why windows???? (look at all the linux users around here... )

it would be easier, imo, to try and use the ti-cable libraries already available (as they are already ported to windows and linux)

Someone recommended making it a Java app. Whaddaya think?

not java!!! please dear god no!!!! (i don't like java cause it feels slow and un-responsive, and is really hard to get working alot of times, especially when attempting a cross-platform program)

make it in C/C++ and just port it to linux and windows (use a cross-platform toolkit for the GUI, like wxwidgets or FLTK) - especailly make it open source

i'd do it if i knew how....(i know some C++, and can make basic GUI apps)

Fair enough. How difficult would it be to add modules and/or plugins under C++?

uh....i have no clue how to do plugins in C++, but its definitely possible (after all, there are tons of apps written in C/C++ that have plugin support) What sort of modules/plugins are you talking about tho?

Oh, and I'd love to play around with it and see if I couldn't come up with something, but the only cable I have is the direct link USB cable, which I believe is still in testing for Tilp, and isn't released yet..... once direct USB support comes out, I'll look into the ti-cables library they have and see what (if anything) i could do with it

Well, each app such as Surf DE, Chat DE, etc will use it's own direct protocol, so you would need a plugin for each new app that was developed.

ah... well, if i can figure out how to use the libticables, i'm sure i can figure something out. But it wouldn't need to be so much a plugin as a new config file w/ the new settings to use (or something like that)

That was me, and I'v never had any problems with it. It also makes doing extensions easier, because all you have to do is public class _____ extends gCnNetwork{

///blah blah blah
}

anyway, since you can't seem to be able to do it your self, and porting a C/C++ app to different platform requires more work than just sending a .class file, I cant see what the problem is.

i've had so many problems with java....its not even funny. It never seems to just WORK straight up. I always seem to have to mess around for awile to get it to work. Recompile it, modify files, etc... (course, this is just my experiences)

and it just feels slower....maybe not to you, but it does to me. all the gui java apps i come accross feel sluggish. Maybe its just the GUI code isn't mature enough, and doesn't have all the optimizations and such that it could (or its the JVM's fault)

i found out how to do plugins in C++, it isn't hard (if you just want the plugin to be executed straight up), but i'm not sure how to have the plugin/main program be able to communicate/share variables.... but whatever

but if you can make it, go for it. Once/If I ever figure out this ti-cables library (which is already ported to linux and windows), i'll try and make a c++ program. If theres already a java program, so be it, competition only betters the software ;D

oh, and there is no problem, if anyone can do it, go for it. don't wait for approval, just do it!

Fair enough, you guys start experimenting until I'm ready to start full-speed development.

will do. i just need to find someone at school that will let me borrow one of their TI cables, since the direct link one isn't really supported by TiLp yet.... (i got plugins working just fine, wasn't hard at all)

I downloaded the CalcNet whitepaper and got some useful information out of that, but it said it was based on Trillian. I found the link to trillian on ticalc.org, but it was just a schematic. can we get some more detailed info Kerm?

look it up in his projects page here on the site, and see how close to done it is... he has lots of half finished projects...

Bah, you've got it the wrong way around. C++ has been one of the most troublesome languages I have ever learned. The number of file most compilers generate is absolutely ridiculous. Decent free compilers are rare. Cross platform support is shoddy - many libraries are windows-only or mac-only. Not to mention the language itself is bloated an inefficient with a API that is lacking.

True, Java is slightly slower than C++ or other natively compiled languages, but it is definitely worth the tradeoff. Part of this is that the language is semi-interpretted, but a lot of it is that most use the Swing interface. Originally, the Java gui used the native OS gui. However, they had some problems with that and so the standard GUI became Swing. Swing is consistent because it is literally drawn rather than using native OS components. However, Swing is slowly being phased out in favor of more stable GUIs that use native OS components in a more stable fashion than the original Java GUI.

Furthermore, Java is a much easier language to work with in general. Conventions are well-accepted and the strict objects-oriented format forces programmers to write understandable and reusable code. There are no pointers to mess around with, one of the main obstacles of programming in C++. Java is also heavily geared to Internet-related applications, so there is already an extensive library of classes we could draw on to develop protocols for gCn.

That having been said, C++ still is a very powerful langauge capable of accomplishing the same things as Java - the main factor here will be the preference of the best programmer here. I think it would be wise for the team to adopt the language being used by the most competent programmer. Presumably, the best programmer is going to get the most accomplished, so there's no sense in limiting overall output by forcing them to work in a language they're not comfortable with.

GCC - one of, if not the best, c compilers (G++ is great for c++, and the MingW compiler is a great windows port of the GCC - all free). And guess what? Its 100% free in every sense of the word. Open source, GNU GPL'd

Libraries - only specialized ones lack in cross-compatibility (eg, networking, gui, etc..), at least, that i have seen (and most of the popular ones have been ported)

Number of files - what are you talking about? by default compilers will compile everything into one executable (for simple programs anyway, some libraries usually have external libraries needed, like .dll's or .so's, but those aren't compiled with your program) if you are referring to all the .o files that are generated, thats before linking, and are temp files that can be removed (in linux anyway) And its not like java doesn't generate a crap load of files, all them a .class files, just ridiculus!

course, C/C++ best advantage is it doesn't need the JVM (or similar), talk about bloated

To each his own i guess

Yeah, I'm working on CALCnet2.1 right now that eliminates the Trillian underpinnings to make it fully independent and compatible with an interrupt-priority background system. I'll post up details when I firm it up more.

Aww heck...I'll beta test, along with work on the Z80 programming aspects (library programming, debugging).
(MissingIntellect@Gmail.com )

Yay! Thanks much.

For quick access, maybe using ON+Del from the homescreen as a hook to start DCS, like ON+APPS for MOS. As far as I know, ON+Del is not used by any current flash app and MOS only uses it in its interrupt tasker, so it wouldn't interfere with anything else.

On-Del? That's an idea. Anyone have any objection to that?