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Makers of PaintCode open CodeAutomat service, for turning SVGs into code
I'm currently working on developing an iOS app in conjunction with a graphic designer, and because my design skills are pretty terrible, we set out to look for a solution to turn the scalable vector graphics (SVGs) he's designed into Objective-C code snippets I can insert directly in the app. There are a few different ways to do this, but it turns out that PaintCode (which Erica wrote about earlier this year) is the solution we're going with -- it's an app that will fairly easily convert scalable vector graphics into Objective-C code, which iOS can then use to draw out a user interface for a touch-based app. And it just so happens that just as I found their app, the folks behind PaintCode have released a brand new product. CodeAutomat is a new service, from the same developers, that's designed to make SVG-to-code conversion as easy as possible. All you need to do is upload your SVG file on the site (you can even drag and drop it in), and then for a small charge (starting at US$4.99), the browser-based app will turn your graphic into code, using PaintCode's formula. Now, PaintCode's price is $99.99 (on the Mac App Store now), so if you're converting a lot of graphics, you might want to splurge for the whole app. But the service is super easy to use, and works with any SVG file -- just plug it in and play. For those who need a few conversions but don't want to buy a whole app, CodeAutomat could be very helpful indeed.
Google patches SVG and IPC exploits in Chrome, discoverer banks $60,000 in the process
Google revels in hacking contests as ways of testing Chrome's worth. Even if the browser is compromised, the failure provides a shot at fixing an exploit under much safer circumstances than an in-the-wild attack. No better example exists than the results of Google's Pwnium 2 challenge in Malaysia: the company has already patched vulnerabilities found in the contest that surround SVG images and IPC (inter-process communication) before they become real problems. Staying one step ahead of truly malicious hackers carries a price, however. Pwnium 2 winner Pinkie Pie -- yes, Pinkie Pie -- is being paid $60,000 in prize money for catching the exploits. That may be a small price to pay if it reassures a few more Internet Explorer users looking to hop the fence.
Smokescreen makes Flash content visible on iPhone and iPad (video)
Mind you, it's just a preview release, but Chris Smoak's Smokescreen does exactly what it promises: enable Flash content to play on Apple's iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad. Kind of. Here's how Smokescreen gets around using a Flash plugin as described by Simon Willison: "It runs entirely in the browser, reads in SWF binaries, unzips them (in native JS), extracts images and embedded audio and turns them in to base64 encoded data:uris, then stitches the vector graphics back together as animated SVG." While it works fine with simple animated banner ads (uh, huzzah!?), we found that Smokescreened Flash content like video and games was impossibly slow when tested on our iPhone 3G. Still, it's a start for this soon to be open sourced Flash player written in JavaScript. Check the video after the break for a demonstration or give it a go for yourselves by browsing over to the appropriate source link below.
Like Thought Updates Opacity
Do you spend part or all of your time creating resolution-independent graphics for the Web? If you do, then you're probably familiar with Opacity. It's a powerful tool for creating icons or other graphic elements that are designed for viewing on a screen rather than on paper.The developer of Opacity, Like Thought, LLC, is now shipping version 1.1 of their app. Opacity 1.1 requires Mac OS X 10.5.2 and has a redesigned interface with a new grid and dynamically generated images in the toolbar. To make life easier for new users of Opacity, Like Thought also added a "How To" screencast and four new templates.The biggest addition to Opacity 1.1 is support for SVG vector graphics for the Web. Opacity creates reusable workflows called factories, which now support such cool features as gamma stripping in PNG images, automatic uploading to Web sites using Cyberduck, and multi-page PDF images.If you own Opacity 1.0, this is a free upgrade. A demo is available for download, and you can purchase Opacity for $89.
Lineform 1.3 Updated with PDF Support
We've mentioned Lineform a couple of times, but the newly released version 1.3 of Freeverse's Illustrator alternative vector illustration program adds a significant new feature: PDF import and editing. You can now directly import a PDF into Lineform, resize it, and mark it up with the standard Lineform drawing tools. Other new features include improved SVG support and 256000% (!) maximum zoom.Lineform remains $79.95 and a demo is available.[Via Daring Fireball]
Camino 1.0.1 with security, Java, Keychain updates
Hot on the heels of Firefox releasing a 1.5.0.3 security update, Camino has been bumped to 1.0.1 with mostly security and bug fixes which include: Fixed several critical security issues, including those fixed in version 1.8.0.3 of the Mozilla Gecko rendering engine. Upgraded the bundled Java Embedding Plugin (http://javaplugin.sf.net) to version 0.9.5 d Improved ad-blocking, especially of German ads Enabled the opening of local SVG files Fixed an issue where Camino on Intel-based Macs was unable to read Keychain entries stored by Camino on PowerPC-based Macs As always, you can snag a copy from CaminoBrowser.org.
