First Midori/WebKit iLiad Beta Release

I've created an early beta release for my port of the Webkit based Midori internet browser.

There are quite a few bugs that need to be worked out before it's ready for the average user, but it works well enough as a tech demo.

You can see some screenshots below:

If you'd like to try it, you can download the first beta here: Midori Beta 1

You will need developer access on your iLiad to launch it. You'll also need to start an internet connection with another script.

Building a better web browser

I don't know why, but I've decided I really want a good, working, web browser on the iLiad. Maybe it's Kindle envy, maybe I spend too much time porting when I should be working, who knows.

WebKit seems to be all the rage these days. They have builds of it for just about every platform, and the iPhone has really brought it into the mainstream. So my goal is to port WebKit to the iLiad and provide a useful interface for browsing.

• It must be able to use the pagebar to page up and down.
• Screen refreshes must not be obtrusive, and should be responsive. (Native refreshes only, no hacked libX11)
  
• Support for Bookmarks and Recent URL's.
• Easy to install package that can run from anywhere.

WebKit is compiling now. Next, I'll build Epiphany and use the webkit core. As long as that goes smoothly, I can work on refreshes and the rest of the application. Wish me luck...

Edit: I think I found a better front end than Epipany. Midori is much smaller and more light weight than Epiphany. It should be able to do everything required and be relatively quick on the iLiad.

I had Midori up and running with the Webkit backend, but nothing would display because WebKit was made to work with gtk 2.8, and the iLiad has 2.6. I believe I've found a patch, so I'm recompiling (takes about 2 hours on my dev pc). Hopefully I should have an early working application soon....

Finally!: Integrated FBReader 0.8.14 with ePub and Registry Support

It's been about 6 months since my last port of FBReader. The talented FBReader developers have done a lot. The most important addition is the support for ePub books. You can view the full changelog at FBReader.org.

I, myself, have done a lot of things different for this release as well.

• I've removed the FBReader toolbar, and thus, disabled the internal library.
  • This was mostly done to speed up porting time. With the library removed, much less needed to be done to the code of the program to port it.
  • All refreshes are done internally. No hacked libX11 is used!
• By default, FBReader will add supported file extensions to the registry
  • This makes FBReader act like any other viewer on the iLiad.
  • FBReader settings and configuration will be saved to /mnt/settings so a software update should not erase them.
• The installer no longer requires a memory card, and will be installed to internal memory.
  • The internal memory of the iLiad has 7.8MB free after installing FBReader. It should not interfere with anything else installed internally.

Based on a support thread I made, file extensions supported are:

• chm
• rtf
• oeb
• opf
• epub
• fb2
• tcr

Because the toolbar is gone, most of the important functions can now be accessed by the hardware buttons:

• Upper Left/Quit Button
  • Will cancel out of TOC screen, and will quit when inside the book.
• Page Bar Forward
  • Short Press
    • Next Page
  • Long Press
    • Redo
• Page Bar Backward
  • Short Press
    • Previous Page
  • Long Press
    • Undo
• Up Arrow
  • Short Press
    • Previous TOC Section
  • Long Press
    • Increase Font Size
• Dot or "Enter" Button
  • Short Press
    • Show Table of Contents
  • Long Press
    • Rotate Page
• Down Arrow
  • Short Press
    • Next TOC Section
  • Long Press
    • Decrease Font Size
    
    

Installation of this is simple. You'll need firmware 2.12 and Developer Shell access. Unzip the file, and copy anywhere on your iLiad. You will need to restart your iLiad when it prompts you. After you've restarted, you can delete the installation directory.

There will be no icon to run FBReader, you'll need to select a book from the contentlister with one of the file extensions listed above.

Supported books will have a valid icon.

You can find the release and discussion at MobileRead: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20490