Newsletter (#166)

Co-authored-by: Ivan Ogasawara <[email protected]>

Author: investor-uyah

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+---
+title: "Newsletter First Edition"
+slug: "newsletter-first-edition"
+date: 2024-10-19
+authors: ["Mfonobong Uyah"]
+tags: ["Newsletter", "OSL", "First Edition"]
+categories: ["Newsletter"]
+description: |
+  The OSL newsletter is launching soon! Our first edition has been repurposed
+  for this blog post, but you can subscribe to receive future releases directly
+  in your inbox.
+thumbnail: "/header.jpg"
+template: "blog-post.html"
+---
+
+**Highlights:**
+
+- **OSL Grant News**
+- **pyOpenSci’s Upcoming Fall Festival Event**
+- **OSL Projects Development Report**
+- **Open Study Group**
+
+## News: OSL Receives PSF Grant for MAKIM and ASTx Projects
+
+We're thrilled to announce that the Python Software Foundation (PSF) has granted
+funding to two of our key projects: **MAKIM** and **ASTx**. This support will
+help accelerate development and enhance the capabilities of these tools. Read on
+to learn more about these projects and the impact of the PSF grant.
+
+### About the Python Software Foundation
+
+Founded in March 2001, the Python Software Foundation (PSF) is a nonprofit
+organization dedicated to advancing and promoting the Python programming
+language. The PSF supports a wide range of open-source Python projects,
+fostering a vibrant and inclusive community.
+
+## Are You a Pythonista? Join the pyOpenSci Fall Festival 2024
+
+Mark your calendars! Our partner is hosting a one-of-a-kind event. The
+**pyOpenSci Fall Festival 2024** is an inaugural online meeting of Python, Open
+Science, and Open Source enthusiasts set to take place from October 28 to
+November 1, 2024.
+
+The event promises to feature insightful talks, essential hands-on workshops,
+and office hours with numerous industry experts exchanging ideas and sharing
+experiences.
+[Go here](https://www.pyopensci.org/events/pyopensci-2024-fall-festival.html) to
+learn more.
+
+## OSL Projects Development Report
+
+### MAKIM Improvements
+
+**MAKIM** is a YAML-based task automation tool inspired by Make. It offers
+structured definitions for tasks and dependencies, supporting conditionals,
+arguments, grouping, variables, Jinja2 templating, and environment file
+integration.
+
+Makim team has made several recent updates to the project, including the
+addition of new features supported by the PSF grant.
+
+- Added support for checking the .makim.yaml structure with a schema definition.
+- Added support for matrix variables for tasks.
+- Changed from dependencies support to hooks with pre and post run support.
+- Fixed text problems and issues in the continuous integration jobs.
+- Introduced support for interactive arguments, allowing for more dynamic user
+  input.
+- Refactored the attribute "shell" to "backend," improving code clarity.
+- Updated the configuration for MyPy to ensure better type-checking practices.
+
+Read more about MAKIM
+[here](https://dev.to/opensciencelabs/streamlining-project-automation-with-makim-21nc).
+
+### ASTx Improvements
+
+**ASTx** is a language-agnostic expression structure designed primarily for the
+ArxLang project. However, it can be utilized by any programming language or
+parser to create high-level representations of Abstract Syntax Trees (AST).
+
+ArxLang team has made several developmental improvements to ASTx, including the
+addition of new features supported by the PSF grant:
+
+- Added a new import statement feature for improved module management.
+- Implemented runtime type checking using Typeguard.
+- Enhanced type safety and reliability.
+- Improved the development configuration structure, and dependencies.
+- Added a transpiler from astx to python
+- Added support to complex32 and complex64
+- Added support to float16, and float64
+- Added support to uint8, uint16, unit32, uint64, uint128
+
+If you would like to read more on ASTx,
+[go here](https://opensciencelabs.org/blog/console-based-representation-in-astx/).
+
+### Sugar and SciCookie Both Have New Updates
+
+**Sugar** and **SciCookie** projects are also receiving updates. The latest PRs on the Sugar repository include:
+
+- Added support for checking the .sugar.yaml structure with a schema definition.
+- A fix for the Jinja2 template.
+- A refactor of the interface for plugins/extensions that moves the main command
+  to the compose group.
+
+On the SciCookie project, SciCookie team has added some feature and
+improvements:
+
+- Improved tests and infrastructure.
+- Added support to pixi with pyproject.
+- Added support to circleci.
+
+## What’s Next? How to Get Started Learning About OSL Projects and Activities
+
+- **Tour Our Website:** Explore our mission, vision, contribution guidelines,
+  and more on the [OSL website](https://www.opensciencelabs.org).
+- **Become a Member:** Join our
+  [OSL Discord server](https://www.opensciencelabs.org/discord) to connect with
+  like-minded individuals, contribute to discussions, and collaborate to project
+  under OSL umbrella. Whether you have a technical background or are a new
+  enthusiast, everyone is welcome!
+
+- **Stay Connected:** Follow us on
+  [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/opensciencelabs) and
+  [X](https://twitter.com/opensciencelabs) to get updates about published
+  articles and events before they hit your email.
+
+- **Explore Our Projects and Ideas:** Visit our
+  [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@opensciencelabs/videos). With 12
+  insightful videos already available and many more rolling out soon, you can
+  learn how to install and use our most popular tools, as well as gain knowledge
+  on programming languages, coding best practices, and past events.
+
+### Open Study Group
+
+Join our Open Study Group! Everyone is welcome to participate in our dedicated
+one-hour sessions designed to support your personal studies. Use this online
+meeting space to focus on your work, ask questions, and share updates about your
+progress. Whether you're tackling a new project, learning a new skill, or simply
+seeking a quiet time to study, our study group provides a supportive and
+collaborative environment to help you achieve your goals. Come connect with
+fellow learners and make the most of your study time together!
+
+Ask for more information on our [Discord](https://www.opensciencelabs.org/discord).