Katapult-Fast Track is a software project that is derived from Katapult and is based on KDE SVN repository. It aims to provide an advanced and faster version of Katapult to enhance productivity.
I recently tested the Katapult-Fast Track project and wanted to share my thoughts on this software fork based on the KDE SVN repository. What really stood out to me was the fact that it fixes a number of outstanding issues found in the original Katapult. However, one major issue was the stagnation of the development process of Katapult itself, with no progress having been made in half a year. I hope that someone from the team will take notice of this and continue development of the project. If this does not occur, the Fast Track fork will become a separate project in its own right.
Fast Track offers a range of improvements over the previous stable release of Katapult. These include the ability to support multiple results, multiple actions, and threaded architecture. The team behind it are to be applauded for their efforts, as these features make the software more versatile and user-friendly. However, it's worth noting that only the program and bookmark catalogs return more than one result at a time. At present, only the program catalog supports adaptive search, and only the amarok catalog has multiple actions.
As for what all of this means for the user, the amarok catalog should not cause any issues with slowdowns or lag, even for users with large music collections. Additionally, the amarok catalog now allows for the queuing and adding of songs to the current playlist. Users can also expect the program catalog to adjust to their launching preferences, making it more efficient and streamlined. Finally, the software no longer requires extra letters to be typed, with the down key being sufficient to choose a different option.
Despite these improvements, there are still a couple of issues that need addressing. First and foremost, the software requires further testing, particularly for the amarok catalog. As things stand, only a limited amount of testing has been done, so more feedback is needed. Secondly, the spell catalog has yet to be integrated, as efforts to incorporate this feature have thus far proven unsuccessful. Lastly, composite support is lacking. However, this is not a major issue, as the patch that has been created is only applicable to version 0.3.1.4.
Installation of Fast Track is straightforward. The files need to be extracted, and the user should navigate to the newly created directory in the terminal. Once there, users can then proceed to run the commands "./configure", "make", and then "install" as root. If there are any issues, users are advised to leave a message on the Katapult forums and an expert in the field will get back to them promptly. It's important to include details on how to reproduce any problems encountered.
Overall, Fast Track is a promising fork of Katapult with numerous useful features that distinguish it from the original. While further testing is needed, the fact that the team have made improvements to the software in the face of a stalled development cycle is admirable.
Fast Track offers a range of improvements over the previous stable release of Katapult. These include the ability to support multiple results, multiple actions, and threaded architecture. The team behind it are to be applauded for their efforts, as these features make the software more versatile and user-friendly. However, it's worth noting that only the program and bookmark catalogs return more than one result at a time. At present, only the program catalog supports adaptive search, and only the amarok catalog has multiple actions.
As for what all of this means for the user, the amarok catalog should not cause any issues with slowdowns or lag, even for users with large music collections. Additionally, the amarok catalog now allows for the queuing and adding of songs to the current playlist. Users can also expect the program catalog to adjust to their launching preferences, making it more efficient and streamlined. Finally, the software no longer requires extra letters to be typed, with the down key being sufficient to choose a different option.
Despite these improvements, there are still a couple of issues that need addressing. First and foremost, the software requires further testing, particularly for the amarok catalog. As things stand, only a limited amount of testing has been done, so more feedback is needed. Secondly, the spell catalog has yet to be integrated, as efforts to incorporate this feature have thus far proven unsuccessful. Lastly, composite support is lacking. However, this is not a major issue, as the patch that has been created is only applicable to version 0.3.1.4.
Installation of Fast Track is straightforward. The files need to be extracted, and the user should navigate to the newly created directory in the terminal. Once there, users can then proceed to run the commands "./configure", "make", and then "install" as root. If there are any issues, users are advised to leave a message on the Katapult forums and an expert in the field will get back to them promptly. It's important to include details on how to reproduce any problems encountered.
Overall, Fast Track is a promising fork of Katapult with numerous useful features that distinguish it from the original. While further testing is needed, the fact that the team have made improvements to the software in the face of a stalled development cycle is admirable.
What's New
Version 0.1.2: N/A