Mangler
A Ventrilo Compatible Client for Linux
Snapshot and Packages for 1.0rc2 Available
Nov 21st
Mangler 1.0rc2 is available today with some major bug fixes. Thanks to everyone that reported bugs from the 1.0rc1 release. The major bugs fixed are:
- Fixed a few pretty major memory leaks
- Properly implement password protected channel hierarchy (sub-channels are protected by parent channel passwords)
- Support servers that do not allow you to view the channel list
- Added PTT support for mouse buttons 8/9
- Added Gnome desktop information files and icons
- Increased the maximum amplification for per-user volume
- Fix for speex channel specific codec format changes
- Fixed a bug/crash in outbound speex codec processing
- Fixed the last transmit timestamp resetting on comment change or channel change
There is still a major issue on some Speex codec combinations that are causing issues. It is possible that — depending on your server codec — you can get temporarily banned by attempting a transmit. Unfortunately, the only way to get yourself unbanned is to restart the server. This issue is currently our highest priority. This only affects specific Speex codec formats and specific servers. For example, Speex @32khz Quality 10 is known to function normally. Speex @16khz Quality 5 is known to cause problems. Other formats may or may not work. When this problem is resolved, we will release rc3 immediately.
Two Month Anniversary Snapshot for 1.0rc1
Nov 13th
Two months ago today, I wrote out the beginnings of libventrilo3. It barely worked, and when it did work, all it did was display some hex packet dumps while attempting to connect to a server. The whole thing was about 1000 lines of code and the majority of that was debug code.
Two months, 8,800 lines of code (11,200 if you include the UI definition), and hundreds of hours of staring at network packet dumps later, we have a stable and functional client. And more importantly, we’re about two weeks away from release. Today’s snapshot is Mangler 1.0 release candidate 1.
New features since the previous snapshot include:
- Per-user volume settings (double click a user in the channel list)
- Mouse button push-to-talk
- Fix all ticking audio in both Speex and GSM (in both directions)
- Added notification sounds for users joining your channel, login, logout, etc. (disable them in Settings -> Audio)
- The server list window is fully implemented
- The ability to set your comment, URL, and your music player text
- And of course, other minor bug fixes.
An additional feature that may squeak into 1.0 is music player integration for showing your current media player’s song as “now playing” in the channel list.
I also want to say thanks to Darryl Grennan (a.k.a. x3464) who was the most active person performing QA testing for us. I can’t stress enough that if we don’t know about the bugs and/or it’s not behaving the way you think it should, we need to know about it, especially during this phase.
Mangler 1.0 Screencast Preview
Nov 11th
It’s almost time for Mangler 1.0rc1 to be released and we haven’t had a screencast in a while. So for those of you that have been waiting for a stable release, this is pretty much what 1.0 is going to look like.
New Features in SVN Since Halloween
Nov 7th
For those not following the Trac timeline, we’ve added a bunch of new features since the 10/31/2009 snapshot. Per-user volume control is done. We’ve fixed all ticking sounds in audio, and there’s notification sounds for various events now. There’s a number of bug fixes as well. We haven’t completed the server list window yet, but that should definitely be completed soon.
On November 13th, we’ll be releasing the next snapshot, which will be the first 1.0 release candidate with all of the new features.
Halloween Snapshot Available
Oct 31st
A new snapshot is available just in time for Halloween. With the the criticality of the bugs fixed today, we’ve released a new snapshot. Updates in this snapshot are:
- No more disconnects at login
- Fixed audio problems in newer version of PulseAudio
- New icons
- Support for talking in channels with specific codecs
- A lot less forced debug output
- Hiding non-functional buttons and menus
- … and a bunch of other minor bug fixes
Visit the Download page to get the latest snapshot.
Two Major Fixes Today
Oct 31st
The instant disconnects have been fixed thanks to Luigi. You should no longer get randomly disconnected when you connect to a server.
The next big bug fix is that users of newer versions of PulseAudio (including Ubuntu 9.10 users) should have stable audio now. The PulseAudio default latency changed a bit from the previous version to the new version, so now we set a specific latency on PulseAudio connections.
Forums Now Available
Oct 29th
We’ve added a forums section to the website for support requests and general discussions. If you have ideas for other forum topics, let us know. Keep in mind, however, that we’d like to keep the total number of forums to a minimum so it’s easy to find information.
You will need to register in order to post.
Mangler SVN Snapshot is Released
Oct 26th
Today we released the first Mangler SVN snapshot. This should be a stable build that allows listening and speaking on both Speex and GSM servers.
Download the latest snapshot and try it out. If you run into any problems, please file a bug.
GSM and Speex Audio Are Working
Oct 24th
We’ve made a lot of progress since the last screencast. However, most of it doesn’t lend itself to a new screencast update (without audio). Speex and GSM encoding is done and working well. The next screencast should include adding servers to the server list.
New Features for Second Screencast
Oct 11th
Lots of progress this weekend. We’ve added channel change capability (including password protected channels). Audio receiving has been revamped and it is in its (probable) final incarnation for PulseAudio.
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