nGhost2 (1.9 Beta)

**tripzero** · 05-06-2008, 07:55 AM

I've started rolling out nightly builds of NG2. Here's a rundown of the new features it has over NG1:

4 - initial audio/video engine plugins: mplayer, gstreamer, xine, and phonon (and all that phonon supports)
2 - Initial Graphics engine backends: SDL and SDL+OpenGL.
4 - Memory Management modes: Daemon (no gui), Low memory mode, progressive (default), aggressive (fast).
-Desktop mode. Yes, nghost is no longer a frontend, its a desktop! legacy mode is still available also.
-Many more widgets. sliders, progessbars, text, etc.
-Much improved listbox functionality with customizable filters
-New NScan client/server. Watches the FS for media changes and automatically updates the db and nghost.
-Advanced IPC engine for adding additional functionality through "client-plugins" (external apps that can communicate to nghost).
-Libnghostplugins - provides an SDK for developers to use nghost's IPC engine, threading, plugins, etc.

FAQ:
Is it stable? How much of this stuff actually works?
NG2 will likely crash on you at some point. Lot's of testing and fine tuning need to be done.
Right now mplayer is the most advanced of the a/v plugins. Phonon comes in second place. OpenGL currently doesn't work and may not be complete until 2.1.

How do I get it?
If you are using LinuxICE, add the unstable repository. apt-get install nghost-unstable
http://nghost-project.com/nghost/downloads/index.php

from src you can get it from
svn co https://nghost.svn.sourceforge.net/s...nghost2/trunk/

How Can I help?
Yes, we know things are a little rough around the edges (and sometimes really sharp). There are *lots* of known issues. but you can help.
If nghost crashes, run a `nghost -d4 &> nghost.output` and paste the nghost.output in the forum with steps to reproduce the crash. a gdb backtrace would also help.

If you are a developer, jump in, or make a client-plugin. There are still a bunch of features that have core support that just need implementation.

NG2 sports some bold new ideas in the car pc space. You can be a big contributor to the success of Linux in the pool of car pc software.

**danielkh** · 05-06-2008, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by kev000

I've started rolling out nightly builds of NG2. Here's a rundown of the new features it has over NG1:
.

Ok Kev,

You know how this works......If you are going to post a new front end (or updated one) and how we can get it, or even start a new thread on an old one, what did you forget?

Screenshots dude! Impress us!

**tripzero** · 05-06-2008, 09:23 AM

heh, I thought the features list would speak for itself :P.

I do you one better and get a video up instead.

**benedums** · 05-08-2008, 04:18 PM

So is the NGhost Media Center the new NG2 or is that something completely different?

If it is, it looks like it's still an app running on what is now XBuntu with xfice. wasn't NG2 supposed to be it's own Linux desktop based on Matchbox?

If NGMC is not the same as NG2, do you have a live CD for NG2 or instructions for upgrading/switching to it?

BTW the NGMC looks pretty nice just a little shy on features or activated features.

**tripzero** · 05-08-2008, 06:47 PM

You are right about what you though ng2 was and what it is. NG2 (or nGhost Media Center 2.0) is a desktop. Within LinuxICE it will work under Matchbox, but it will run with any window manager, even compiz (which is what I test it with on my dev box).

2.0 will be shy on features but it definitely lays the core out. I apologize for the lack of screeshots but I'll hopefully have something especially awesome this weekend. It'll be worth the wait

.

**Kardain** · 05-10-2008, 12:11 AM

couple small cosmetic glitches that I found...

1) installing 1.9 (or 2.0... not sure... whatever the link is above) from the nightly build dropped the NG icon from the "Car PC" folder. It will load from the root terminal however. I do notice a constant error (?)...

NSocket: nsocket.cpp:serverInit(73) - Error binding socket(98) - Address already in use

2) the default skin is larger than the pane allows in LinuxICE (running on 1024x768 on virtual). There is no way I have found to edit the .conf file to change it.... I'm not too savvy with Linux file systems (just started dabbling in it not too long ago)

3) on my virtual machine, the beta occasionally hangs on startup, preventing an output file. This is a virgin install of LinuxICE. I ran ICE update, but 103MB on dial-up equals no.

**tripzero** · 05-10-2008, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Kardain

couple small cosmetic glitches that I found...

1) installing 1.9 (or 2.0... not sure... whatever the link is above) from the nightly build dropped the NG icon from the "Car PC" folder. It will load from the root terminal however. I do notice a constant error (?)...

We'll get that fixed soon.

2) the default skin is larger than the pane allows in LinuxICE (running on 1024x768 on virtual). There is no way I have found to edit the .conf file to change it.... I'm not too savvy with Linux file systems (just started dabbling in it not too long ago)

this is an error in the skin. The play, pause,next buttons should be placed higher. ng2 by default will scale to the resolution of the screen.

When LinuxICE RC1 is out (May 16th), those buttons will be placed on the icepanel so you can puase/play skip when nghost is out of focus.

3) on my virtual machine, the beta occasionally hangs on startup, preventing an output file. This is a virgin install of LinuxICE. I ran ICE update, but 103MB on dial-up equals no.

are you running virtualbox? vmware? I'm not seeing any hanging on my virtual machines, but I'm also running a slightly newer (pre-RC1) build of LinuxICE. I hope that the changes we've made fix the hang.

BTW, Thanks for posting pics.

**Kardain** · 05-10-2008, 12:18 PM

are you running virtualbox? vmware? I'm not seeing any hanging on my virtual machines, but I'm also running a slightly newer (pre-RC1) build of LinuxICE. I hope that the changes we've made fix the hang.

Virtualbox

<--- patiently waiting for RC1

**Tidder** · 05-11-2008, 08:22 PM

Me too, I'm really excited about this release! I wish I could do something to help futher it along, but I grew up as a windows nerd, I can program like a beast in Visual Basic! Wish I would have learned a real programming language instead. Keep up the amazing work though, it's looking great!

**benedums** · 05-12-2008, 02:28 PM

Is there a trick to updating LinuxICE1 to linuxICE2 with the Hildon desktop?

I replaced all the "feisty" with "gutsy" in the /etc/apt/sources.list
and ran the updates...
it looked like there were some errors (I'm at work now so I can't quote them) but it finished.

then I try to run "sudo apt-get install ubuntu-mobile" and I get the "cannot find package error"

I tried to replace the "http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/" with "http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/" but that didn't change anything.

The Ubuntu mobile website has instructions for preparing the base environment which I have not tried yet.

any ideas?