New Blinkenlights interface; configuration editor

[John Goerzen <jgoerzen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

FYI, OfflineIMAP 3.2.0 will be out shortly with a new graphical interface
called Blinkenlights.  Also, Martijn Pieters has started work on his
graphical configuration editor in a branch in Subversion; check it out there
if you'd like to help.

The description of Blinkenlights from the manual:

   Tk.Blinkenlights
       This  is  an interface designed to be sleek, fun to watch,
       and informative of the overall picture of what OfflineIMAP
       is  doing.   I  consider it to be the best general-purpose
       interface in OfflineIMAP.  Tk.Blinkenlights  contains,  by
       default,  a  small  window with a row of LEDs and a row of
       command buttons.  The total size of  the  window  is  very
       small,  so  it  uses little desktop space, yet it is quite
       functional.  There is also an optional, toggable, log that
       shows  more  detail  about what is happening and is color-
       coded to match the color of the lights.

       Tk.Blinkenlights is the only user interface that has  con-
       figurable parameters; see the example offlineimap.conf for
       more details.

       Each light in the Tk.Blinkenlights interface represents  a
       thread  of  execution  --  that is, a particular task that
       OfflineIMAP is performing right now.  The color  indicates
       what  task the particular thread is performing, and are as
       follows:

       Black  indicates that this light's thread has  terminated;
              it will light up again later when new threads start
              up.  So, black indicates no activity.

       Red (Meaning 1)
              is the color of the main  program's  thread,  which
              basically  does nothing but monitor the others.  It
              might remind you of HAL 9000 in 2001.

       Purple is the color of an account  synchronization  thread
              that  is  monitoring the progress of the folders in
              that account (not generating any I/O).

       Cyan   indicates that the thread is syncing a folder.

       Green  means that a folder's message list is being loaded.

       Blue   is  the  color  of  a  message synchronization con-
              troller thread.

       Orange indicates that an actual message is being copied.

       Red (Meaning 2)
              indicates that a message is being deleted.

       Yellow (bright orange) indicates that  message  flags  are
              being added.

       Pink   (bright red) indicates that message flags are being
              removed.

       Red / Black Flashing
              corresponds  to  the  countdown  timer  that   runs
              between synchronizations.

       The  name of this interface derives from a bit of computer
       science  history.   Eric  Raymond's  Jargon  File  defines
       blinkenlights, in part, as:

              Front-panel diagnostic lights on a computer, esp. a
              dinosaur. Now that dinosaurs are  rare,  this  term
              usually refers to status lights on a modem, network
              hub, or the like.

              This term derives from the last word of the  famous
              blackletter-Gothic  sign  in  mangled pseudo-German
              that once graced about half the computer  rooms  in
              the  English-speaking world. One version ran in its
              entirety as follows:

              ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS!

              Das computermachine ist  nicht  fuer  gefingerpoken
              und  mittengrabben.   Ist easy schnappen der sprin-
              genwerk,   blowenfusen   und    poppencorken    mit
              spitzensparken.   Ist  nicht  fuer gewerken bei das
              dumpkopfen.  Das  rubbernecken  sichtseeren  keepen
              das  cotten-pickenen  hans  in  das  pockets  muss;
              relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.


-- 
John Goerzen <jgoerzen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>    GPG: 0x8A1D9A1F    www.complete.org