Log-o-Matic is used to launch server processes such as Apache or Tomcat, and automatically open a text window for each log file created by the programme.
Essentially, I created Log-o-Matic to solve a problem I had as a web developer: Whenever I develop on Apache and Tomcat, I have an xterm open, ready to "tail -f" each log file created by the programme so I can watch what is happening with my web application. Keeping track of all these xterms and their log files gets irritating, especially because you have to re-launch "tail -f" on each log file after restarting the server.
Log-o-Matic solves the problem by providing an auto-tailing text view of each log file created by a server process.
Log-o-Matic's main source file is covered by the GNU General Public Licence, and its library source files are covered by the GNU Lesser General Public Licence. Visit the Free (as in freedom) Software Foundation to find out more about these licences, and why your access to the source code of Log-o-Matic and other software you use is a Good Idea.
Screenshot
Here is Log-o-Matic in action, configured for my personal copy of Apache.
Download
For now, I have no RPMs, debs, or even binaries available: just the source code, which you have to compile yourself. But, once you've got GTK+ 2.0 installed (see below), compiling Log-o-Matic should be a snap. Log-o-Matic uses the autoconf system, like almost all open source software these days.
(Log-o-Matic 1.1 had a very short life as Watchlog 1.0, but I discovered, on posting to freshmeat, that a Perl log monitoring package was already named Watchlog. This gave me the opportunity to give the package a much cheesier name.)
Dependancies
Please note that Log-o-Matic was written for GTK+ 2.0, which is very new as of this writing (April 2002) and very likely not installed on your system. But, if you are a seasoned C hacker and/or know your way around a UNIX/Linux box, the instructions at gtk.org are reasonably straightforward. So don't be afraid to install GTK+ 2.0 yourself. Otherwise, wait until your system starts shipping with GTK+ 2.0, and compiling Log-o-Matic should be a breeze.