Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

Hi

Guys.

Basically, I have an issue with development environments.

I want to use C/C++ to develop apps for the N900.

So far, Qt by Nokia is really slow on my box. I have tried several distros and each one is just too slow to develop. I.e. you click on a menu item and it takes a few seconds to load it.

Is there any alternative I could use?

I have a Intel P4 3ghz CPU and 4GB ram that runs at 400mhz. Currently I am running Arch but have tried loads of different OS's.

I tried to install on Windows XP which is a little quicker but I cant get Qt to work with Madde. I.e. I have installed Madde but Qt cant use it to build anything. Just fails to compile. But then when I change it back to Qt default, it compiles just fine.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Re: Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

The Nokia Qt SDK even runs on my (very slow) eeepc. So I don't have a clue.

With the MADDE part: Please show the error messages that occur when compiling, otherwise it's hard to guess what's wrong.

Re: Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

Really? What OS is installed? I have wiped my Win OS so can replicate the error. I believe the issue was that it thought it was the wrong version or something....

I can wipe a spare HD and install Windows again to replicate if you want???

Thanks.

Re: Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

When you use MADDE, the OS doesn't really matter. Simply post the output or provide the code in zipped form to check.
You should have in mind that you can't run programs created by the Nokia Qt SDK until the next firmware release (PR 1.2). You can just compile them.

I'm running Scratchbox and QtCreator in a Ubuntu 10.4 VM using Windows XP on a Mac Mini :D
For testing purposes I also have Windows XP and the Nokia Qt SDK on that machine and my 8.9" eeepc. But QtCreator (part of the SDK) also runs fine on the eeepc using Ubuntu 10.4.

Is your computer always that slow? Graphics card? Only Qt applications? Only QtCreator?

Re: Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

Hi TheAccountant,

I'm currently trying out the Nokia QT SDK beta (ie, QT Creator with QT 4.6 and MADDE integrated) on my laptop.

The Laptop is a Vaio TX running Ubuntu Lucid. The CPU is a U1400 @ 1.2GHz.

Runs fine here.

If you can give a concrete example of exactly which menu items are slowfor you perhaps others can try to reproduce.

Cheers,
- Micha.

Re: Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

400MHz? Slower than a N900? I think your problem might be processor speed paired with the enormous structure that is modern toolkits.

Re: Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

@TheAccountant:
When you say that "Qt by Nokia is really slow on my box", and then talk about desktop performance, are you speaking of issues with the Nokia SDK/Qt Creator, or general performance issues of Qt-based software on the Linux distros you've tried (with KDE Plasma Desktop?)?
I used to use a P IV system for Maemo development before I got my new machine, and it is going to be slow, just because it's old. If the problem is general desktop performance, then from what you said, the first thing I'd check is that any eyecandy is turned off. If your computer is that old, and the video card isn't very good (for that era, even), then leaving desktop effects on is going to have that effect.
What was your Arch setup like? Arch is pretty darn slim by default, so I would be inclined to think that if you had the same issues there, it might be something else, rather than the sole fault of a specific technology.

Re: Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

Hi.

Thanks for the replies. I have been soo busy at work, I have not had a chance to reply.

Right,

Possibly, but why do I get the feeling that under Windows XP, Visual Studio would run without a hitch... Might try that with the express edition...

No not really. I did have Windows 7 installed and would play Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X without a problem. The computer is quick. Open Office Calc loads in like 2 seconds. The graphics card is a ATI Raedon X1650 512mb AGP card.

QT is slow, I don't really have another applications installed on Arch... If you can name a couple, I will test them out if you like?


The desktop performance is really good. I mostly use for surfing and watching movies, but when I had Windows 7 installed, I would play games like Hawx. In terms of Arch, its slip with only lxde installed with no eye candy.

Well, I have just loaded up Qt. On the main screen, I have the Welcome screen. As an example, if I click on Edit tab, it takes about 2 seconds to show it up.

In terms of Madde, I have it installed as per the instructions, then when I go to Tools->Options->Qt 4->Qt Versions-> And add Madde, adding the location to /home/user/.madde/0.6.14/targets/fremantle-qt-0951/bin/qmake and click the rebuil button, I get the following error:

Then when a select a example app and compile, I get the following:
I am thinking it could just be that I need to stick to Windows, which is fine, except how can I compile???

I have a spare 80gb HD so I can install a copy of XP or even Windows 7 (although will need to buy Windows 7) if Windows is the way forward!?

Thank you everyone and sorry for the quick reply!

Re: Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

Hi, everyone!

I think I'm seeing some misunderstandings:

I think his computer's processor speed is 3GHz, and RAM speed is 400MHz... so processor speed should not be a problem.

This can be a source of confusion for many people - it sure was for me, before...

Nokia provides Qt SDK, Qt SDK for Maemo and Nokia Qt SDK Beta (for Symbian and Maemo/MeeGo platforms, running on Windows only ATM). They sound very much the same, but are different tools!

The Nokia Qt SDK Beta is the simplest and easiest to install and use, IMO. The only problem is that it uses Qt 4.6.2, so your applications won't run on the N900 until the next firmware update (whenever it is released). :mad:

I'm also using Qt for Maemo on my Windows machine via a virtualized Ubuntu (v. 9.10) installation (with VirtualBox). With this you can run your applications on your N900 without the firmware update. I installed everything from scratch, but it can be a very time consuming experience... I'd suggest you to download a Maemo SDK virtual image, but I think you will have to wait for the new images to be released.

Anyway, even virtualized, Qt Creator runs fine here on a Core2 E6550 @ 2.33GHz, with 2GB RAM (and I give the virtual OS only 512MB RAM). I suggest you to make a fresh Debian or Ubuntu installation, followed by the Qt installation, and then build a simple example (even for the desktop) to see how it behaves. If it works out fine, your problem is somewhere else...

Re: Alternative Devevelopment Environment
 

Hi thanks for the reply.

You correct, Ricardo. I have a 3Ghz Intel P4 and 4 GB ram running at 400mhz·

I have tried virtual box and it is very slow - unusable.

I have also tried various other distros and its the same. Just soo slow....

I installed XP on a test drive and the performance is normal, so it does work in Windows but not in Linux.

EDIT:: I mean its slower in Linux.