OESF Portables Forum
Everything Else => Zaurus Distro Support and Discussion => Distros, Development, and Model Specific Forums => Archived Forums => Angstrom & OpenZaurus => Topic started by: systemparadox on April 08, 2005, 03:53:31 pm
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Is it possible to run X apps on opie?
Is it possible to run opie apps on X (gpe)?
iirc, KDE is QT based, but thats just a windowmanager that runs on X. Could somebody explain what opie and qt are please?
Thanks
Simon
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Is it possible to run X apps on opie?
Not directly, but you can install X/Qt and run X apps within it.
Is it possible to run opie apps on X (gpe)?
I don't think so.
Qt is, I think, just a C++ library of widgets. Qtopia is the environment running on the Zaurus built with Qt. KDE is a desktop environment also built with Qt. Maybe others can explain better.
Felipe
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what is providing the graphics server? Is opie using parts of X or has it made it's own? Or can qtopia do that?
Is opie essentially the same as Qtopia?
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Qt: A multi-platform graphics toolkit comprising a library and a skinnable widget set. Relies on other software for low-level drawing operations (which may be X or whatever Mac OS X or Windows provides).
Qt/Embedded: Abbreviated as Qt/E. A version of Qt intended for use in embedded Linux environments for devices with limited resources. It is adjusted to perform its own drawing operations using the framebuffer device available under Linux.
Qtopia: Formerly known as the Qt Palmtop Environment or QPE. A graphic user environment (GUI) built with Qt/Embedded. This is what you interact with when using a Zaurus with its original Sharp ROM.
Opie: Open Palmtop Integrated Environment. A graphic user environment (GUI) derived from Qtopia. This is what you usually interact with when using OpenZaurus. Opie's development is less reliant on Trolltech (creators of Qt, Qt/E and Qtopia) as it is basically an independent fork of Qtopia.
Basically, if you have a clamshell Zaurus, you can run Qt/E and X applications side-by-side if you run pdaXrom which is a ROM that includes an X server. If you are using a brick-style (5x00) Zaurus you are basically stuck with Qtopia or Opie apps. Note that Opie and Qtopia seem to be slowly diverging so applications written for one are not necessarily compatible with the other.
Hope this helps,
z.
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there is gpe for the brick zs. it is X.
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Qt is more than just a graphics toolkit, but that's besides the point...
With OpenZaurus, you have the choice of two environments - GPE, which uses an X server to display to the screen (and uses the GTK2 graphics toolkit), or Opie, which uses Qt/e, as mentioned previously. It is not currently feasible to run Opie/Qtopia applications in GPE, or vice-versa.
However, if you have the time and inclination, you could install X/Qt, an X server that runs under Qt/e. This allows applications that require X to dsplay graphics. If you don't know what any of this means, likelihood is it isn't worth the hassle - Just stick with either Opie or GPE for a while
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Qt: A multi-platform graphics toolkit comprising a library and a skinnable widget set. Relies on other software for low-level drawing operations (which may be X or whatever Mac OS X or Windows provides).
So apps written using QT can (with some care and work) be made to run on linux, macOS and windows? (non-Zaurus question).
Qtopia: Formerly known as the Qt Palmtop Environment or QPE. A graphic user environment (GUI) built with Qt/Embedded. This is what you interact with when using a Zaurus with its original Sharp ROM.
So Qtopia is the GUI (like KDE, windowmaker, etc), which runs on Qt/E (which does drawing operations so X is not needed (as well as providing the widget set))?
Opie: Open Palmtop Integrated Environment. A graphic user environment (GUI) derived from Qtopia. This is what you usually interact with when using OpenZaurus. Opie's development is less reliant on Trolltech (creators of Qt, Qt/E and Qtopia) as it is basically an independent fork of Qtopia.
Opie just replaces Qtopia, and still needs Qt/E to control drawing operations, right? Or is opie just the name which covers the replacements for Qtopia and Qt/E (maybe that's where the "integrated" part comes in?)?
Basically, if you have a clamshell Zaurus, you can run Qt/E and X applications side-by-side if you run pdaXrom which is a ROM that includes an X server.
How does pdaXrom manage to do both? Is it an X server which can run Qt/E apps or Qt/E running X support? Or neither?
Note that Opie and Qtopia seem to be slowly diverging so applications written for one are not necessarily compatible with the other.
Could you explain more where they are diverging and why this makes apps incompatible?
However, if you have the time and inclination, you could install X/Qt, an X server that runs under Qt/e. This allows applications that require X to dsplay graphics. If you don't know what any of this means, likelihood is it isn't worth the hassle - Just stick with either Opie or GPE for a while
I would have understood most of that before I started this thread- that's the easy part
Seems rather silly though: thats a program, which uses GTK widgets for example, which ask X to do some drawing, which is using Qt widgets, which asks Qt/E to draw on the framebuffer.
Or have I completely misunderstood?
With OpenZaurus, you have the choice of two environments - GPE, which uses an X server to display to the screen (and uses the GTK2 graphics toolkit), or Opie, which uses Qt/e, as mentioned previously.
It is not currently feasible to run Opie/Qtopia applications in GPE, or vice-versa.
Right, here's where I still don't get it, but in case I'm wrong above I'll save the long version till the next post. Here's the short version (or part of it)...
Why aren't [Qt/E] and [Qt running on X] the same thing as far as a program which uses Qt widgets is concerned?
Thankyou all for the very helpful replies
Simon
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Right, here's where I still don't get it, but in case I'm wrong above I'll save the long version till the next post. Here's the short version (or part of it)...
Why aren't [Qt/E] and [Qt running on X] the same thing as far as a program which uses Qt widgets is concerned?
Thankyou all for the very helpful replies
Simon
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Qt is currently at version 3.x (with 4.x in beta, I think) - If you're running Qt on X, you're more than likely running version 3, which isn't compatible with applications written for previous major versions (2.x, 1.x). Currently, Opie uses a heavily patched qt/e 2.x - In theory, Opie applications could be compiled for Qt on X, version 2.x, but due to all the patching that's happened on qt/e, as well as other changes in the way things are done with embedded Qt (I think), I don't think this is the case anymore.
When you run GPE, Qt is not involved at all - As far as I know, there isn't any Qt for X11 in any of the OZ feeds, so unless you go about compiling your own software, or some other clever solution, there is no way to run Opie or Qt applications under GPE/X11 using OZ.
Think of it like this:
GPE -> Gtk2 -> X11 -> fb (framebuffer)
Opie -> qt/e -> fb
If you run Xqt, an X-server that uses qt to display, you get:
X11 -> qt/e -> fb
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Is it possible to run a minimal, but normal X-Server like X.org or XFree on Zaurus, if you have a SD-Card big enough?
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Name a Qt app that runs on X (perhaps one of the KDE apps)... can we run that on GPE?
How does pdaXrom do it?
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I belive if someone compiled OPIE or Qtopia with support for either VNC or qtvfb it would be possible to launch OPIE or Qtopia from GPE and then run your app that way.