KStars Revision History

0.1 (Altair): first public release

0.2 (Betelgeuse): added global coverage to city database

0.3 (Castor): added Messier objects, constellation lines, image downloads,
drag sky w/ mouse.

0.4 (Deneb): Added customizable display options, including color palette.
Implemented Alt/Az Coordinate system. Added optional opaque
horizon. Expanded star catalog. Deep-sky objects symbols indicate object type,
and color indicates catalog. Added NGC/IC catalog. Added links to HST press
release images. Added Find-by-name function. Updated documentation.

0.5 (Enif): Added Sun and all planets except Pluto.  Reorganized view 
options dialog.  Added Splash Screen, with loading messages.

0.6 (Fomalhaut): Added the moon, with phases.  Reorganized the InfoPanel 
widget (and painted it black).  The sky map now stretches when the window 
is resized.  Improved startup speed and vastly improved speed of the 
"Find Object" function.

0.7 (Gemini): Added realistic star colors.  Added ability to provide custom 
image and information links.  Most Messier objects now shown as inline images 
directly on the sky map.  Expanded number of internet links.  Added Pluto.
Added Milky Way countour.  Added spectral type of stars to popup menu.
Automated object tracking when an object is centered.  Display name and
coordinates of centered object in the infoPanel.  Fixed "extra layout" error
messages.  Improved efficiency of KSPlanet::findPosition().  Initial startup
parameters make more sense.  If focus point is below horizon when KStars
restarts, a warning message is triggered.  Also, if it is shut down while
tracking an object, it will still be tracking when restarted.  Choose latin or
localized constellation names.  Various bug fixes and minor improvements.

0.8 (Hydra):  
Sky display: Milky Way is now filled.  Added coordinate grid.  Reorganized 
"colors" tab in options window.  Added options to show constellation names 
in native language, or as official IAU abbreviations.  Popup menu now shows 
Rise/Set times of the object.  Added "genetive" star names (e.g., 
"alpha Orionis").  Added keyboard shortcuts to center on planets, and on 
cardinal direction points along the horizon (N, S, E, W).
	
Customization: Ability to add custom geographic locations, custom URLs, 
and custom color schemes.  Added "star chart" predefined color scheme.  

Geographic locations: Added about 80 non-US cities to locations database.  
Improved determination of a location's time zone.  Added optional "Province" 
field to geolocation database.
	
Documentation: Updated Handbook.  Added AstroInfo articles to the Handbook. 
Added toolbar button to launch handbook browser
	
Performance: 
- Improved memory handling (unused objects are not loaded into 
  memory on startup).  

0.9 (Indus):
Display Features:
- Configurable InfoPanel: can choose to show parts of infopanel, or hide 
  it all.
- We now show the sky "slewing" to a new position, instead of "snapping"
  immediately to the new position.  You can turn this off in the options.
- Added planet name labels
- Planets drawn with more realistic angular sizes and position angles
- The NGC/IC catalogs are now complete (13,000 deep sky objects; the old
  version had ~10,000).  In addition, the new catalog has more precise 
  coordinates.
- Deep sky objects drawn with correct angular size and position angle
  (including images)
- Added many more zoom levels
- KDE3 automatically alpha-blends the planet, Messier, and star bitmaps 
  in the sky map
- KStars can spawn multiple windows.  Use this with caution; it isn't 
  stable yet!
- Added View Options toolbar, which provides buttons to toggle the display 
  of major sky features (stars, constellations, planets, deep sky obj., 
  coordinate grid, and horizon)
- Added Advanced tab to Configuration window
Other Features:
- Can now add custom object catalogs!
- Manual focus function (you enter exact coordinates to center on).
- Added AstroCalc calculator window
- Added wider range of timesteps
- Time can now run backwards
- Added Daylight Savings Time rules
- Added DCOP interface, which will form the foundation of our scriptable 
  behavior features.
- Can zoom with the mouse wheel, or by dragging with the middle mouse
  button.
- new "Advanced" Options tab for tweaking behaviors such as atmospheric 
  refraction correction, hiding objects while moving, and animated slewing
- Preliminary Print function (does not work well yet)
- "Tip of the Day" window
	
Calculation Accuracy:
- More accurate Planet positions:  now properly include aberration, 
  nutation, light travel time delay.  Planet positions are updated
  more often.
- Atmospheric refraction: in Alt/Az mode, we include the effect of our 
  atmosphere, which bends light that passes through it, slightly altering 
  the positions of objects in the sky.
- rewrote time handling code; simulation time is now kept by a separate 
  class.

Performance:
- Using a memory cache for object images, which greatly reduces CPU load
  when object images are on-screen.
- rewrite of splashscreen/data loading procedure to be more efficient.
- Find Object (by Name) function is faster
- clicking on the map to identify an object is more intelligent when 
  several objects are near the clicked location (it prioritizes the 
  selection by object type).

Code Structure: 
- major code overhauls to improve performance and memory usage
- Improved OOP code structure (classes are more independent; and 
  have private data).
- Planet data stored in a hierarchy of classes.
- the information panel is now its own class
- using XMLGUI to describe menu and toolbar structure
- Menus conform to the standard KDE structure

Several bugfixes, including some crash conditions.


0.9.1 (Indus):
This is a maintenance release; it contains all the feature improvements
we have made up to the KDE 3.1 feature freeze.  

- The Info Panel has been removed; in its place, we display the 
time/geography/focus data directly on screen in three separate "Info 
Boxes".  These can be dragged around the window to any position, 
and they "stick" to the window edges on resize events.  In addition, each 
box can be "shaded" (by double-clicking) between a full mode, and a 
short mode, in which only one line of information is shown.  

- New "Detailed Information" window displays name, position and other 
information about any object in the sky.

- Redesign of Time Step widget in the main toolbar.  The new custom widget
renders properly in all widget styles and should function more consistently.

- ~50% improvement in sky-rendering speed due to code optimization

- Improved display of angle values (use degree/minute/second symbols instead 
of letters d,m,s).

- More accurate Rise/Set/Transit times for planets

- new AstroCalculator module: "Day Duration"...calculates time of 
sunrise/sunset/noon as well as length of day and position of Sun
at these three times.

- Added many locations to geographic database, including major 
observatories.

- More AstroInfo articles on on Blackbody Radiation, Parallax, 
Stars, Star Colors, Dark Matter, and Elliptical Galaxies

- Handling of Daylight Savings time (a.k.a. Summer Time) is more stable

- Many bugfixes, including some more memory leaks.

- Various usability/stability improvements.

