h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I would love to work on a parallel Linux version/port. I don't have much experience, but I'm sure I can do something. I really don't want this to be limited to Windows.

-Spike A.

I'm not exactly sure how we'll do this. But if you want to email us (our addresses are both on our spaces), we should be able to sort it from there!

At the moment we're using standard Microsoft components and we're not sure how they'll transfer (also see F20578?thread=179523) but it'd be great if you could help us!

Anything to add, FM?

Hi Spike,
Nice to see that others are getting involved in the project. By all means adapt GuideDog to work on Linux systems when the Windows version is finished. I don't know how difficult a job this would be, as the Windows project didn't really become a viable proposition until the right components were available, which they are now. If they are available for Linux then your development time will be slashed. Let me know how you intend to go about tackling this problem from a technical angle.

FM

I'll look into it! Getting a bit here, what's your general angle of attack for the Windows project?

-Spike A.

I think that the best way of decsribing our 'angle
' is 'obtuse'.

Seriously, the way the prototype works is as follows:
* an XSL stylesheet is applied to convert the GuideMl into DHTML
* the DHTML is edited in the MSHTML editor
* The MSXML parser traverses the HTML Document Object Model and writes out GuideML on saving.

We use MSXML, MSHTML and Visual Basic 6 to accomplish this. IE 6 is used as the HTML display component as it has *incredibly* powerful editing functionality that very few know about.

If someone could tell me more about how to edit using ie6 I would be grateful, as well as perhaps a recommendation of a tutorial or manual that covers this type of topic. (I'd really rather work on generalities and work up from there rather than just get a list of commands and muddle my through it)
Somebody Help Please...

yes, I would too, unfortunately I've not found much available.
If I find any tutorials I'll let you know. But all I've been able to really do is stumble around in the dark with Microsoft's sparsely explained command list.

Unluckily if you wish to convert port to Linux/Unix I doubt very much that any Microsoft components will work. Microsoft's opinions on Linux seem to point towards them *not* developing for the platform. (though they have a Mac version of IE, so who knows?)

They won't - not for a while anyway. Although in the past they have developed UNIX versions of Internet Explorer (but only for specific commercial UNIX systems of course).

I've got plans in mind for a Linux WYSIWYG editor similar to GuideDog and probably taking lots of inspiration from it, to be programmed in C++ using gtkmm2, along with libxml and maybe libxslt depending on how my attempts to make Gtk::TextView do strange things go. However, I won't be starting this for a while as I've got far too much else on my plate.

You might consider (as I am doing) looking into the .NET framework. MS have, uncharacteristically, decided to make the source code for the framework open. They've also submitted C# for public certification. The Mono project, http://www.go-mono.com/ (why have they decided to name it after the American term for glandular fever??) are working on an open source implementation. It could be worthwhile following these developments.

Yes, I've got a primitive version of GuidePost up and running written in C# using Windows Forms. I'm not going to look too closely at Mono until it's more complete though - although it is self-hosting on Linux now

C# is a very nice language though, I'm rather fond of it.

How long does it take to do a C# version compared to the Delphi version? I'm hoping to get my hands on a version of VB.NET so I can have a play around. As far as I can determine it's actually very quick to produce something.

Delphi was faster to the same point, but that's because I was learning C# as I went along, and because Delphi has a graphical interface designer. Because I don't have Visual C#, I was hand-coding the interface as well.

Hard work; rather like trying to build a house with the use of an architect's easel. I don't envy you.
Let's hope we produce something useful soon. I don't particularly care how, I just think it would be a really public spirited thing to do (which is why I am doing it).

I wouldn't connect the fact that C# is 'look-but-don't-touch' open source with the Mono effort. Ximian have had to be /very/ careful with the project, because they have to make sure they avoid the MS source code at all costs, for fear of infecting Mono with MS's viral C# source code licence. In fact, MS's 'opening' of the source code has probably hindered the effort, not helped it...

Yes, it has. The Microsoft Shared Source licence is seriously dangerous if you're not careful with it... they claim the GPL is evil and viral, and then they go and come up with one that's worse...

Admittedly, Microsoft have been lying through their teeth about it

Now there's a surprise
I personally don't have any axe to grid against M$. If they produce good tools which help me do my job quicker, then all the better.

Sure. Fine. And nobody doubts that Microsoft produces some fairly good programs. The question is, if we're actually going to get into the politics, whether their programs, or those of the competitors, would be better were it not for MS's tactics. In a number of areas this is clearly the case, where superior products never stood a chance because of tactics that MS was able to pursue because it had monopolistic power. In many other cases this seems very highly likely - ever noticed the fact that IE basically hasn't changed in the past 5 / 6 years?

'if we are going to get into the politics'

I'd suggest not. I don't think it would be a very productive thing to do on this project, to make sensitivities to political perspectives a leading objective. MS rules the desktop, IE now rules the browser world. We work with whatever fits into this environment best. End of story.

Actually, I don't think you're quite right. Whilst it's true that MS have a desktop monopoly, the browser situation is very different. It isn't Microsoft that rules the browser area, but the w3c, and despite all the pessimism abounding, HTML has stuck very well. Anyone can use any browser that they like that follows the standards, and, apart from Windows Update, they'll never have any trouble. They might have a few websites that look unprofessional with bits badly laid out, but that's hardly a showstopper...