Thanks a lot Dimitry. What you are doing is great! Stef On Oct 10, 2011, at 7:06 PM, Dimitry Golubovsky wrote:
Hi,
I would like to update the Squeak/Pharo community on the CogDroid development status, summarize the changes made since the first public alpha release, and discuss further directions of the development.
I have uploaded two new alpha release packages:
for ARM devices: http://squeakvm-tablet.googlecode.com/files/CogDroid-alpha-20111009.apk
for Android-x86: http://squeakvm-tablet.googlecode.com/files/CogDroid86-alpha-20111010.apk
I have created a wiki page [1] which summarizes the changes made to CogDroid since the first public alpha release.
Briefly, these changes are:
- Partial integration with Android intent system, so CogDroid can be launched with a specified Smalltalk image file and a startup script by tapping a home screen shortcut icon. Such icons can be created from Smalltalk code running in CogDroid. See also [2] for technical details.
- Added build for the x86 Android platform. Android-x86 can run on Intel-compatible CPUs in desktops and netbooks, and also in virtual machines.
- Using a PC with physical keyboard and mouse attached brings some benefits in terms of user input, so functionality was added to support special keys such as Ctrl- and Shift- modifiers, and also arrow and home/end keys. This may be also of use on ARM tablets with keyboard and mouse attached, or on dockable phones. I am unable to test this myself, but your feedback is always welcome.
At this moment, I am going to change the direction of my efforts towards deeper studying of Android itself, which may give me some ideas how to integrate CogDroid better with Android services (e. g. sound interface is an open question, but I need to study more, whether OSS/ALSA is available under the hood, or some Java wrapper is needed).
This means that for some time I will be pushing updates less frequently, except for bugs and critical issues, if reported. OTOH this is a better time to integrate my developer's branch with the mainline. So, Igor and Eliot please contact me to discuss the technical moments.
I would like to thank the whole Squeak/Pharo community for helping me with the development and testing. The Benchmark page [3] is a source of information people may find helpful choosing an Android device to run CogDroid on.
Your feedback is always welcome. Please add your comments to the Alpha Progress page [1], including your ideas of Android applications that might be created with CogDroid, and what functionality you think needs to be added.
Thanks again, and hope to hear from you!
------------------- [1] http://code.google.com/p/squeakvm-tablet/wiki/CogDroidAlphaProgress [2] http://code.google.com/p/squeakvm-tablet/wiki/CogDroidIntentsAndShortcuts [3] http://code.google.com/p/squeakvm-tablet/wiki/TinyBenchmark
-- Dimitry Golubovsky
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