From: Jean-Luc Fontaine <jfontain@free.fr>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.tcl,comp.lang.python,comp.lang.perl.misc
Subject: ANNOUNCE: moodss-14.0
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 21:17:55 GMT

Hi everybody: here is a new version of moodss.


Check it out! (or at least the screenshots at
http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss3.gif or
http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss4.gif :).


Notes:
- moodss modules can now be written in Python! Sample randpy and
minipy modules are provided. Documentation (see randpy.py file)
needs improving. Feedback is highly welcomed.
(modules can also be written in Perl, and Tcl of course)
- please let me know if you are interested in writing modules in
Ruby (I'm on a roll :-)

### CHANGES ###

--- version 14.0 ---
modules can now be written in the Python language (the tclpython
  package is required, available in my homepage)
added Python based randpy and minipy modules

### README ###

This is moodss (Modular Object Oriented Dynamic SpreadSheet) version
14.0.

Moodss won in the Best System Admin Technology category (Tcl Tips and
Tricks, Valuable Real World Programming Examples) at the O'Reilly
Tcl/Tk 1999 Conference.
Linux Magazine calls it a "lifesaver".
Tucows gives it 5 stars (cows or penguins :-).

Moodss is a modular application. It displays data described and
updated in one or more modules, which can be specified in the command
line or dynamically loaded or unloaded while the application is
running. Data is originally displayed in tables. Graphical views
(graph, bar, 3D pie charts, ...), summary tables (with current,
average, minimum and maximum values) and free text viewers can be
created from any number of table cells, originating from any of the
displayed viewers. Thresholds can be set on any number of cells.

Specific modules can easily be developed in the Tcl, Perl and Python
scripting languages or in C.

A thorough and intuitive drag'n'drop scheme is used for most viewer
editing tasks: creation, modification, type mutation, destruction,
... and thresholds creation. Table rows can be sorted in increasing or
decreasing order by clicking on column titles. The current
configuration (modules, tables and viewers geometry, ...) can be saved
in a file at any time, and later reused through a command line switch,
thus achieving a dashboard functionality.

The module code is the link between the moodss core and the data to be
displayed. All the specific code is kept in the module package. Since
module data access is entirely customizable (through C code, Tcl,
Perl, Python, HTTP, ...) and since several modules can be loaded at
once, applications for moodss become limitless.
For example, thoroughly monitor a dynamic web server on a single
dashboard with graphs, using the Apache, MySQL, cpustats, memstats,
...  modules. If you have replicated servers, dynamically add them to
your view, even load the snmp module on the fly and let your
imagination take over...

Along with a core trace module, random, ps, cpustats, memstats,
diskstats, mounts, route, arp, kernmods, netdev, pci, system, MySQL
(myquery, mystatus, myprocs, myvars) modules for Linux, ping, snmp and
snmptrap for UNIX, apache and apachex modules are included (running
"wish moodss ps cpustats memstats" mimics the "top" application with a
graphic edge and remote monitoring capability).

Thorough help is provided through menus, widget tips, a message area,
a module help window and a global help window with a complete HTML
documentation.

Moodss is multi-langual thanks to Tcl internationalization
capabilities. So far only English and partially French are
supported. Help with other languages will be very warmly welcomed.

Development of moodss is continuing and as more features are added in
future versions, backward module code compatibility will be maintained.

I cannot thank the authors of the tkTable, BLT, MIME/SMTP and the HTML
libraries enough for their great work.

In order to run moodss, you need to install the following packages
(unless you can use the rpm utility, see below):
Tcl/Tk 8.3.1 or above, at (or at a mirror near you)
  http://dev.scriptics.com/ or ftp://ftp.scriptics.com/
the latest tkTable widget library at:
  http://www.hobbs.wservice.com/tcl/main.html
the latest BLT library at:
  ftp://tcltk.sourceforge.net/pub/tcltk/blt/
eventually the latest tclperl library for writing modules in Perl, or
the latest tclpython library for writing modules in Python at:
  http://jfontain.free.fr/
(see the INSTALL file for complete instructions, for UNIX and also
Windows platforms).

You also have the option of using the moodss rpm file (also in my
homepage), if you are using a Redhat Linux system (6.0 or above).
You can find the required tcl, tk, tktable, blt, tcpperl and other
rpms at: http://jfontain.free.fr/

Whether you like it (or hate it), please let me know. I would like to
hear about bugs and improvements you would like to see. I will correct
the bugs quickly, especially if you send me a test script (module code
with a data trace would be best).

###

you may find it now at my homepage:

http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-14.0.tar.gz
http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-14.0-1.i386.rpm
http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-14.0-1.spec

and a bit later at:

ftp://contrib.redhat.com/ in libc6 sub-directory.

Enjoy and please let me know what you think.


--
Jean-Luc Fontaine  mailto:jfontain@free.fr  http://jfontain.free.fr/