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BrandonGUI Idea
We and Retro (AKA Murray) are going to be starting a GUI. It will be heavily based around a "package manager" and there will be a registry of all installed programs. Then online there will be a database of all available programs, so with the package manager you can get new apps from the net (with a packet driver), uninstall apps, or update your current apps. Oh and there will be a HTML client to view all available packages and to download them for developers to submit new versions. The system will be simple with 2 major components: -SDK -Package Manager It will be made in FreeBASIC in SVGA. Other than that not much has been discussed. So right now we are looking to for: -developers interested in making apps once the SDK is done -developers to help with or have code for the SDK -ideas for how it should look -ideas for a name -comments Todd, how is your FB Object Library, is it usable for something like this?		2008-10-112:36 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
It should be, once I get all the bugs ironed out. The conversion wasn't bad but still needs work. Since QB Object used a lot of QB-dependent registers and machine hardware calls, FB reacted negatively to it, even though I tried "-lang qb" and "-lang deprecated". It works but only when you drag and drop windows does it not redraw. The redraw functions for when windows were moved used "capture" and "display" methods for the screen but maybe I can get FB to load the windows into buffers and using Get/Put, have a better handle on windowing.		2008-10-113:38 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
What does it look like? Is it a win9x look still?		2008-10-114:35 PM
ksrRe:GUI Idea
I'm more than happy to participate in the first two categories. Sadly I can't help you with a name, or give ideas for the appearance yet. Give us some more of your ideas for the GUI (i.e. document-oriented? Task-oriented?) BTW Todd, is your FB object library available for download?		2008-10-115:06 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
[b]Brandon wrote:[/b] [quote]What does it look like? Is it a win9x look still?[/quote] I'm planning on redoing the interface. The Windows 98-theme was only really good for the QB version. I thought since it's FB, I might try for some semi-transparent windows and better-looking widgets. It still needs a lot of work. I'll put something up for download soon. It won't be guaranteed working perfectly but compilable and runnable. Maybe Kyle, you, or someone can work on it too. You'll need to use "fbc -lang deprecated -lib " for compiling the library. Then use "fbc -lang deprecated -l " for compiling the code. I guess it might just be Allegro but the GUI in file size is bigger in FB than in QB when it's compiled. In QB it was roughly 90 KB but it's almost double that in FB. My guess is that FB loads the complete Allegro library into the EXE.		2008-10-115:17 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
You use Allegro? Why not use the built in FB functions? The GUI is program oriented. So you boot it and whatever app you have set to master is booted so for example my personal set-up would be: Welcome screen (shows date/time/appointments) Then the welcome screen would have a button to goto Proobs, Proobs will be my app that displays all installed apps. We need to decide how we are going to get our API soon. Todd does ok work, but it feels bloated sometimes, and he doesn't have a lot of time. BTW: Semi-Transparency won't work in real DOS		2008-10-115:21 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
I thought it was using Allegro. I guess I was wrong. I assumed it used Allegro since it was pretty big, but Allegro's actually 970 KB alone. :P What do you mean "bloated"? Do you mean when it runs or when you look at the file and it's pretty big in size. I'm not mad, I just want to know so I can improve my code. So this will be in DOS? Semi-transparency won't work too well at all. I think I'll just stick with regular SVGA graphics. But I was thinking of something like this for a look and feel: [img]http://www.sixbynine.net/filequick/121-d[/img] At least the window design is what I had in mind.		2008-10-116:20 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
It looks very good! I don't like the radio button tho. By bloat I mean that your code is full of stuff, kind of overly complicated. But with proper documentation, and if you can get it done somewhat timely we could use it.		2008-10-116:27 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
Yeah I mean I don't disagree with you. Looking at some of my old code, I had what you could call a "get-it-done" attitude which is why most of my M-OS versions were half-baked and full of bugs. It took me a while but I realized that what you get from taking the time to debug and make sure everything works means more than getting it done quickly. The radio button isn't the best. I was trying to think of something decent but I just didn't want the radio button to look boring. We can work on the design too. But to make it interesting, maybe when a user right-clicks on the title bar of a window, it will minimize and double-clicking with the left button will maximize/restore it. It'll be neat to implement and will save space on the window overall. Of course, the lonely button on the right closes the window. ;)		2008-10-116:32 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
Well the phoenix library took 1 week from scratch, so this one should be the same(faster because your more experienced and yo already have a start, but slower to debug)		2008-10-116:36 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
Yeah right now I'm working on the image buffers to see if I can have it copy the image beneath a window into a buffer and when moved, it will put the buffer back where it was and copy the new image where the window is placed.		2008-10-117:00 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
ok cool. btw: I have simfarm on CD and just installed it in WINE! now i never have to leave linux		2008-10-117:04 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
I haven't used any new versions of WINE. I know every version gets better and better but have you had any problems with running any Windows app on it? I'd use it a lot more but I need to use Windows for school. :P The network isn't supported for Linux which is really retarded. The network at school (which transfers internet to all the dorms) authenticates the use by identifying the computer's mac address. It's pretty stupid since if it isn't found, it makes you do this stupid process of installing McAfee (loads of fun) and anything that doesn't meet the standards of the network policy. But the fun part is that once it clears you, you can uninstall McAfee and all the crap it makes you put on.		2008-10-117:46 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
I dunno Its the version of wine I had sitting around. Its 9.22 I think. WINE isn't perfect but simfarm is fun. and don't think topic swapping gets you out of work!		2008-10-118:02 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
lol Do you want me to upload what I have so far?		2008-10-118:07 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
Hehehe you know me and bugs.		2008-10-128:42 AM
agumaRe:GUI Idea
Maybe a completely transparent title bar? I tried it, it looks OK to me but I'm not sure about you guys.		2008-10-122:58 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
Na, thats fruity, I like todds, its kind of like the old school mac but a little modernized.		2008-10-123:34 PM
agumaRe:GUI Idea
...it has a mac wallpaper...lol		2008-10-123:54 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
Nah, it's not a Mac wallpaper. I found it on Google Images.		2008-10-124:07 PM
agumaRe:GUI Idea
...i found the same image when i searched 'mac wallpapers' and I used it for Far OS 4 i can show you, its the same thing		2008-10-124:33 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
Its mac wallpaper.		2008-10-124:57 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
Are you sure? I found it here: http://click2pic.blogspot.com/2008/09/blue-desktop-wallpaper.html I assumed it wasn't but I guess it might be since it has the "X" of blended shades of blue (like Mac OS X). I just liked that shade of blue and thought to use it.		2008-10-125:11 PM
BrandonRe:GUI Idea
Guess not. From the screenshot it looked like: http://www.taimila.com/files/tiger_wall.jpg		2008-10-125:28 PM
ToddRe:GUI Idea
Yeah Mac wallpaper is more elaborate.		2008-10-125:50 PM
agumaRe:GUI Idea
oh, it looks similar from the shot :P		2008-10-127:21 PM

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