Would you be interested in a multiplatform CPC oriented DiscMag?

[mr_lou]

A few days ago I made a poll asking about the interest in a CPC oriented DiscMag that could run on your cellphone. While it was also able to run on your desktop computer, the focus of the poll what the cellphone part.

Therefor, this new poll about a multiplatform DiscMag, that'll run not only on your phone, but also your desktop PC and even web. In fact a DiscMag that runs on virtually whatever platform you're using, be it

   
• Desktop: Windows, Linux, Mac or whatever - as long as Java is installed
• Web: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or whatever - as long as Java in installed
• Phone: Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Blackberry or even older Java phones (smartphone not required)

To give an idea about what I'm talking about, I've made a little demo of such a DiscMag system. Then you can test on your own device(s).

PC Version
PC version has been removed, because it violates terms of use to include the emulator in the zip.
But all you need to run it on a PC is a J2ME emulator, of which you can find a few online. My favorite is Pstros. Others are mPowerPlayer and MicroEmulator. Go Google.

Web version
The web version is just an applet.
http://lublu.dk/dmd/WebVersion

Phone version
Cellphone versions are in different folders here: http://lublu.dk/dmd/

To run on a cellphone, you need to know the display resolution of your phone. If you don't know it, then look it up at www.gsmarena.com. It might be 128x160 or 176x208   or 240x320 or 360x480 or 480x640.
We don't really care about the height.   The width is what we need to know.

Let's say you find out your   phone has a display width of 128 pixels, then you need the DiscMagx128   version. I assume I don't have to explain more about which version you   need for various displays then.

Then either
1) copy the JAR file to your computer, and send it to your phone via Bluetooth or Wifi or cable, or else
2) type in the URL to the JAD file in your phone browser, e.g. http://lublu.dk/dmd/DiscMagx240/DiscMagDemo.jad (or just http://lublu.dk/dmd/ and enter the folder and click the file from there).

The   phone will then download and install the DiscMag. NOTE that the URL has   to be written exactly like above. (Linux server, there's a difference   between "DiscMag" and "discmag").

Android
For Android you need to use Netmite J2ME Runner, if the manufactorer haven't included something like Aplix JBlend in the firmware. I tested on my HTC Dream and it works fine.

You can test with this one on your Android device: http://lublu.dk/dmd/DiscMagDemo.apk
(It assumes you have a display width of 360 pixels).

You can convert other version here, to get a width that matches your display.

The DiscMag engine supports both hardware keys and touch-screen for navigation.


Sony Ericsson W800 example:


Sony Ericsson K800 example:

[steve]

Well, I have 100% of the vote so that settles it, Thank you.

P.S I tried the PC demo and the text is so small I needed a magnifying glass to read it.

[mr_lou]

Added 2 snapshots to show how it looks like on two older phones.

[voXfReaX]

Hello there! 
What i believe is that our scene lacks of a mag that you will have to use a CPC (or an emulator in some cases) in order to read the articles.
I understand that a mag running on a PC will allow more people to read our news but i think that this has to occur subsequently at least. For example, Hugi (the pc mag) runs on PC because it is dedicated for PC users.
Therefore, I would prefer a mag running on CPC. A version of it (including the screens, musics used) can be made in HTML, in order to have an online version as well. This is not a problem since there are tools embedded in emulators that allow to cut/copy/paste text easily. Additionally, winAPE allows a user to record a tune, so here we go
To conclude, I tried to help John Kavanagh to revive CPC Oxygen before 1-2 years. I wrote an article for issue 14 (which can be found here)! However, i do not believe that people paid a lot of attention to it... Nevertheless, the efforts made are not regretted I am happy that i contributed in that issue.
Ouf! I wrote a lot In 2 sentences (summarized what i have written above):
1. Our scene lacks of a mag that can be executed in CPC!
2. An online version of it could be available after 2-3 days...
Hope I helped
In the end, everything is more than welcome...
We speak,
voxy

[steve]

I remember some time in the 80's buying a cpc mag on cassette tape, the content was minimal and certainly only run once, not something I would need to access on a mobile phone if I had one.

If someone needs something cpc related to read on their phone then cpcwiki would be better.

[mr_lou]

1. Our scene lacks of a mag that can be executed in CPC!

I'm all for that. Part of what I like about the good old DiscMags, were that they came on the machine they were about. And the retro feeling is definitely also part of what I like, so I'm all for that.
But someone has to make it then, and last time I asked about this, no one was interested in making one.

That's why I'm bringing this up about making a CPC oriented DiscMag for other platforms.

2. An online version of it could be available after 2-3 days...

I think an online version is just a website, not really a DiscMag as I define it.

Looking at CPC Oxygen, and others like Zine, I think they've become way too modern in looks. When I say "CPC oriented", I also mean the looks and feel. Even if it is running on a PC or a phone, then I'd like to see all (or most anyway) graphics be CPC style.
The colors must come from the CPC palette, and graphics must stay within CPC limitations. That's how I'd like to see it anyway.

[voXfReaX]

I'm all for that. Part of what I like about the good old DiscMags, were that they came on the machine they were about. And the retro feeling is definitely also part of what I like, so I'm all for that.
But someone has to make it then, and last time I asked about this, no one was interested in making one.

For your information, Eliot has already coded an interface for a discmag. Its name is "No Comment"! I am sure he will love to see people contributing as crazy to it! We can ask him!

Looking at CPC Oxygen, and others like Zine, I think they've become way too modern in looks. When I say "CPC oriented", I also mean the looks and feel. Even if it is running on a PC or a phone, then I'd like to see all (or most anyway) graphics be CPC style.
The colors must come from the CPC palette, and graphics must stay within CPC limitations. That's how I'd like to see it anyway.

That's why i wrote that there are tools that make our life easier We share the same opinion! The logos, music, palette used in the original version of the mag have to be exactly the same in the online version. This way, users that are reading the mag online can get the original CPC feeling (sort of...)! I think this would be ideal!!!
we speak,
voxy

[mr_lou]

Looking at the votes on the poll so far, it would seem that the optimal solution would be a DiscMag that runs both on the CPC and PC and mobile devices. 
Why not do both then?

[mr_lou]

I tried the PC demo and the text is so small I needed a magnifying glass to read it.

There's a solution for that.
When in PC version, you can click ALT+2 to scale 2x, or ALT+3 to scale 3x (and ALT+1 to return to normal).

You can also edit the BAT file, and set the fontsize you want. There are 3 sizes to set.
-device.fontSizeSmall=12 -device.fontSizeMedium=14 -device.fontSizeLarge=16

Feel free to set other sizes.

If you want to use the scale option, you might find that the DiscMag doesn't fit vertically (as in it's too high for your resolution). To solve that you can simply set another resolution for the DiscMag. Simple change
-w480 -h600 -s1
to e.g.
-w480 -h480 -s2
Then the DiscMag will use 960x960 pixels (480x480  double-sized pixels), instead of 480x600 pixels.

So it's a very customizable system really.

[steve]

There's a solution for that.
When in PC version, you can click ALT+2 to scale 2x, or ALT+3 to scale 3x (and ALT+1 to return to normal).

You can also edit the BAT file, and set the fontsize you want. There are 3 sizes to set.
-device.fontSizeSmall=12 -device.fontSizeMedium=14 -device.fontSizeLarge=16

Feel free to set other sizes.

If you want to use the scale option, you might find that the DiscMag doesn't fit vertically (as in it's too high for your resolution). To solve that you can simply set another resolution for the DiscMag. Simple change
-w480 -h600 -s1
to e.g.
-w480 -h480 -s2
Then the DiscMag will use 960x960 pixels (480x480  double-sized pixels), instead of 480x600 pixels.

So it's a very customizable system really.

Thanks, I'll try that.

[mr_lou]

A little news to those who's interested in this subject.

Slightly bad news
I've had to remove the PC version, since I learned that the terms of use for the J2ME emulator prevents me from including the emulator it in a zip file.
But you're of course free to download any J2ME emulator (just like you can download any CPC emulator) if you want to run the cellphone DiscMag on your PC.

I used Pstros in the zip, because I think it's a very good emulator. But there are many other options.

Slighty good news
The engine now has touch-support, and softkey support. That means it the engine should now be supported on something like HTC Diamond. All phone versions at http://lublu.dk/dmd is updated.

Touch support works like this:
You're given 9 virtual keys on an invisible 3x3 grid on the screen. So to click "1" you click the upper left corner of the screen, 5 is the center of the screen and 8 is the lower middle part of the screen.
To slowly scroll down, touch the lower middle part of the screen (key "5").
Same thing goes for menu. Touch center of the screen to popup menu, then touch e.g. upper middle part of the screen to select article 2.
What do you think of this way to support touch-screens?

(Gryzor, didn't you have an HTC Diamond? Then you need the DiscMagx480 version I think. Would you care to test?)

And softkey support works like this:
First softkey exits the DiscMag.
Second softkey turns the music on/off.


EDIT: Packages now updated with guidelines about how to use touch. And font is also using colors from CPC palette now.

[mr_lou]

I would prefer a mag running on CPC. A version of it (including the screens, musics used) can be made in HTML, in order to have an online version as well.

If the DiscMag is made for the CPC, maybe an online version could be achieved with the new HTML5 based CPC emulator CPCBox + an SNA file? 

Still, I see no reason why we can't have both. A DiscMag made for the CPC can easily be made in a cellphone version at the same time. Then people can have both, and/or choose which one they prefer.

[TFM]

Right, both would be the best. And if the CPC shows a cell phone, that again displays the disc-mag, that would be funny 

[mr_lou]

Right, both would be the best. And if the CPC shows a cell phone, that again displays the disc-mag, that would be funny 

A CPC emulator for the phone would be great, but it'll never be able to run on the majority of devices. And if it did, the text would be too small to read.
This engine will run even on an old slow Nokia 6060, and that's part of what I find great about it. (Because the Nokia 6060 is really limited).

Anyway, small update on the engine: It now saves your state on exit, so that next time you load, it will
- go to the text you were reading
- scroll down to the line you were at
- change the music track to the one you were listening to (or simply don't start the music if you'd turned it off)
- change the theme to the one you were using

So now it's easy to pick up an article where you left it last time. 

[Gryzor]

Hey, sorry I can't reply in detail, too much work here, just wanted to confirm I got a Diamond 2 (480x800). Is there sth special to download?

Cheers
T

[mr_lou]

Hey, sorry I can't reply in detail, too much work here, just wanted to confirm I got a Diamond 2 (480x800). Is there sth special to download?

It is the width that's important, so you need the DiscMagx480 version. (Just means that pictures in that package fits your display. You can download any of the other versions too, but pictures will be small on your display then).

Either type in this URL in your phone browser:
http://lublu.dk/dmd/DiscMagx480/DiscMagDemo.jad

Or this URL:
http://lublu.dk/dmd
(and click your way into the DiscMagx480 folder and then again on the DiscMagDemo.jad file)

Or download this file to your desktop PC and transfer it to your phone some other way:
http://lublu.dk/dmd/DiscMagx480/DiscMagDemo.jar

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

It runs terribly slowly on my HTC Hero with Android 2.1. Btw, this has a 320x480 display.


The music is a nice touch, but not for browsing on the tube!


Can't proceed beyond the first page either.


It might be better to knock up a proper Android application with an embedded web browser control for the article display.

[mr_lou]

It runs terribly slowly on my HTC Hero with Android 2.1. Btw, this has a 320x480 display.

Then get the 240 pixel version.
Yes it's not the fastest solution to use Netmite, but it'll do when you don't have other options. Something like Jbed or Applix Jblend would do much better, but it's not included in all Android firmwares.

Can't proceed beyond the first page either.

Are you sure? It works fine on my HTC Dream. Pretend your screen is divided into a 3x3 grid with the numbers
[1][2][3]
[4][5][6]
[7][8][9]

So to go to another text, first hit the center of the screen, and then e.g. to select 3, hit the upper right corner of the screen.

It might be better to knock up a proper Android application with an embedded web browser control for the article display.

I'm too lazy for that.

[Amstari]

I tried it on a Nokia E63 which has a screen resolution of 320 x 240.

I used the 240 pixel version and it worked great, it was fast too.

Speaking of CPC emulators for phones, I've got the S60-CPC emulator installed on the phone. It is very limited, there is no sound and not all DSK files will load, but it is good to be able to play 1942 while I'm on the bus.

http://my-symbian.com/s60v3/software/applications.php?faq=11&fldAuto=372

Some advice if anyone tries to install S60-CPC on a recent phone you will get an error message that it has expired. Just set the date on your phone to sometime in 2007, install the emulator, then set the current date again and it will work.

[mr_lou]

The music is a nice touch, but not for browsing on the tube!

Didn't understand what you meant here, but I think I do now.
You can turn off the music by clicking the # or softkey2. If you don't have those keys on your Android device, you can popup virtual keys in Netmite if you hit the Menu button and enter System menu.

If you turn off the music, it will also be turned off next time you load the DiscMag.

[TFM]

Well, I have an idea. Usually when I have this kind of an idea I better shut up. But nevertheless, do you think it would be possible to emulate an cell phone (a simple one, but one that can display the cell phone disc mag) on the CPC? I tried to find informatins about cell phones in the net, but I didn't find a site talking about cpu, rom, ram and so on of cell phones.

It may be more than weird to think about emulating a cell phone with the CPC, but in case you got informations "what" must be emulated tell it here.

Would be funny to have a cell emulator on CPC, displaying a cell phone disc mag for the CPC 

[mr_lou]

I don't think there's any reason to do that. Instead we should just have a DiscMag engine for the CPC that could read and interpret the text files the same way. 

[TFM]

I don't think there's any reason to do that. Instead we should just have a DiscMag engine for the CPC that could read and interpret the text files the same way. 

Well, in this case we need a clear definiton of the text files:

- ASCII? 8 or 16 bit character set?
- How do which characters look like?
- In which way are gfx / pictures implemented?
- Control Codes?

Mr Lou, you got a lot to dou! 

[mr_lou]

Well, in this case we need a clear definiton of the text files

Nah... you'll always be able to load whatever character encoding and save as another. No big problem.
But for the phone I'm using 8bit ASCII and BB like codes to set various font size and colors etc.

But I'll never do such a system for the CPC. I simply can't code for the CPC in that league.

But if anyone ever makes a DiscMag for the CPC, I'd be happy to make a cellphone version of it. Just send me the articles. 

[TFM]

But if anyone ever makes a DiscMag for the CPC, I'd be happy to make a cellphone version of it. Just send me the articles. 

I'll remember that when releasing FutureView V.