That's right, it checks for canvas before it tries to do anything. If you find any bugs or have requests, the google code page where you download it from has an issue tracker. Glad you like it!
Don't make your projects big monolithic tasks, make them consist of a series of fun, small iterations (like Agile development). You'll have a better time, and it'll be easier to stay motivated - especially if you're making your project open source and can do minor releases along the way.