TheKBase Reborn... well, close

I can't believe that the answer has been literally right in front of me all this time and I didn't even know. I though that I would redo TheKBase Desktop in Adobe AIR. But when I finally got down to doing some work with it, AIR failed all the tests right off the bat. But wait, this is not my development blog, so here's the corporate news:

Confusionists, Inc. will be launching TheKBase Mono, a non-Windows version of TheKBase Desktop... now on all flavors of *nix and Windows too.

I can't give any promises as to when it'll be done, but I'm already using an early Alpha version myself. We've got money to earn and free software is not the ticket, so it might take a few months, but in the meantime, you can use TheKBase 3.0 on Windows in a VirtualBox.

TheKBase Web Flex 3 Alpha 0.1.0g Released!

TheKBase Web Flex 3 Alpha 0.1.0 is out and ready to use.

New features include:

• Look has changed substantially. This includes the tree opening nodes faster (a "styling" issue in Flex), new fonts all around, and the text pane rendering faster.
• 99% of security concerns are now resolved: SSL is now available and should be used.
• Links are now handled in a much more intuitive and modern fashion on the TextPane.
• Bullets and indenting added to the TextPane.
  
• Several bugs related to the text pane and asynchronous loading have been resolved.

Check it out at www.kbaseweb.com.

TheKBase 3 Released!

After a long wait, TheKBase 3 is out. Version 3.0 includes increased data support (modified date, searching, and sorting by date), a SnippetInfo pane, spell-check, and unlimited search fields. Check out the only multiple-hierarchical notepad that really works at Download.com or for more complete product information, learn about TheKBase here.

Handsonic Controller 1.0 Beta 3 Released

The Handsonic Controller -- a user-supported, cross platform controller and librarian for the Roland Handsonic HPD-15 -- has had another release. The 1.0 Beta 3 release changes our versioning scheme to something coherent (this is the third Beta preceding version 1.0). But more importantly, there is one major bug fix: "Change instrument on pad select" now works correctly.

Check it out here.

Handsonic Controller Beta 2

The Handsonic Controller Beta 2 is out. The new feature is called "Play note on click." This is a small advance, but it allows you to compose an entire patch without ever touching your Handsonic. So what? This means that you can use your mouse to pick from a list of sounds, and even preview (hear) them and set their parameters using your full-sized computer monitor. You can choose the patch names and modify (almost) all settings on each pad. Then you go to your HPD-15 and click write/copy.

I've gotten some good feedback and people find the software useful. They should, as I made it make using my own Handsonic more fun. Has been tested on OSX and all Windows flavors that run Java 1.5 or better. It will also work on Linux with MIDI drivers for Java.


Check it out at http://www.confusionists.com/handsonic

It's 100% user-supported software (so it's free, if you will).

TheKBase Web Now Back in Service

Some changes in our hosting configuration brought intermittent service and failed registrations to TheKBase Web. Now we're back. The app should be slightly faster than before, and we've revised our backup system to give you more confidence than ever.

Check it out: Multiple-Hierarchical Data Like You've Always Wanted It.

Roland Handsonic HPD-15 Controller Just Released

Confusionists, Inc. is proud to announce the release of their new software interface for the Roland Handsonic HPD-15. The Controller is a Java-based MIDI interface which controls the most important functions of this electronic percussion instrument. Since the controller is Java based, it runs on Windows, OSX, and Linux. For the time being, the application is free.

Find the homepage for the application here.

The application on Windows XP

TheKBase 3.0 Beta 2

TheKBaser 3.0 Beta 2 is out and it's got some new stuff. This will probably be moving to a final release, since it's bug-free and has a lot of new features.

Most interesting in Beta 2 is modified date (finally) and search and sort by date (also, finally).

Check it out here.

Let us know what you think at comments@thekbase.com.

TheKBase Desktop 3.0 Beta Released

TheKBase 3.0 Desktop Beta is out and available here. New features include:

• Plug-In API (still in development) so most of the new features are in the plugins directory. Currently plug-ins load under the Tools menu.
• Plug-In: Multi-language spell-checking for TextPane contents (thanks to Loresoft's NetSpell).
• Plug-In: Image viewer for Snippets.
• Files of any type may now be dragged into the TextPane (same as Insert Link To File).
• Files are saved with better security -- a backup file is made during each save operation.
• Now you can sort by date, name, and icon (right click on Snippet).
• PropertySets is a completely new feature. You can now aggregate properties in an enclosing (parent) snippet. This gets added as a new property pane.
• Search fields are no longer limited to three.
• Several bug fixes including forwards-compatability support in TheKBase files.

TheKBase Desktop 3.0 Roadmap Almost Out

Confusionists, Inc. has announced that rumors of a new Desktop version of TheKBase (www.thekbase.com ) are in fact true. Users are urged to mail their feature requests to kbase3@confusionists.com as soon as possible.

TheKBase Desktop Code Released Under GNU GPL

Several TheKBase Desktop users had requested the source code for TheKBase Desktop for extension and integration into internal projects. Today that goal was finally realized, with simultaneous releases at  SourceForge and Google Code. Daniel Rosenstark commented, "Making TheKBase Desktop open source is a simple way to extend our commitment to our users. The GNU GPL was chosen as a licensing option because it forces the open source option even for derivative works. We expect TheKBase 2.13 to be released with this license as well."

TheKBase Web will remain free to use, but at the present is not open source.

TheKbase Web Reaches Open Beta

Confusionists Inc. today announced TheKBase Web's Open Beta release. CEO Daniel Rosenstark said of the new release, "You're definitely going to see the product listed on the general Web 2.0 and Web exchanges. But the real buzz on TheKBase is mouth-to-mouth. Once you try it, you'll wonder what you did without it."

At the same time, Confusionists, Inc.'s notes that, "this is a Beta release. We want users to start using the product fully at this time. Their data are completely safe with all the usual safeguards. But this does NOT mean that the product is done. As always, we rely on user suggestions to get the product to where it needs to go."
 

TheKBase is a multiple-hierarchical information manager, which has been referred to as "a hierarchical notepad on steroids."  

Users may use TheKBase Web for free at www.kbaseweb.com.

Invitations for TheKBase Web Alpha

"Thanks to an excellent technology stack and a standards-based design, we were able to achieve TheKBase Web Alpha in record time," said Daniel Rosenstark, CEO and Technology Evangelist for Confusionists, Inc. "TheKBase Web is up and running, and we're happy with the initial feedback. But we need more testers: we're building this system for millions of users, so for issues of scalability the 150,000+ users we have are not enough."
Invitations to TheKBase Web Alpha are available by sending an email to alpha-invitation at thekbase.com with the subject, "Sign me up!" The Alpha period is expected to last until mid-September.

TheKBase Desktop 2.12 Released

TheKBase Desktop reaches new levels of maturity and "feature-richness" with with release 2.1.2.
2.1.0 brought several interesting and new ideas, including saved searches. After you perform a search -- even months later, when the contents of your kbase have changed radically -- you can repeat a search by right clicking on the search node and selecting "repeat search."
2.1.2 brings 128-bit AES file encryption (password protection) and several other small changes (all detailed in the downloadable package).  
At the same time, a new TheKBase Mobile version is available (2.1.0), which includes support for password-protection and maintains full compatibility with the Desktop version.
See www.thekbase.com for more details.

Dojo and JSON Out, Flex In

In a surprising turn that some analysts are calling "market-setting," Confusionists, Inc. announced that it will be minimizing its use of Javascript and its chosen toolkits, Dojo (and Jayrock for JSON). Aside from a cryptic press release which said simply, "Dojo and JSON out, Flex and Web Services in. Alpha soon." Confusionists made no further public comments. Tony Villa, a market analyst at Microtrends, explains the move, "I think there's a lot of frustration at Confusionists over the original choice of Javascript-based technologies. The treasure-hunt like experience of using Dojo has been a big time-wasting exercise for many companies. Javascript is obviously a legacy accident. Flex is totally the opposite: it's probably the best UI toolkit out there, on or off the Web."

Confusionists, Inc. Announces Technical Partners

Confusionists, Inc. in preparation for the development of TheKBase Web, has formed strategic partnerships with two open source frameworks: Jayrock (http://jayrock.berlios.de) for JSON-.NET integration and Dojo (http://dojotoolkit.org/) for Browser UI. Confusionists CIO/CTO Daniel Rosenstark commented, "With this announcement we're reaffirming our belief that Javascript, in which anything can be anything, is more a way of thinking than a client-side language. Also, we're reiterating our belief that technical documentation is for the technically unfit. Both Jayrock and Dojo are excellent frameworks with insufficient documentation, which helps keep our developers on their toes."

TheKBase Desktop Gets Password Protection

TheKBase Desktop 2.1.2 is almost out. Amongst the most interesting features is the possibility to add password encryption using known-cryptographic algorithms and adhering strictly to the XML-ENC standards (http://www.w3.org/Encryption/2001/).  TheKBase Mobile will also have the encryption functionality.

TheKBase Multi-user Prototype

TheKBase Multi-user prototyping continues. Now we are hosting a stable version using the following technology stack (from back to front): MySql and Sql 2000 databases, ASP.NET (hosting administration console and Web Services server), and .NET 2.0 client.

The .NET 2.0 client is very non-Web 2.0, and the second half of 2006 will be dedicated to replacing it with some kind of Flash or AJAX front-end.

For the time being, work will continue on the back end: users will be able to create their own Kbases and users on the back end, and use TheKBase client to access them.

Confusionists, Inc. Launches New Blog

Daniel Rosenstark, CEO of Confusionists, Inc., announced its new Blog today (to be hosted at Blog-City).  "This represents a new age in blogging," said the CEO of this well known Internet Juggernaut.  "People have been expecting us to innovate, and they're going to see that we've been busy and that we are 'getting busy.'"

Confusionists, Inc. is currently based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, relocated from Madrid, Spain, where it had been since 2001. When asked about the geographical change, Rosenstark responded simply, "Europe is so old and cold and settled in its ways."

Market analysts have commented in the past that Confusionists, Inc. is one of the most looked-at companies on the Web today, mostly because of its deep relevance to Web 2.0.  As market analyst Joel Krieger noted, "It's obviously not Google, but Confusion Consultants [now Confusionists] does have a large audience of trend-setters and people who need to be in the know."

Confusionists is best known for TheKBase, a freeware information manipulation product.