BeClan recently started developing a new package manager for BeOS, and they seem to be busy! The work has been concentrated on creating the BPackager and BPackagerPreferences classes which do the majority of the work. The developers have already managed to install some sample packages, by using the manager's protocol add-ons. Currently only the http protocol is supported, but adding support for other protocols is just a matter of adding another protocol add-on. It makes extensive use of XML for the configuration files (using libxml2). The Package Manager can best be described as having the ease of use of SoftwareValet and the power of Debian's apt-get. Package information will (hopefully) be found on a worldwide server network and users will be able to connect to their closest server, keeping download speeds up. Plans are to include the ability to have automated upgrading, uninstall and resinstall capability. All downloads will be checked for integrity before being installed (using initially just MD5 checksums but hopefully expanding to include PGP signing where desired). If the MD5 check fails the downloaded files will be automatically deleted.

Work has now started on an application to control the preferences needed. David Reid, the leader of the BeClan Developer Community, writes in BeClan's latest news update that work on the GUI application to maintain the pacakge system will start later today. David Reid was so kind to share some screenshots with us on the new Package Manager.

The BeClan developers have also made progress with the BeOS IM kit. slaad has started implementing the AIM protocol, and with the coming version of the kit you will be able to send and get messages and see when your buddies sign on and off etc. also with the AIM protocol.

As you can read, BeClan has some interesting projects in progress and needs more people. If you would like to join and code together with a team, contribute with more features on one of their many projects, help them with finding bugs or write a user manual for one of their projects, please register on their pages and join them at #beclan, irc.freenode.org