Home | Reviews | GUIpedia | Forum | Fun500

MPNQBEnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
EnSpireMe has not been discontinued, however the last released version was the FreeBasic-32 v0.4.5 in January 2008. I have since shelved that kernel as there was a bug where closing windows would cause another to take on another's objects. The week before the GUI contest, I began work on a new kernel that as of today is utterly unfinished and riddled with bugs that render it unusable. I had intended to release it as part of the GUI contest, but did not complete it in time. Work on this has since been suspended as I've been caught up with real life and doing my video game reviews. As for the future of EnSpireMe? Honestly, who knows. The original Qbasic 0.3.0 kernel has been discontinued and no more work will be done on it. FreeBasic versions continue to be developed. For version 0.5.0, I've looked into making EnSpireMe into an "X-server" kind of deal and drastically changing the architecture. Like the X Window System, EnSpireMe would use a "client-server" architecture and at the basic level would only be responsible for primitives. Controls would be managed by toolkits and windows would be managed by window managers. However, I've yet to fully understand how the X server works and may or may not use the idea. I've decided to work on a side project, also in FreeBasic 32 bit, that will take less time to program and will take GUIs in a radically different direction. The project, tentatively named Project Ice, will focus less on building a Windows-like environment. Specifically, Ice will have no window system. Its focus is on usability, practicality, and stability. Applications will run in one large area and can be switched using a type of taskbar, permitting multitasking along with it. Project Ice, if completed, will be a practical day-to-day GUI for FreeDOS systems and not so much an interesting novelty as other hobbyist GUIs, including EnSpireMe, may be. Currently, for applications, I'm looking into usablility with multitasking. This rules out EXEs, but also any RealScript based architecture. Essentially, I'd like a way to have GOTOs and loops in scripts without endlessly closing and reopening the file. If you have a method, please allow yourself to share it! I've done a little research on bytecode, but I'm not entirely sure how it works. Project Ice will use a 1024x768, 256 color mode for early releases, and will put a user interface I had designed all the way back in 1999-2000 to the test. Ice may also be developed into a Linux version, a sort of "Framebuffer GUI". If your Linux system uses a framebuffer, and cannot use/don't need X, this may be a nice low overhead alternative. Work will commence on this tomorrow. I can't give release dates because I'll never meet them, so do not ask for one. There will, however, be a beta release sooner or later. Conceptually, Ice is a bold new step for the future of DOS GUIs and I hope that the code shows it as such.		2008-07-0210:27 PM
BrandonRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Any new GUI is a good thing, the contest really went well, even though no one really won. In FunGUI I loaded the whole script to ram, which is probably why it had such steep requirements.		2008-07-0210:37 PM
ToddRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Yeah post news and screenshots of EnSpireMe's progress.		2008-07-037:45 AM
BrandonRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Todd should be awarded "King off the off topic"? You are constantly changing topics no? Crap this is off topic		2008-07-039:06 AM
MPNQBRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
An idea of where I want Project Ice to go is here: [url]http://www.suckless.org/wiki/wmii/docs/dynamic_window_management[/url] The wmii window manager, used in unix-like environments, has an alternative to the traditional window management used in almost everything today. A summary of what it sets to do is this: having it turn over the job of organizing your workspace to the window manager itself and away from the user. That way, no matter how many windows you open, the window manager can resize and take care of everything for you, depending on how you set it up. It could take some getting used to, but I think it would be perfect for an MS-DOS GUI.		2008-07-0311:40 PM
rCXRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
[quote=mpnqb]Project Ice, if completed, will be a practical day-to-day GUI for FreeDOS systems and not so much an interesting novelty as other hobbyist GUIs, including EnSpireMe, may be. [/quote] Jim Hall [url=http://www.freedos.org/jhall/]wrote[/url] on his page that FreeDOS 2.0 should have a GUI. So your project would be in high demand. Good luck.		2008-07-0412:07 PM
BrandonRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
All of us make GUIs so that isn't jst relevent to this topic. Anyways, I see you finally have an avatar. BTW: This is post #100 for me!!:P		2008-07-0412:13 PM
MPNQBRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Also like Linux, Project Ice will include a package manager for installing scripts. Packages will be ".ipg" (Ice PackaGe), and the format is essentially a renamed ZIP file with a textfile directing where to put what files. PKUNZIP can unzip the file, then the package manager can read the text file and install the application. I think package management is a great way to install programs and I only wish Windows would use such a system (even for commercial programs; Steam does it!) I chose this because I intend for Ice to make extensive use of linked libraries, to save space and download time. Say you want to install "mpnqb MoneyPro", a simple cash tracking system. There would be two ways to do so: 1. If Ice is hooked into the internet, and GETNET for dos is configured properly, you can select it right from the package manager and it will take care of everything. The package manager installs anything MoneyPro depends on, if anything is needed. 2. Assuming you already have all of MoneyPro's dependencies already present (or if there were none), you could download "MoneyPro.ipg" in Windows or somewhere else and select it in the Ice Package Tool. The tool would open it up and unpack it where it should go. Kind of like installshield except you don't distribute the setup executable; all you do is distribute a setup script!		2008-07-042:27 PM
BrandonRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Viper has an install utility, and if we get WGET for DOS arround someone could make an on-line repo. Mine are simple ZIPs, and the files are extracted in the folders they are Zipped in and theres another file to tell it what do add to the desktop. The only downside is there is no uninstall.		2008-07-044:16 PM
ToddRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Hey he's making a GUI, I just said post screenshots. Plus when I was reading it, I was tired so I didn't read it all. :-P Keep us posted on Project Ice.		2008-07-045:34 PM
BrandonRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Todd give up on the late night posts, you'll never hit my posts count hahahahahaha!		2008-07-045:36 PM
jasonwoodlandRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Brandon, I'm loosing with the post count. I'm never on... anymore		2008-07-054:20 AM
ToddRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
You're not really the only one losing. MPN's got some catching up to do. But Jason, do what I do. When I get the chance, I look for topics I've missed and if I can say something in that time, I just post it.		2008-07-057:12 AM
BrandonRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Also Jason, yopu have to find time and use 1 account!! If you used just one you'd have like 15 posts!! Post your 2 cents in all topics, and try to stay on-topic!		2008-07-059:06 AM
RetroMRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
If you use Exclamation marks all the time this site will soon run out of members. :P		2008-07-055:29 PM
BrandonRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
Thats off topic! Who cares if I use explanation points?! See this!!!!!!!!!!!! And this!!!!!!		2008-07-055:54 PM
MPNQBRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
I threw out the new kernel written for EnSpireMe 0.5.0 and have reused window system code from the former kernel, and have decided to just re-write the scripter and components. I found a file called BAREBONE.BAS, which is basically a bare-bones window manager I made while making EnSpireMe 0.4.5. This will form the base for 0.5.0. As for Project Ice, not much beyond a non-functioning UI has been completed. It may as well be an SVG image at this point in development. Tiled windows have been scrapped. For Project Ice, I will instead attempt a tabbed environment: each program gets its own full-screen area and its own tab. Draggable windows may be implemented but only for things like dialogs. Ice is not the traditional window environment: it's a bold expiriment into user-friendliness that I hope is successful.		2008-07-0711:09 PM
BrandonRe:EnSpireMe\'s future and new projects
You could call some older Fun500 versions Tabbed.		2008-07-088:17 AM

GUIs

2021 Brandon Cornell