JStrack (freeware hurricane tracking program) and GTbrew2
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From: spooky130u.NOSPAM on 19 Jul 2010 11:49 (if replying via e-mail, remove ".NOSPAM" ... obviously <grin>) Quick summary: two freeware apps that I wrote (and continue to build/maintain as/when needed) that I'd like to submit for listing in the lit of software available for Linux. JStrack is a hurricane tracking program. GTbrew2 is a brewer's recipe formulator program. Both are written using Tcl/Tk (8.4.x required). I tried sending this via e-mail to feedback(a)linux.org (first) and then, after that bounced, to suggestions(a)linux.org (which also bounced). I'm guessing that those were once active, but are now just dead links. My first post of this was to comp.os.linux, which I'd forgotten was replaced by this group shortly before my old Linux system diead of extreme old age (I originally built it around the 0.96 days)..... So, I'm reposting the original and the minor update (combined) here. So here's what I wanted to send: A little while ago, I read an old discussion (2003) about the lack of a freeware hurricane tracking program for Linux, which really disturbed me, considering that when I first wrote my freeware hurricane tracking program, JStrack (pronounced J S track), I wrote it on my old Linux system (my own BSD-ish build, which I originally built back around the Linux 0.96 days). JStrack is a Tcl/Tk based hurricane tracking program. It is freeware, as it has been since its very conception. It will always be freeware. I specifically wrote it to address the lack of a freeware hurricane tracking program for Unix systems of all flavors...as long as they have Tcl/Tk (8.4.x is required these days, plus some external libs for newly-added features). Major features include (among others[1]): 0 (Added after I posted this in the old group): JStrack posts watch/warning zones specified by the National Hurricane Center/ Tropical Prediction Center (NHC/TPC) in the FORECAST/ARCHIVE product. 1) Automatic update of storm data via either of the following: a) WX-ATLAN and procmail (or similar) --- incoming e-mail from WX-ATLAN gets filtered by procmail, which sees NHC products and pipes a copy to JStrack's filter script, which then "reads" the products and extracts the data. If JStrack is running, it will see the data and [react per user's configuration]. b) FTP update script and autoftp script (all Tcl/Tk). These are primarily there for Windows users who lack the benefits of proper e-mail handling, procmail, etc. 2) With tcllib, the Img package, and a few of the programs from the netpbm/pbmplus/whatever it's called now package, includes NOAA GOES EAST satellite imagery both as a menu item that you can pull up in a display window (which includes "loop" imagery) and/or can load directly onto the map. 3) Three different maps (Overall, Gulf, and East Coast) courtesy of Ron Murphy, NWS Birmingham, ca. 1997--1998. 4) JStrack has the ability to a) plot your home coordinates on the map; b) given your home coordinates, sound/display a warning when the storm is forecast to be and or presently within [user defined, default 60 nm] nautical miles from those coordinates. JStrack also displays this status in the title bar for the storm: Yellow means it's forecast to be within the specified range, Red means it is currently within that range. 5) JStrack has the ablility to run external scripts, programs, etc., when a storm's data is updated on the map (JStrack has options which control whether or not to load new and/or updated storms). This can be used, for example, to automatically update a web page (in fact, two news/weather stations' sites that I know of used to do this). This can also be something as simple as sounding an alarm (e.g., a wake-up call for times when a storm is threatening, and you cannot afford to sleep through ANY advisory). Again, that's a partial list. For many more details, see my JStrack page at http://www.jstrack.org/jstrack/ . [info about DNS issues removed---it's fixed now] [1] This list is mostly just my favorites among the major features...the ones I use every time. ------------------------------------------------------------------ GTbrew2: http://www.jstrack.org/brewing/ GTbrew2 is a freeware (also Tcl/Tk and also runs on Windows) brewer's recipe formulator. In other words, it does the math for calculating the original specific gravity (OG), compares this with the OG specified in the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program, www.bjcp.org) style guidelines for the style being worked on (if brewing within BJCP guides), and does the same for the color (SRM) and hops (IBUs, Rager or Tinseth). It also does the math for single- or multi-step infusion mashes (decoction mashes are not supported at this time) --- specify a few default variables, and, given the grain bill and desired mash temp, it will calculate the temperature and volume of the strike liquor. GTbrew2, when used during the brew day as an extra log, will give you some extras along the way, such as: 1) once you have the volume (gallons) and gravity (�P or SG) at the end of sparging/lautering as well as your desired batch size, it will tell you a) what your OG will be at the desired volume, and b) what volume to boil down to to reach your desired OG. 2) once you have finished the brew, and enter your ACTUAL batch size and OG, it will calculate your mash yield as both a percentage and as pts/lb/gal. 3) once you enter the FG, GTbrew2 will tell you the alcohol content (% v/v). Sample screen shots and more information online at http://www.jstrack.org/brewing/ . Later, --jim PS: If you reply via e-mail, along with removing the spam protection (well, reduction, at least) from my e-mail address, do NOT send HTML e-mail...if you're not in my whitelist, and you send HTML only e-mail, it gets tagged as spam and gets tossed into an mbox folder marked as "probably spam" and reviewed every ... well, hardly ever, really, usually I just do a quick cleanup and rm all of 'em. -- 73 DE N5IAL (/4) MiSTie #49997 < Running FreeBSD 7.0 > spooky130u AT gmail DOT com ICBM/Hurricane: 30.56226N 86.52008W Do not look into waveguide with remaining eye! |