Category: News

When your device lies about its compatibility

Posted on by Michael G

TWIF generated on Thursday, 09 May 2024, Week 19

Community News

SimpleX Chat was updated to 5.6.1 but only for armv7 compatible devices. That “only … compatible” sounded odd to you? Well, it’s a interesting story.

First, the arm64 build failed, upstream fixed it and next version builds as we speak. Second, we touched upon arm64-only devices at the end of December 2023 when we talked about how we had to rebuilt Silence, the encrypted SMS app, to make it compatible and available for them too. We are bringing at least one more app into this arm64 future, so stay tuned for more!

Back to SimpleX, the F-Droid team was pinged this week in an issue thread as devs and users thought F-Droid Client might behave unexpectedly. While we saw an issue regarding how F-Droid sorts package versions, that was quickly fixed for the soon to be released 1.20, the real issue was elsewhere… in the reporting users Android version.

F-Droid Client logic is not that complicated, it reads the device information, like Android version, processor architecture and some other features, and decides based on this which package to install. For an app that has no architecture depending libraries, like F-Droid itself, it will always install the same package, for apps that have them, like SimpleX, it matches the right package with the device architecture.

In the case of Silence, before our rebuild, F-Droid saw that some devices could do only arm64, had no package to install, so it marked the app as incompatible and the user could not install it.

The user that reported the SimpleX issue told F-Droid to install the best package, it chose arm64, and that was crashing. The user tried to manually install the other package, armv7, and that one worked fine. Surely there’s a bug in F-Droid as it did not install the ‘compatible’ package, right? I spoiled it above, that’s wrong. It appears that, while the device processor is fine and runs in a myriad of other devices in a compatible way with both armv7 and arm64, the device manufacturer provides an Android version that, infuriatingly, announces it as arm64 but it is not always compatible. The user could install other arm64 apps just fine, but not SimpleX, making debugging confusing at least.

This reminds me of SimpleX’s efforts along the way to bring their app to more devices, as they started as Android 10+ and arm64 only back in 2022, and future 5.7.1 will be available on Android 8+ and both arm64 and armv7.

/PS: As with past TWIFs we ask you, the users, to get the newest Android version available for your device, and to explore if projects like Calyx, Divest and Lineage support it. Android development is frustrating enough for developers to navigate between versions, architectures and targets, having an old and buggy Android base system is not helpful to anyone.

Newly Added Apps

4 apps were newly added
  • Kitsune – Discover new anime & manga and manage your Kitsu.io library
  • Open Biking – Bluetooth application for generating training on an indoor bike
  • Self Attendance Tracker – Attendance Tracker for students with focus on UI and usability
  • mensen – Access the menu of Dresden’s canteens

Updated Apps

105 more apps were updated

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Haiku isn’t a BeOS successor anymore

Posted on by Michael G
So I got accepted into GSoC again! I’m going to be working on WebKit2. But what is WebKit2, or even WebKit, for that matter? Well, WebPositive uses WebKit to render its web pages. Currently, we use the WebKitLegacy API to communicate with WebKit. It would be nice to switch to the newer version: WebKit2. However, our port of WebKit2 still needs work. At present, it has lost its ability to even render any webpage at all! So, getting WebKit2 to work will be the primary goal of my GSoC project. If there’s time left, I might be able to integrate it into WebPositive. The advantages WebKit2 has for WebPositive will be mostly invisible to end-users. The code will hopefully be more maintainable than the deprecated WebKitLegacy and we’ll get access to several newer APIs such as the ad-blocking API. Perhaps the most visible change: problems in one part of the code should be less likely to crash the whole browser. ↫ Zardshard on the Haiku website The current state of WebPositive, the only native Haiku web browser, is emblematic of why I have personally lost all interest in the successor to what is still my favourite operating system of all time. Haiku OS supports several browsers, and if you read any forum post about which browser to use, or watch any of the enthusiastic Haiku videos by the insanely awesome Action Retro, they’ll all advise you to use any of the non-native Qt or GTK browsers instead – because WebPositive just can’t compete with the ported, non-native browsers. Since everybody using Haiku is opting to use the better ported browsers, WebPositive has fallen even more by the wayside; now it has to play catch-up, and by the time WebKit2 has been properly ported and bug-tested, and has been integrated into WebPositive, which then has to be bug-tested as well, we’re going to be months, if not years, down the line. In the meantime, the ported browsers will have been regularly updated with newer, better versions. Unless the focus for the single most important application of any general purpose desktop operating system is placed solely on WebPositive, it simply won’t be able to keep up with the ported browsers. Why even work on WebPositive at all at that point? It’s not like anyone is using it, so why bother? And this highlights a problem for people like me, who prefer to have native Haiku applications instead of ports of software I can already run elsewhere. As a former BeOS user, I am not interested in a vessel for running Qt applications that I can, in all likelihood, run better on Linux. Why would I go through the trouble of assembling a machine with hardware Haiku supports, only to then run the same applications I’m already running on Fedora or OpenBSD, but worse? If you browse through Haiku Depot today, it feels like the vast majority of modern, maintained, and working software are ports of Qt (and GTK) software we already know and love from other, more mature, more stable, more usable, and more feature-rich platforms. Haiku has chosen to pour a lot of energy and manpower into becoming an operating system designed to run ported, often Qt, applications, but the downside to that is that new and maintained native Haiku applications, that play to the strengths of the platform, are few and far between. A Haiku developer once told me that real people use Haiku every day, and they need real applications, and ported applications make it possible for not only Haiku developers themselves, but also normal users, to run and use Haiku every day. This is a valid argument that I fully understand and agree with – it just means Haiku isn’t for me. And while that’s sad for me, it’s entirely fine. Haiku’s developers have chosen to focus on building a daily-drivable operating system with tons of ported applications, instead of an ideologically pure operating system you can’t really use because it only has like 4 native applications and nothing else. And that’s a valid, smart, and practical choice that I fully respect and understand, even if it means Haiku isn’t really a BeOS successor anymore.

Platz machen für Neues. | Dyson Sphere Program | Ep. 116

Posted on by Michael G
Baue die höchst effizienteste intergalaktische Fabrik in Dyson Sphere Program! Sammele Ressourcen, plane und baue Produktionslinien und zapfe Sterne an. Wandle deine interstellare Fabrik von einem kleinen Workshop zu einem galaktischen Imperium.

Genre: Basebuilding
Entwickler: Youthcat Studio
Publisher: Gamera Games
Veröffentlichung: 21.01.2021
Offizielle Seite: https://t.co/H2JwAJK5fP

Game-Tags: #DysonSphereProgram #Automation #Erkundung

Ganze Reihe: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq2AU6IcVNBjIJ4PJHFZoAxXXs8A7p8dS
Weitere Lets Plays: https://saschatee.de

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/satishu
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@satishu
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/saschatee
YT-Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@satishushorts
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@satishushorts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaschaTee
Mastodon: https://mastodon.cloud/@SaschaTeehttps://dailymotion.com/rss/playlist/x8advi

E-commerce website development – ecommerce website development in wordpress – php – python

Posted on by Michael G
ecommerce website development,
https://computerpakistan.com/guide-to-e-commerce-website-development-building-your-digital-storefront/

ecommerce website development in wordpress,

ecommerce website development using python,

ecommerce website development in php,

ecommerce website development tutorial,

ecommerce website development react,

ecommerce website development cost,

ecommerce website design,

e commerce website creation,

e-commerce website creation using google site,

ecommerce website design in figmal,

ecommerce website design using figma,

whatsapp e commerce website creation,

e commerce website ui design,

Title: Elevate Your Online Retail Experience with Dailymotion E-commerce Website Development

Description:
Unlock the power of e-commerce with Dailymotion’s cutting-edge website development services tailored specifically for online retail businesses. Our team of seasoned experts combines innovative technology with industry-leading practices to craft custom e-commerce solutions that amplify your brand presence, engage customers, and drive sales.

At Dailymotion, we understand that every business is unique, which is why we take a personalized approach to e-commerce website development. Whether you’re a budding startup or an established enterprise, we work closely with you to comprehend your goals, challenges, and target audience, ensuring that your online store is meticulously designed to meet your specific requirements and exceed your expectations.

With our comprehensive suite of e-commerce development services, we empower you to create a seamless shopping experience that resonates with your customers and sets you apart from the competition. From intuitive user interfaces and mobile-responsive designs to secure payment gateways and robust inventory management systems, we provide all the essential elements needed to launch and manage a successful online store.

Our team leverages the latest technologies and frameworks to build scalable and feature-rich e-commerce websites that adapt to evolving market trends and consumer preferences. Whether you’re selling physical products, digital downloads, or subscription services, we have the expertise to transform your vision into a fully functional and visually stunning online storefront that drives conversions and fosters brand loyalty.

Partner with Dailymotion for your e-commerce website development needs and embark on a journey of digital transformation that propels your business to new heights. With our unparalleled expertise, personalized approach, and unwavering commitment to excellence, we’re dedicated to helping you succeed in today’s dynamic e-commerce landscape. Contact us today to learn more and take the first step towards revolutionizing your online retail experience with Dailymotion.

Reminder: Submit your abstract by 14th May for MoodleMoot Global 2024!

Posted on by Michael G
by Sandra Matz.  

This is a friendly reminder that the deadline for abstract submissions for MoodleMoot Global 2024 is coming up! The abstract submission deadline is Tuesday 14th May (UTC-6).

With the focus on this year’s theme “Unlocking Human Potential“, we invite Moodlers from any educational, training or learning field to come together as educators, developers, administrators, and learners to learn from each other, share findings and explore best practices to adapt, innovate, and make learning accessible to all.

This year’s MoodleMoot Global conference will address different topics, which align with our Moodle Product vision and the main areas we will focus on when developing our future versions of Moodle. We invite you to review the Moodle Products Roadmap to find out more about each one of the topics and to help you think about how you might address them with your abstract submission.

At Moodle, we’re excited to share and explore the vast possibilities of education in an open and diverse community and we are looking forward to hearing your ideas!

Submit your abstract proposal now for the opportunity to be part of the program.

Visit the event website to find out more about the event and register.

Reminder: Submit your abstract by 14th May for MoodleMoot Global 2024!

PreviousNext: Creating a cards section with Layout Builder

Posted on by Michael G

In this post, we explore building a cards section with Layout Builder.

 

by
lee.rowlands
/ 9 May 2024

The component will look something like the ‘Services’ section on our homepage*. If you’ve built websites over the last decade, you’ve probably built a component like this many times.

PreviousNext: Creating a cards section with Layout Builder

The key aspects of the component are

  • A title
  • Some intro text
  • A series of cards. Each card has a URL, title, image and teaser text

If you’ve previously used paragraphs for modelling landing pages, you may immediately be thinking that your content model will be made up of paragraph type ‘cards’ with three fields as follows:

  • A title
  • A teaser field for the intro text
  • A multi-value cards field, which is itself another paragraph type ‘card’.

Or rather, because this is Layout Builder, you might be thinking of a block-content type called cards with those fields on it — leaning on paragraphs for the multi-value cards field.

Whilst that approach works well for paragraphs, it isn’t the best approach for Layout Builder:

  • There are some gnarly bugs with Layout Builder + Block Content + Paragraphs + Content moderation
  • It requires content-editors to fumble in the off-canvas editor to rearrange each card using drag-and-drop. We want a nice re-order experience like this:
Gif showing cards being dragged and drop with live preview

Making the most of layout plugins

Let’s instead pivot to a layout plugin for the cards component and think of it in terms of regions.

We have:

  • A layout title
  • An introduction region
  • A cards region

We probably already have a block-content type that consists of a WYSIWYG field — e.g., something like the Basic block content type in core. We can use that for the intro text.

So we need a card block content-type. But we probably want two. A lot of our cards will just point to other pages on the site — and it makes sense for the card to be built from fields on that page. If we put a teaser image and teaser text field on all our node-types, we can make use of them when creating a card for that page. We can also use these for meta-tags like the OpenGraph image. And all our node-types already have a title and URL. The second block-type is if we need to link to pages outside the site. So, the content models for those two block types are as follows:

  • For the internal card block-type, we need an entity-reference field to allow the content-editor to select the content to generate the card for
  • For the external card block-type, we need all the fields — title, image, teaser, URL

Defining layout plugins

Next, we need to define our layout plugin. We start with a layouts.yml file in our theme or module.

cards:
  label: Card grid
  category: Layouts
  template: layouts/cards
  icon_map:
    - [intro, intro, intro]
    - [c1, c2, c3]
    - [c4, c5, c6]
    - [c7, c8, c9]
    - [c10, c11, c12]
  regions:
    content:
      label: Cards
    intro:
      label: Introduction
  library: 'your_theme/card'

Note: the icon_map isn’t needed here, but it gives us a nice icon in the ‘Add section’ form.

With those pieces in place, we can use Layout builder restrictions to ensure only the right block-types can be placed in each region. The introduction region can be limited to the basic WYSIWYG block-type. The cards region can be limited to the internal and external card block-type.

This layout will use the default layout plugin, but we want a custom layout plugin with a title field in the configuration form. You can read more about creating a custom layout plugin from our previous post about creating a dynamic layout with flexible regions. This one will be much simpler. We just need a title field in the configuration form and a preprocess hook to expose that to our template. 

The first step of this is to add a ‘class’ entry to our layout definition.

cards:
  // ...
  class: Drupalyour_themeLayoutsCards
  // ...

Then, we need to create that class. 

<?php
namespace Drupalyour_themeLayouts;
use DrupalCoreFormFormStateInterface;
use DrupalCoreLayoutLayoutDefault;
/**
 * Defines a class for a layout that has a title option.
 */
class LayoutWithTitle extends LayoutDefault {
  /**
   * {@inheritdoc}
   */
  public function defaultConfiguration() {
    return parent::defaultConfiguration() + ['title' => ''];
  }
  /**
   * {@inheritdoc}
   */
  public function buildConfigurationForm(array $form, FormStateInterface $form_state): array {
    $build = parent::buildConfigurationForm($form, $form_state);
    $build['title'] = [
      '#weight' => -10,
      '#type' => 'textfield',
      '#default_value' => $this->configuration['title'],
      '#title' => $this->t('Title'),
      '#description' => $this->t('Provide an optional title for this section'),
    ];
    return $build;
  }
  /**
   * {@inheritdoc}
   */
  public function submitConfigurationForm(array &$form, FormStateInterface $form_state): void {
    parent::submitConfigurationForm($form, $form_state);
    $this->configuration['title'] = $form_state->getValue('title');
  }
}

Then, in your theme you can preprocess to make this variable available to the template.

/**
 * Implements hook_preprocess_HOOK().
 */
function your_theme_preprocess_layout(array &$variables): void {
  // Add the title from LayoutWithTitle.
  $variables['title'] = $variables['content']['#settings']['title'] ?? NULL;
}

For optimum UX, we’d probably want to make Layout Builder Browser blocks, too. You can read more in our previous post about our approach to Layout Builder UX.

All that remains then is to theme the block-content types to match the design. For more on that, see our previous post on theming block-content types with Layout Builder.

As an extra enhancement, you could add integration with Layout Section Classes module to give content editors additional options like the number of cards shown across the page in the card grid.

Note: this component on our website is automated and built with Views, but there is often a need to build out curated equivalents.

Tagged

Layout Builder