path: root/kstars/ChangeLog

KStars Revision History

 1.0 (Kornephoros): (* indicates to-be-done)
===================----------------------------------

Display Features:

- Added Comets and Asteroids (numbers of each?).

- Added Jupiter's Moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto

- Added configurable "Target Indicator" at center of display.


Other Features:

* Have any planetary body leave a trail as it moves across the sky.

- Tag any named object with a name label (in popup menu)

- High-quality printouts

- "Default Zoom" menu item/toolbar button


Performance:

- Rigorous performance profiling with valgrind has resulted in 
  sky-rendering times about half of what they were in 0.9.1

- Startup time has been greatly reduced by more efficient 
  algorithms to read in large data files.


New Tools:

- Altitude vs. Time plotter

- Light-curve Plotter for variable stars

- Detailed Information Window has been greatly expanded; in addition
  to presenting data about the object, it allows you to manage the 
  object's internet links, query professional astronomical databases, 
  and attach personalized text to the object's data record.

* KStars script generator: a GUI to build KStars DCOP scripts.


Miscellany:

- New KStars icon

- Opening secondary KStars windows is finally stable

- Expanded DCOP functionality; can now generate interesting 
  "demo movies" with KStars.

- Delay "focus below horizon" popup window to avoid mysterious
  exit condition.

- Updated some inline object images

* Expanded number of image/info links

- KStars can now alternately use a localized list of internet links,
  rather than the default which links to mostly English-only 
  websites.

- We no longer support KDE 2.x


 0.9.1 (Indus):
===============--------------------------------------

   This is a maintenance release; it contains all the feature 
   improvements we have made up to the KDE 3.1 feature freeze.  

- The Info Panel has been removed; in its place, we display the 
  time/geography/focus data directly on screen in three separate 
  "Info Boxes".  These can be dragged around the window to any 
  position, and they "stick" to the window edges on resize events.  
  In addition, each box can be "shaded" (by double-clicking) 
  between a full mode, and a short mode, in which only one line of 
  information is shown.  

- New "Detailed Information" window displays name, position and other 
  information about any object in the sky.

- Redesign of Time Step widget in the main toolbar.  The new custom 
  widget renders properly in all widget styles and should function 
  more consistently.

- ~50% improvement in sky-rendering speed due to code optimization

- Improved display of angles as strings (use 
  degree/arcminute/arcsecond symbols instead of letters d,m,s).

- More accurate Rise/Set/Transit times for planets

- new AstroCalculator module: "Day Duration"...calculates time of 
  sunrise/sunset/noon as well as length of day and position of Sun
  at these three times.

- Added many locations to geographic database, including major 
  observatories.

- More AstroInfo articles on on Blackbody Radiation, Parallax, 
  Stars, Star Colors, Dark Matter, and Elliptical Galaxies

- Handling of Daylight Savings time (a.k.a. Summer Time) is more stable.

- Many bugfixes, including some more memory leaks.

- Various usability/stability improvements.


0.9 (Indus):
============--------------------------------------------

Display Features:
- Configurable InfoPanel: can choose to show parts of infopanel, or hide 
  it all.

- We now show the sky "slewing" to a new position, instead of "snapping"
  immediately to the new position.  You can turn this off in the options.

- Added planet name labels

- Planets drawn with more realistic angular sizes and position angles

- The NGC/IC catalogs are now complete (13,000 deep sky objects; the old
  version had ~10,000).  In addition, the new catalog has more precise 
  coordinates.

- Deep sky objects drawn with correct angular size and position angle
  (including images)

- Added many more zoom levels

- KDE3 automatically alpha-blends the planet, Messier, and star bitmaps 
  in the sky map

- KStars can spawn multiple windows.  Use this with caution; it isn't 
  stable yet!

- Added View Options toolbar, which provides buttons to toggle the display 
  of major sky features (stars, constellations, planets, deep sky obj., 
  coordinate grid, and horizon)

- Added Advanced tab to Configuration window


Other Features:
- Can now add custom object catalogs!

- Manual focus function (you enter exact coordinates to center on).

- Added AstroCalc calculator window

- Added wider range of timesteps

- Time can now run backwards

- Added Daylight Savings Time rules

- Added DCOP interface, which will form the foundation of our scriptable 
  behavior features.

- Can zoom with the mouse wheel, or by dragging with the middle mouse
  button.

- new "Advanced" Options tab for tweaking behaviors such as atmospheric 
  refraction correction, hiding objects while moving, and animated slewing

- Preliminary Print function (does not work well yet)

- "Tip of the Day" window
	

Calculation Accuracy:
- More accurate Planet positions:  now properly include aberration, 
  nutation, light travel time delay.  Planet positions are updated
  more often.

- Atmospheric refraction: in Alt/Az mode, we include the effect of our 
  atmosphere, which bends light that passes through it, slightly altering 
  the positions of objects in the sky.

- rewrote time handling code; simulation time is now kept by a separate 
  class.


Performance:
- Using a memory cache for object images, which greatly reduces CPU load
  when object images are on-screen.

- rewrite of splashscreen/data loading procedure to be more efficient.

- Find Object (by Name) function is faster

- clicking on the map to identify an object is more intelligent when 
  several objects are near the clicked location (it prioritizes the 
  selection by object type).


Code Structure: 
- major code overhauls to improve performance and memory usage

- Improved OOP code structure (classes are more independent; and 
  have private data).

- Planet data stored in a hierarchy of classes.

- the information panel is now its own class

- using XMLGUI to describe menu and toolbar structure

- Menus conform to the standard KDE structure


Several bugfixes, including some crash conditions.


0.8 (Hydra):  
============-----------------------------------------------

Sky display: Milky Way is now filled.  Added coordinate grid.  
  Reorganized "colors" tab in options window.  Added options to 
  show constellation names in native language, or as official IAU 
  abbreviations.  Popup menu now shows Rise/Set times of the object.  
  Added "genetive" star names (e.g., "alpha Orionis").  Added 
  keyboard shortcuts to center on planets, and on cardinal direction 
  points along the horizon (N, S, E, W).
	
Customization: Ability to add custom geographic locations, custom 
  URLs, and custom color schemes.  Added "star chart" predefined 
  color scheme.  

Geographic locations: Added about 80 non-US cities to locations 
  database.  Improved determination of a location's time zone.  
  Added optional "Province" field to geolocation database.
	
Documentation: Updated Handbook.  Added AstroInfo articles to the 
  Handbook.  Added toolbar button to launch handbook browser
	
Performance: 
- Improved memory handling (unused objects are not loaded into 
  memory on startup).  


0.7 (Gemini): 
=============------------------------------------------------
Added realistic star colors.  
Added ability to provide custom image and information links.  
Most Messier objects now shown as inline images directly on the sky map.  
Expanded number of internet links.  
Added Pluto.
Added Milky Way countour.  
Added spectral type of stars to popup menu.
Automated object tracking when an object is centered.  
Display name and coordinates of centered object in the infoPanel.  
Fixed "extra layout" error messages.  
Improved efficiency of KSPlanet::findPosition().  
Initial startup parameters make more sense.  
If focus point is below horizon when KStars restarts, a warning message 
  is triggered.  Also, if it is shut down while tracking an object, it 
  will still be tracking when restarted.  
Choose latin or localized constellation names.  
Various bug fixes and minor improvements.


0.6 (Fomalhaut): 
================--------------------------------------------
Added the moon, with phases.  
Reorganized the InfoPanel widget (and painted it black).  
The sky map now stretches when the window is resized.  
Improved startup speed and vastly improved speed of the "Find Object" 
  function.

0.5 (Enif): 
===========------------------------------
Added Sun and all planets except Pluto.  
Reorganized view options dialog.  
Added Splash Screen, with loading messages.

0.4 (Deneb): 
============-----------------------------
Added customizable display options, including color palette.
Implemented Alt/Az Coordinate system. 
Added optional opaque horizon. 
Expanded star catalog. 
Deep-sky objects symbols indicate object type, and color indicates catalog. 
Added NGC/IC catalog. 
Added links to HST press release images. 
Added Find-by-name function. 
Updated documentation.

0.3 (Castor): 
=============----------------------------
added Messier objects, constellation lines, image downloads,
drag sky w/ mouse.

0.2 (Betelgeuse): 
=================----------------
added global coverage to city database

0.1 (Altair): 
=============--------------------
first public release