Hi Duncan - welcome to the Moblin list! I don't have answers to all of your questions but I will answer those I can.
Thanks, Derek Intel Open Source Technology Center (OTC) Duncan Cragg wrote: > Hi, my name is Duncan Cragg. I just signed up to the list. > _________________________ > > Here in the UK, I see the Gigabyte M528 is out on the 17th October: > > http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=165783 > > I would like to develop an OpenGL|ES 2.0 application for this device. > > However, there seems to be a lot of confusing information about my > chances... =0/ > _________________________ > > I'd be grateful if someone would be kind enough to answer the > following > questions: > > - Is the M528 the same as the Compal Jax10 and/or the Aigo P88XX? >From the looks of it, the Gigabyte is very similar to the JAX10. > - Does it run Midinux? Not sure, but most likely yes. Most of the first wave of Linux-based MIDs are running Midinux. > - Do I have to reinstall Moblin to do anything? Or is it already > Moblin? A brief explanation is necessary here. Moblin is an open source project, not a product. There are several commercial Linux distributors that create products based on technology that comes from the Moblin project. Midinux from Red Flag is one of them, Ubuntu Mobile from Canonical is another for MIDs - there are other vendors working in different market segments such as netbooks and in-vehicle infotainment systems. In the process of creating a product, the operating system vendor (OSV) will typically add components on top of the Moblin stack. A good example of this is in the area of applications - there are many more applications bundled with Midinux than if you did a vanilla build of Moblin using Moblin Image Creator. In addition, the OSVs may replace components that do not effect application compatibility. An example of this is the web browser. Moblin provides a Mozilla-based browser called MID Browser. Midinix includes a different Mozilla-based browser called Coolfox. So, the term we use for Linux distributions that are based on Moblin technology is Moblin compatible. Applications that are designed for use on one Moblin compatible distribution should be able to be run on another - at most, a simple re-compile or repacking is all that is necessary. At best, no changes are required at all. If you want to, you can build an image using Moblin Image Creator and blow away the OS that ships on the device but you probably don't need to do so. > - Does it run Clutter? I don't believe any of the first wave of Menlow-based MIDs run Clutter but the OTC folks working on Clutter may have more info on this. > - I don't require it to use Moblin or Clutter - but can I do 3D on > Midinux? I believe that Midinux includes OpenGL but someone from RedFlag would be in a better position to answer this question. The underlying hardware in the Poulsbo chipset supports full OpenGL. > - Is Midinux a Moblin distro? It's referred to as 'Moblin core' in > various places Yes, Midinux is based on Moblin. > > - This is Menlow, not McCaslin, right? MIC docs suggest McCaslin for > Jax10* The Gigabyte and JAX10 are Menlow based platforms. > - Does the chipset come with a fully wired-in PowerVR/SGX535? The Poulsbo chipset has hardware acceleration for 3D. It supports full OpenGL, not the OpenGL ES subset. > - Are there OpenGL|ES 2.0 drivers for the PowerVR/SGX535? I believe that Midinux includes the OpenGL 3D accelerated drivers for the Poulsbo chipset. > - Can I get APIs (*.h/lib), not just for GL, but phone/SIM/texting, > camera, GPS? Many of these APIs are currently outside the scope of the Moblin definition. RedFlag probably has their own APIs for accessing these functions so I recommend you touch base with them. Since these APIs are not part of the Moblin definition, it is likely that use of them will not be portable to other devices that are running Midinux. > > - How do you publish your applications for users to download? There is current no formal program for publishing applications but I am sure subscribers to this list would be anxious to hear about any cool apps you create. > - Is there an application signing process to go through? The decision on whether or not to allow additional packages to be installed on a device is made on an OEM by OEM basis - some devices will be completely open so you can "apt get" or "yum install" to your heart's content; others will be more restricted in what they will allow end users to do. This is an OEM and service provider decision. Some devices will be completely open, some will be more restrictive. You need to check with your service provider or device manufacturer to know for sure. > > *http://moblin.org/documentation/creating-projects-and-targets > > Sorry if this sounds naive - I'm new to this device/chipset/distro > (but > not to Linux). > _________________________ > > I spotted this rather sad recent post from Alexander Lopatin of Intel: > > RE: Compal JAX10 MIC images don't work? > http://v1.moblin.org/pipermail/dev/2008-August/002516.html > > Which suggests that all the drivers are closed or unavailable, or just > don't work: > > Touch screen, Wifi, 3D, cameras, 3G, GPS, sound, brightness > Alexander's comments should be taken in the context of Moblin, not in the context of a specific product. Because Moblin is an open source project, we want to provide fully open source drivers. As a data point, on the Compal JAX10 I have running Midinux, the touch screen, WiFi, camera, sound and brightness work fine - my device does not have GPS or 3G so I can't speak to those from personal experience. I'm not sure about the 3D because I don't think any of the apps on the platform are 3D enabled but I would expect the 3D HW acceleration is enabled. > The implication is that this is Moblin, not Midinux? Is there any > progress since? > _________________________ > > If anyone from OpenedHand Bromley is watching this list, I'm > London-based, and > would very much like to meet up for more in-depth techie chat! =0) > > Cheers! > > Duncan Cragg > > > > _______________________________________________ > Moblin dev Mailing List > [email protected] > > To manage or unsubscribe from this mailing list visit: > https://lists.moblin.org/mailman/listinfo/dev or your user account on > http://moblin.org once logged in. > > For more information on the Moblin Developer Mailing lists visit: > http://moblin.org/community/mailing-lists _______________________________________________ Moblin dev Mailing List [email protected] To manage or unsubscribe from this mailing list visit: https://lists.moblin.org/mailman/listinfo/dev or your user account on http://moblin.org once logged in. For more information on the Moblin Developer Mailing lists visit: http://moblin.org/community/mailing-lists
