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MiniGUI/README
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NAME
MiniGUI - a mature cross-platform windowing system and GUI system
for real-time embedded systems.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. The runtime modes of MiniGUI
3. New features of this version
4. History
5. About the authors
6. If you have a problem
7. A little FAQ
8. Copying
1. INTRODUCTION
MiniGUI is a mature cross-platform windowing system and GUI (Graphics
User Interface) support system for real-time embedded systems. This
is version 3.2 released by Feynman Software (http://www.minigui.com).
MiniGUI aims to provide a fast, stable, full-featured, and cross-platform
windowing and GUI support system, which is especially fit for
real-time embedded systems based-on Linux/uClinux, eCos, and other
tranditional RTOSes, such as VxWorks, ThreadX, Nucleus, pSOS, uC/OS-II,
and OSE.
This is the MiniGUI core source tarball, which provides windowing
and graphics interfaces as well as a lot of standard controls.
Besides MiniGUI core, Feynman Software also provides some components
for the developers to develop application much easier:
o mGi: An input method component for MiniGUI. This component provides
some typical input methods (such as softkey, hand-writing, and predict
text input for mobile phone) for MiniGUI applications.
o mGp: A printing component for MiniGUI. By using mGp, you can print
out the graphics created by MiniGUI application to general-purpose priters.
o mG3d: A simple three-dimension component for MiniGUI. This component
provides a simple 3D API for application. You can use mG3d to create
3D UI.
o mGUtils: A MiniGUI component which contains miscellaneous utilities
like ColorSelectionDialogBox, FileOpenDialogBox, and so on.
o mGPlus: A MiniGUI component which provides support for advanced graphics
functions like path, gradient, anti-aliase stretch, and color combination.
MiniGUI also is a free software project. In December 1998, the initiator of
Feynman Software, Wei Yongming, began to develop MiniGUI under the
GNU General Public License (GPL). In September 2002, the core developers of
MiniGUI founded Feynman Software and started the commercial marketing with
the free software. By now, Feynman Software still continues to release MiniGUI
as a free software project.
You can download the source of GPL'd MiniGUI versions from the site:
http://www.minigui.org
2. THE RUNTIME MODES OF MINIGUI
You can configure and compile MiniGUI as one of three runtime modes:
* `MiniGUI-Threads': A program running on MiniGUI-Threads can create
multiple cascaded windows in different threads, and all the windows
belong to a single process. MiniGUI-Threads is fit for some real-time
systems on Linux/uClinux, eCos, uC/OS-II, VxWorks, pSOS, ThreadX,
and OSE.
* `MiniGUI-Processes': A program running on MiniGUI-Processes is
an independent process, which can also create multiple windows.
MiniGUI-Processes is fit for some complex embedded systems, such as
PDAs, Thin-Clients or STBs. This mode is only useful for full-featured
UNIX-like operating systems, like Linux.
* `MiniGUI-Standalone': A single process version of MiniGUI. This mode
is useful for some systems which lack of PThread support, like some
buggy uClinux systems.
The original MiniGUI (version 1.0) run in MiniGUI-Threads mode.
It is based on POSIX-compliant thread library. And this thread-based
architecture of MiniGUI is very fit for most traditional embedded
operating systems, such as eCos, uC/OS-II, and VxWorks. However,
if you use embedded Linux, the architecture like X Window will have
better stability and scalability, because of the independent memory
address space of every process.
Since version 2.0, we provides a new runtime mode called MiniGUI-Processes.
You can use MiniGUI-Processes to run more than one MiniGUI-based
program in the form of UNIX process at the same time. MiniGUI-Processes
is a full-featured multi-process version of original MiniGUI -- You
can run a program based on MiniGUI-Processes from a program called
'mginit'. Just like X Window, the former process is called a client,
and the latter the server.
Clients connect to the server via UNIX domain socket, and the server
receives and responses requests from clients. The server provides shared
resources for clients, manage window objects, and sends mouse
(or touch screen) and keyboard events to the active top-most client.
If a client exits or dies for some reasons, it will not damage other
clients and the server.
3. NEW FEATURES OF THIS VERSION
For more information, please refer to ReleaesNotes-3.2.x.pdf file in
the product CD-ROM (in the 'docs/' directory).
4. HISTORY
About ten years have pasted since MiniGUI was initially created at
the end of 1998, and now it becomes much reliable and stable.
During the past years, many remarkable changes have taken place in
the MiniGUI project.
At the original, the version 0.2.xx was based on SVGALib and PThread
(LinuxThreads). Then the version 0.3.xx had many enhanced features
including Graphics Abstract Layer (GAL), Input Abstract Layer (IAL),
and the support for multiple charsets and multiple fonts.
In version 1.0.00, we designed MiniGUI-Lite, which was more fit for
some complex embedded systems, such as PDAs, Thin-Clients, or STBs.
MiniGUI-Lite made the embedded systems more stable and efficient.
The version 1.0.00 provided the native fbcon engine based on Linux
FrameBuffer device directly as well.
In the development of version 1.1.00, we re-wrote the GAL and GDI
interfaces, and provided some advanced video features, such as raster
operation, transparent blitting, alpha blending, and video hardware
acceleration. We also provided some important GDI functions, such as
Ellipse, Arc, Polygon, and FloodFill.
In the development of version 1.6.0, we added advanced 2D graphics
functions to MiniGUI. It provides the abstract logical pen and brush
objects, and can be used to render advanced graphics objects.
In the development of version 2.0.x, we developed MiniGUI-Processes.
In the development of version 3.0.x, we introduced Look & Feel Renderer,
BIDI text support, No-rectagular window, double-buffer window, and
other main featuers.
In the development of version 3.2.x, we enhanced MiniGUI to support Gtk+
v2.16.x smoothly.
A brief history description of the developement progress lay below:
0) 1994 ~ 1996: MiniGUI DOS version.
1) Dec, 1998: Began to write.
2) Apr, 1999: The skeleton of MiniGUI, windowing sub-system
and basic graphics device interfaces.
3) May, 1999: Timer, menu, and the sekleton of control sub-system.
4) Jun, 1999: Chinese input method (by Kang Xiaoning).
5) July, 1999: GIF and JPG loading support (by LI Zhuo).
6) Aug, 1999: Some standard controls (Portion by Zhao Jianghua).
7) Sep, 1999: Dialog boxes and message boxes.
8) Sep, 1999: Snapshot of screen or window.
9) Jan., 2000: VCOnGUI (Virtual Console on MiniGUI) version 0.2.02.
10) Mar., 2000: Linux distribution installer based-on MiniGUI for
HappyLinux 1.0.
11) Jun., 2000: Began to develop version 1.0.xx.
12) Sep., 2000: MiniGUI version 0.3.06 released.
13) Oct., 2000: MiniGUI version 0.9.00 released.
14) Nov., 2000: MiniGUI version 0.9.96 released.
15) Jan., 2001: MiniGUI version 0.9.98 released. You can build
MiniGUI-Lite from this version.
16) Jan., 2001: MiniGUI version 1.0.00Beta1 released.
17) Feb., 2001: MiniGUI version 1.0.00Pre1 released.
18) Apr., 2001: MiniGUI version 1.0.00 released (2001/04/16).
18) Sep., 2001: MiniGUI version 1.1.0Pre1 released (2001/09/12).
19) Sep., 2001: MiniGUI version 1.0.9 released (2001/09/17),
this will be the last version of
source branch 1.0.x.
20) Oct., 2001: MiniGUI version 1.1.0Pre4 released (2001/10/22).
This version have new GAL and GDI interfaces.
21) Mar., 2002: MiniGUI official version 1.1.0 released
(2002/03/08).
MiniGUI API Reference documentation
version 0.9 released.
22) Mar., 2002: MiniGUI API Reference documentation
version 1.0 released.
23) Apr., 2002: MiniGUI the new stable version 1.2.0 released
(2002/04/11).
24) Sep., 2002: The main developers of MiniGUI founded a
new software corporation: Beijing Feynman Software
Technology Co., Ltd.. And the development and
maintenance of MiniGUI changes from
loosely-knit team to business organization.
25) Mar., 2003: MiniGUI official version 1.2.5 released
(2003/03/23).
25) May., 2003: MiniGUI official version 1.2.6 released
(2003/05/18).
26) Sep., 2003: MiniGUI official version 1.3.1 released
(2003/09/11).
27) Jan., 2004: MiniGUI official version 1.5.1 released
(2004/01/18).
28) Feb., 2004: MiniGUI tested on eCos and uC/OS-II.
29) Jun., 2004: MiniGUI tested on VxWorks.
30) Jan., 2005: MiniGUI tested on ThreadX and pSOS.
31) Feb., 2005: MiniGUI official version 1.6.1 released.
32) Aug., 2005: MiniGUI beta version 2.0.0 released.
33) Sep., 2005: MiniGUI official version 1.6.8 released.
34) Oct., 2005: MiniGUI official version 2.0.2 released.
35) Jun., 2006: MiniGUI provides support for OSE.
36) Jul., 2006: MiniGUI official version 2.0.3/1.6.9 released.
37) Nov., 2007: MiniGUI official version 2.0.4/1.6.10 released.
38) Apr., 2009: MiniGUI official version 3.0.2 released.
39) Oct., 2009: MiniGUI official version 3.0.4 released.
40) Jan., 2010: MiniGUI official version 3.0.6 released.
41) May., 2010: MiniGUI official version 3.0.8 released.
42) May., 2010: MiniGUI official version 3.2.0 released.
43) Oct., 2010: MiniGUI official version 3.0.10 released.
5. ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The original author of MiniGUI is Wei Yongming, and now MiniGUI is
maintained by Feynman Software. For more information, please browse
our home page:
http://www.minigui.com
The GPL'd versions and dependent libraries of MiniGUI can be found at:
http://www.minigui.org
6. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM
If you have any technical problem, advice or comment, please send
messages to consult@minigui.com.
If you are interested in the commercial MiniGUI products and licensing,
please write to sales@minigui.com.
7. A LITTLE FAQ
Q: Is GPL'd MiniGUI free for commercial use?
A: Simply no. Feynman Software release some versions of MiniGUI under
GPL license. It is free for those who are 100% GPL and those who
never copy, modify and distribute MiniGUI. But if you want to use
these GPL'd versions for commerce, you should get the commercial
license from Feynman Software first.
Q: Which operating system does MiniGUI support?
A: MiniGUI can run on Linux/uClinux, uC/OS-II, eCos, ThreadX, pSOS,
VxWorks, ThreadX, OSE, and even Win32. Any other real-time OSes can
be supported theoretically.
Q: Which architecture does MiniGUI support?
A: Intel x86, ARM (ARM7/AMR9/StrongARM/xScale), PowerPC, MIPS,
DragonBall, ColdFire, Blackfin, and so on.
Q: Does MiniGUI offer the support for grey LCD with 4bpp (bits per pixel)?
A: Yes, it offers. It even offers the support for 1bpp and 2bpp LCD.
8. COPYING
Copyright (C) 2002~2010, Beijing FMSoft Technology Co., Ltd.
All rights reserved.
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