iLiad development: maemo? Alone? Familiar?

arivero · 07-17-2006, 01:50 PM

having X11+matchbox, how should we focus the porting of applications? To follow the maemo scent, aiming even for binary compatibility? To hang on the GPE roadmap? Or simply wait and see?

ali · 07-17-2006, 02:02 PM

I see no real use in porting all the software for {qtopia|opie|gpe|qpe|familar|my grandmother}.

Playing with the device, I'd say that every minimally interactive application will be a pain in the ass on the iliad. Simply typing in username + password was no fun at all.

The iliad is great at displaying mostly static content, and we'll need clever applications for that.

However, I'm sure people will port applications, it will be a bad experience with ultra-slow screen updates, and another situation where linux-newbies get to see the worst a linux can perform, as usual.

tribble · 07-17-2006, 02:15 PM

Actually you get the hang of typing stuff and not seeing what you typed. Thats not so bad. Even draging windows across the screen is fun

And i think attaching a usb keyboard and then typing with updates every few seconds could be nice.

So i would still like to see some pda functionality. Mainly calendar, maybe addressbook.

CommanderROR · 07-17-2006, 03:27 PM

calender would be cool...you don't need a fast display for that...

R2D2 · 07-17-2006, 03:29 PM

me too...plus

*Outlook synchronization

I opt for the meomo scent...although I am no expert at all.

Riocaz · 07-17-2006, 05:03 PM

A sequential image viewer would be good. (particularly one that can cope with the images in a cbr or cbz format)

CommanderROR · 07-17-2006, 05:06 PM

@Riocaz:

OT: Do you have any news on the whereabouts of your Iliad yet?

Riocaz · 07-17-2006, 05:12 PM

Yup!

I've just (well since I left work) received the tracking number.

It's in the vicinity of Onceways' device and still in Germany...

It's not so bad now that I know it's enroute.

arivero · 07-18-2006, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ali

I see no real use in porting all the software for {qtopia|opie|gpe|qpe|familar|my grandmother}.

Playing with the device, I'd say that every minimally interactive application will be a pain in the ass on the iliad. Simply typing in username + password was no fun at all.

The iliad is great at displaying mostly static content, and we'll need clever applications for that.

However, I'm sure people will port applications, it will be a bad experience with ultra-slow screen updates, and another situation where linux-newbies get to see the worst a linux can perform, as usual.

Perhaps we should first to keep an eye in the wishlist, see what we can port, and what needs to be done.

FGFuzaxx · 07-18-2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arivero

Perhaps we should first to keep an eye in the wishlist, see what we can port, and what needs to be done.

Yup, there is more than enough to do

Greetings,
Frank

ali · 07-18-2006, 03:10 PM

Sorry for the frustration, but I've seen this before. I have a Zaurus, and initially it was fun to port all kinds of software to it.

In the end, all the efforts turned the thing into a bad subnotebook and not a good pda, at the cost of a cheap real subnotebook. It's somewhat cool to run freeciv on it, but that doesn't help at all when there's no real calendar and my laptop runs freeciv just so much better.

I would like to see the Iliad becoming the device for reading -- which means blazingly fast rendering times and low energy consumption.

However, the disappointing truth is that the software on the Iliad is just a cheap collection of desktop software ports. You can easily port freeciv. But I cannot imagine that powersaving will ever really work. And the pdf renderer is just xpdf (which uses a lot of fpu operations, right?).

Frustrated:
ali

arivero · 07-18-2006, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ali

Sorry for the frustration, but I've seen this before. I have a Zaurus, and initially it was fun to port all kinds of software to it.

Yep, we need something more creative than simple porting. For instance the high view angle of eink, plus wireless ability, should let for multiplayer games more interesting than crimson or freeciv.

Our funnier work in the Zaurus was a mouse interface. We captured a light with the camera and translated its moves to mouse moves, which in turn we sent via USB to the host computer. So yes, creative work is more satisfying in the long run.

arivero · 07-18-2006, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ali

And the pdf renderer is just xpdf (which uses a lot of fpu operations, right?).

Hmm sure? There is not a fixed point mode (just guessing)?

DHer · 07-18-2006, 03:22 PM

which part of power saving shouldn't work, in your opinion?

Clocking down the processor, check, making the whole thingie hibernate, check. Both i can even do on my notebook running linux. Anything else? Ok, switching wlan off. Here i trust in iRex.

And concerning the pdf renderer: what's easier to do: write your own alternative pdf viewer for a running linux with an X server or do everything from scratch on a new device with strange new custom-built OS which most probably would never receive a proper SDK?

arivero · 07-18-2006, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DHer

what's easier to do: write your own alternative pdf viewer for a running linux with an X server or do everything from scratch on a new device with strange new custom-built OS which most probably would never receive a proper SDK?

Not easy to answer. Nobody has done a more decent xpdf for decades.

07-17-2006, 01:50 PM	#1
arivero Guru Posts: 607 Karma: 2157 Join Date: Oct 2005 Device: NCR3125, Nokia 770,...	development: maemo? Alone? Familiar? having X11+matchbox, how should we focus the porting of applications? To follow the maemo scent, aiming even for binary compatibility? To hang on the GPE roadmap? Or simply wait and see?

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07-17-2006, 02:02 PM	#2
ali Addict Posts: 302 Karma: 116 Join Date: May 2006 Device: Iliad, dude!	I see no real use in porting all the software for {qtopia\|opie\|gpe\|qpe\|familar\|my grandmother}. Playing with the device, I'd say that every minimally interactive application will be a pain in the ass on the iliad. Simply typing in username + password was no fun at all. The iliad is great at displaying mostly static content, and we'll need clever applications for that. However, I'm sure people will port applications, it will be a bad experience with ultra-slow screen updates, and another situation where linux-newbies get to see the worst a linux can perform, as usual.

07-17-2006, 02:15 PM	#3
tribble iLiad Maniac Posts: 1,382 Karma: 2369 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany Device: Bookeen Opus (i love that thing) and iPad (what an irony)	Actually you get the hang of typing stuff and not seeing what you typed. Thats not so bad. Even draging windows across the screen is fun And i think attaching a usb keyboard and then typing with updates every few seconds could be nice. So i would still like to see some pda functionality. Mainly calendar, maybe addressbook.

07-17-2006, 03:27 PM	#4
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	calender would be cool...you don't need a fast display for that...

07-17-2006, 03:29 PM	#5
R2D2 Mad Scientist Posts: 294 Karma: 242 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Germany Device: Zaurus, HTCMagician, iLiad	me too...plus *Outlook synchronization I opt for the meomo scent...although I am no expert at all.

07-17-2006, 05:03 PM	#6
Riocaz Fulfilled but not by iRex Posts: 932 Karma: 286846 Join Date: May 2006 Location: London Device: Far too many	A sequential image viewer would be good. (particularly one that can cope with the images in a cbr or cbz format)

07-17-2006, 05:06 PM	#7
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	@Riocaz: OT: Do you have any news on the whereabouts of your Iliad yet?

07-17-2006, 05:12 PM	#8
Riocaz Fulfilled but not by iRex Posts: 932 Karma: 286846 Join Date: May 2006 Location: London Device: Far too many	Yup! I've just (well since I left work) received the tracking number. It's in the vicinity of Onceways' device and still in Germany... It's not so bad now that I know it's enroute.

07-18-2006, 03:10 PM	#11
ali Addict Posts: 302 Karma: 116 Join Date: May 2006 Device: Iliad, dude!	Sorry for the frustration, but I've seen this before. I have a Zaurus, and initially it was fun to port all kinds of software to it. In the end, all the efforts turned the thing into a bad subnotebook and not a good pda, at the cost of a cheap real subnotebook. It's somewhat cool to run freeciv on it, but that doesn't help at all when there's no real calendar and my laptop runs freeciv just so much better. I would like to see the Iliad becoming the device for reading -- which means blazingly fast rendering times and low energy consumption. However, the disappointing truth is that the software on the Iliad is just a cheap collection of desktop software ports. You can easily port freeciv. But I cannot imagine that powersaving will ever really work. And the pdf renderer is just xpdf (which uses a lot of fpu operations, right?). Frustrated: ali

07-18-2006, 03:22 PM	#14
DHer Addict Posts: 261 Karma: 156 Join Date: Jul 2006 Device: iliad	which part of power saving shouldn't work, in your opinion? Clocking down the processor, check, making the whole thingie hibernate, check. Both i can even do on my notebook running linux. Anything else? Ok, switching wlan off. Here i trust in iRex. And concerning the pdf renderer: what's easier to do: write your own alternative pdf viewer for a running linux with an X server or do everything from scratch on a new device with strange new custom-built OS which most probably would never receive a proper SDK?

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