Free hobbies toys software for linux

Construo project offers a simple wire frame construction toy.

Construo is a simple 2D construction programm (it is currently not a real game) for objects which consist of rods and springs and let them react on physical forces. You can currently construct buildings and objects like bridges, towers, spaceshuttles, etc. and you let them fall to ground and see seem smash and break.

Sound like fun, doesnt it =;-) The game is similar to Bridge Builder and heavily inspired from the Gamasutra article Collision Response: Bouncy, Trouncy, Fun.

Its covered under the GNU General Public License, thats means source code is availabel and you are allowed to modify it.

BubbleMon is a system monitoring dockapp, visually based on the GNOME "BubbleMon" applet. Basically, it displays CPU and memory load as bubbles in a jar of water. But thats where similarity ends.

New bubblemon-dockapp features translucent CPU load meter (for accurate CPU load measurement), yellow duck swimming back and forth on the water surface (just for fun), and fading load average and memory usage screens.

Either of the info screens can be locked to stay on top of water/duck/cpu screen, so that you can see both statistics at once. Pretty nifty toy for your desktop. Supports Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and Solaris 2.6, 7 and 8. Code has been thoroughly optimized since version 1.0, and even with all the features compiled in, BubbleMon still uses very little CPU time.

Load Average screen locked at about 20% looks particularly sexy (pictured at right). All the extra "bloated" features can be compiled out or disabled on command-line, if you prefer original "BubbleMon" look.

Toy Cars is a physics-based 2D racing game for Linux. The graphics and the interface use SDL and OpenGL.

Toy Cars is partly inspired by Micromachines and partly by the old Atari ST game called Jupiters Masterdrive.

Large projects usually already have some type of mechanism for build numbering, because keeping track of which build is the latest can be very important information. However, even small hobby projects can benefit from a self-maintaining build numbering system.
BuildNumber project is a utility to add auto-incrementing build numbers to C and C++ projects. BuildNumber will create and maintain a single header file called buildnumber.h for your project which you can #include to access the current build number. BuildNumber is written in pure C for maximum portability, but the binary can also be used with C++ projects, and the source should compile with almost any C/C++ compiler.
The entire contents of a sample buildnumber.h are displayed below:
/* Generated by BuildNumber version 0.8 */
#ifndef BUILD_NUMBER_H_
#define BUILD_NUMBER_H_
#define BUILDNUMBER 53
#define BUILDNUMBER_STR "53"
#endif /* BUILD_NUMBER_H_ */
Every time you rebuild your project, BuildNumber will automatically update this file for you: set it up once, and it just works. You can compile individual files (to confirm syntax, etc) without incrementing the build number, because it only updates when you actually build or make your project.
Main features:
- Written in pure C for maximum portability
- Simple concept, simple solution, simple code
- Works seemlessly in C and C++ projects
- Sets up in minutes, then its entirely automated
- Works with virtually every C/C++ compiler on virtually every system
- BSD License for maximum freedom, even in commercial projects

Module::Install::Philosophy Perl module contains the concepts behind Module::Install.

SYNOPSIS

This document describes the personal philosophy behind the creation of CPAN::MakeMaker (the predecessor of Module::Install). The views expressed here belong to Brian Ingerson; if they are not of interest to you, you can safely ignore this document.

The above is obviously a mutation of the monumental speech by great Martin Luther King (http://web66.coled.umn.edu/new/MLK/MLK.html). While the contexts are vastly different, I feel that there are some serious parallelisms.
The CPAN has become a place that is not free of injustice. This situation has arisen not out of directed oppression, but from a failure of our community to keep its tools sharp. It is the culmination of many small decisions made in the name of practicality. This is a sad state for an institution that was created to allow all interested people to contribute equally to the best of their ability.

This assertion is rooted in my personal experience as an author. When I created my first Perl module, Inline.pm, I knew that I had done something important. But how was I to make a dent in vast Perl community?

As a complete unknown in the Perl community, my voice did not travel far. I repeatedly tried to get even an acknowledgment from the gurus familiar with XS. No success. I resorted to sending messages with ridiculous subjects to modules@perl.org. (http://www.xray.mpe.mpg.de/mailing-lists/modules/2000-08/msg00078.html) No response. Through sheer determination and shameless self-promotion I eventually got the word out, and I hope the world is a slightly better place for it.
Since then, Inline has won awards and I have had the privilege to meet almost all of Perls finest. But I still remember the pain of starting out, and want to help invite more people into this wonderful world.

One thing I have learned from experience is that the Perl community (and throw in the Python and Ruby people as well) is a small drop in the vast ocean of programming. Its a giant pot of Java out there; and a sea of C. Perl may not be the biggest fish, but with some care and cunning we could become a much bigger school.

These are the current problems that I see with CPAN and the core modules:

New Modules dont help Older Perls
If I were to guess what percent of all Perl5 installations were at the current release level (5.8.0 in October 2002) I would say 3-5%. That may even be generous. Id say that over 40% of installations might still be at 5.005 or earlier.
The biggest problem with adding a module to the core is that it only helps a small subset of Perl users for a long long time. Worse yet, a good module author will still probably avoid using the core additions as prerequisites, because they want their new module to work as well on 5.005 as on 5.8.
CPAN::MakeMaker should be able to help in this regard. For example, instead of putting Inline.pm into the core for 5.9, I can now effectively get it into the core for every version of Perl that Inline supports.
Author Exclusiveness
Not just anybody can get a module into the core. It seems you have to know people in high places. If I were a brilliant new talent with a great new module, it would have a harder time getting the ear of the pumpking, then if I were, say, Damian Conway. In fact, I probably wouldnt even know where to start.
Reduced Competition
One comment Ive heard from some very good Perl programmers is "Everything important has already been done". Their feeling is that even though a module is suboptimal, it would be a waste of time to write a competing module. Who would use it instead of the one already in the core?
When I write a competing module, I know that I have to make it at least twice as good as the existing one to even get noticed. Thats not a bad thing, but should everybody be forced into that situation?
For example, lets say that you have created a really useful CGI script. Lets also say that it makes use of your own CGI::Special module, because CGI.pm doesnt meet your needs. Even though your script might be generally useful and worth sharing, the fact that it requires a non-standard module can only negatively affect its acceptance. Trying to get general acceptance for the superior CGI::Special module will be harder still.
Core modules are assumed by the general public to be "Best of Breed". While this may be true for some modules at some point in time, it keeps talented people from attempting to "breed" something better.
Core Bloat
Every time we add a module to the core it gets bigger and bigger. And we cant ever remove modules from the core, once theyve been added.
If I had my druthers, wed remove all modules from the core that werent necessary for either running Perl or installing modules. Of course, wed need to set things up so that installing modules was so easy, that it could be done on the fly if necessary. Is this easily accomplishable? Nope. Is it impossible? Nope. We have the best language in the world to help us do it!
Maintenance Bitrot
Believe it or not, Perl authors can sometimes acquire a "Life Beyond Perl". They get families or new hobbies or even hit by a bus. (This would be a "Death Beyond Perl".) The fact is, that once somebody writes a piece of code and shares it with the world, they are expected to maintain it for all time.
That is being generous. There are others that think that once their module has become popular or made it into the core, they dont need to keep fixing and improving it. I have personally been guilty of this sin.
And then theres the Damian Conway Effect. This plagues the exceptional authors who are so innovative and prolific they simply dont have time to maintain everything they have written.

I initially formalized these opinions at the YAPC (Yet Another Perl Conference) in June 2001. Since then I have been trying to think of technological solutions to fix these social problems.

One idea was dubbed NAPC. NAPC is CPAN backwards. It is a large system of precompiled modules that can be installed on the fly, with the goal of reducing the number of modules in the core. NAPC hasnt got started yet. Id still like to do it someday, but its a big problem with a lot of issues.

CPAN::MakeMaker (and now Module::Install) on the other hand, is simple and ultimately flexible. It should work with all of the existing CPAN processes without requiring any changes from them. And new features can be continuously added. Even though it doesnt scratch all of my philosophical CPAN itches, its a good start.

LibDS is a cross-platform library to support simple networking, threads, as well as data structures.
It allows code reuse for common data structures, such as linked lists and hash tables, as well as support for complex entities such as config files.
Currently, three of my apps use LibDS - Antinat, Boo, and XASS.
Of course, you can use libds in your own apps as well.
LibDS provides interfaces for data structures, and simple threading routines in a way that is consistent across platforms. Things like HashTables, that find their way into everything I do these days.
Enhancements:
- AutoWin Win32 build system
- Binary compatible DLL interface
- Cute self-installer
- A handful of bugfixes, and support for a select() wrapper in DSNetwork.
Todo:
Ive been toying with the idea of a C-only LibDS for use in C-only libraries; libraries are far better in C because they follow predictable symbol naming so everyone can use them.