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Opie GUI/PIM Project Reaches 1.0
An anonymous reader writes "The Open Palmtop Integrated Environment (Opie) project has announced its first 1.0 release. Having been forked from TrollTech's Qtopia environment, Opie has evolved into the most sophisticated free and open graphical user interface for Linux based embedded devices and PDAs.
Opie features a sophisticated personal information (PIM) framework as well as several other productivity apps, extended multimedia capabilities and document model, networking and communication tools as well as multi language support for more than a dozen languages. Based on common industry standards like XML, Obex, IrDa et. al. Opie is capable of interacting with lots of devices ranging from cell phones to server backends. Opie is highly optimzed for mobile devices and tries to support the user with shortcuts and ease of use."
Slashdot didn't link to it, and neither did linuxdevices.com, so I just thought I'd say that the Opie homepage is here.
Since this is a qt portable related anouncement, I figure people would be interested in it's gtk equivalent.
GPE or the "GPE Palmtop Environment" aims to provide a Free Software GUI environment for palmtop/handheld computers running the GNU/Linux(TM) operating system. GPE uses the X Window System, and the GTK+-2.2 widget toolkit.
They have their own nifty screenshots.
Take Care
A1miras
I think the current state of GUIs for Python is that there is no best choice for GUIs. The major decisions are:
:)
Which OS?
only unix == wxPython or GTK
only MS Windows (eg, needing ActiveX support) == wxPython or MFC
MS Windows or unix == wxPython or Tkinter
MS Windows or unix or MacOS == Tkinter
MacOS and anything else == Tkinter
How much native look and feel for different platforms? If a lot, then wxPython is a better choice for X and MS Windows along with Tkinter.
Do you need a good canvas object? Tkinter is the best solution there.
How stable should the API be? I understand wxWindows' API changes quite a bit between versions. I know one place who developed their own API on top of wxPython's to insulate themselves better. Tkinter's is rock solid. I think GTK's is pretty well established.
How much interaction do you want with the local environment? I want to take a serious look at what can be done with GNOME components for bio&chem, so gtk is the best solution - but maybe wxPython allows access to the gtk parts of things? For MS Windows, wxPython is pretty good at working with other MS Windows codes (eg, you can embed ActiveX inside
a wxWindows display). On the other hand, Visual Basic is very good at that, so a pure Windows solution could use VB for the interface and Python for backend COM components. (That's best if the GUI is mostly menus, forms, etc. For 3D GUIs, like structure visualization, I would use Python.)
How much documentation do you want? Tkinter has a lot. Gtk's is growing (eg, there's a book out now, or at least soon), but in Dr.
Dobb's a couple of months ago, the said that a lot of the more complicated or interesting stuff is still missing. wxPython's is okay, but again it isn't fully documented.
There are other choices, like Qt. Don't know about that toolkit and don't know of anyone using the Python bindings for it. FLTK runs on MS Windows and X, but doesn't provide native feel for either system and doesn't have a very fancy widget set (but still good enough for VMD, a molecular viz. program I helped develop).
Bioreason uses GTK for Unix. I mentioned another site using wxPython and they developed GUIs for MS Windows.
Neither distribute their prorgrams so they don't need to worry about multiple platforms. Both were happy about it the GUI toolkit. Guido uses Tkinter and is worried about multiple platform support.
If I were doing biopython for commercial reasons, I would most likely choose wxPython because it does have good MS Windows support (where the money is) and does run well under Unix (where my heart is). If I were doing it for the cool technology factor, I would choose gtk because of the GNOME support. If I were doing it for widest possible use, I
would use Tkinter. As it is, I'm not doing GUIs, so I don't have to decide
Not much help, was I? Okay, then my final statement is that I've found that the GUI is not that large a part of applications I've worked on, and can be written in such a way that different GUIs can be used with only minimal change to the internals. So it doesn't matter much what you choose.
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It can sync to Outllok via QTopiaDesktop from TrollTech (free) and IntelliSync from PumaTech.
http://opie.infofreaks.net has a rudimentary sync tool for Windows, which does not work very well with Win2k.
iCal support is built in.
Qtopia apps are working.
Oliver
Project Opie
From their website under "Sync Data With The Desktop" it says:
KitchenSync...
KitchenSync is the Synchronisation Framework for KDE 3.1. At present, one can synchronize directory, Todolist and Calendar. In the future it will be possible with KitchenSync to sync data with other computers, or also with Handys like the S45. to the fact comes that one can save konqueror directly on devices. So one will be able directly out konqueror files on CF, SD, to copy or RAM.
Qtopia Desktop
is Trolltech's sync software TrollTech ftp
IntelliSync
[there's nothing under IntelliSync]
Take Care
A1miras
Yes, there were political reasons.
Qtopia did not let developers take part in the project to contribute and parts of it were closed source.
Oliver Fels
Team Opie
The Zaurus 5500 runs a StrongArm 200 MHz, easily the equivalent of the P2 machines you mention, with additional advantage that the kernel can be highly optimized for a limited subset of accessory hardware and stripped of support it will never require (SCSI for example.) Opera embedded runs plenty fast on a Zaurus, plus you maintain the tradiitonal benefits of Linux such as NFS and SMB support.
I'm using OpenZaurus as my PDA distribution. This distro uses Opie, but it comes with python, sip, PyQt and PyOpie. So you can develop your GUI stuff in Python.
OPIE is not an OS, it's a GUI. It uses Linux as OS.
I'm not at all sure that PDAs are becoming obsolete in the face of competition from smart phones. The new phones will still be that, phones. I don't see how a product can be designed to be two different things without sacrificing something(s) from both.
I'd rather have a phone that's a good phone, and a PDA that's a good PDA than something which tries to do both and fails. Old arguement I know, but I feel nothing's changed, phones will not be the all-in-one device they promise to be, not enough thought has gone into user adoption. Unlike Sony's attempt , unfortunately.
Yep.. I tried it for a while... Very nicely polished, but no support for power management.. which is why I didn't try it for very long.
...it's difficult to use it in conjunction with mobile phones for dial up without script hacking.
I have an SL5500 and I keep swapping between the Sharp rom image and OpenZaurus. The rom version that came with my PDA was fine but a little out dated. Sharp, in their wisdom, have changed the format for the PIM apps in the new rom which means I can't sync with Qtopia desktop on my Linux box any more. And OpenZaurus/Opie seems to be more suited to those using WiFi/permanently on-line connections rather than dial-up. The e-mail client either supports only IMap or is crap. PPP is a pain to set up. I like the way it works on the earlier sharp rom. Why wasn't that kept? Ideal I would want a combination of all three.
I have to say I haven't tried Opie 1.0 as I'm still running pre0.99. It does seem to be heading in the right direction but it seems unfinished in some areas. I suspect this is because apps are developed by people who want that functionality. I have the source and have looked at updating the bits I need but I don't have the time. I'm afraid I spend all my day at work designing and developing embedded systems and just want to use my PDA without having to develop for it.
I am the maintainer of the Python packages in the OpenZaurus distribution. Programming PyQt on Opie is pretty good supported through the qtpe module. A dedicated opie module to support the Opie extensions will eventually be provided.
Cheers, Mickey. [Team Opie|OpenZaurus|OpenSIMpad|Wellenreiter]
Linux is just the kernel, the OS is GNU/Linux, you insensitive clod! Sorry, could not resist. Hey, at least I turned off the Karma Bonus.
Switch back to Slashdot's D1 system.
We forked Qtopia, not Qt. Opie is still using the Qt/Embedded API as backend - albeit slightly patched. A plain Qt/Embedded program will run unmodified on a device running Opie. To get an optimized application you want to substitute QApplication with QPEApplication and do a bunch of easy further tweakings.
Cheers, Mickey. [Team Opie|OpenZaurus|OpenSIMpad|Wellenreiter]
This is way off.
1) Qtopia doesnt have any SD code in it. None. That's all handeled outside of it. Qtopia and OPIE use whatever hardware your kernel can support. Sharp and Lineo put together a binary only driver for the zaurus. Handhelds.org Have an open source driver available.
2) The problem with DVD and SD aren't with patents they were trade secrets. The only way you were able to get the information on how to set up the device was to sign an NDA saying you wont disclose that information. Someone was able to dig up the necessary info with only publically avaialable documention, so now we have an open source driver.