AstroDMx Capture sneak preview of progress

Nicola has been working when she has time, for almost a year on AstroDMx Capture for macOS and we have made several posts showing the results. This version has not yet been released although it is about ready. Recently, Nicola has been working with low priority, on implementing AstroDMx Capture for Windows, so that the software will be eventually available on all four major platforms: Linux, Raspberry Pi, macOS and Windows.

To followers of this blog, it may seem that all of this is taking a long time. However, it is important to realise a number of points:

1. AstroDMx Capture for Linux has grown into a Magnum Opus. The Source code has grown to 44,771 lines of code (not including external dependencies and SDKs), with an additional 10,332 lines of internal documentation (comments) to facilitate maintenance of the code. Many of the ‘lines’ of code or documentation in fact, take up two or more actual lines. To put this in familiar terms; a book such as the 2006 Yearbook of Astronomy, edited by the late Sir Patrick Moore contains 39 lines per full page of text. This means that if AstroDMx Capture for Linux was to be printed in a book such as this, it would require three volumes of at least 471 pages per volume, to contain all of it (The Yearbook contained 331 pages). When projects reach this size, they require a very significant amount of time to maintain and develop.
2. In order to justify the huge amount of time required to develop and maintain the software, Nicola has released it as 'Donation-ware'. Nicola prefers this model to one of purchasing a license, and allows a user to contribute according to their means and inclination towards the project. Her prime objective is that the user will enjoy the experience of using the advanced software she has written.

Nicola likens the donation model to buying her a couple of cups of coffee, which most people would be prepared to do in a one-to-one encounter with the author of the software. Development of AstroDMx Capture is not her day job. She has been an IT & systems specialist and programmer for more than 25 years and her current publishing work takes up most of her time. It takes considerable motivation to start work on AstroDMx Capture after a day's work.

However, the purpose of this post is to say that Nicola has achieved first light for the Windows version of AstroDMx Capture. It is not complete and there is a way to go yet, but Nicola is hoping that in the near future she will be able to release both the macOS and later, the Windows version of AstroDMx Capture.

First light image from AstroDMx Capture for Windows

Hopefully, the macOS version of AstroDMx Capture will be available soon, with the Windows version coming later. Watch this space.