[L2Ork-dev] New stable Pd-L2Ork release

[Ico Bukvic]

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Another busy year has come to an end. L2Ork has continued to push the
boundaries of its telematic infrastructure (L2Ork Tweeter), as well as its
creative voice. Earlier this month we premiered a new EDM crowdsourced work
titled "Transcontinental Grapevine" (see <
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAurZNg6kVk>) that featured perfect sync
among 11 performers over 5,000 miles apart, engaging both L2Orkists
(located in Blacksburg, VA, USA), and collaborators from UNTREF, Buenos
Aires, Argentina.

We also promised big news on the Pd-L2Ork front. Today, following over a
hundred silent releases over the past year, we are thrilled to share with
you the latest stable release of Pd-L2Ork, version 20221218.

The list below only highlights the most notable changes. For a complete
list of updates, you may want to explore the following document: <
https://github.com/.../blob/master/pd/src/pd-l2ork-TODO.txt>


   - K12 mode is back and better than ever. With over 70 abstractions
   designed for beginners that are also used by visual dataflow programming
   veterans, we have had students as young as 3rd grade who have never heard
   of Pd-L2Ork, design their first Wiimote-based musical instruments in as
   little as 30 minutes.
   - K12 mode can be now changed on-the-fly. No restarting of Pd-L2Ork
   necessary. Start-up flag is still there, as well (-k12).
   - Non-K12-mode, easy to access K12 menu abstractions.
   - True Graph-on-Parent drawing of objects that allows partial display
   and opens doors for a number of UI performance optimizations.
   - Intelligent toggling of editability of specific patches with
   dynamically updating menu options.
   - Expanded help browser with improved search options.
   - Customizable autocomplete.
   - Vastly improved redraw queuing and consequently performance of
   graphics-heavy widgets (e.g. arrays), while ensuring deterministic display
   of data.
   - Full support for legacy and Pd-L2Ork-specific data structures.
   - Out-of-box support of the latest Raspberry Pi GPIO and SPI (analog in)
   capabilities.
   - Out-of-box Sensel support.
   - Improved snap-to-grid option.
   - Refinements to the existing option to toggle curved patch cords.
   - New features, like toggling patch editabilty (e.g. to prevent
   beginners from accidentally entering the edit mode), graph-on-parent spill
   option, that allows for legacy spilling of elements outside the
   graph-on-parent bounds, ability to cut/copy/paste contents of atoms,
   including appending (shift+click), and a deterministic way to monitor for
   mouse releases (useful for gatoms and iemgui elements), scroll on patch
   cord extension (when the patch cord reaches the edge of the canvas),
   scroll-to-object when using the find option, zoomability using keyboard, as
   well as viewport zoom (e.g. using pinch gesture).
   - Many refinements and bugfixes to existing features, including the
   native HTML/CSS canvas drawing and object layering using SVG shapes (in
   Pd-L2Ork all objects, other than images, are drawn as SVG shapes, thus
   ensuring pristine appearance regardless the zoom level).
   - Proper OSX signing to ensure ability to use audio input and output.
   - Ability to open multiple patches within the existing instance of
   Pd-L2Ork, as well as an option to open them in separate instances (-unique
   flag).
   - Latest version of L2Ork Tweeter (including the server) included.
   Preview some of the included sessions created by Tweeter here: <
   https://l2ork.music.vt.edu/video/pd-l2ork-tweeter-demo-2022-12-19.mp4>.
   - Improved handling of preferences and expanded customizability of UI
   options.
   - Drag'n'drop patches onto the console.
   - Exciting new theme titled 60-hz (special thanks to Raphael Isdant for
   his idea and contributions) that is easier on your eyes in low light
   settings.
   - Integration of select vanilla Pd objects for maximum vanilla
   compatibility. More will happen in the coming year, now that the core is
   approaching parity with Pd-L2Ork 1.x (with tooltips and additional canvas
   options being two major remaining missing elements). So, yes, we will
   integrate those as they are stabilized, as well as update existing
   libraries to the latest version, where possible and appropriate.
   - Tons of extended GUI objects ported to nwjs (HTML/CSS/SVG canvas),
   including pddp library, most of cyclone (including the ability to edit text
   files), imagebang, vastly improved and customizable knob (now included in
   the Put menu), mknob, etc.
   - Further improvements to the ggee/image (a completely new object that
   covers features of all other image objects and adds tons of new features,
   enabling it to serve also as a 2D touch surface, as well as a transparent
   area for catching mouse events).
   - Inclusion of the js object that mimics the functionality of MaxMSP's
   object.
   - A number of installer build improvements to ensure that all platforms
   have access to as many of objects, as possible.

You can download OSX (11 and newer), Raspbian (arm7), Ubuntu 20.04, and
Windows installers from the usual place:

https://bit.ly/pd-l2ork

Happy Holidays!

Best,

Ico

-- 
Ivica Ico Bukvic, D.M.A.
Director, Creativity + Innovation
Director, Human-Centered Design iPhD
Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology

Virginia Tech
Creative Technologies in Music
School of Performing Arts – 0141
Blacksburg, VA 24061
(540) 231-6139
ico at vt.edu

ci.icat.vt.edu
l2ork.icat.vt.edu
ico.bukvic.net
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