What Will You Use Yours For?

[Fzero]

I was just reading that thread here about that OnLive service - Which I hadnt heard about before.
Last night I was looking online for programs that can be used on Linux, just to get an idea of what I might want to do on the pandora besides retro gaming and web browsing.

I did see this website, which is a service that can run on Linux too, and seems to offer a media center program that can play most audio and video that you throw at it, which to me sounds good as I get bored converting videos to specific formats. [Like have to do on my DS and PSP]
http://xbmc.org/
Anyone have knowledge/experience of this xbmc? Would it run on the pandora version of Linux? Is it as good as it sounds or are there better media players in your opinion?

If anyone wants to share some nice programs that will run on Linux that they plan to use on their pandoras, please do?
When I get mine, i will of course be looking to get my old emus on there, some form of media player [whichever is recommended to me as the best probably] - and some music editing programs.

Give me more ideas please!




[ps: Does Google Earth work on Linux, will it work on the pandora?]

 

[WizardStan]

Pardon me while I head-desk for a bit here. I'll come back with a real answer in a few moments.

 

[torpor]

I'll be making music on mine.

 

[borgqueenx]

browsing the web, watching movies, playing powerful 3d games with good eye candy, playing only the best emulators, listening mp3's, making notes and study's.

 

[WizardStan]

Ok, xbmc isn't a web service, it's just a program like any other program. You download, install, and run it. Yes, there's a very good chance that XBMC will be running on the Pandora at some time, but it's not really needed. We've already got both mplayer and vlc and they're both just as capable of playing anything you can throw at them. XBMC is somewhat bloated as it contains a lot more than just a media player, so it may not actually run as well as mplayer of vlc that I mentioned.

 

[ashdjones]

Ok, xbmc isn't a web service, it's just a program like any other program. You download, install, and run it. Yes, there's a very good chance that XBMC will be running on the Pandora at some time, but it's not really needed. We've already got both mplayer and vlc and they're both just as capable of playing anything you can throw at them. XBMC is somewhat bloated as it contains a lot more than just a media player, so it may not actually run as well as mplayer of vlc that I mentioned.

It is however more television friendly.

 

[Fzero]

Yes Torpor!
I see another thread you on, you looking to make a music creating tool aint you?
I hope so!
I will be looking to use it too if you do, that would be a great thing to have to hand.

Alerino, good call on the art program, I use 'Colors!' app on the DS and i like that, something similar would be good. Cheers for the info re: GoogleEarth, i thought that might be the case.

Skype would be good, with that I could posibly leave the iphone indoors even, and use the pandora for calling too, a true all-in-one device then, i see the pandora as pretty much all i need to carry EXCEPT a phone, but i guess Skype could help me out there too.

Cheers WizardStan, I will look more into those other players you listed, obviously if one of those is a lighter program and can still playback most the formats, then all the better, I will use one of those.


For me, I hope i can get the following up n running:

-Playing some new [new to me at least] games like the linux 3d quake.
-Playing lots of old classics, nes/snes/megadrive/pcEng/mame/neogeo/atari 2600.
-Firefox browsing / editing my website.
-Skype calls.
-Music making app.
-Drawing app.
-Plenty music listening [I hadnt thought about internet radio - but thats good too]
-Plenty films and famguy viewing.


If only the Pandora could run photoshop too, then i could bin my knackered old laptop.



[Torpor - Do you have a website or thread that you are keeping updates on with regards to your music making tool development?]

 

[Prometheus]

If only the Pandora could run photoshop too, then i could bin my knackered old laptop.

What do you do with Photoshop? Is it possible that you could do the same with The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)? The reason why I ask this is because we've already seen The GIMP running just fine on the Pandora. (You could download it for whatever operating system you happen to be using, and try it out right now, if you want.)

As for what I'll be doing with mine;

Gaming (Likely to mainly be SNES, NES, PSX, Atari 2600, Amiga, Atari ST, TG-16, N64, and MD, along with homebrew.)
Writing (Just give me AbiWord, Mousepad, or GNU Nano in a full-screen terminal and I'll be happy!)
Drawing (I sew - being able to draft out pattern ideas without wasting paper will be excellent.)
Music (Can't do any writing or drawing without music!)
Web stuff (Browsing, IM'ing, that sort of thing.)

 

[Mithrildor]

Internet browsing and gaming.

 

[conso]

as I'm using xfce on my main computer and xfce seems to run very responsive on the pandora, I can imagine using it for almost everything I use my pc for. From office to programming to programming to gaming. Hardware accelerated video is probably still some kernel-revisions away and we don't know how long wifi will still take, but otherwise i consider the pandora my hammock-computer.

 

[Fzero]

Prometheus, I use Pshop for a fair bit for making logos and headings, cuting from layers and using a lot of the layer effects like stroke/shadow/colourOverlay.
In terms of what Pshop can do, probably a pretty basic level, so I will check out the GIMP and see what it can do, ive not checked it before, will wait till at home though rather than search "GIMP" from my work computer B)

And i forgot about the PSX ... I have it on my iPhone but it runs pretty slow for me.
I was excited to play my old favourite, KURUSHI, but just doesnt run fast/smooth enough to enjoy it.
I WILL be playing that too on the pandora.

 

[juniorm33]

There's a Beagleboard port being done, which when it can run on there it should run on the Pandora. (open gl es 2.0 etc)
There's an early video of it running.
It's more than just a media player so yes, the size is bigger but I wouldn't call it 'bloat'.
If people are running xbmc at home it would be nice to be running it on the pandora as well, same environment regardless where you are.
It's got launchers in there as well (well used to) so it could be upgraded to work with pnd's etc. Could be pretty cool, it could be like a whole new frontend/launcher.

I don't use xbmc personaly but known a few people who do/have and they've liked it.

 

[Xenu]

Prometheus, I use Pshop for a fair bit for making logos and headings, cuting from layers and using a lot of the layer effects like stroke/shadow/colourOverlay.

Photoshop/Gimp on a 4.3" screen? That must be really awkward.

 

[Asiyura]

Prometheus, I use Pshop for a fair bit for making logos and headings, cuting from layers and using a lot of the layer effects like stroke/shadow/colourOverlay.
In terms of what Pshop can do, probably a pretty basic level, so I will check out the GIMP and see what it can do, ive not checked it before, will wait till at home though rather than search "GIMP" from my work computer B)

And i forgot about the PSX ... I have it on my iPhone but it runs pretty slow for me.
I was excited to play my old favourite, KURUSHI, but just doesnt run fast/smooth enough to enjoy it.
I WILL be playing that too on the pandora.

If you're into logo making, you should use a vectorial drawing software, since logo must be scalable to any size.
I've tried inkspace and it's pretty good (but still more used to illustrator tho).

Link to inkspace Link to the Gimp

I'll use the pandora mainly to play, but to chat on irc/gtalk/etc, to play MUD/MOO/MUSH.
And if I have enough free time, I'll use it to give a try at game development.

 

[QBJECT]

Of course I'm interested in gaming, and I'm looking forward to having DOSBOX on a gaming handheld. (Jill of the Jungle, Monuments of Mars, Raptor, Stargoose, Commander Keen, Overkill...Woohoo!) SCUMM-VM, too. I'm REALLY hoping to get KEGS running as well because the IIgs will always be nearest and dearest to my heart, and nobody gives a crap about IIgs abandonware. Beyond that, I am looking forward to:

• Composition, hopefully with PyRoom, though I'll be happy with nano. I intend to find some sort of serviceable USB keyboard to cart around with it.
• I'm going to experiment with QCAD. If I can keep it from wasting too much screen real estate, it'll be the most compact CAD workstation ever built.
• Portable GIMPing will be very cool if we can get it to play nice on the small screen. I've got that free version of PS on my Droid, but GIMP would rock out by comparison especially if I can toss images back and forth over Bluetooth.
• I haven't coded in a long time, but PyGame and Löve are both pretty exciting reasons to get back into it. Now that I have started fiddling with manual isometric renderings in QCAD, I'm interested in trying to create a fast vector/wireframe engine with one of these cool tools, a la Battlezone.

 

[conso]

Don't know how much of gimp already went into gegl. depending on that, we might have a good foundation to create a new interface.

 

[zombiesatemygoldfish]

I want to use my for pen and paper rpgs.

 

[lulzfish]

Everything my Arch Linux laptop does, except playing TF2 slowly.

* Remote server access
* Homework
* Pron
* RSS
* Non-pron videos
* Image manipulating
* Music listening
* Watching Escapist videos (I found a way to get around their Flash video system, so I can use mplayer to watch ZP and Unskippable)
* Remote pron
* OpenGL things

 

[DaMummy]

pron and paper weight

 

[taito]

If you open it up, you can put a book on it, the screen will give the angle and the nubs should stop it from slipping.