iLiad iLiad newbie and java programming

[slaks]

Hi,
Our development team is going to switch to iLiad. We need to migrate code for it.

We used OSGI framework and many custom Swing-based programming, using Java 1.5

1. Which JDK iLiad supports?
2. Is it possible to use Swing? We are doing alot of custom gui programming where AWT is not practical to use.
3. Is it possible to use OSGI?
4. Is there any IDE for iLiad
5. How the deployment is carried out?

Thanks
Slava.

[scotty1024]

The Tao-Group JVM the iLiad uses supports a CDC 1.0 profile that is for all intents and purposes a JRE 1.3.1 JVM. I use the JDK 1.5.0_07 on my Mac and run it with -source 1.3 -target 1.3 command line switches to the javac.

There is no Swing package supplied and the JVM actively suppresses loading any of the well known classes from javax.swing out of user supplied JAR files. The Tao-Group has a GUI environment that you could possibly acquire directly from them that would likely be a Swing package of some sort.

The only issue I'd see with OSGI would be its size. The iLiad is a limited memory (64MB) device.

There is no emulator but the iLiad is a 768x935 e-Ink panel with a Matchbox UI overlay. I have replaced the e-Ink/Matchbox UI libraries iRex uses with my own. My libraries check if they are running on the Tao-Group JVM and if they aren't operate in dummy mode so I can test code on my Mac.

The Tao-Group has an Eclipse environment that they supply to their licensees.

As far as I know iRex has made no provisions for deployment of any 3rd party code for the iLiad: Java or C/C++. They make periodic noises about activating deployment via iDS but so far: zilch.

[slaks]

Thanks for detailed reply.

What is Matchbox UI overlay?

I understand that you compile your code on your Mac and then move the code to iLiad through pc-to-irex connection, right?

What about AWT? Which CDC profile is used (Foundation or Personal Basis)

Thanks.

[scotty1024]

Matchbox is a TV set top box UI that iRex uses to implement several bits of their UI. In particular the toolbar with the trash can, keyboard (as well as the pop up keyboard itself).

http://matchbox-project.org

Unfortunately iRex ships the Java with the addressable display area set to 768x935. I've already found that if I modify my iLiad startup sequence to start X and then the Java I can cut the boot time in half. But I can't implement a full replacement UI in Java since I can't draw into the bottom part of the display: yet!!!

There is also a version of the JVM available from Tao-Group that has direct framebuffer drivers. If this was installed one wouldn't even need to start the X server... reducing boot time even more. Maybe iRex will wake up a realize the possibilities.

I put the compiled Java code in jar's and then use a fuse ssh mount to copy it over but there are many available options for transferring files to the iLiad.

http://fuse.sourceforge.net/
http://fuse.sourceforge.net/sshfs.html

You get PBP-1.0 with the JVM they also have Xlet support buried in there as well, and that appears to have a more complete AWT implementation available to it.

[tororebelde]

Welcome to MR, slaks!

Nice to see another iliad java developers in this forum

Good luck and happy coding!

[kusmi]

Just a stupid question - I guess you might already tried it :-)

If TAO refuses to load external javax.swing packages (I guess because of licensing issues...) why not simply rename the package, e.g. to something like javax.swingswang - so that TAO will not recognize you actually try to load swing packages?

[slaks]

Originally Posted by tororebelde

Welcome to MR, slaks!

Nice to see another iliad java developers in this forum

Good luck and happy coding!

Thanks alot , but i feel myself as forced to be iliad java developer

[slaks]

Originally Posted by kusmi

Just a stupid question - I guess you might already tried it :-)

If TAO refuses to load external javax.swing packages (I guess because of licensing issues...) why not simply rename the package, e.g. to something like javax.swingswang - so that TAO will not recognize you actually try to load swing packages?

I didn't play with iliad yet.

[slaks]

I got some strange answer from TAO Support.

"Unfortunately the use of the Tao JVM on the
iRex product is a an embedded component only. It is used to support one of
the document format rendering engines. It is not deployed as a
re-programmable engine for this product."

And...

"JVM is the software which has been integrated into the iRex product.
However, the JVM has been licensed to iRex as a non reprogrammable engine.
Support for loading third party applications onto the iRex is not available."

[scotty1024]

Uh oh. Sounds like iRex will either need to upgrade the license or try to lock us out.

Hopefully they make the correct call and not only upgrade the license but license the full GUI from Tao as well. Java would provide a quantum leap in software development for the iLiad.

[scotty1024]

Originally Posted by kusmi

Just a stupid question - I guess you might already tried it :-)

If TAO refuses to load external javax.swing packages (I guess because of licensing issues...) why not simply rename the package, e.g. to something like javax.swingswang - so that TAO will not recognize you actually try to load swing packages?

I've compiled GNU's Classpath version of Swing as javai.swing and Tao loads it. But there are more than a few issues involved in getting it happy on the Tao JVM. The other problem is that the iLiad really has a limited amount of memory. The DJVU viewer for example slows to a crawl trying to process color books as it has to constantly free up memory to continue processing.

Swing wasn't written for small memory devices. Tao may have a version with a lighter memory requirement but they would have had to invest much effort into producing it. I've concentrated on enhancing AWT as it inherently has a smaller memory foot print.

I'm porting Jarnal with an eye to keeping its memory foot print small as well. i think Jarnal will be a killer app for the iLiad. I just hope iRex can rise to the challenge and produce reliable iLiad's before someone hires a hit man to have me whacked for encouraging them to buy iLiad's.