Compiling libkml on Windows

Just a quick hint here for anyone searching for information on compiling libkml under Visual Studio. Version 0.4, which I just downloaded, won't compile the libkmlbase project unless you make a small modification to time_util.cc. Just change the order of the includes so that the winsock2.h include comes before the windows.h include. If you don't, you will get compiler errors such as, "error C2011: 'fd_set' : 'struct' type redefinition."

[[ UPDATE: Apparently there are other problems with using libkml in Windows. I just came across a linker issue where the symbol IsIconParent was undefined. To solve this problem, I had to add get_link_parents.cc and get_link_parents.h to the libkmlengine project and recompile. ]]

[[ UPDATE 5 Nov. 08: Both of these issues have been corrected as of version 0.5. ]]

FalconView Open Source

Beginning with FalconView 4.3, FalconView will become an open source product.  Georgia Tech will distribute the code to FalconView to the general public, and installable binaries will be available.  The open source effort will include the main FalconView application and most of the overlays that come packaged with FalconView.

In order to accomplish this effort, we are reworking major parts of the FalconView architucture.  Historically, FalconView has included a standard set of overlays that built-in to the executible software and a set of "plug-in" overlays that may or may not be installed with FalconView.  Because some of the overlays are export-sensitive, all of the overlays for FalconView 4.3 will be pulled out and made into plug-in overlays.  This architecture will allow us to distribute a version of FalconView for the general public and a version of FalconView for the government.  The versions will be identical, except that the government version will include the threat overlay, the tactical graphics overlay, and some other components not available to the general public.

The FalconView team is excited about this effort.  We feel a great sense of ownership in our work and will be very glad to make the product available to a wider user base.  I'd expect that public betas of FalconView 4.3 will start hitting the internet sometime in the first half of 2009.  Stay tuned as for more news as events unfold.  Feel free to contact me for more details.