Re: Switching g-i from DirectFB to X11
Hi Frans its been a long time !
First I can understand the problems with using Gtk/DirectFB.
It seems that the DirectFB community has not rallied to support it.
Which is sad. One of the biggest reasons I don't do a lot of work any more
is the single maintainer problem. If the DirectFB community is not going to
actively support it then not much can be done.
Now with that said I've not been idle and I might as well mention what
I've been doing.
After working on gtk/directfb I've been over the last several years
working on a synthesis
of web browser and desktop technology basically working through what
you needed to do
to create a browser that could replace desktop apps. One obvious
target was the installer.
Splitting the installs into a a client server model with the choice of
a local browser or a
remote one using a embedded webserver is compelling.
This work is for basically ready for its first preview and is located at:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/anida/develop/
In this case X11/DirectFB/raw framebuffer all work so this is not and issue.
Also it can be run embedded in Gtk allowing a hybrid solution.
Its not just a browser but also a replacement for toolkits like gtk.
The rational is the technology you need for a decent visual installer
is complex.
The Gtk/directfb work did not lead to the required support community.
To put it simply there where not enough apps using int to justify the work.
Anida provides a compelling approach to installers and is independent
of the graphics layer
thus it has utility in a variety of situations this larger potential
interest group makes it far
more likely to be supported.
The new approach allows a wide range of potential use cases to be met
from installers to lightweight desktops.
And it integrate seamlessly with existing Linux desktops based on
X11/Gtk not to mention embedded platforms.
I know its been a long time and I've been silent but just wanted to
speak up and let you know that my experience
with the gtk/directfb work resulted in a multi year effort thats close
to complete.
I promise I'll re-enter the debian community since I believe I have
something that will prove very useful to Debian.
I have also learned a lot from working on the project. Probably the
biggest lesson is never attempt to write a web browser
on your own its a good way to waste years of your life.
On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 1:54 PM, Frans Pop <elendil@planet.nl> wrote:
> On Monday 08 February 2010, Frans Pop wrote:
>> On Monday 08 February 2010, Cyril Brulebois wrote:
>> > this is a summary of the needed steps to switch from DirectFB to X11.
>> > After some time hacking in the wild, I then looked into providing
>> > (possibly) clean patches for each package, which I've just finished.
>>
>> Thanks a lot for this Cyril. I'll have a close look tomorrow and reply
>> in detail then.
>
> Sorry for the delay. I have been looking at this, but haven't had time yet
> to write things up.
>
>
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