liqbase - in extras-devel
 

liqbase is nearly ready - set your phasers to awesome! ;)

We have hammered out a lot of the packaging details and have a stable installation which covers everything I wanted for this release.

I have uploaded a version of liqbase (0.1.3) to extras-devel
I request all brave beta testers give this version a run through and ensure we haven't got any last minute major hurdles.

The package is also available directly from liqbase.net which also gives a full overview of the features in this release.

Please use the feature request and bug tracker for reporting enhancements and issues, we don't want this thread getting too large this time ;)

https://garage.maemo.org/projects/liqbase/

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Nice! :D

But... *bug filed*

Thanks again for a great program.

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

identified, thanks. umm until I get a patch, refrain from using fullstops in your names ;)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Great job Gary !

No problems installing & running under Chinook (N810) and latest Diablo SSU (N800).

Sadly it also installs on good old 770 with OS2008HE, but fails to start. I can send you the console output if you want, but I guess it isn't worth the bother, the X stuff is just too old. Better to badger Nokia for an update :-)

Actually my only beef (not ham :-) has nothing to do with the software : it's just that writing on today's hardware doesn't *feel* like writing... Glass smoothness, digitizer limitations, the writing doesn't come out right... what we need is e-paper that feels like paper ! :-)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

heh fpp,
bang on about the technology - we are close, but not quite there yet.
I also wouldnt feel right writing on glass either, so its a compromise either way.

Send me the log from the 770, it does interest me, and if its something a minor tweak could solve, all the better :)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

OK, I'll boot it up again and forward it. Not a priority though... :-)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Aisu,
I am not going to be able to resolve this bug immediately.
I have looked at it and diagnosed it and know where the issue lies, however to change the algorithm tonight would take too long and would leave my system unstable for tomorrow.

For now, the next update will include a workaround, and will force the system to replace all dots in user names with underscores (as it does for other characters).




I do have something of an update though.
Before I post this I will apologise now for filling up your memory cards.


http://liqbase.net/#images


This will be included in the released version in a couple of days.

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

meh, why can't teeth be as easy to manage as linux?

apt-get remove molar

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Ok, since I don't really know where is the best place to
give impressions I'll hijack this thread.

Please do take it as my opinion ONLY.

From my point of view - if it's standalone application
1) There are features that matter most - "Do some drawing" and "Grafitti wal"
- all others can be hidden under "Options" menu.

2) When drawing - I can see that buttons are "smart" ie. they
are not pressed during stroke over them so maybe if You detect
that stroke is being drawn on them - they could vanish until the end
of sketching over them.
Since there is not much drawing tools maybe would fun to have
buttons off-screen - called by some HW (but please not "menu" since
on n810 to operate this slided out keyboard is required). Or some tab "buttons"
leading to full - current button view.

3) I understand that in normal paper usage if You draw with a pen
- You don't have eraser but... with pencil - it's obviouse to use that.
I tried to select black colour as an alternative but I've ended up
with "almost black but not so much as the background" colour - so no eraser
for now. Having eraser would let not to implement "undo".

4) Paper size I call myself rather "extensive" user
of Xournal (I do notes on lectures with it - better to say "trying to").
Since handwriting resolution is rather low while writing on glass - I use
zoomed page - paper size I use is A4 format to ease printing.
I see that liqbase crops nicely when presenting on grafitti wall so maybe
extending page size would be possible.
Then there would be need for panning - ie with pressed down Fullscreen button.

5) Just a question about format - PNG is more than OK but would it be hard to
get SVG? This would give much better effect when printing.

Image export is a good move since I wouldn't like put much of my data
to some format that is not readable in any way that on the tablet app
(I've lost too many lecture notes using Memopad+ with it's database system :(

On the preview there is cam support - would be great if I could take a photo
and do some notes on it.

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Maybe to you thats all that matters, theres plenty of buttons and plenty of uses for each of them.
A slight reorganisation IS taking place however: camera blit test is moving to the front and the book reading is become a single button.
(most of the time you continue reading anyway.. and that has select a book within it)

not in this version, its simple and effective the way it is - perhaps you are being bugged by the buttons and interface because you are a right handed user?
Its something I've considered but not had time to do anything about.

actually more difficult than you would think, erasing partial strokes requires breaking into two and removal and stuff.
Also then its got to be accounted for by the undo itself.

will require more time

ewww fullscreen is slid right underneath and i wouldnt like that method anyway.
Ive been pondering some notetaking ui elements (automatically determine an area top left/right which after you have drawn most of the way down the page would become enabled to simply continue at the top again and save current page.

I write a hell of a lot of notes in this system and also look for speed.
png now is practical (as you have seen)
svg has proto support
http://liqbase.net/liqriver.php
i backup my entire _apg folder often.

:) picture taking is so much simpler now, adding mustaches to faces is just a bonus, but i'm not rushing this or I'll make a mistake :)


I want this version out, theres LOTS of scope to expand.
I need time to relax first.


Gary

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Don't worry about rewriting the algorithm, I can live without the dot, and I'm sure others can too :p Besides, so many people want new amazing features that are as awesome as the old amazing features :D Those outweigh a dot problem...

Thanks again! (And I'm really looking forward to capturing images with liqbase ;))

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Thank you, lcuk.

I like all the new stuff you keep adding.

Please don't spend so much time on this that your family wonders where you are :)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

they already do wonder where I am.
thankfully it appears as though my dentist trip wasnt so major (im a wuss!)
I should get this out tonight and then rest for a while.

goin' to blackpool this weekend to see the illuminations.
http://images.google.com/images?q=bl...+illuminations

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

They need to replace some of those lights with LEDs.

Wow, the history is fascinating:

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Neat prog, is this some ploy to get us all hooked on some screen cleaner your selling? I tell ya, after playing for 5 minutes, I spent 5 minutes cleaning my smudge prints back off my screen.

I'm telling you, you could make a fortune.

LCUK's Amazing Screen Cleaner (just 19.95 + S & H)

Special Notice: Not for inhalation purposes, may be harmful if swallowed

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

heh pb,
i do think im gonna fill up a few peoples memory cards with the new screenshot capability.

As for smudging, i don't normally touch my screen either (unless I am experimenting with multitouch), I simply prefer nice big simple interfaces for things.

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

0.1.5 is on liqbase.net and uploading to extras-devel now.

if this goes smoothly i'll promote it tomorrow.

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Updated to 0.1.5. Awesome. The "camera" app in the repo is horrid, and has always frozen my tablet. Liqbase, otoh, works beautifully with the camera :D

One request, though! The multi-touch experiment is genius. Could you incorporate it into stretching the images in the Physics Sim or Recent Photos? That would be AWESOME :D:D

Thanks again for this great app!

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

It would be nice to be able to move items around on the Graffiti Wall. I don't see any way to move them, unless I missed something.

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

yes, it does :)

heh, yes but its not quite right yet.
Too jumpy still :)

:)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Walk before you can run.

the ui for dragging and resizing is not the same UI as scrolling.
The 2 actions are incompatible.

however I have pondered doing something like this from within a single day group :)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Yes, that would be super-useful. I tried (did, actually) taking notes yesterday evening at a school meeting. It took about ten screenfuls of scribbles, and now they're all mixed up (or maybe there's a better way I havent' seen ?)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

notes should not be mixed up on the graffiti wall

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

who thinks it should be promoted?

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Well, from a computer's point of vue they probably are not :-)

But from a user's perspective it can get confusing. Consider this use case :

I start a new drawing and title it "school trip meeting".
It quickly fills up so I need to exit and start another. And another. And another.
Then I have to exit, go to graffiti wall, and edit a previous one because something I scribbled there has been added to or corrected. From there I can navigate between scribbles with the arrows to edit them too, which is convenient. But after a while of this there seems to be no logical order in which the 10+ "slides" appear...

Does this make sense ? Or am I just using it wrong ?

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

heh fpp,

no you aren't but I think the difference between us is that I don't edit often.
I understand and it is something I will be dealing with specifically in later releases.

The arrows were added for a very specific case which was me needing to use it to present at the summit - i had to have multiple sheets available to me and be able to go through them, before then I couldnt flick around at all.

limitation noted.

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

/me raises hand and jumps around like a twit

:D

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

tell you what, find the easter egg and I will promote it :)

clue:

its a path to the most requested required feature to date.

ask for more if required

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Thanks, I feel better now :-)

I guess what I miss most is a way to create a multi-page/screen/slide from the initial "do some drawing" context, and navigate inside it like in Graffiti Wall mode, keeping things in original order.

In the Graffiti wall it would be useful to have a "view-only mode", eg double-tapping on a stamp would zoom it like in edit mode but with only the navigation arrows ?

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

yes, thats what i was aiming for, but it was simpler to just open the editor though.

the editor always saves as new so the unexpected sideeffect is as you have discovered.

I've considered numerous times creating sketch sets and allowing pan/zoom on the documents but for 99% of the time its fine without.

I'll certainly be following it up and take your points into account for the next major version.


-----



after about 20 emails telling me the ed buttons still don't work, I know, they aren't wired properly yet, but something is happening somewhere inside the system:

http://liqbase.net/liq.20081021_131225.gary.scr.png

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Thanks lcuk for this great app (did I thank you on your first post as yet ?)

I have been reading about liqbase for a long time but only installed yesterday - after I saw it was in the extras-devel.

While its a great demo - there are some things I really could use this for ...

1) The Map demo feature - could we have some way to change the maps and maybe load a new one instead of the Berlin map
(in particular I would like this map for my usage)

2) The read books (or text) - I hope there was a way to configure the black background and change it to someting easier on the eyes.

3) The drawing mode would allow some way to choose pencil style (thickness)

4) The Map function (in options) was instead on the first screen of buttons instead of under the 2nd set of buttons.

5) The stars view also showed some galaxies passing by - I could just stare at that all day long and ponder the vastness and enormity of 'liqbase' :-)

One quick question - like I saw the demo video - I cant seemt o kinetic scroll the screen in any way - how are you guys doing it - did I miss something ?

But this is a great toolbase and I hope these developements do get absorbed and assimilated into the Maemo base and become a part of the Maemo interface maybe (like the kinetic for anything which is larger tahn the screen size (like maps, books, text etc).

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

I don't see why not, I added the berlin map on the plane on the way to Germany.
I remembered the last time I was there and needed something.

It was a quick hack, but can be very easily be expanded upon with time.

Sorry, black is all thats available for now without investing time.

Sure, its something I am working on, but I am not going to sacrifice speed for thickness: the algo will have to be clever enough to work at arbitary scales and be quick enough.

I am actively looking towards full customization of button location and screen layouts.

bacon isn't enough?

You are missing enough sketches to scroll :)

just add more, or make the ones you have larger (in graffiti view)




yes, its a great start and is certainly helping me to discover just what works and what doesnt on a touch device :)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

I mistakenly thought I had got 0.1.5 into extras-devel... turns out I hadn't..

Anyway, its now there and after positive reports throughout today from people getting it off the website I have pushed it up and also promoted it to extras.

further changes will take more time and extra testing.

main differences from the last version.

camera works nicely and saves pictures to the correct location within the ~/.liqbase/sketches folder amongst the sketches themselves (with .png filenames)

you can view recent pictures in what was the test area.

you can also take a screenshot at any time and of any location within liqbase by pressing the fullscreen button.



I will expand on these features and expect to integrate the camera images directly into the sketch graffiti wall.

People have been asking me to allow creation of tweets, this is in progress at the moment and will be displayed inline with sketches and pictures in the graffiti wall.

I need some help in both coding and on the server side, but hope to allow full internet syncing and transfer of your data to liqbase.net and other services as we see fit (flickr/twitter etc).

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Got it.

http://74.170.137.105/easter.png

Promote that baby! :D

(Internet syncing sounds like so much wishful thinking. That... That... That... would rock my socks. Yeah.)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

heh Aisu, you found it!!!

You can technically do the same with any named button :)

I haven't created the interface around it, but it will store every variation you put in there.
I'll clean it up the next time I go in and complete some of the bits.

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Promoted and available in maemo.org downloads :D

http://maemo.org/downloads/product/OS2008/liqbase/

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

Nice, promotion! :D

And...

http://74.170.137.105/osx.png

http://74.170.137.105/fennec.png

LOVE IT :p

(Can I change those lines from orange to black, though?)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

sadly not in this version, however all the styles are centralized, so I'll make sure it adapts to a style file if specified.

amazing :)

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

One Word:


How?

Re: liqbase - in extras-devel
 

heh Thesandlord,

simple part is the easter egg, its built into the program 0.1.5
Aisu has found my secret backdoor to the menu background image

/usr/share/liqbase/menu_back_400_240.jpg

Aisu, I would be careful actually with that.
put an enhancement request on the garage page asking for user definable backgrounds and styles and link to here.
I will ensure when loading images and stuff I look at the users ~/.liqbase folder (or some subfolder) before trying the core variations.