[hylafax-users] introduce, probe for python related guys listening, and protocol proposal

[Hans-Peter Jansen <hpj@urpla.net>]

[I just subscribed both ml, and cross post this introductory message here.
 Will try to avoid this in future postings, though]

Hi friends, supporters and especially creators of HylaFAX,

me, Hans-Peter Jansen, a self employed guy from Berlin, Germany,
using successfully HylaFAX in small business environments since 
many years, begun to create a smart suite of wxPython based
UI-tools for HylaFAX. I'm wavering on the licence issues, but tend
to go under the GPL to honour your wunderful project!

Thanks a lot, Sam et al. 

Please note: as I'm not a native speaker, maybe my expression reads strange 
sometimes, forgive me. Sometimes I'm a overcreative speaker in my tongue 
language, too ;-) [Left hander problem]

My background: grown up in the 680x0 (atari) era on assembly level, 
I've (partly) worked for a Atari network company named Biodata 
responsible for the client side (TOS, DOS, WIN3.11) of a proprietary
(UDP based) network file system BioNet, written mostly in plain (ANSI) C.
Our core competence were diskless client server solutions. 

With the upcoming Linux OS, I've settled my customers to linux diskless
solutions. The ability to fax is these environments is only a small part
of a complex system, but suck rocks, if it isn't working reliably...
(you all know :). And a uncountable number of companies is suffering
these rocks day by day... (Not mine ;) But the diffusion of professional 
electronic faxing is unbelievable low, IMHO. HylaFAX is an perfect 
solution, but is hard to drive without some UI tools for many of those
suffering companies.

Since a few years I changed my programming mind completely in respect of
cycle counting, bit crunching and tsr stuff. I'm in the wonderful world of 
python now ;)

With the rising request on UI tools, I came across wxPython, a nice and 
actively supported toolkit running on all important OS, that I'm using now.
After the release of Boa, a nice wxPython based UI builder, I decided to
start my first public project with the help of this environment.

I done a user friendly file based fax viewer already (using bicubic scaling
from PIL and file caching therefor), now I've tackled the network thingy. 
I've based my net interface on slightly abusing asyncore and async_chat,
and try to find some place to discuss this approach.

 - Are some hylafaxified pythonistas listening here? 

 - (if yes) Anybody objections to discuss HylaFAX related python matters here?

I'm currently working on a job manager, which is intended for users and 
admins to control their jobs. Therefor the tool has to poll the servers 
state. And if one would like to see all events, one have to poll often.
This will not be a problem in my small environments but in large scale
companies.

Proposal:

What about a UDP based status monitor protocol enhancement, which could 
(optionally) broadcast all status changes, otherwise to those who are 
listening on port 4559 for SOCK_DGRAMs. The server could also differenciate 
between this "users events" (his/her jobs) and admins (which should get all 
events). [RFC]

If anybody is interrested in the source, or some screenshots, just ask :)

Thanks for listening.

Cheers,
  Hans-Peter (FrisPete on sourceforge)

Known bugs:
  This mail is way too long. Sorry.

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