I just discovered this nice little project that has an alternative approach for GUI client-server approach: http://picogui.org/Wiki/FAQ.html
This software is used on, for example, some commercial linux-based PVR devices. This is actually how I found the project, as I started to look around what kind of software is used on the award-winning Maximum box has (in Europe). The same architecture seems to be also used on Elanvision + possibly others in Asia/US. It would probably be much more suitable for Neo's limited resources than the X architecture, although compatibility and code reuse will probably severely limit the available software. :( Usability-wise, the PVR GUI is quite good. The EPG is very intuitive. This would seem very fit for specialized applications, like the dialer and the calendar on Neo. Has anyone give it some thought or even built an ipkg? My experience on Neo thus far is just limited to flashing the pre-built images to the device. :) -mikael