Thread: Enicar V0.09

I know that statement was for Guino... but is that what makes your clone so fast?

Originally Posted by proph

I know that statement was for Guino... but is that what makes your clone so fast?

I don't really understand what you are saying, but if the question is : why enicar is so fast.

1/ good C++ will always be faster than good VB.
2/ I'm not a PC/windows programmer. In fact this is my first work on windows.
I'm a game programmer working on hardware between 222mhz to 700mhz. So i'm used to make each mhz count by writing high efficient code.
3/ RR is a very good piece of software but after years of modification it start to getting old, addon after addon it start to become a slow mess, nothing against RR, all piece of software are like that. But as i know that, after writing a lot of code, i stop, look at it, found a better way to do it, totally rewrite it.
For example since the start of enicar i've rewrite 3 times the way i handle bitmap. And i'm working on the 4th way by changing all to support animated gif.

OK, just trying the iDrive skin with this.


First time it choked on a slider in my CDRip skin

Code:

Y02,"slider_phone_signal\SLIDER_*.gif"
S02,622,015,19,20,622,15,19,20,H,01," ",015,"SIGNAL_STRENGTH_PHOCO","Signal Strength"

So I slashed it out (/ at begining of line)

Now it gets to load the main menu.

However the buttons do not show. Although if I click where a button is, it briefly shows the button that is the down and/or off state.

Then it goes to what I have selected and there there are no labels buttons or anything.

(except for the windows egg timer.)


Latest log

Code:

EniCar started
   0.000 Start Register Command
   0.000 End Register Command
   0.000 Start Reader init
   0.000 End Reader init
   0.000 Start Read enicar.ini
   0.000 End Read enicar.ini
   0.000 Start Read general.ini
   0.000 End Read general.ini
   0.000   load splash.jpg
   0.016 Starting GPS
   0.016 Start Cache Media
   0.016 Stat Read Audio Cache
   0.016 End Audio Skin Cache
   0.016 Stat Read Audio Cache
   0.016 End Audio Skin Cache
   0.016 End Cache Media
   0.016 Start Video Window
   0.016 End Video Window
   0.016 Start Mplayer init
   0.031 End Mplayer init
   0.047 Stat Read Skin Cache
   0.172 End Read Skin Cache
 278.391 SAVING PLAYLIST
 278.438 SAVING PLAYLIST

Originally Posted by Enforcer

OK, just trying the iDrive skin with this.

Added this skin to the list of skin to check. If i could download it.

Access Granted.

Originally Posted by enitalp

I don't really understand what you are saying, but if the question is : why enicar is so fast.

1/ good C++ will always be faster than good VB.

damn, finally some hard coder just like me
i know all the benefits off java and all the simplicity of vb
but none emulated code (most java apps still needs the virtual machine) will ever be as light and fast as c or c++ apps
and vb is a good evolution from classic basic, but even vb.net got some speed issues (.net framework is kinda the same enviroment style of java)

RR is still the best (and will be for a good damn long time) the best FE in the earth
but once it's born based on mediacar code (that's vb code), it will always have the problems related to it (most speed issues)

it's the kinda the same that makes centrafuse rocky solid but too damn slow and heavy on slower hardware

embedded hardware is LOTS different than home pcs. powerfull and rocket fast processors takes a lot of energy and that means battery time
the amout of memory is directly related to hibernation times and hdd size to access times (and so the energy and time to boot too - it can be fast, but so u gotta have some extra power)

i programmed for the old palm hardware, lots of pic processors and some cell phones. that's why i know the enitialp concern about better codes

guess some long term cooperation between enitialp and good bless master guino would give us simply some HOT stuff
by HOT i mean freak fast FE and maybe something linux based
so we can have small and incredible fast boot time and even faster FE behavior

maybe turning enicar some kind of RR port AND upgrade

well the post became huge (tha't why i never recommend drinking and posting :P)
lots of ideias running right now...
but u can always count on me. if not for coding due to my short avaible time, but to test, feedback and coordinate whatever you need

[]s

Hehehe in resume : thanks.

For the linux version could be pretty easy, of course a lot of modifications will be needed to the actual code to support a linux compilation. but there is nothing that held enicar from be port on linux. But i'm not a linux guy at all. If there was not some gps software problem peharps i could have started enicar on linux or better, on xbox, you could have all we have on enicar and more on xbox hardware, except none of those lazy software dev have ported their gps software on xbox ;p.

Just to make a few things clear:

1-RR is NOT based on any mediacar sources -- it merely supports its skins.
2-I have re-written and constantly re-write things in RR. Specially regarding the skin engine -- exactly because I don't like the idea of bloating code over code, download mediacar and try it out (with it's original skin) for instance.. it takes like 15 seconds (no kidding) to load the mixer on a 1.2Ghz machine.
3-The only reason I used VB6 is because .NET is too heavy and slow (Specially in my 1.2Ghz machine -- what I always use for development), and I would love to have used C++ Builder, but it's not popular at all (meaning I could never get as much help as I've had in this project, if it was in a language hardly anybody knows). Plus, I was only one to start with, and really just wanted to make something for me to use (then if other people wanted to use it, cool beans, if not, I'd be happy for using it myself too).
4-This project has been going on for over 2 and a half years.. so even with SOME help, it wasn't over day to night that RR got to have all the features it does now. So yeah, I am impressed with the current development of EniCar, but I know how much there's "left" to do if it really wants to support all of RR's features -- but I don't expect this to happen, in fact, I imagine people switching over whenever EniCar supports waht that user wants, and then it will most likely grow to be something of its own (like would have happened to RR if I wasn't so "focused" on keeping it 100% Mediacar compatible). Either way is good, as long as the user is satisfied...

Now, having said that, I myself would work on this project if wanted to use it, which could happen if I got the sources and became more "aware" of all it does and doesn't do. It's just that having the option to know what's going on behind the scenes or running something somebody else made, I have my personal choice for the first option... But complementing what Enitalp said, I'd say in most cases, even "bad" C++ code is faster than good vb6 code, so with a good C++ coder available, I really want to see where things will go..

I don't know where i will go. I still have plenty idea, stuff i want to try. I'm far from what i want. I do mostly things for myself and if people use it it's bonus, and i implement as i could request from users. As Guino said RR have thousand of functionnality and i doubt to, to have them all one day. But who knows what happen next.
Making EniCar a RR Clone was to use all those very cool skins that people do.
I'm pretty sure that version V0.10 of EniCar will have the source available for download. If people want the actual source code, just ask. But i will not guaranty the shape of the actual code as i'm in a process of moving things and adding a very cool new functionnality.If people want to download the code & propose modifications/adding stuff they are welcome.
The most needed things i need for the instant is some graphic artist. Peharps i will find one that have some time to implement new functionnality i'm making.