Thread: nGhost Media Center Beta

i'm not entirely finished with the sqlite port, the PHP scripts are still on my disk awaiting comitment before i commit (one file left..i'll see if i can do it in the next hour)
for those comfortable with svn, check it out (with 'svn log -r head' you can see if i already put it in -> if the description says something about it it's good) - you'll just need to replace the files from the option directory with the new ones, no recompiling needed since PHP is interpreted on the fly (you'll need php5-sqlite though)

all right it's in svn rev. 10 - didn't get much time testing though..
for sqlite usage you'll need to uncomment (remove doubleslash) the 2nd line in options/update-streams.php

enjoy

[update:]
since rev. 12, there's no need to uncomment anything at all, php is now aware of which db-type you're using (rev. 10 had other bugs.. happens when you don't test things: shame on me

I like to try nGhost, but I don't know anything about linux. How can I get start it? What flavor of lightweight linux OS you guys recommend? I have a tiny adanvtech PC (Pentium 233, 128Mb of ram, 1GB of compact flash drive). Will this box meet the mininuium system requirement?

I like to try nGhost, but I don't know anything about linux. How can I get start it? What flavor of lightweight linux OS you guys recommend? I have a tiny adanvtech PC (Pentium 233, 128Mb of ram, 1GB of compact flash drive). Will this box meet the mininuium system requirement?

I've never tested nghost on anything slower than 600MHz (via C3, which is kinda slow when compared to similar AMD and Pentium CPUs) so I don't know how it would run. In theory, it shouldn't be too slow. You can download nghost here. I would try DSL Linux. I would play around with it for a while to get used to the differences from windows. Practice installing packages, maybe compile some stuff from scratch. before you know your answering questions in forums for people new to Linux. Woe, de-ja-vu...

The binary executable for nghost was compiled in ubuntu 6.10 and ubuntu dapper so I don't know how it will run in DSL. There is also a mysql binary and a sqlite binary. The sqlite one will be best for DSL. If anything, after you get good you will be able to compile from source and everything will be great.

[edit: there are also several lightweight ubuntu linux distros out there: search for fluxbuntu, pud linux, etc.]

cheers,
kev

I am downloading fluxbuntu
Thanks

Dead things don't need to sleep... thus nghost has a new version out. New version 0.94.4 has support for multiple resolutions, new runtime options, better gui functionality, and better control of fonts. These features along with many bug fixes are shaping nghost to become a player in the CarPC front-end space.

For those of you that are using nghost, and those who want to give it a try, here is the link:

Download

For those source junkies you can get the source from svn at:
https://nghost.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/nghost

There is still a lot of work to be done so if you are a coder and want to contribute, let us know.

Thanks,

Kev

I saw that nGhost uses the SDL library and as I understand it this allows you to write a GUI in framebuffer mode. Does this mean that nGhost will run without X and without a window manager?

Spuzzdawg

SDL uses the driectfb library to talk directly to the framebuffer. In theory you don't even need X to run nghost, but I haven't tested it yet. mplayer also can use the framebuffer. If you get it to work, let me know.

Hi Kev000,

I look forward to testing your frontend out (sometime this week, I hope).

2 things for you though....

1. I tried subscribing to your list -- and am still waiting on it to be activated (3 days and counting )

2. I highly suggest looking at the EFL (Enlightenment Foudation Libraries) as being developed for E17. The libraries will give you a lot of graphical support (along with other bonuses) at a very low cost. Look at the following locations: get-e.org, edevelop.org, & elive.org. Raster has been know for doing great WM graphics and these libraries extend that even futher. The libraries do scale well (Raster has demonstrated using the libraries on embedded systems)


Nasa