
liqbook example text.

taken from liqbase.net

welcome to liqbase
liqbase is faster than paper.

	
If you like what I am doing, please donate to this project.
it is a graphical playground for the Nokia Internet Tablets running Maemo.

written by Gary Birkett (lcuk on #maemo)
with extensive help from:
KotCzarny, crashanddie

special thanks to the raw beta testers:
stskeeps, truejournals, melmoth, GeneralAntilles, lardman, qole, qwerty12, Thesandlord, justnick and a load of others.

Additional guidance and support given by the rest of the maemo.org community members.

Order from chaos.

I have been steadily building up the capabilities of the new framework.

The heavy coding process is starting to pay off now as I am seeing excellent results

Have a look for yourself here:

Please donate to this project if you like what you see, and of course vote for this video :)

Brave new world.

I have spent the last couple of months working towards curing some of the original limitations with liqbase.

Progress hasn't been as fast as I hoped mainly because I am still doing a fulltime day-job and partly because my fingers physically cannot type as fast as my mind works.

The progress so far has been described as breathtaking and I have left people speechless at what I have started to achieve.

Have a look for yourself here:

Please donate to this project if you like what you see, and of course vote for this video :)

Maemo Summit 2008.
In September 2008, I presented liqbase at the very first maemo summit held at the c-base in Berlin.


liqbase, by Gary Birkett from Jamie Bennett on Vimeo.

latest test .deb (0.1.5)


maemo app listing, also available in maemo extras!

liqbase is licensed under the GPL v2.





things for the future

principle features.
sketching - faster than paper.
liqbase includes one of the fastest graphical editors on this platform.
It is designed to let you take be creative without getting in your way.
You can write a note like a postit and instantly store it for later use.
the editor includes a few basic tools for playing around and doodling (try the stamp tool for fun)

use it to remember the milk, take someones name, get directions, doodle, squiggle and anything you generally do on paper
think about interfaces for programs or just draw silly pictures, its entirely up to you.

graffiti wall.
live view showing all sketches drawn so far, instant memory recall.
features full display high resolution tearfree kinetic scrolling.
resizable display allows you to look closely or for a grand overview.
you can highlight and edit any sketch.
the system will never overwrite an existing sketch, everything you save will have a new name and appear at the top of the graffiti wall.
you can delete sketches you no longer wish to have, however at this time, the delete command ONLY renames the files.
they are recoverable by going behind the scenes. I will be adding options for full deletion with or without confirmation in due time.


Book reader.
Ascii based .txt book reader is included which is a proof of concept fullscreen book reader.
Includes fullscreen kinetic scrolling and an autoscroll function(press menu key).
It will remember hwere you are in the document and allow you to continue.
It does not know many formats yet (all my books are .txt ...), but if you feel like adding more, have a go.

Physics view.
This screen will dispay a few of your sketches and allow you to manipulate them by drawing around.
This screen is not really physics, but the name has stuck.
Once you have some sketches try it - its relaxing.

Stars.
Good old starfields :)
If you look close enough sometimes you might find lunch.

Options/Display Resolution.
You can change the display resolution (watch the notice further down) to any value, and most of the software will work with it.
If you notice an area which does not work at an alternative resolution could you please let me know.
Options/CPU Throttling.
The rendering and UI does not always feel as responsive as it should, you can alter the CPU settings here.
Changing a setting will keep that setting until you next reboot when it will return to On Demand.
Options/Camera Blit Test.
This is just a view from the camera, however if you press the Zoom buttons you might see a few more.
This includes kinetic scrolling around a large number of copies.
Options/Blit Test and Map.
These are just fixed images which test the kinetic scrolling on whole images.
The map was invaluable in Berlin.

Test Area.
This screen will attempt to load a few images and do the same as the physics view, on some machines it may be empty.

png image saving
I have (finally) added png image saving
It doesn't do anything spectacular, but allows a screenshot or photo to be taken by pressing the hardware [FullScreen] key.
I will be making use of this properly in the coming weeks
(sneak peek)

(note to nokia: PLEASE give us a decent high resolution camera on the front of this next model (but keep this one as well))
multitouch simulation
I have added a multitouch simulation to the package for testing purposes
It has been pondered and considered for a while, but only recently could I describe what I wanted.
Its just a start, but I want to see if its possible to expand upon it
// use the primary thumb as ground zero
// then keeping the thumb pressed and stationary touch with a secondary finger
// the cursor will jump to roughly the halfway point (depending upon pressure differential)
// this is my chance, I know the original fixed start location
// and I know roughly where the finger is, i know its direction, and something of its position
// if the finger moves closer, its rough position will get closer
// it it moves further away, then so will the rough position
// if it rotates, i will know roughly where it is
// i can use this rough guide to stretch or rotate objects
This can be found in options/multitouch test

Session logging to file.
I have added a session log of actions performed during the session.
I already performed extensive logging, however it was difficult to get at.
I really didnt want to have to do this but it seems theres enough issues to warrant it.
After I have examined a few logs I will remove it again.

The file is created in ~/.liqbase/liqbase.run.log and simply appends itself during the session.
If you get any kind of errors could you please include it along with a report of what you were doing.
The log is reset upon startup, so if you get an issue you must send the log before restarting.
Hildonization.
I have attempted to make liqbase compliant to the hildon desktop in a number of ways.
I have ensured liqbase is included in the home key menu and has an entry on the desktop.
it no longer closes when it blanks or is locked.
if there are any problems with this approach, please contact me.

International character support.
I am investigating ways to bring in international character support to the book reader.
However, I know nothing about this area and would appreciate some assistance.

Graphical glitches
I have had reports that on first run after bootup liqbase can encounter graphical glitches.
The people encountering this have reported that simply closing and restarting the application fixes the problem.

Due to a configuration change, this should not be apparant for first time installers.
however if you change the resolution to 800*480, then on the first run after a reboot the glitches may re-appear.
If you simply close the program and start again they will be removed until you next reboot.
I do not get these with my primary nokia, though have reproduced them with my second device
I am investigating this issue and hope to resolve it shortly.
freezing
the x server can occasionally crash and cause the tablet to freeze requiring a reboot.
If the software crashes and locks up your touchscreen may become unresponsive until a full reboot is performed
From personal experience this has occured once or twice in the last few months with no way for me to reproduce.

additional links
faster than paper

Maemo Garage Project

Maemo garage bugs

Internet Tablet Talk - call for assistance thread

Internet Tablet Talk - open source virgin thread

Internet Tablet Talk - playtest thread

Live internet sketch stream (very raw alpha test)

funding and sponsorship
liqbase is an extensive project encapsulating many areas which I simply do not have enough time and energy to continue to do as a hobby.
I am therefore seeking sponsorship and management/business assistance to allow it to continue to grow.
If you can help in any way, please contact me at liquid@gmail.com

