Headunit (Linux/Windows CarPC frontend) + initial screenshots

**millec** · 10-04-2004, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by NoPistonPC

In other news, I'm looking into replacing the bloated Qt library with OpenGUI (http://www.tutok.sk/fastgl/). It's extremely fast and lightweight. And it works with X11, framebuffer, and Win32.

I personally think you should stick with QT. There are more QT developers out there, which will increase the chance that others will want to contribute to the project.

Why do you want to go to a lighter framework? Is QT a memory hog or causing you other performance problems?

--Craig

**hijinks21** · 10-04-2004, 06:22 PM

from my experiences with QT, with is only about 5 months. The only issue i see with modern computers is load time of the application

**NoPistonPC** · 10-05-2004, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by millec

Why do you want to go to a lighter framework? Is QT a memory hog or causing you other performance problems?

Yeah, the library is close to 6MB in size. It eats a lot of memory and takes a while to load. Also, the bitmaps flicker and the playlist scroller is a little slow in windows.

I really love Qt and if I can find a good solution to the load time problem, I would prefer to keep using it. However, on my machine it takes more than 10 seconds to load HeadUnit. If you add to that the startup time for X-windows and the boot up of the PC, it gets to be close to 30 seconds for me from power-up to hearing music. For me, that's not acceptable. I spent a lot of effort to get my linux boot time down to around 15 seconds from cold-start to the end of X-windows loading. The extra 10 seconds just for loading what should be a simple UI app (HeadUnit) is killing me.

However, I haven't spent much time getting down to the exact cause of the long boot time. It may turn out to be something non-Qt related (like sqlite or the large skin images). If that's the case (which I hope it is) then it can probably be fixed...

**GT65coupe** · 10-10-2004, 09:39 PM

this is a great software. excellent.
i'll try it on my car pc system.

question:
which GPS software can you use on this interface?
i was thinking of using gpsdrive .

**NoPistonPC** · 10-11-2004, 11:49 AM

I still haven't gotten around to integrating GPS or external apps yet, but gpsdrive seems like a decent option. The other possiblity is running Wine and use windows software like iGuidance, Destinator, etc... I'll try to get external app support in soon... sorry, i'be been really busy with school lately.

**GT65coupe** · 10-11-2004, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by NoPistonPC

The other possiblity is running Wine and use windows software like iGuidance, Destinator, etc...

the all point is to AVOID windows (otherwise i use mediacar on XP), i still don't understand people who use wine

thanks anyway for such a cool app

**Tidder** · 10-11-2004, 07:29 PM

There's something cooler than wine out there that lets you run windows apps straight from Linux. I don't remember what it is though, but I remember the screenshots. MS word shortcut right on the linux desktop, and they fired it right up. Amazing. So now, maybe you won't even have to use wine.

EDIT: sorry guys, I'm retarded. I was actually thinking of wine, and thought wine was something else...

Damn.

**hijinks21** · 10-11-2004, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by NoPistonPC

Yeah, the library is close to 6MB in size. It eats a lot of memory and takes a while to load.

check out http://www.ics.com/developers/papers/

**Change** · 11-16-2004, 02:25 AM

Originally Posted by NoPistonPC

I still haven't gotten around to integrating GPS or external apps yet, but gpsdrive seems like a decent option. The other possiblity is running Wine and use windows software like iGuidance, Destinator, etc... I'll try to get external app support in soon... sorry, i'be been really busy with school lately.

Roadmap and gpsdrive don't offer any actual trip planning/navigation features, just mapping. Having the option of an integrated WINE session with Routis or something similar in it would be fantastic, for actual trip navigating.

By the way, I just found this thread, and I love the work you're doing. Once I get my system together (just trying to pick a HD) I'll get headunit installed and see what I can do to help

(My coding skills are pretty rusty, but I think I can pick it up again)

**Sierran** · 11-17-2004, 01:09 AM

Just found this thread, and can't wait to d/l HU and give it a shot. I am awaiting delivery of my new ride, and am hence extremely interested in the IBus capabilities-to-be of HU; I saw one mention of it earlier. How well would HU do without touchscreen capability - i.e. if it only has discrete messages passed to it? The IBus head units on the bimmers pass packet-based messages over the bus to indicate button/knob actions; if there was a way to have HU accept messages from a daemon watching for those messages on a serial interface (which is how most solutions link the IBus to a PC) then even stock BMW nav computer users could use HU on their 'real' head units, piping their PCs into the 'AUX' input on the factory system. Of course, I'm guessing the answer is "download the code and make it work, dummy!" ...in which case, I need to learn more about IPC in general. :-) Thanks to all for their efforts to date. Hm, gotta go order an Opus case, and an intelligent power supply, and an Epia board, and...heh.

-Sierran