Gui Developement

[bnolsen]

Use fltk and theme it to match for the toolkit?
Latest news is the fltk crew plans on releasing a 3.0 which takes the 2.0 api and updates it with all the new stuff people have tossed into 1.x
Not perfect but functional.
Too bad there's not a wealth of apps built on top of it like other toolkits.

 

[javaJake]

Here's my interpretation:

I do still plan to port across my previous simple launcher which was written with the older SOC in mind, I guess we will have a simple and advanced mode like the EEE, each mode providing different view options or window manager.

We would like to have all the functionality (or better) of the EEE that the EEE can provide out of the box by Christmas, but of course all the games etc. will come first.

Somewhat disappointing, but I don't think we should mangle words to get what we want.

 

[JakeK]

People will be able to make there own right?

 

[javaJake]

Software? Yes, that's why it's not too bad. No doubt the included functionality will be enough to get around and do basic functions.

 

[squeakypants]

My concept images:
GUI:

On Handheld:

Just a few notes:
-Text is almost definitely too small to read. Remember, this is a 4.3" screen.
-I don't like the Vista look either
-There's a window AND a dock that controls the window. Seems kind of odd, that's all. I'm guessing you'd want a window manager, a desktop, and that window would be the file browser.
I do admit though, very nice mock-up

The more that I think about it, the more I realize I hate widgets I've always hated widgets! (besides on Google Desktop)

I think the best interface would be a normal lightweight window manager, with a nice-looking applications launcher. Not a Start menu, but a nice full-screen one that would like fade in when you press the Start button or something. Something that would be nice to use with the touch screen, but would be equally functional to use with the dpad and face buttons.

That's actually a really good idea! Hehehe... If/When I get a Pandora, unless there's a really nice interface already, I'll definitely make this Application launcher. Then you can just use Fluxbox or something (or the built-in window manager if there is one, which I assume there will be) for everything else. Of course, I do like that bar you have at the top there with memory and cpu usage.

 

[craigix]

Right. What did he mean by functionality then?

The applications side, word processing, image editing, chat clients etc. etc. after we get the games side up and running of course.

Actually maybe that should be surpass the EEE in every way we can by Christmas.

 

[CoMiKe]

But I suppose users could install a custom XWindows by picking packages from the Debian ARM repository, huh?

Hope so...

 

[DaveC]

It's not really finished yet. I was thinking about adding more stuff, but then it would look cramped and bloated. Your right it does have too much of a vista feel (icons mainly). However, the explorer window is very OSX-ish (edited Cairo). Other than that I like it.

I don't like it. It is too desktop PC like. It looks like you have to take out the stylus and use the touschscreen or analog to scroll and resize and move windows around. This would be awkward and time consuming to do just to load a game etc. It should be more PDA like and allow simple navigation with just a pad.

 

[AnonymousTipster]

I don't like it. It is too desktop PC like. It looks like you have to take out the stylus and use the touschscreen or analog to scroll and resize and move windows around. This would be awkward and time consuming to do just to load a game etc. It should be more PDA like and allow simple navigation with just a pad.

Quoted for truth.

I expect that the gaming controls are going to be the favoured control medium for most people, so I'd prioritise those controls first.

 

[quote]

Right. What did he mean by functionality then?

The applications side, word processing, image editing, chat clients etc. etc. after we get the games side up and running of course.

Actually maybe that should be surpass the EEE in every way we can by Christmas.

Ah, great
I'm sure most of us can wait that long for the 'official' pandora word - processor

 

[sindbad]

What about using as default the E17 libraries? They are in plain C, they have very advanced graphics capabilities, lots of builtin raster effects, they are totally themeable and scriptable...

My thoughts exactly.

I would like firmware to not need updates too often, if ever. Something more along the lines of a regular computer.

There has been some work into making e-wm behave nicely on small screens (Illume for the OpenMoko) and the standard E17 is customizable enough to make it nicely usable. If neither of those solutions is suitable, the Pandora could have it's own interface based on the EFL.

Something made from scratch would be a waste of resources.

 

[Squidge]

I would like firmware to not need updates too often, if ever.

Any reason for that?

 

[scarath]

I would like firmware to not need updates too often, if ever.

Any reason for that?


I suspect the old human 'principal of least effort', being a lazy bones.

 

[parag0n]

Will the touchscreen used in the pandora be usable with a finger-press? I think a finger-driven interface might work quite nicely for the main menu, and items such as ebook reading, and to control the mp3 player.

 

[sindbad]

I would like firmware to not need updates too often, if ever.

Any reason for that?

Several actually:
- drastically reduces the chances of someone bricking it
- since it will accept deb packages, it might as well use ipkg or it's succesor opkg. this would make updates much easier (only the new package(s) get(s) downloaded), especially with that wifi
- installing something other than the 'blessed' distro would be much easier (games will be the secondary use for mine, if the UI isn't good enough for other things i'll have to install some other distro on an SD)
- being lazy

 

[TheLonelyGod]

why is one of the tabs sports? wouldn't that be better as a gaming tab?

otherwise i like that concept

 

[Vorporeal]

I would like firmware to not need updates too often, if ever.

Any reason for that?

Several actually:
- drastically reduces the chances of someone bricking it
- since it will accept deb packages, it might as well use ipkg or it's succesor opkg. this would make updates much easier (only the new package(s) get(s) downloaded), especially with that wifi
- installing something other than the 'blessed' distro would be much easier (games will be the secondary use for mine, if the UI isn't good enough for other things i'll have to install some other distro on an SD)
- being lazy


The Pandora's been designed so that you can't brick it in the way you're suggesting. There is a bootloader stored in ROM that can load data off an SD card, so you can always reflash your firmware if it gets corrupted. There's no way to brick the device due to a corrupted firmware flash or similar problem.

 

[IcantDeleteThisAccount]

I would like firmware to not need updates too often, if ever.

Any reason for that?

Several actually:
- drastically reduces the chances of someone bricking it
- since it will accept deb packages, it might as well use ipkg or it's succesor opkg. this would make updates much easier (only the new package(s) get(s) downloaded), especially with that wifi
- installing something other than the 'blessed' distro would be much easier (games will be the secondary use for mine, if the UI isn't good enough for other things i'll have to install some other distro on an SD)
- being lazy


The Pandora's been designed so that you can't brick it in the way you're suggesting. There is a bootloader stored in ROM that can load data off an SD card, so you can always reflash your firmware if it gets corrupted. There's no way to brick the device due to a corrupted firmware flash or similar problem.


Oh thank god.. I have a tendency to get impatient and reset it, infact I bricked my psp doing that.. heh, thanks for craig for being super smart.

 

[Squidge]

Your only likely to brick it if you try and update your firmware 10,000 times

(and then it's only if the firmware is different each time - the Pandora is smart enough to not to erase nand blocks when its going to write the exact same info to it)