Unite 2010GDC ChinaAsia Game Show 2010GDC 2011
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I see that you stuck with me. Good for you! Linux Development is a topic that many people get discouraged at because of how difficult it looks to compile things (we'll cover compiling on page 4). I wish we could delve into some code...but you can't type it in anything yet! So without further adieu...here is a brief introduction to vi. vi is a powerful text editor. In fact, I'm using vi right now to write this article. vi can be used through a command-line, or it has a graphical equivalent named GVIM because you probably have VIM (Vi IMproved) installed. To access vi through a command-line, simply type "vi" without the quotes in a shell. To access GVIM, please check your K (or Gnome) Menu. My GVIM binary file is located at /usr/X11R6/bin/gvim. Some basic commands that you probably want to know are: i - Go Into Insert Mode (Typing)
Those are probably the basic commands that you will need to know. You can only type in the :cal SetSyn("c") script when you're in Command Mode. Command Mode doesn't allow any text editing, but it lets you change preferences in vi. If you want to type something, you must enter Insert Mode by pressing the i key. If you are in insert mode, and you want to go back to command mode, press Escape. To save your file, go to Command Mode and type :w for Save; type :sav file for Save As. Type :e file to open an existing file. To create a new file, type :enew. To quit vi, type :qa and type :wqa to quit and save the file. Well, that was an interesting crash course in vi, eh? As well as that crash course in vi, I'd like to introduce you to a little program called The GIMP. GIMP (Yes it is an Acronym) stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. Basically speaking, it's an image editor. Now, I'm not exactly an artist, but I can get you started on a bit of The GIMP's features. The GIMP offers a lot to the artist inside of you. It offers exporting and importing many, many different file formats. Some formats include .raw, .pcx, .tga, .bmp (Yes, the Windows File Format), .jpg, and especially .PNG! Now, the PNG (Portable Network Graphics) file format is a very popular one because it has the compression, transparency, and interlacing of a GIF, but is completely free to use. If you did not know, the GIF file format is proprietary and legally requires a $5000 fee to use it. Sucks, doesn't it? But there's a plus side to this. The PNG File Format is actually much more advanced than the GIF File Format. PNGs are slowly becoming used more and more in web graphics and game graphics for their high compression level. What you'll notice first about The GIMP are the multiple windows that make up the program. The standard windows are the main window (titled The GIMP), the Tool Options window, the Layers Window, the Brush Selection Window, and then the Image window. Now, let me brush over them (couldn't resist ;) and explain how to use them. The Main Window has all of the tools you can choose. They're pretty self-explanatory and if they aren't, they have a tooltip if you hover over it. In the lower-left corner are your two current colors (foreground, background). To switch them, use the two arrows. When you are drawing, you will always draw with the foreground color. The Layers window is used just like layers on any other paint program. You can have various layers of an image to add things you're not sure you like yet or to try to trace something. The Tool Options Window explains the certain options for whatever tool you chose from the Main Window. It would be too hard to explain all of them here, so I'll let you play around with them. The Brush Selection is where you'll choose the brush size and pattern. These are all really self-explanatory. To get a new image going, go to the Main Window and click on File->New... and set the attributes to what you'd like, then click OK. To Save your Image, Right-Click on the image and go to Save As... or Save. To exit The GIMP completely, go to the main window and click the X in the upper-right hand corner. It will close all of the windows related to The GIMP. I'm sorry if you didn't really enjoy my coverage of The GIMP. I am not a graphical genius. I only use The GIMP to make logos and makeshift graphics. My coverage was brief because I am not skilled in The GIMP. So, if anyone else is, maybe you should write a tutorial on making graphics with The GIMP! Well, how was that page? Was it hard to swallow? Don't worry, you'll do fine. If you get confused, just read it over, it'll clear up, I promise. If it doesn't clear up, and you're having some trouble, you can contact me (find the info on the last page). May the Force be With You while you click the Next Button.
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