GP2X Libmirko Sdk, Who Use It ? Do You Like It ?


mr.mirko

Certified Guru
Joined
Nov 24, 2003
Messages
471
Location
Germany
Website
mirkoroller.de
Do you know my libmirko SDK for gp32 ?

It is a SDK, open source, helping Folks getting started devving Software and Homebrew for the gp32. It offers a lot free examples, is available with all source code, and completly free.

My question is now, do you use it ?
What kind of Software are you writing with it ?
Do you like the idear, that the SDK, is open Source, or would it be the same, if the source is closed, and you can only use the lib, but not show behind it ?

With the gp2x in mind,
Would it help you, if you could find something similar on this machine ?
Or do you like Linux and SDL, and write youre Homebrew in SDL ?

I have to make some descissions, please help me.

Mirko
 
i like it quite a lot, because it's very easy to use.
it's good that it is open, because this way, the source is the documantary itself. if it was closed, i would need a better documentary. so i would let it open and everyone can configure it for themself, if he likes to.

i made a game with the kit (almost since 3 months or so), but the problem is the incomplete sound support. i would like to add some simple sounds and have no clue how to.
if there was sound support, similar to the graphics part, it would be awesome.

anyways, thanks to the simple and easy to use devkit. i really would like to see a gp2x version :)
 
I was lazy to change MAME GP32 from GPSDK to MIRKO, sorry. But i think it would be faster with your your SDK :(

It would be great to have 8 bit sound support in your SDK (i remember to be only
16 bit but maybe i'm wrong). Also it would be very useful to have 8 bit drawing
routines (i remember to be only 16 bit also, but also i could be wrong).

With GP2X, it will be interesting to have an alternative SDK to play with, but
i don't know what are your plans with this.

I can only say... CHEERS :rolleyes:
 
I've played around with your gp32 SDK and its very good. Thanks for doing it :D

I think leaving it open source is best, like o-bake said, it is good for documentation. It also means if peeps want to adapt the code to their games needs they can do.

As to whether I'd use a two eggs one, it depends on what the SDK was like and how the gph sdk was. If it was like the gp, I was planning to use both.

I have no knowledge of SDL and a tiny bit of knowledge of Linux. I'd want to code in C, or better still, C++

What I'd really like is an article that expains what files are needed to use gcc/gcc++ and what each file does. Plus an explaination of what the different switches that would be needed. Then I might look into doing pc tools for the two eggs maybe.
 
It is good to have a second SDK, and an OPEN one!
Your SDK helped us a lot in the development of Tanda, as we could see the source and learn a lot, thanks!
 
mr.mirko posted on Sep 11 2005 at 12:29 AM said:
Do you know my libmirko SDK for gp32 ?

It is a SDK, open source, helping Folks getting started devving Software and Homebrew for the gp32. It offers a lot free examples, is available with all source code, and completly free.

My question is now, do you use it ?
What kind of Software are you writing with it ?
Do you like the idear, that the SDK, is open Source, or would it be the same, if the source is closed, and you can only use the lib, but not show behind it ?

With the gp2x in mind,
Would it help you, if you could find something similar on this machine ?
Or do you like Linux and SDL, and write youre Homebrew in SDL ?

I have to make some descissions, please help me.

Mirko

I use it :)
It's very good, alot cleaner and more streamlined than the official GP32 dev tool - with GP2X it would be great to have a version. As you say the main advantage is that is open-source, so there is no line between your app code and the SDK code, which is a great advantage.

For example, I wanted to read some LFN stuff, so I used part of the samsung library which was included as reference. I used some of the functions from the Mirko lib and some of my own functions. Very handy indeed - with the official SDK I would have had no way of doing that.


Actually at the moment I'm just looking for a way to compile for it under Windows (and Cygwin?).
Depending on how good the official SDK is (maybe it's brilliant who knows!) then it would be great to have a version of the Mr Mirko SDK for GP2X!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yeah, your lib rules.

If you future GP2X mirko lib port have:

1. Easy instalation (as GP32 version) and easy/powerfull set functions.
2. Functions with support of any standard PC keyboard (connected by EXT port, I pressume)
3. Other things I now don't know (If I remember, I will tell you here, in this points)
4. ...

Is sure I choose your lib :)

Anyway, thanx very much for you Great "old" GP32 Mirko lib.

Un Saludo.
 
you lib is most excellent. it's just wonderful to be able to take for instance a sprite-blitting routine and modify it sligtly to fit your needs. the freedom of having ALL the code in whatever it is you're doing is awesome.
it's hard to say if a similar thing is needed for the gp2x, it all depends on what sdk reaches the public and how useable that is.

anyhow, you've done a most lovely sdk. without it i doubt my pizza worm would've ever seen the light of day.
 
I use it :) Like everybody else the main reason why I use it is that its open source. Which is great because you can get under the hood and tweak things.

It would be fantastic if you could create a SDK for the GP2X.
 
mr.mirko posted on Sep 11 2005 at 12:29 AM said:
Do you know my libmirko SDK for gp32 ?

It is a SDK, open source, helping Folks getting started devving Software and Homebrew for the gp32. It offers a lot free examples, is available with all source code, and completly free.

My question is now, do you use it ?
What kind of Software are you writing with it ?
Do you like the idear, that the SDK, is open Source, or would it be the same, if the source is closed, and you can only use the lib, but not show behind it ?

With the gp2x in mind,
Would it help you, if you could find something similar on this machine ?
Or do you like Linux and SDL, and write youre Homebrew in SDL ?

I have to make some descissions, please help me.

Mirko


I am no coder but I do know that it is always nicer when something like this is open source at it gives more freedom to coders and that is always good. It can grow and change faster to meet their needs. Alternatives are always welcome.

Another thing is if your SDK would allow coders to "bang the metal" more with respect to using both cores in GP2X it may help alot and be much faster. We don't know how good the SDL one will be for using both cores for more than just movies.

The efficient use of both cores with ASM etc in GP2X will be the difference between a 33 MHz faster "GP32 1.5" and an emulation powerhouse capable of emulating a Neo Geo, SNES and maybe GBA.

That is my lamer end user 2P :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've got to admit that though I've never used it I think it's a good idea and a great acheivement!
And if I hadn't got a stable setup for the GP-SDK I would have given it a try :)

What I would like to see is a compatible version for 2eggs so that existing code can easily be ported back and forth with as little hassle as possible until the 2eggs is accepted.

It's a great piece of work Mirko!
 
mr.mirko posted on Sep 11 2005 at 02:29 AM said:
My question is now, do you use it ?
Yes, I do.

mr.mirko posted on Sep 11 2005 at 02:29 AM said:
What kind of Software are you writing with it ?
GP32 port of FreeSCI.

mr.mirko posted on Sep 11 2005 at 02:29 AM said:
Do you like the idear, that the SDK, is open Source, or would it be the same, if the source is closed, and you can only use the lib, but not show behind it ?
If mirkoSDK were closed source I would probably have chosen to use the official SDK instead.

mr.mirko posted on Sep 11 2005 at 02:29 AM said:
With the gp2x in mind,
Would it help you, if you could find something similar on this machine ?
Or do you like Linux and SDL, and write youre Homebrew in SDL ?
I think it all depends on how good the official gp2x devkit will be. If it's open source I don't think it's worth the trouble to write a completely new devkit, you could just make improvements to the official devkit instead.

Btw, the one problem I have with mirkoSDK is that the header files conflict with newlib's headers. I personally use newlib's file routines in combination with smfs and it's difficult to #include gp32.h as well as newlib's stdio-related headers in one source file. Basically I would like it if there was a 'safe' non-conflicting header file I could include which would only contain extra stuff not declared in newlib's header files, so only things like the gp_* functions and the #defines for hardware access etc.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
mr.mirko posted on Sep 11 2005 at 02:29 AM said:
Do you know my libmirko SDK for gp32 ?

It is a SDK, open source, helping Folks getting started devving Software and Homebrew for the gp32. It offers a lot free examples, is available with all source code, and completly free.


I actually never used the original SDK... littlegptracker is solely based on adaptation of your SDK (I mainly tweaked the font routine to b faster & the sound API). It's been amazingly helpful !

Big Up// Ayyyyyyyyyyye
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Most people probably use libmirko because its more available and better than the GP original one.. build and go. I doubt you could get away with closing all of it, if thats what you wanted, since a lot of the code needed tweaking or work, and closing it woudl discourage all that.. but some core parts could be closed if they were fast and solid and reliable -- well designed from the onset.

ie: Analogy to a car.. people could likely depend on a good solid engine or suspension without caring how they worked.. but using a whole car might be too much, since they want to get under the good and change how things go.

ie: Myself, I looked but didn't like how some of your APIs worked, and thought my own blit routines were better etc... so never switched to your lib until my GP-sdk setup tanked itself.. so then I started messing with your SDK using just the basics to get my own lib going.. so to me, it didn't matter if it was closed or not since I only used 5% of it..

But open is better; we're used to having the entire libc and kernel available, and with gp2x it shoudl be no exception; if you don't make it open, someone else will make one that is.. thats the double edged sword of open source :)

jeff
 
Thanx for all youre nice answers here, the last days.

From what i can read here, you like the SDK, couse it is open source, and you can use parts of it, for your own project. So it helped you in faster devveloping your own stuff.

The SDK will never be closed source, couse the chip, arm9tdmi, is free , and the documentation of the chip is free.

Of couse it is alwasy possible to speed up some things, the goal was not to create a professional SDK, it was a Fun project. I did not updated it, couse it is running. And spending another 200+ hours in improving sprite or blit functions, is nice, but not needed, if you want it, youre welcome to rewrite it, send me a patch, and good is.

All the question i was asking, are going around my new project for the gp2x.
I received the Hardware documentation of the macigeyes chip, the gp2x is build of.
You have to sign a NDA letter to get it, so dont ask me if i could give it to you.
The gp2x is based on an closed source chip, this means, if someone writes hardware direct source, it is not possible to give away the source. You can only give a way the resutling compiled lib.

With all the comments here, that you love the open source SDK from me, but iam no longer in the possion to create an open source lib for you, couse the gp2x chip is NDA from magiceyes.

Other people, like Squidge, are also planing, starting writing an low level SDK, for the gp2x. Of couse it must be closed source. But with the gp2x in mind, a closed source SDK is better then no SDK, atw.

gp2x will come with linux and SDL, preinstalled. Of couse the linux kernel used, is not free. So you can not recompile it, or get the source for it.
So, if you want to code for the gp2x, get ready, install linux on your PC, and start coding in SDL.

Some usefull links:
http://www.ubuntulinux.org
http://www.libsdl.org/index.php
 
mr.mirko posted on Sep 12 2005 at 10:43 PM said:
Thanx for all youre nice answers here, the last days.

From what i can read here, you like the SDK, couse it is open source, and you can use parts of it, for your own project. So it helped you in faster devveloping your own stuff.

The SDK will never be closed source, couse the chip, arm9tdmi, is free , and the documentation of the chip is free.

Of couse it is alwasy possible to speed up some things, the goal was not to create a professional SDK, it was a Fun project. I did not updated it, couse it is running. And spending another 200+ hours in improving sprite or blit functions, is nice, but not needed, if you want it, youre welcome to rewrite it, send me a patch, and good is.

All the question i was asking, are going around my new project for the gp2x.
I received the Hardware documentation of the macigeyes chip, the gp2x is build of.
You have to sign a NDA letter to get it, so dont ask me if i could give it to you.
The gp2x is based on an closed source chip, this means, if someone writes hardware direct source, it is not possible to give away the source. You can only give a way the resutling compiled lib.

With all the comments here, that you love the open source SDK from me, but iam no longer in the possion to create an open source lib for you, couse the gp2x chip is NDA from magiceyes.

Other people, like Squidge, are also planing, starting writing an low level SDK, for the gp2x. Of couse it must be closed source. But with the gp2x in mind, a closed source SDK is better then no SDK, atw.

gp2x will come with linux and SDL, preinstalled. Of couse the linux kernel used, is not free. So you can not recompile it, or get the source for it.
So, if you want to code for the gp2x, get ready, install linux on your PC, and start coding in SDL.

Some usefull links:
http://www.ubuntulinux.org
http://www.libsdl.org/index.php

But isn't linux/SDL too limiting and slow? If this is the case that the chip is closed it would seem that any hope for emus such as SNES are thrown out of the window. This really sucks. What will now be better for emus? PSP? Gizmondo? It seems like the GP2X is much too closed to get anything decent speed wise out of more sophisticated emulators :(
 
Last edited by a moderator:
mr.mirko posted on Sep 13 2005 at 12:43 AM said:
Other people, like Squidge, are also planing, starting writing an low level SDK, for the gp2x. Of couse it must be closed source.
Unless ofcourse you don't use the official documentation and reverse engineer it yourself. That might not be feasable though.

In any case you could just seperate the functions that deal with the magiceye in a seperate closed source library and make the rest of the SDK open source.

This makes me wonder what Gamepark mean by "Open SDK" though. That's what is said on their site.

mr.mirko posted on Sep 13 2005 at 12:43 AM said:
gp2x will come with linux and SDL, preinstalled. Of couse the linux kernel used, is not free. So you can not recompile it, or get the source for it.
If it really is a Linux kernel then that means it's free, and Gamepark must make the source available. If they don't do that they would be breaking the law.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
But isn't linux/SDL too limiting and slow? If this is the case that the chip is closed it would seem that any hope for emus such as SNES are thrown out of the window. This really sucks. What will now be better for emus? PSP? Gizmondo? It seems like the GP2X is much too closed to get anything decent speed wise out of more sophisticated emulators :(

linux/sdl is about 15% slower than direct Hardware access.
Of couse there will be emulators for the machine, a lot devvers will receive the linux SDK from gph. So they can port theire stuff on the gp2x. Only the low-level stuff is cloesd source. You can take any linux open source emulator, and cross compile it. If its any faster than on gp32, or better, i dont know.

Gizmondo is dead.

PSP, is great, but you need a machine with 1.5 Firmware to get Homebrew running.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If it really is a Linux kernel then that means it's free, and Gamepark must make the source available. If they don't do that they would be breaking the law.

Not really, it is the same on the Sharp Zaurus.
You can not get the Linux source for the kernel. Couse the Kernel is hacked together to fit the NDA chip. I bet they would give you the source of the used kernel, but without theire modifications. Like sd-card acces, cf-card acces, cpu settings, and so on.

It is the same on the gp2x.
GPH did not make the kernel. They bought it (and all devving tools) from magiceyes.
Magiceyes says, only devvers who sign an NDA, will get low-level informations.
 
Back
Top