No one would be willing to create a shell account that has support for compiling for the empeg would they?

If you're going to do some good development for the Empeg and contribute to the community, I would hope that someone with a well-connected Linux box would give you an account. I would do it but my "Linux box" is a VMware virtual PC running on my real PC, and if you and I both decided to compile something, we'd have to pack a lunch. Plus my upstream bandwidth is atrocious.

If I had cable modem and a second PC as my Linux box, I'd give you a shell in a heartbeat. Assuming you were working on some cool projects for the Empeg :) I think we need more hackers around here.

Well I was just thinking about making a simple text displayer that you could scroll with and maybe add stuff to on the fly, like if you heard a song on the radio that you wanted to remind yourself to get, you could write in the name on the empeg, or if you wanted to show directions on how to get somewhere, etc.

Well I was just thinking about making a simple text displayer that you could scroll with and maybe add stuff to on the fly, like if you heard a song on the radio that you wanted to remind yourself to get, you could write in the name on the empeg, or if you wanted to show directions on how to get somewhere, etc.

Very cool idea! "Typing" in stuff on the Empeg is a bit tedious though. The second part about the directions is kinda interesting but you'd have to save the text file onto the Empeg first and then have it displayed... I would just write them down on a piece of paper at that point. How low tech :)

Have you thought of how you're going to do the graphics? I'm not smart enough to do my own graphics routines so I managed to get the GD library working. But as I mentioned in the other thread, it's really slow. I'm searching for alternatives.

I'm not too great with the unix environment (I can get around pretty well), but I figure I could get by doing the graphics fairly well. I think it shouldn't be too difficult once I have a font file (I could even use the tga included with hijack?). I was thinking, though, that if you wanted to show directions or just store some text file, it would be quite pointless to up it with sz and have to connect serial, etc. But, I guess another option would be to stick it at the end of the config.ini file in its own section. Writing text directly into the empeg would also be a bit tedious, but you could probably get by if you used the scroller to select a letter or even the remote, much like a cell-phone. Like I said though, I hate it when I heard a song on the radio and can't remember it when I get back home .

Well some have talked about getting an infra-red keyboard working on the Empeg, but it's vaporware at this point. Then you could just type it in...

As for fonts, the GD graphics library I used for my trivia game has some canned fonts, but they're bigger than I wanted to use, so I meticulously (and ridiculously) re-created the Empeg tiny font and saved it as a PNG file, which when converted to a GD image file, can be read by standard GD library routines. I think my method was pretty clunky but it's working. You'll probably come up with something better and when you do, I will want to steal it. :)

I need a empeg-compiling-capable shell

>Well some have talked about getting an infra-red keyboard
>working on the Empeg, but it's vaporware at this point.

For me, the IR-Keyboard is the vapor part: I haven't found one yet. Lots of Logitech RF keyboards around, but not the IR kind.

???

The IR keyboard I have. Check around for a WebTV keyboard, I have seen them at stores around here for about $30.

Check out my post in another thread about Monkey Linux for a possible solution.

No one would be willing to create a shell account that has support for compiling for the empeg would they?

If someone can point me to info on how to setup a cross-compiler from FreeBSD...

-Mike

Heck Mike,
I have *TWO* of them.

If we'd met up when you were in New Zealand last month you could have borrowed one to play with [and take back to Canada with you for a while]
Both have inbuilt mouse [sort of rubber joystick thingy] support as well [if that would be any use I don't know perhaps you could emulate the left/right up/down buttons using just the mouse].

I must admit I've tested neither with the empeg to see if the IR receiver in the empeg can 'see' the Ir keyboard. I think I'll do that soon and report back.

One of them is from a Websurfer the other a proper PC IR keyboard which is made by Silitek in Taiwan.

The local Pay TV outfit here is about to start a subscriber mail service using their set top boxes and they are indicating that IR keyboard will be available for those who want to buy them.

I may get one and try it out for a IR keyboard - if it works then that may be a cheap supply of Ir keyboards as I would expect the Pay TV company to subsidise the keyboards to get the mail service going. Even if they don't the volume price they get would make it quite attractive - and with our local currency being about 41 cents US it may be quite cheap to supply them to other users on this BBS who need one.
[once of course they are available and its empeg tested that is].

That's "Mark", not "Mike".

Let us know what you find out about those Kiwi Keyboards.

Cheers

D'oh!
Sorry I had a strange belief that your first name was Mike, must find my reading glasses :-))

Probably because there were so many Mike's developing software for the empeg in the past?

Calvin

Ugh.. the evil Dish/Echostar folks.. they owe me $10000 in fees/expenses for work on their latest Linux-based PVR.

I'll look for some kind of WebTV KB, then. Dunno if we have them up here.

Cheers

You've done work for them that went unpaid?

Calvin

Yes, nine months ago.. still waiting.

Very nice people, very lousy at paying up.

-ml

Well I've just spent about 3 hours trying to get a cross-compiler on cygwin to no avail. I guess I'm over it.

Woah, they have a Linux PVR in the pipeline? (or is it the existing PVR 501?)

I guess if the upcomming one I know about is the one with Linux on it, thats just another reason to replace my DishPlayer (MS piece of crap, but it has search capabilities, something that hasn't made it into the 501 yet)

But the question to ask is... Will it require a subscription? And the other questions... How many TSOPs, easily accessible JTAG?

Bruno

Yes, it requires a subscription to Dish Network

With the Dishplayer, they initially did charge a seperate fee for the DTV features. But they have since dropped that, and promised that no new PVR units from them will have a "subscription" fee.

I've got a P166 that rarely gets used that is running Slack 7.1 If someone wants to help me get get the cross compiler installed I can create a shell account for compiling