Re: Roadmap 2018

-- Christian Helmuth Genode Labs https://www.genode-labs.com/ · https://genode.org/ https://twitter.com/GenodeLabs · /ˈdʒiː.nəʊd/ Genode Labs GmbH · Amtsgericht Dresden · HRB 28424 · Sitz Dresden Geschäftsführer: Dr.-Ing. Norman Feske, Christian Helmuth On Mon, Jan 15, 2018 at 01:38:26PM +0100, tgvb@...550... wrote: > Having followed Genode's interesting quarterly development updates > for quite some time, I hope to finally make a move towards a > hands-on understanding and therefore set the modest goal for myself > to at least read the entire handbook this year. Not as exciting as > committing to any real development work, but hopefully easy enough > to actually achieve and leaving room for more. > > On to wishes. > > 1. I think, it would be a good side project for developers, to add > support for at least one ebook reader. My reasoning behind this is, > that these devices are relatively cheap and actually useful beyond > (embedded) software development work and seem to offer an easy > enough application scenario to support. This could also raise > awareness of Genode's existence beyond the current level. > > Ereaders' innovation cycles are more developer friendly than, say, > laptops', tablets' or smartphones' and the hardware used is more > homogeneous. Many current models still use the i.MX6 SoC, including > Kindle and Tolino devices, which Genode developers seem to be > willing to support anyway. > > The Tolino Shine 2HD, for instance, would appear to be an attractive > target, since it boots from a microSD card, which could easily be > replaced by one with a Genode image on it. While the technically > very similar Kobo Glo HD does not seem to be sold any longer in > Germany, it might still be in other countries (otherwise, I would > have suggested the Glo HD, since its case is easier to open; Tolino > and Kobo devices are designed by the same manufacturer, so that > their hardware has always been very similar). > > Ebook readers are not much more expensive than a development board > but come with the benefit of an extra display. Some popular third > party reading apps like koreader are also internally based on mupdf, > for which I think, I've read, Genode had already some support, which > leads me to believe, that a purely Genode-based typical ebook reader > scenario could be within reach with reasonable effort from a > knowledgable developer, who has run a Genode scenario on i.MX6 > before. > > This could be a basis for a later support of further ebook readers, > including more professionally oriented ones like the Onyx Boox Max > Carta (also uses i.MX 6), which could even be used as a full > development machine, considering its large eye-friendly display and > built-in Bluetooth for keyboard connection. Maybe an incentive for > sunlight-affine programmers, if such exist, not to mention my wish > to see Genode support stylus input in general. > > 2. While ebook reader support itself would also offer Genode the > opportunity to present its native documentation, the handbook, in an > attractive form, it might be an easier first step to provide an > official EPUB version of the handbook. The current PDF version from > the web site, for its formatting, is not very ebook reader friendly, > regarding the mainstream 6 inch devices. It would be nice to either > see an EPUB version or a PDF optimised for common ereader screen > sizes. Given the surprisingly poor margin truncating support of many > of these devices, a PDF should have small margins. (The current > state of stock ereader software screams for something better.) > > I think, these two points are my main input for the roadmap 2018 > discussion. I also like the quality and resilience aspect, which > Norman alluded to in his discussion starter. Seeing critical > components implemented in SPARK might be a step in a right direction > and even would be, if there were nothing more to it, than a mere > shift towards a more readable implementation language.