way! Try it out at Properties > General > Shortcut Key

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Spring* cleaning, and many features!
=================================

From December to January, Cardapio development became slow and boring due to some massive code reorganization. Thankfully, those days are over, and right now new features abound. Here are the latest news:

* I know it's not actually Spring, but still...

    ~

New Zeitgeist plugins
=================================

The Recent Documents plugin is back and smarter than ever! Now with three modes: "regular", "categorized", and "smart".

In "regular" mode, a single "Recent documents" category is added to Cardapio containing — surprise! — a list of the latest files you used. In a more interesting turn of events, in the "categorized" mode we get a hint from the Sezen way and show 4 categories: "today", "this week", "this month", and "all time". Finally, "smart" mode is a smart combination of both.

Go and give it a try! Your files have nowhere to hide :)

    ~

"Applications" and "Places" now optional
=================================

For those of you who are interested in Cardapio solely for its search features, but don't care for the fact that it is a full menu replacement, you may now rejoice. Head down to Cardapio's Properties window and, in the Plugins tab, deactivate the checkbox next to the "Applications" and "Places" plugins. Peace at last.

    ~

Non-modal "Rebuilding..." messages
=================================

Are you tired of getting those "Rebuilding..." messages when trying to access Cardapio? I was too, so I added a non-modal message bar that tells you when Cardapio needs to rebuild, and stays out of your way in the meantime. So now Cardapio is responsive when most you need it!

    ~

RGBA support
=================================

For the transparency enthusiasts using an RGBA-capable GTK theme: you can now turn on Cardapio's RGBA support with the new hidden setting "allow transparency" in Cardapio's configuration file. (This setting is off by default because RGBA windows don't currently get shadows in Compiz, which I find a bit unpleasant-looking. But if you have RGBA on you are probably used to this, so fear not and proceed with confidence!)

    ~

Example GTK theme for Cardapio
=================================

And lastly, after quite a few requests I have decided to create a GTK theme to showcase Cardapio's themeing abilities. Now, I may be a bit biased but I think it turned out really nicely. Have a look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/56377980@N02/5555863052/

To install this dark theme, follow the instructions in the link above.

More importantly, though, if you're a GTK theme writer yourself, give Cardapio themeing a try and send me a link to your creation. I will be adding all Cardapio themes to a common gallery for easy access.

    ~

...and that's it! Hope you enjoy these changes!

PS: For those who don't know it, here's a screenshot of Cardapio's "subfolder search" feature: http://www.flickr.com/photos/56377980@N02/5555276311/in/photostream/ .

You should really give it a try. It can be quite magical. Here's how: https://answers.launchpad.net/cardapio/+faq/1238

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

July 2011 update: Faster! Faster!

New shortcuts
=============

Work faster than ever with new shortcuts:

- Use Ctrl+N to launch the Nth result (for example, Ctrl+2 opens the second result)
- Use Shift+Enter or Shift-click on a folder to peek inside the folder
- Use Shift+Enter or Shift-click on a file to open its containing folder

    ~

Showing/hiding Cardapio now two times faster
============================================

Showing/hiding Cardapio from Docky or Unity used to take about 550ms. This was a bit too much. Now, after reducing the loading-time of some Python libraries from 300ms to 1ms, this process takes only 250ms or so. This is twice as fast as before, and much more usable!

[ Note that this only applies to Cardapio in Docky or Unity. Opening Cardapio from the Gnome Panel, AWN, or when in stand-alone mode was always much faster than this, and has stayed that way :) ]

    ~

Added a Cardapio.desktop file, for use in Unity or other docks
==============================================================

To use Cardapio in your favorite dock, you can now just navigate to the /usr/share/applications folder using Nautilus, and then drag the Cardapio icon into the dock. Done!

And this method works pretty much anywhere. XFCE, LWDE, Docky, Unity, KDE, and so on. Whatever supports .desktop files!

Finally, this also includes support for a Unity quick-list for launching Cardapio's preferences window. A nice little touch :)

    ~

...and many bug fixes, as usual! One nice fix to mention is that Cardapio's core package no longer depends on Gnome libraries, making it a lightweight installation in other environments.

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Teaser: Cardapio on Gnome Shell
=======================================

Pssst! Hey you! Yes you! Wanna see something?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/5991068118_732b24f92b.jpg

Coming soon to a computer near you :)

Now all that is missing is to figure out a few smaller details, such as where to place the Cardapio button by default, and how to connect the icon/label settings from Cardapio's Properties Window with the button in the Shell. So stay tuned!

[Thiago Teixeira (tvst)]

Looking for developers to take over Cardapio
===============================================================

You probably noticed it has been a while since the latest Cardapio update. It has been-- wow, almost two years!

What happened?! you ask.

Well, what happened was that these past years the Cardapio team members got progressively busier with other projects, new jobs, and real life in general, until we simply had no time to devote to even the smallest bugs.

So we are now looking for developers who are interested in taking over Cardapio and pushing it to the next level. What do you say? Do you have what it takes?

   ~

Some ideas:

- Take advantage of the current XFCE and LXDE momentum, and make Cardapio integrate well with those environments. This could be huge!

- Work with the Pinguy OS guys, who have set Cardapio as their default menu, to integrate it more deeply into their system.

- Make Cardapio work as an Ubuntu HUD client! This way you could take the HUD to other DEs, such as Gnome, KDE, XFCE, LXDE, and so on. I would love to see this happen! Please make it so.

- Port Cardapio to other widget toolkits. Imagine Cardapio running *inside* Gnome Shell, or Cardapio on Ubuntu phones.

...and so much more!

   ~

Any takers?

You can email me at <email address hidden>

Either way, I think I speak for the whole team when I say thanks for your support over the years! Without your word-of-mouth, your feature requests, your bug reports, and -- yes -- even the occasional nasty attacks, Cardapio would never have gone past the 10000 users mark. (Which we did, according to Launchpad PPA stats. I still can't believe it.)

So keep on being vocal and awesome, Linux community. We'll be seeing each other!