Today I released a complete rewrite of xnotesplus, which I've renamed xnotesng.  This version was properly architected (well, mostly) and implemented in java.  Unlike other Java developers, I don't use IDEs like Eclipse or NetBeans.  Instead, I rely on the tried and true tools of kernel developers:  cscope and vi.  It turns out cscope works quite well with Java.

Anyway, despite not using Eclipse I did integrate an offshoot of Eclipse into the project: SWT.  This widget toolkit wraps a variety of platform specific toolkits which make Java apps appear more integrated with the desktop.  In the case of XNotesNG I use the gtk+ version of SWT, though using Motif or Aqua should be nothing more than replacing the swt library with the appropriate version for those environments.  Since I don't have a Mac (or Windows) box I didn't try other platforms.  Not that it matters since I don't plan on supporting them.  I'm a linux dude.

So XNotesNG is out there.  It has the old notes functions, a todo manager, a calendar manager, and a category manager.  It also has a plugin api that makes it possible to add third party applications.  The plugin API is based on the java plugin Framework (jpf).  It is not dynamic – you have to restart the application to pick up new plugins – though there is no reason this can't be fixed to by dynamic later.

I've always used this program to experiment with new technologies and ideas.  I have lots of ideas now that I have the plugin API.  One of the things I want to try is replacing the standard menu interface from the system tray with an iPhone-like graphical application chooser.  That won't be a plugin, however. 

I also changed the license (MIT), setup a web site and blog (xnotesng.org), and started using Sourceforge to manage release files, issue tracking and forums.  I've also packaged it in both rpm and .deb formats for various Linux distros.  Announcements were posted to sourceforge and Freshmeat.

So XNotesPlus goes on.  Hopefully a few others will find it interesting and join in.  If not, I'll keep doing it myself.  I still get some satisfaction out of working on it.