iRex Releases iLiad Source Code

[Adam B.]

iRex has released source code for most of the internal iLiad programs.

You can find the sources here.

Here is a quick list of what is released and what it does:

• contentLister.tar.gz - Main Program. Displays files to user and launches applications.
• displayMgr.tar.gz - Interface to the eink controller.
• erbrowser.tar.gz - Mozilla based html viewer.
• liberdm.tar.gz - Manages Screen refreshes.
• libergtk.tar.gz - User Interface Elements.
• liberipc.tar.gz - Page bar and toolbars at bottom of screen.
• libermanifest.tar.gz - Manifest file reading library
• liberregxml.tar.gz - Manages the registry
• liberscribble.tar.gz - Writing Manager

As of right now, none of the closed source kernel modules have been posted.

Update:

Per the iRex i-to-i blog:

Next week we will release the remaining source codes in a second step. These will be:

* pageBar
* powerMgr
* scribble
* settings
* connectionMgr
* Kernel Drivers (delta, buttons and battery)

This is very exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing what the community can do.

[Karel]

The remaining source codes will be release later this or next week. We didn't manage to get everything sorted, so we decided to do it in two steps.

You can find more info on blog.irexnet.com.

Happy coding

[jharker]

Fantastic! Thank you!

(I'd say more, but I'm busily reading the source code.)

[ericshliao]

I don't see image viewer in the above list. Will source code of image viewer be released?

[Adam B.]

The image viewer is the "scribble" program that's going to be released next week.

[axel77]

Now I only need iRex to provide me with free time, and I can get started with development

[M@rcel]

Originally Posted by axel77

Now I only need iRex to provide me with free time, and I can get started with development

Perhaps on eBay?

[JamesT]

I guess if a 'Pay Pal' donation facility was set up I would donate to help the Developers!
JamesT

[uso]

Hi

Any chance that some of the iliad java-code could be released as well?
The framework for buttons/pagebar/refreshing could be quite useful for those of us who prefer programming in java...

Uso (so this i what delurking feels like )

[Shaggy]

You guys have probably already found this, but from lister.h:

// only used to allocate data structures => layout uses fixed sizes => fixed # items on a page
#define MAX_ITEMS_ON_ONE_PAGE 6

So the "file bar layout" in gtkContentListItem.c will need to be changed too, in order to reduce the amount of space that each item takes up. Or split the content lister into multiple columns instead (but that's probably more ambitious).

I haven't looked at it for more that just a minute or two, so there may be more to it. Initially it doesn't look too bad though.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by uso

Hi

Any chance that some of the iliad java-code could be released as well?
The framework for buttons/pagebar/refreshing could be quite useful for those of us who prefer programming in java...

Uso (so this i what delurking feels like )

I could be wrong, but the only thing I know of that is written in java on the iLiad is the Mobipocket viewer. I don't think Mobipocket will let iRex release that code.

[axel77]

Originally Posted by uso

Hi

Any chance that some of the iliad java-code could be released as well?
The framework for buttons/pagebar/refreshing could be quite useful for those of us who prefer programming in java...

Uso (so this i what delurking feels like )

I may be conservative, but if possible I'd rather not have too much iLiad software based on java. Don't get me wrong, I love java, one of my major projects is java (GWT actually). However in a ressource-scarce environment like the iRex iLiad, I don't think its the right place for java. Java is good for compile once, run everywhere, but if software is dedicated for the iLiad, I'd rather have a C++ compiler optimize it for the iLiad instead of being able to run everywhere. C++ is more complicated than java, but certainly not that much, anyone that got the java concepts into his head can do C++ soon as well, if he tries. In the case of mobipocketviewer iRex couldn't have helped it seem, but I don't think java is the best choice for the iLiad, if you can chose.

[uso]

Originally Posted by axel77

I may be conservative, but if possible I'd rather not have too much iLiad software based on java. Don't get me wrong, I love java, one of my major projects is java (GWT actually). However in a ressource-scarce environment like the iRex iLiad, I don't think its the right place for java. Java is good for compile once, run everywhere, but if software is dedicated for the iLiad, I'd rather have a C++ compiler optimize it for the iLiad instead of being able to run everywhere. C++ is more complicated than java, but certainly not that much, anyone that got the java concepts into his head can do C++ soon as well, if he tries. In the case of mobipocketviewer iRex couldn't have helped it seem, but I don't think java is the best choice for the iLiad, if you can chose.

It won´t be the best choice for new development, but easier porting of existing java-applications could potentially be useful :-)

Uso

[uso]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

I could be wrong, but the only thing I know of that is written in java on the iLiad is the Mobipocket viewer. I don't think Mobipocket will let iRex release that code.

I doubt they will release the Mobipocket viewer... but depending on how they have structured their code, they may be able to release the code for interacting with the hardware buttons.
This code would be a library for use from other programs, not a complete program by itself.

Uso

[jharker]

Originally Posted by uso

I doubt they will release the Mobipocket viewer... but depending on how they have structured their code, they may be able to release the code for interacting with the hardware buttons.
This code would be a library for use from other programs, not a complete program by itself.

Hardware buttons are handled via GTK/X as key presses. So you should be able to get that pretty easily from within Java. See my extensive discussion in this thread. All hardware buttons except the special folder buttons ("books", "news", etc.) are handled this way.

That thread also discusses how buttons are handled at a more basic level.