Update

OK, Didn't get to do much coding today but I found out why Screens Environment has constantly got stuck on the object storage. It wasn't because of the object storage design that evolved continuously but rather the way I designed the code. I was trying to build a user/programmer experience without any experience before it. I think thats why most developers get stuck in bootloader progress. Its because you are trying to build something on nothing which unless you are god, is plainly impossible. I was coding lets say CoreObjectNew and driving myself nuts on why I couldn't get the code logic to work. It just mounted into lines of code with a spageti and repetative feel. This is why NDS applications work out and Screens doesnt! For NDS I am building application on top of an existing API. Here I am trying to build an API on top of another API. The problem? The API I am trying to build is too high-level on top of the other API. That is PalmOS API is too low level for my own API. So I will need to stop trying to abstract too much and actually add some 'conversion' components between the low API and my high API. I cannot build the object storage on a low API which is why it just wasn't working untill now. Problem: I was trying to make a programmer experience with nothing inbetween. Doesn't work that way... Solution: Make some components to build up to the object storage instead of the object storage being the third component in the kernel. The object storage does alot of things and if I want that code to be small and neat, I'll need to create my own low level experience just for the kernel. The kernel needs a programming interface of its own, not an application programming interface. Well see how things go... but it does explain all these times I re-wrote when I got to the middle of the object storage... everytime!

Update

Hi Guys, A took a day off my NDS job to stay home and code... code... code... And boy... its tough... I am still stuck on this #?!% Object Storage. Why you might ask? Why is this object storage killing me? Because its new and not done by any other system for mobile devices for sure. One of the key things the object storage does is stop bad pointers. Which means that if you destroy an object, it makes sure that all locations that point to the object now know that the object is destroyed instead of keeping the destroyed pointer address. This is done by having a middle-man handle between the instances and the object itself. Basicly... Its still tough and its driving me nuts that its so hard for me. NDS has been a life-saver for my ego allowing me to know that I do know how to code, so I guess it's because Screens Environment is just a tough project. I feel kinda isolated here... while I get a comment once a month on my blog... I feel in the dessert. Everyone has lost interest and signed my project as vapor-ware. All my MSN Users I dont even bother to contact anymore because it feels like no one has time for me since I just go through the same redesign-recode stage that feels like it never stops. Its funny looking back... Screens Environment is a much larger project than it was 3 years ago but still I am the only one working on it. Users come and go and now... they are all gone. About my only inspiration left is my wife and Zane (EDGE). Zane, if you are reading my blog... Thanks!

Update

Hi Guys, Not only is my PalmOS knowledge expanding but my PocketPC knowledge is now getting realy good. Just learnt about DIB Sections which is a device independent bitmap (DIB) that an application can write to directly... going to check this out next week for some drawing effects since GDI just wont cut it I guess. While I am currently coding Screens Environment for PalmOS, I am coding my NDS stuff for Windows Mobile. This means I get double exposure and learn new ways of doing things for both platforms. So things are still tagging along... About the screenshots, I hope to find time next week since I had none when I got home this week - too tired to move out of my snuggish bead I guess ;) Have a nice weekend, Zakai Hamilton

Update

Thanks to Zane, I was able to finish my first EDGE experience. This is the best game ever :D Yesterday I went to do a IQ test to become a full time employee at NDS... Hopefully I have passed. On Screens Environment issues: I spent some more time on this object storage and hopefully this build should be better than previous versions. I am going to test it more thoroughly in the coming days. About the mockups... I know I haven't updated them in quite some time... so I'll spend some time this week to create you an updated mockup of what I expect Screens Environment to look like in some way or another. So stay tuned...

Update

OK... I got to admit... EDGE (Extreme Dungeon Game Experience which I think it stands for Extreme Damn Great Experience) is realy taking up my time. I must release myself from the game to get some more coding done. You'd think that because I bought a Palm game, I wouldn't be playing it while sitting next to my desktop computer... go figure ;) Anyone who hasn't checked it out: CHECK IT OUT! www.zanegames.com For only 24.95$, its well worth it! My personal only pick! OK... enough for advertisements... Screens Environment is moving a bit slow in the last month from working extra at NDS. However my experience at NDS has been only great for Screens. I have polished my programming and learnt how to finally fix myself on ideas without constantly changing. I am now coding this week v2 of the MobileEPG UI which will only be great news when I use these ideas for Screens Environment such as alignment to any layer dynamically (realy eases those window sizing since controls can be aligned to any other window/control position in multiple ways). I believe that Screens Environment will be hitting the year 2006 because of NDS. They have realy made me able to test out my ideas without implementing the whole thing at once. I have tested my Layering engine skills and Object storage skills. Expect Screens Environment to be a real kicker - 2006! Expect some more work done this month than ever and more posts... I am asigning November as the month of work. So you might even see some graphics at the end of the month but thats realy teasing myself. Remember that Screens Environment is free and will be released open source. Requirments: Palm III and up Yes... low requirements but will support all the latest HiRes+ displays. The idea is that Screens Environment has very low dependencies to work but has a driver model to take advantage of all newer capabilities.

Update

Hi Everyone, I am on holidays at the moment... so I might find some more time to code on Screens Environment. So far... So good. Hopefully a release should be available in '06 but thats just me dreaming again. It's nice to hear about the EDGE game coming out... It shows that when a developer has persistence, he can still keep a project going (most of the time). I look at that and say to myself, that I can keep Screens going too. I believe that '06 will be a great year for PalmOS with EDGE and maybe even Screens Environment.