Quote:
Originally Posted by pkbo
Those libraries also used to write gui_shell, of course it doesn't help to modify/debug existing closed source applications but it gives a lot of information about how these applications organized and how they work.
That is correct without source code you can't add a menu item. The only place I've seen plugin interface was dictionary. Theirs code design is not that flexible. For instance in order to add one more keyboard layout they modify SDK by adding [lang]_keyboard_data.[cpp|h]. As a result they have many files with similar code that differ only in character codes and you will need to rebuild SDK and all applications using it to add one more keyboard layout. I find that OpenBOOX approach to not depend too much on Onyx is quite reasonable.
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I agree. The thing I'd like to have understood is my motivation to open this thread, though (actually, there are two motivations):
a) getting potential developers together (I see that happening - thank you
)
b) (indirectly) showing Onyx that there's a potential developer community to incite them to think about opening up (via a developer program or overall)
While I agree that the OpenBOOX approach is the most sensible given Onyx's current policy (which I fear is indeed not likely to change
),
I'd consider it a shame not to offer them cooperation first.
Having to reimplement things and work around their closed source is a waste of energy to everyone.
_We_ have to reimplement things that already exist (and adapt them when they change APIs).
Extensions appear at a much later time than they could.
_They_ have to invest additional work to make extensions fit their software, which we'd otherwise integrate.
This is why I opened the thread with the proposition to collaborate with Onyx. (Not because I oppose the OpenBOOX approach
)
Giving examples on things I'd like to see, but which I see hardly or not possible to hack into their binaries:
- proper integration of snapshots
- disabling the screensaver not to wast battery power on displaying single pages for a long time
- adding different scribble colors (basically, all things that require modification of the menu)
- adding support for stylus buttons