Jarvis 1.0b5 is now available for download.

This is a minor bugfix release that addresses a handful of issues with Windows XP.

Thanks for giving the software a spin and let me know of any bugs or other issues in the comments below.

Jarvis 1.0b2 is now available for download.

Because of some of the major bug fixes in this release, please remove any previously-installed versions of Jarvis using Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel.

Now onto the major changes:

1. Jarvis now has a proper installer that allows users to choose where to install the application.

2. The installer adds a shortcut to your Startup menu. (Delete this if you don’t want Jarvis to start on login.)

3. The installer checks for the appropriate Windows prerequisites (.Net 3.5 & Windows XP service pack 3 or greater).

4. The first pass of the user interface is complete. The Rules and Learners interfaces are complete and functional, and I’ve added new preference options for configuring the training hot key and manipulating the machine learners.

5. I’ve fixed a variety of bugs that cause crashes on startup.

This is still an incomplete release in that it talks to few applications to collect context information and still has no way to automate other applications in response to changes in users’ environment. These will be focuses for the next release cycle.

Thanks for giving the software a spin and let me know of any bugs or other issues.

Now that a version of Jarvis is available and people are talking about it, I wanted to lay out some rough plans for future development.

First of all, I am going to try and release a new version every couple of weeks. I’m planning to push out another public release two weeks from yesterday.

Priorities for Jarvis 1.0b2:

1. Correct the bugs reported in 1.0b1. I already have a bug filed for a hot key issue on XP.

2. Implement the rules interface. This is the Windows equivalent of this.

3. Implement an interface that exposes a visual representation of the machine learner. Pennyworth uses a nested set diagram for this purpose, but I’m planning on using something more akin to a flowchart for Jarvis. The functionality lets users see the model that the system constructed to predict context and this allows them to be better “teachers”.

5. Finish implementing the preferences interface, including options for manipulating the learners.

6. Misc minor UI tweaks.

7. Add pruning to the C4.5 decision tree algorithm.

8. More application sensors. Particularly, Firefox & Chrome “current web site” sensors.

This is a tall order, but one that should be achievable in the next two weeks. Don’t forget to send any feedback of your own to jarvis@aetherial.net.

Thanks!