Upcoming: Sandpaper FTP Client

KermMartian · 17 Aug 2011

So if you have been following my Summer 2011 Project Brainstorming topic, you'll know that besides a "web clipping browser" (Gossamer), I wanted to create ":: CALCnet FTP, plus gCn ticalc.org archives goodness." In other words, a unit-to-unit transfer program in the style of an FTP client, with side-by-side local and remote file panes, plus the ability to view the ticalc.org and Cemetech archives as if they were calculators (including looking in the contents of zip files!). That will be achieved, as with Gossamer, with a calculator-side client doing most of the work and a gCn metahub bridge doing translation for the ticalc.org and Cemetech archives. I finally started it on the bus to see fellow Cemetech admins Merthsoft and Elfprince13 today (photos coming soon!); find prototype and real screenshots of my progress thus far, namely icon, main GUI, splashscreen, and a few bits of backend and CALCnet. Among the many pieces still to go:

:: Broadcasting of presence packets when not connected
:: Ability to search for and list broadcasting calculators in a Connect... screen
:: Ability to list local programs, archived and not, paying attention to Doors CS folder
:: Understanding of transmitting programs
:: Symmetrically, sending and displaying program information, and receiving and storing new programs.

I will keep this topic updated with progress as I make it, and I look forward to having something for people to test very soon!

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merthsoft · File Archiver Joined: 09 May 2010 Posts: 2735

This is looking great so far. The GUI looks very intuitive! I can't wait to see how this goes.
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souvik1997 · Guru-in-Training Joined: 19 Apr 2010 Posts: 2870

Oooh, I like the name! Very Happy

The interface looks really nice too, it reminds me of msd8x.
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qazz42 · Vampire Killer Joined: 07 Apr 2010 Posts: 4177

wow, that looks amazing what you have so far. If I understand this correctly, you can download from anyone connected who has sandpaper up? Sort of like a a thing

the ticalc/cemetech archive abilities sounds pretty cool too, I assume you would be able to download apps too? I think that would be great, it defiantly would help me find programs on ticalc faster
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KermMartian · Posted: 17 Aug 2011 09:21:42 pm Post subject:

Qazz: Apps are not going to be an option for now, mostly because writing to Flash is not something I want to mess with yet. Smile

You can download from / upload to someone directly connected, on the same CALCnet network, or on the same gCn hub (probably FTPHub).

Merth: thanks very much! I hope that it will indeed be intuitive for people used to programs like Filezilla to use.

Souvik: Thanks to you too. Smile

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qazz42 · Vampire Killer Joined: 07 Apr 2010 Posts: 4177

ah, ok, that is understandable, I can download my own apps Very Happy

still, this is a great project, let me test as soon as you have a beta out
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KermMartian · Posted: 17 Aug 2011 10:49:31 pm Post subject:

Thanks very much. Absolutely, I'll be releasing a beta as soon as one of them is ready.
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willrandship · Posted: 17 Aug 2011 10:53:09 pm Post subject:

Hmm, perhaps download them as strings, then have a string-2-app converter on-calc (written by a third party, as for Kerm it would be easier simply to have sandpaper do it Razz

)

Awesome: I love it! So, will it be bidirectional, or will programs only be recieveable, not sendable?
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Hmm...what to put here....

KermMartian · Posted: 17 Aug 2011 11:41:52 pm Post subject:

It will be bidirectional. I'm going to write the little piece right now, stolen from Obliterate, to assign each calculator a name, so that when you connect, it will ask the recipient to accent the connection, and hence I will assume the two connected calculators trust each other.
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graphmastur · Power User Joined: 27 Jul 2010 Posts: 464

So when do you add cryptography for calcnet? 1024 bit RSA shouldn't slow down the game too much?

Lionel Debroux · Power User Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 416

Interesting idea Smile

Looking forward to the completion of this other awesome project.
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geekboy1011 · Expert Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 596

Very interesting and looking forward to this. though what would the feasibility to add the cemetech and omnimaga archives to this once TiCalc is done?
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qazz42 · Vampire Killer Joined: 07 Apr 2010 Posts: 4177

and perhaps tifreakware too... I am sure tifreak would be happy with that
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willrandship · Posted: 18 Aug 2011 04:52:21 pm Post subject:

hmm....how long would one prog (asm, 8000 bytes) take to transfer? I'm curious whether having your own FTP-based calc storage would be feasible as what would essentially be an extension to the archive (not implemented in the OS, of course)
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Hmm...what to put here....

KermMartian · Posted: 20 Aug 2011 08:23:23 pm Post subject:

DJ_O · Posted: 20 Aug 2011 11:52:04 pm Post subject:

Nice Kerm! I can't wait to try this when completed. Smile

I remember reading stuff about this before and I always wished this was possible.
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KermMartian · Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:01:33 pm Post subject:

Thanks, I hope that I get it done in a reasonable amount of time, although it's a pretty big project. I've just about gotten the scanning for, connecting, and handshaking done as of Maine and my bus trips both ways; if I can get it working tonight and no one bumped this thread, I'll update this post with screenshots.
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elfprince13 · Posted: 23 Aug 2011 12:10:56 pm Post subject:

How is it looking now? Any screenshots of interest?
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willrandship · Posted: 23 Aug 2011 06:26:08 pm Post subject:

Does this mean that now our calcs will be able to act as FTP servers themselves, or will that require yet another breakthrough feat of engineering?
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Hmm...what to put here....

Compynerd255 · Power User Joined: 08 Apr 2011 Posts: 397

Okay. This is cool. Really cool. I've been waiting for this ever since Calcnet even came out.

Let me verify - Does this only work with the ticalc and Cemetech archives, or does this also work as an intranet transfer program?
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