Postings tagged with N900
Writing QML-based input methods for Maliit
This week I pushed a simple QML-based virtual keyboard to our MeeGo Keyboard repository. It's functional, but don't expect too much. This functionality will most likely never arrive in MeeGo 1.2, sorry folks.
Getting Started
Let's continue with the good parts instead: The required C++ code was kept to an absolute minimum and in fact it's only needed to wrap the QML resources into a Qt/C++ plugin that can be loaded by our framework. If you want to write your own QML-based input method plugin for Maliit, then this is the required interface:
class MyQmlBasedInputMethodPlugin
: public QObject, public MInputMethodQuickPlugin
{
...
Qt 4.6 for Maemo: It works!
Today at work, David King kindly informed me that there was some new Qt package in extras-devel. This could only mean one thing - I immediately fired up my scratchbox environment and installed the packages, trying to confirm that this new version would run with Qlom. And in fact, it was surprisingly painless. Thanks to autotroll, a simple QT_PATH env variable did all the magic, hooray! ...
Miniature - it moves!
How it begun
When I read Quim's thread about the idea for a better Maemo chess app I knew I wanted to join the project. To me, it's all about the device and the sparkling Hildon UX. I really want a good chess app, for myself! I want to play chess online, everywhere! And I want to analyze ...
Show me your home screen!
To me the empty home screen* of the N900 looked like an invitation, so I tried to fill it up with useless stuff as quickly as possible. The home screen configuration menu offers app launchers (shortcuts), bookmarks, widgets and contacts. Let's go through all four options in detail:
- Shortcuts: I almost always have some tasks running in the background so launching an application would usually take three to four finger touches. Therefore the app launchers are extremely helpful to ...
Computer chess and the N900
My first chess computer
Years ago, when I was thoroughly fascinated by chess, I always wanted a portable chess computer. When I finally got one (a Novag Piccolo, for the odd chance someone else had the same device) I'd take it with me whenever possible. It got worn out quickly, moving the small plastic figures required more and more pressure to make the computer acknowledge my moves. For each move you first had to "touch" the figure you wanted to move. The computer would beep ...
Back from Maemo Summit 2009
So I am back from Maemo Summit 2009. Great people. Great show. Great talks. Great venue: Enjoyed it quite much to walk arround in the Westerpark, Marc-André loved the petting zoo.
Hotest topic, of course: The N900. Thank you Nokia for lending those devices: Feels so good to finally have one for personal use! Finally got ideas for some private N900 hacking when reflecting ...
Application Theming Tricks
From time to time applications need custom theming rules. Especially when the project has professional UI designers involved. So how to achieve this with GTK+?
Trivial Theming
Most easy and very wrong:
if (gdk_color_parse ("pink", &color))
gtk_widget_modify_bg (widget, GTK_STATE_NORMAL, &color);
This will break and look childish as soon as your users use a custom color scheme.
Better:
static void
style_set_cb (GtkWidget *widget,
GtkStyle *old_style)
{
GtkStyle *style = gtk_widget_get_style (widget);
if (gtk_style_lookup_color (style, "SecondaryTextColor", &color))
...
Well, and it is a phone!
So after months of denial it turns out, that the/we Maemo folks really built a phone!
