RC4 Update Question and UI Comment

[f11]

I feel like a schmuck mentioning this only 10 minutes after installing RC4 on my Mac, but...

I used to have two update repositories:

http://update.pixinsight.com/
http://update-devel.pixinsight.com/

But after installing RC4, I see the default one has changed to "https://pixinsight.com/update/", so I assume the development repository has also changed... or is there still a development repository?

If it still exists, what is the new development repository URL?  Something like

https://pixinsight.com/update-devel/

On a side note, I agree with other sentiments about the lack of colour in the new toolbar icons.  Now I'll have to figure out the CSS to change them, I guess... was this decision made for a functional reason (compatibility with some OS default UI themes perhaps)?  Considering the high-tech nature of PI, this kind of purely cosmetic change seems out of character.

Rod
******* Later Edit *******
I just loaded a project I saved yesterday - and got a boat-load of warnings in the Process Console:

* Loading interface states
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: MainWindow_styleSheetFile
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: MainWindow_forceStyleSheetUpdate
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: ColorsAndFonts_workspaceBrush
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: ColorsAndFonts_workspaceBrushForegroundColor
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: ColorsAndFonts_workspaceBrushBackgroundColor
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: ColorsAndFonts_workspaceColor
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: ColorsAndFonts_workspaceSelectionColor
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: ColorsAndFonts_workspaceSelectionFillColor
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: ColorsAndFonts_workspaceMaximizeLimitColor
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: ColorsAndFonts_workspaceSelectorFont
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: ColorsAndFonts_workspaceSelectorFontSize

and so on for quite a few more lines... I assume this is related to the new monochrome UI, and that I can ignore them?

[Juan Conejero]

Hi Rod,

Starting from RC4, PI supports secure connections (TLS/SSL) to update repositories. This is a very important improvement because it guarantees that you are receiving valid updates from legitimate servers. When a repository URL uses the https:// protocol, PI verifies the authenticity of the server's certificate against a list of trusted certificate autorities (CA), and rejects any updates if the certificate and the server's identity can't be verified. PI uses its own set of CA certificates, which is basically the same used by recent versions of the Firefox browser.

Without this feature, something/somebody could easily supplant the identity of an update repository. Without SSL encryption, on the other hand, it is relatively easy to 'listen' a network connection. This opens the door to distribution of viruses and other malwares as PI updates. Given the flexibility of our update system, secure connections are really necessary.

You can use these update repositories with PI RC4 and later versions:

https://pixinsight.com/update/
https://pixinsight.com/update-devel/

However, the development repository has nothing available to PI 1.8 for now. But it doesn't hurt if you check it each time you launch the PI core application.

On a side note, I agree with other sentiments about the lack of colour in the new toolbar icons.

Well, this is a matter of preferences. Other users and many software professionals (including me) think that the icons in PI version 1.7 and earlier are incoherent, both in the representation of their associated actions and aesthetically. For example, I have found up to four completely different icons assigned to very similar actions in PI 1.7 (a good example is in the zoom icons). This no longer happens in PI 1.8. IMHO, PI now has a modern, much more contemporary and coherent look, and all icons represent their actions much better. I am sure that all users will get used to the new icons set; this just needs some time to get accustomed.

[Juan Conejero]

I just loaded a project I saved yesterday - and got a boat-load of warnings in the Process Console:

* Loading interface states
** Warning: Preferences: Skipped unknown process parameter: MainWindow_styleSheetFile

Don't worry. These warning messages are harmless; your projects will work without problems.

These warnings happen because the Preferences process has changed significantly in RC4. Since the core application has now a complete separation between appearance and functionality, no fonts and colors are now defined by Preferences. All of these properties are now defined by external CSS (cascading style sheet) documents.

Just save your project with RC4, and all of these warnings will be gone.

[f11]

Thanks, Juan - I wasn't really complaining about the monochrome icons, just expressing a first impression... PI is such a feature loaded product that I really don't care how the icons are presented, as long as I can find them.  But the colours were nice late at night, when I could look for a green box with a red X (remove Preview) instead of waiting for Tool Tips to pop up and confirm my tired eyes had found the right process.  I know I'll get used to the mono-icons... I didn't realize the scattered nature of the coloured versions previously, so whether coloured or not - if the icons are now normalized, that's definitely an improvement I'd applaud.

It should have occurred to me that with the UI parameters separated into a CSS that these errors just reflect that change... obviously my first cup of coffee hasn't kicked in yet

Have a good one!
Rod

[Warhen]

Juan, I agree w/ Rod. The toolbar icons have not only lost personality, but are harder to differentiate, especially masks, and the delete preview, remove icons, and remove mask blend together. I only keep 3 bars open and find it harder to differentiate them. Thanks!

[derrickf]

FWIW I like the new icons; it only took a couple of lengthy processing sessions to until I was pointing to the right icons without having to search for them. I agree with Juan that PI is now more self-consistent as well as similar in look and feel to other a[[lications like Office and Thunderbird etc.

Just my POV

Derrick

[herman]

I don't mind the icons but I wish I could get the GUI to look like Windows .NET again like it did in 1.7.  The "GUI Style" setting has been removed from the "Window" menu and I can't find its replacement... if there is one.

[Harry page]

Hi

Why does pixinsight suddenly feel the need to look like other software    , never needed to before 

Why can't you offer several skins i.e boring grey for the few  , or colour for the rest of us 

Harry

[Juan Conejero]

The "GUI Style" setting has been removed from the "Window" menu and I can't find its replacement... if there is one.

There's no replacement. Since version 1.8.0, PixInsight no longer pretends to have a native look & feel. On the contrary, it has its own GUI style, which is exactly the same on all platforms (with a few exceptions, mainly related to fonts, and a single concession to place window buttons at the left side on Mac OS X). PixInsight's GUI can be fully customized through cascading style sheets (CSS documents), which can be used to generate different application skins. However, this is a complex matter requiring thorough documentation, which we still haven't produced.

[Juan Conejero]

Why does pixinsight suddenly feel the need to look like other software    , never needed to before 
Why can't you offer several skins i.e boring grey for the few  , or colour for the rest of us 

Like other software? Are you sure!?

I think this is just a matter of preferences. What you see as boring is seen as nice and elegant by others. What you say is nice and colorful in previous versions is seen as outdated and confusing by others. Oh well... 

[herman]

I think this is just a matter of preferences.

Juan,

I think this is why it was good to have the GUI Style setting available to users in 1.7.  It gave users the ability to easily change the styling of the app without learning CSS and other config settings.  Why was this removed?

For me, it's not the change in toolbar icons I care about.  It's the GUI component styling.  e.g. the toolbar handles are different... the button borders are different... the scrollbars are different... etc.  These things were easily changed to be like a Mac, like Windows, etc. through the GUI Style setting.

Jeff