Open Source Offerings from the Artige Company

Open Software




		Everything listed on this page is not for sale. Rather, it is COST-FREE!

Available on this page:	Overview
Software:	gNaXEL	edBlackList	64 Bit BCD
Games:	Ziffern	Sudoku Solver	YDice
Networking:	FTP Library
Firmware/schematics:	Musical Keyboard




Overview		So why does the Artige Company offer open source software? Well, we use open software for some of our projects. The open software model is rationalized upon the concept that one has an obligation to give back when one avails oneself of open software (it is only fair to do so). What we decided to do at Artige is to place into the public domain those applications that we use in training or are not directly associated with our line of business, along with some proof of concept applications. Currently we have eight such applications, which are listed below. They are in various states of completion and are tended to when resources are available.

		Feel free to download and use the software and schematics. Note that some applications rely upon other open source resources. Comments and suggestions are appreciated, please send a message to us at info@artige.com.



FTPCOM		FTP Library

		FTPCOM is an FTP client library. Unlike the typical FTP user agent that imposes upon the end user a single approach to handling file transfers, the FTPCOM library provides the programmer the tools to create one's own FTP client. You can use it to help you create your own full blown GUI, web accessible object or deployed from a native service. The FTPCOM library allows direct access to all of the FTP commands, as defined by RFC 959. This way one can write and customize their own FTP programs, making it as small or as big as your requirements need. Since the FTPCOM library is offered under the LPGL open source license, there are no fees to pay, and no complex or changing EULAs to be trapped under. You can even modify the means that the FTP code is deployed to your heart's content, as the source code has been provided as part of the library.

		Our web page for FTPCOM is located here.



Ziffern		Mathematical puzzle

		Ziffern is a single person game that requires one to use logic and math to solve. It was written by one of the Artige Company principals to demonstrate how Operations Research principles can be applied to everyday activities, even in game design. This open source program is written for Windows operating systems using VC++/MFC. The source code is provided so one can see how four simultaneous equations can be solved using matrices. It just so happens that this game was unavailable elsewhere, and we have a fondness for this game, so we went ahead and wrote it. So you can also just download the game and play it, and ignore the Operations Research dogma.

		Our web page for Ziffern is located here.



Sudoku Solver		Answer engine for a popular logic puzzle

		The Sudoku Solver (SSolver) is an open source program that allows one to solve the popular numerical puzzle, Sudoku (or Soduko for us dyslexic folks). It was also written by one of the Artige Company principals, and is based upon our Ziffern program. SSolver and Ziffern have much in common, as they both use the same windows controls, and demonstrate how Operations Research principles can be applied to everyday activities, even in game design. The SSolver program is written for Windows operating systems using VC++/MFC. The source code is provided so one can see how to program a heuristic loop with the ability to take different comparative approaches with each pass. However, one can just download the solver application and ignore the Operations Research complexities.

		Our web page for the Sudoku Solver is located here.



UH64toBCD		64 bit Binary to BCD Converter

		We had a need to display 64 bit numbers as decimal numbers without losing any precision but were unable to locate suitable VC++ code, so we wrote our own. To assist others in our situation, we are offering up the 64 bit binary to BCD algorithm to others under the GPL, plus offering a test program to download. One could readily extend this code to convert larger binary numbers.

		Our web page for UH64toBCD is located here.



gNaXEL		Graphical XML editor

		The Artige company wrote a graphical XML editor to replace the editor that was heavily used in the "Introduction to Applied XML Technologies in Business" textbook, co-authored by one of our principals, Ralph Hilken. The XML editor originally used in the textbook, XML Notepad, is no longer offered by Microsoft. Our XML editor was intended to be a learning tool on two levels. First, to instruct on the methods of working with XML technologies, and second, on how one can write their own graphical XML editor.

gNaXEL is now being officially hosted at SourceForge, and can be accessed from here.


		Our web page for gNaXEL is located here.



edBlackList		SMTP log file analyzer and blacklist editor

		edBlackList allows us to review our email server activity, to see if we need to add additional addresses to block for spam and to see if any messages were bounced inadvertently. We (and now slowly others) have noticed that spam is generated from home computers that are surreptitiously controlled from afar. By blocking messages from IP addresses that are not associated with legitimate SMTP nameserver records, we are able to block a majority of spam without even allowing the messages onto our network. This first version only targets the Postfix email server.

		Our web page for edBlackList is located here.



YDice		A dice game that begins with the letter "Y" and ends with an "e"

		This game was written as a fun way to demonstrate XML technologies, and was destined for the "Introduction to Applied XML Technologies in Business" textbook. Due to the need to shorten the length of the textbook, this example was cut out. While a working game that runs within a browser, it contains the code to save off dice rolls as XML files, allowing the student to examine and work with this XML application.

		Our web page for YDice is located here.

		Note that in its current rendering, YDice will only work with Internet Explorer, and at a low security setting. As a matter of fact, if you can operate the YDice webpage over the public Internet without incurring a script error, getting a rude message from your anti-virus program, or see exclamation marks inside of yellow triangles, then you most likely are in possession of a PC that is a member of a remotely controlled webbot network, and have lots of worms and malware running on it. YDice makes use of windows "fso" object, as it wants to save your progress as XML files on your PC. If YDice can do this, so can the virus writers. It is recommended that you download this zip file, and run the webpages locally on your PC instead.

		Speaking of writing out XML files, this application was written intending to be used with Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser, its CSS and JScript engine, along with and Microsoft's XML COM objects. While the first iteration was written in 1999, one will recognize this set of technologies compromise another buzzword, Ajax. The well-informed reader will realize that these capabilities have been around since Microsoft has provided its XML COM objects. Yet it is only a recent "innovation" that these technologies needed to be wrapped under the umbrella term Ajax. What we found interesting is that early on we have come to the conclusion this set of technologies is insecure and vendor dependent (that does not fit our model of using widely available open system technologies), yet the IT press seems to have a compulsion to promote this vendor-dependent technology.



Musical PS/2 Keyboard		Reusing a PS/2 keyboard to play musical notes with minimal hardware

		This project was created to demonstrate that one can use tiny microcontrollers to accomplish sophisticated tasks, using very few pins in the process. It is based upon the Microchip PIC10F206 microcontroller, which offers only 6 pins, 512 words program memory and 16 storage locations. This project goes to show that one only needs to have two open collector lines to provide communications between smart devices. It is this design the philosophy that the Artige Company heavily relies upon to offer low cost internet-enabled process control devices. . Plus you get to recycle your old PS/2 keyboard in the process!

		Our web page for the musical PS/2 keyboard project is located here.




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Last updated:
30-January-2007 20:20