AireTamStorm
Unix Addict
I'm wondering how OS configuration will affect the applications and games (if at all). On the GP2X, there was no common framework for hardware config, and certain games would not output to the TV correctly. Since it seems like Pandora will have support for Dual Visual Output and a mountain of hardware via USB a common configuration area would make sense.
For instance, the sound on the Pandora is probably very nice, but say I want S/P DIF output on the device. I have a little thumb sized USB soundcard that I use with my laptop (laptop's volume and sound quality blow) and I get digital audio output with it. Setting the OS to use this is easy enough, but would developers code their applications to follow suit? Things like this really streamline the experience on the device.
For TV out, a configuration of the OS explicitly prohibiting the use of the main screen so games were forced to the TV for output would really have some nice effects to it. The whole "Pandora Button" discussion of bringing up the OS UI in-game (on the main screen) would be quite possible here. Pull up a media player, put some music on, and "Pandora Button" back to the game. Play a video on one screen to keep your friend busy, play SNES on the other? You could say that's stretching it, but is it really? The hardware is very capable, but again, all of these are examples.
Ideally for all of this to work, there has to be a reasonable common configuration area, and applications have to be coded to utilize it. I'm not speaking monolithic configuration files like a registry or gconf (yuck!!!) but rather an area where all applications look to find any Pandora-specific overrides to their default / user specified settings. This could be as simple as /home/user/.pandora with a tree, such as (Examples):
~/.pandora/overrides/global
~/.pandora/overrides/games/global
~/.pandora/overrides/games/game1
~/.pandora/overrides/games/game2/general
~/.pandora/overrides/games/game2/video
~/.pandora/overrides/applications/global
~/.pandora/overrides/applications/app1/general
~/.pandora/overrides/applications/app2/audio
~/.pandora/overrides/system/menus/main/icons/smallicons/afterselected/idle/5seconds/everytime/transparency
As with the last line, you could do some really cool things with a simple system, although I'd bet there are much more efficient was of doing it. What do you guys think?
For instance, the sound on the Pandora is probably very nice, but say I want S/P DIF output on the device. I have a little thumb sized USB soundcard that I use with my laptop (laptop's volume and sound quality blow) and I get digital audio output with it. Setting the OS to use this is easy enough, but would developers code their applications to follow suit? Things like this really streamline the experience on the device.
For TV out, a configuration of the OS explicitly prohibiting the use of the main screen so games were forced to the TV for output would really have some nice effects to it. The whole "Pandora Button" discussion of bringing up the OS UI in-game (on the main screen) would be quite possible here. Pull up a media player, put some music on, and "Pandora Button" back to the game. Play a video on one screen to keep your friend busy, play SNES on the other? You could say that's stretching it, but is it really? The hardware is very capable, but again, all of these are examples.
Ideally for all of this to work, there has to be a reasonable common configuration area, and applications have to be coded to utilize it. I'm not speaking monolithic configuration files like a registry or gconf (yuck!!!) but rather an area where all applications look to find any Pandora-specific overrides to their default / user specified settings. This could be as simple as /home/user/.pandora with a tree, such as (Examples):
~/.pandora/overrides/global
~/.pandora/overrides/games/global
~/.pandora/overrides/games/game1
~/.pandora/overrides/games/game2/general
~/.pandora/overrides/games/game2/video
~/.pandora/overrides/applications/global
~/.pandora/overrides/applications/app1/general
~/.pandora/overrides/applications/app2/audio
~/.pandora/overrides/system/menus/main/icons/smallicons/afterselected/idle/5seconds/everytime/transparency
As with the last line, you could do some really cool things with a simple system, although I'd bet there are much more efficient was of doing it. What do you guys think?
