Canoo Html Based Ui (Only Idea!)

[monstercameron]

i was browsing teh web and went on canvasdemos.com , theere they had many demos and links that show html5+css+jscript in action. it got me thinking - seeing as how i ordered my caanoo a few days ago - a few things:

1. I want to program for linux (thats C ?)
2. I already know html+css and some jscript, which i think would be faster for dev-ing apps for the caanoo
3. I like what palm did with webos and how stuff is dev-ed for it (non-native before pdk)
4. for newbs web tech is a whole lot easier than compilers and toolchains ant wuteva!
5. web tech can be as fast as native bins especially if jit-ted (like java of flash)
6. web tech would make way better guis.
7. they offer better code portability. you could even test it in you browser (except for special caanoo only features ie rumble, accelerometer, mic etc.)
8. And webgl is only opengl es based i think on v1.1 ~ the capabilities of the caanoo gpu

some questions about current caanoo frimware
a. where is the multi tasking?
b. how do end users add drivers (third party wifi dongle?)
c. not skinnable?

note: all these views are coming from a programming newb (some c++, python, darkbasic, html+css+jscript)

i am getting one and will be reviewing it asap!

 

[joyrider]

a. where is the multi tasking?

it's already multitasking while you are running the menu, what you think of the defintion of multi tasking (switching between gui apps is only part of it). The caanoo runs on a linux a kernel and more then one process is running at a time, even when the default menu gmneu2x is running other processes are running as well... (telnet to the caanoo and do a ps -aux or top command you'll see what i mean)

b. how do end users add drivers (third party wifi dongle?)

By Creating kernel modules which you then load

c. not skinnable?

It is skinnable in the sense that you can edit all pictures of the menu (it are just a bunch of png's located in /usr/gp2x on the nand), but skin support isn't build into the executable. You could use gmenu2x, that has skin support, instead of the default menu though.

There is just one problem, the filesystem of the nand is mounted READ only and i couldn't get it writeable not even with a mount with remount option... Not certain but i think it should be possible to get write access on it somehow. Once you have write access and script can be made that copies the original png's / images to the sd card or some other location and afterwards copy over (your) modified png's and you have skin support. That's how the first skins worked on the gp2x (just replacing files). After some time they had added it built in, in the executable.


About the rest of your post, anything not native will never be as fast as native (so java would be a hell of a lot slower), makeing gui's is better on native as well but harder since you are not restricted and can do whatever you like as long as you can program it...

if you find compilers and such too hard you could have a look at bennugd (i think that was the name) you don't have to mess around with compilers with that i think it'll use a runtime and your basically scripting your game (like you do with javascript).. A lot can be done with it, ruckage from snake on dope used it for example at least i think he did

 

[monstercameron]

About the rest of your post, anything not native will never be as fast as native (so java would be a hell of a lot slower), makeing gui's is better on native as well but harder since you are not restricted and can do whatever you like as long as you can program it...

if you find compilers and such too hard you could have a look at bennugd (i think that was the name) you don't have to mess around with compilers with that i think it'll use a runtime and your basically scripting your game (like you do with javascript).. A lot can be done with it, ruckage from snake on dope used it for example at least i think he did

thanks for teh reply, and yeah i have been trying to get the caanoo sdk setup w/ code blocks and i get the demo compiled but when i try it from scratch (simple hello world) i cant get shit to compile, it throws some weird errors (not errors with teh code) and i am a newb and really dont want to be winey but i want this.


how did you learn programming? anyone? (especially where and why errors are there, not necessarily how to code!)

 

[joyrider]

how did you learn programming? anyone? (especially where and why errors are there, not necessarily how to code!)

that's a good question seems like your motivated enough, i learned (when it comes to errors) mostly by erroring and trialing, with that i mean i got errors and looked them up in google. The best thing to do so is to search for the error without line numbeers and your source filename, so basic the most generic part of the error that isn't unique to your code, most of the time you get enough results in google to find what your error is about.

you should also learn to use telnet on the caanoo or any device for that matter, for debugging purposes and perhaps to use printf's or gdb to find the culprit...

also if you find out what caused the error yourselve, instead of someone correcting the errors for you, you will remember it better and longer...

anyway what kind of errors do you get and where exactly (inside codeblocks or when you run the app on the caanoo ?)

with code blocks if you start a new project you need to change the compiler used to the caanoo one otherwise it will most probably use the one of your linux box as it defaults to that.

i use code blocks myselve with the caanoo sdk on ubuntu, but i had set it up myselve and am not using the code blocks version that came with it, and have no problems what so ever...

 

[monstercameron]

"syntax error : word unexpectec (expecting ")") ". this is my error. ok, my caanoo is being shipped from gp2xstore via ebay and i should get it this week. i wan tto be apart of this community but dont have much to offer as yet (some artwork and brainstorming). i like the concept of community and open source. and as i said game programming a one thing ill be big on over teh coming months. for programming c++ i still dont understand how to make functions (dont get it in math iether) and the main thingy idk? is it possible to do it in basic then have some kind of converter change it to c++? 'cause basic i get(w/o object oriented like VB)but after i get a hang of the image manipulation codes ill get sprites and backgrounds, and color keying and basic physics. sound is usually easy and ai isnt really hard. so it isnt the "how teh game works" thats hard but the language.(i have written a platformer(not done) in dark basic). another idea.....

what if there is a newb section with each forum post defining each feature of ...say sdl(input,images,audio). not tutorials but a newb guide,like how to write this block of code, how to take advantage of this function, what is this really used for etc.

again sorry for the newb pov but i think if we want to expand the community and have more content available we(you elder programmers) must nurture teh newbs.

 

[joyrider]

"syntax error : word unexpectec (expecting ")") ". this is my error

That's easy and a common mistake and has 2 possible causes :

i'm guessing it compiled without a problem but when you run it it gives you that kind of error right ?

1) you compiled for the caanoo (which is arm architecture) and are trying to run the binarie on your linux (X86 architecture) pc --> gives that error
2) you compiled for linux (X86, default gcc compiler setting in code blocks) and are trying to run the binarie on the caanoo --> gives that error as well

Solution :

Select the correct compiler in code blocks and preferably set up the paths yourselve to the compiler (you only have to do that once)...

 

[monstercameron]

"syntax error : word unexpectec (expecting ")") ". this is my error

That's easy and a common mistake and has 2 possible causes :

i'm guessing it compiled without a problem but when you run it it gives you that kind of error right ?

1) you compiled for the caanoo (which is arm architecture) and are trying to run the binarie on your linux (X86 architecture) pc --> gives that error
2) you compiled for linux (X86, default gcc compiler setting in code blocks) and are trying to run the binarie on the caanoo --> gives that error as well

i am using teh gcc arm compiler as per the instructions given when installing the caanoo sdk, yes i am using ubuntu x86-64. for the compiler,for does it come with the caanoo sdk or is it the one that already comes w/ codeblocks? gcc arm compiler?

 

[joyrider]

"syntax error : word unexpectec (expecting ")") ". this is my error

That's easy and a common mistake and has 2 possible causes :

i'm guessing it compiled without a problem but when you run it it gives you that kind of error right ?

1) you compiled for the caanoo (which is arm architecture) and are trying to run the binarie on your linux (X86 architecture) pc --> gives that error
2) you compiled for linux (X86, default gcc compiler setting in code blocks) and are trying to run the binarie on the caanoo --> gives that error as well

i am using teh gcc arm compiler as per the instructions given when installing the caanoo sdk, yes i am using ubuntu x86-64. for the compiler,for does it come with the caanoo sdk or is it the one that already comes w/ codeblocks? gcc arm compiler?

i make the settings for codeblocks always myselve, i'm not even using the code blocks version that came with the sdk so i'm not certain what you choose. But if the binarie compiled and you created the binarie using the caanoo gcc arm compiler and tried to run it on your linux box (like using the "play" button in code blocks) you will get that kind of error.

Another way to get that kind of error is if you mix X86 libraries (libs) within your code so you should check your paths for the libraries and such... if you had gotten that error during compilation that's just a programming error then, but i do not think you had gotten it from that, you probably either mixed / linked against the wrong libraries or used the wrong compiler or tried to run it on the wrong platform

 

[monstercameron]

i make the settings for codeblocks always myselve, i'm not even using the code blocks version that came with the sdk so i'm not certain what you choose. But if the binarie compiled and you created the binarie using the caanoo gcc arm compiler and tried to run it on your linux box (like using the "play" button in code blocks) you will get that kind of error.

Another way to get that kind of error is if you mix X86 libraries (libs) within your code so you should check your paths for the libraries and such... if you had gotten that error during compilation that's just a programming error then, but i do not think you had gotten it from that, you probably either mixed / linked against the wrong libraries or used the wrong compiler or tried to run it on the wrong platform

ok i just got my caanoo, tell me more about can you tell more about telnet?

 

[joyrider]

ok i just got my caanoo, tell me more about can you tell more about telnet?

Yes telnet is possible, donwload the ini files from the archive, or look up my intresting nitbits thread on how to do it... or some other threads where i posted about it (search for telnet in the caanoo subforum).

Basically you can do it on 2 ways, through wifi (easiest method) or through usbnet (there's a topic about this also, and might be harder to setup).

Once you have telnet you can download putty (i generally use putty) and you got access to the caanoo. The logon is root, without password. After logging in there will be a new gmenu2x instance started so press ctrl-c to kill that. Then using ps -aux findout the pid number of the other instance of gmenu2x (the one that got started when you boot the caanoo) then type kill -kill PIDNUMBER (where pidnumber is the number you found out using ps -aux).

then you can just use normal cd commands (the sd card is mounted in /mnt/sd) and start applications using ./executable when being in the directory where the executable is placed.

you can place printf statements in your code and you will see those happening on telnet (for debugging purposes)
if you need more info do a search or try out some things first or just ask (after trying)