[Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Telescope is task switching tool for OS2008

(previous thread)
(original thread in russian forum n8xx.com)

What is Telescope?
Simply explained: you press the 'home key' (or F5, the upper hard-ware key on the left side of your tablet) — and all applications you are running shows as thumbnails on a screen and you can there easily select what app to jump to.

Even more: thumbnails are live, so you can easily monitor activity in several application at once.

Telescope is designed to be very fast and lightweight: v1.0 deb package is only 35kb!

How-it-works Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/DenielOl.../2/6FhOf4evqtU (by Kroll)

Acknowledges:
Thanks to Kroll for original idea, graphics design and his continuous support!
Thanks to silvermountain for hosting previous thread.
Thanks to all testers from N8XX.com and talk.maemo.org for precious comments and bugreports!

How to get:
1-click Install:
http://skriblovsky.net/maemo/install.png

Stable versions are is in Extras repository. If you're subscribed to Extras-devel, you will receive more often and somewhat buggy development releases.

Telescope in Maemo Downloads: http://maemo.org/downloads/product/OS2008/telescope/
Please post your comments and stars here!

Our Garage page: https://garage.maemo.org/projects/telescope/
Please report your bugs and feature requests here!

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

In the Diablo5 thread Kroll pointed me to Telescope as the culprit for my mce.ini file changing w/o my input.

I use MCEdit to enable softpoweroff via the power button, and I kept having to re-enable it, seemingly randomly. (hindsight: whenever Telescope updated)

Is there any way to keep my settings in the mce.ini when telescope updates?

Thanks

PS Thank You for your continued efforts improving the N8x0s!:)

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

When telescope is installing it copies your mce.ini into /etc/mce/mce.ini.telescope.bak and then modifies the mce.ini. When it is uninstalling, it copies backup copy back to /etc/mce/mce.ini.
Updating the packet effectively results in its uninstalling and then installing again and after it all your changes to mce.ini is lost :(

So, you can do one of:

• Remove telescope, apply your changes to mce.ini and then install it again. Telescope will use your 'good' mce.ini as backup and so will not destroy your changes after update.[/*]
• OR Apply your changes to both mce.ini and /etc/mce/mce.ini.telescope.bak. (or you can even just copy mce.ini to mce.ini.telescope.bak, but in this case builtin maemo's taskswitcher will not be ressurected when you uninstall telescope)[/*]

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Let me confirm that it is fast! When I heard about it, I didn't install it b/c I just assumed it was slow. But I think it's actually faster than the Nokia task switcher that is much less useful. Mitrandir's explanation is here.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

heh, the X equivalent of writing assembly.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

BTW, i found plain X programming much less lowlevel and more fun then i thought before :)

angun33 even wrote me that he found X programming even easier that Gtk ;)

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

well i stand corrected then. Or maybe its simple while interfacing with xlib, but maintain xlib itself is a pain.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Hahaha, not sure about that. I think I said I don't have any experience at all on programming using gtk. But after looking your code, I don't find X programming is as scary as I thought. In fact I quite enjoyed them, as it gives you freedom on how you draw things compared to gtk/qt (I know they can do low level drawing, but you have to jump through hoops to get it)

For a normal application though, I do prefer Qt than gtk/X programming :p

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Ok, sorry if i have distorted your words :(

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

It's a great little app. I really like it.

I have sen one thing that may be an issue. If I am watching a video through "Media Player," the video window is now in front of everything, even if a pop-up opens or I bring up another window. By "video window," I mean the actual video itself, the the containing window that includes the control buttons.

I first noticed this issue after installing Telescope, but I haven't uninstalled Telescope to see if it goes away. (I like the app enough I am willing to live with the problem.)

- John

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Telescope 1.0.2 (extras-devel)

• In rare cases when Telescope is unable to grab window screenshot it will draw gray checkers instead of one. It could happen if you still use useless “Minimize” window button.
• Telescope will not appear when no windows are running. If you close last window inside Telescope using “X” button, Telescope will hide.

jwernerny
Unfortunately, this issue can't be easily resolved. This is side effect of enabling Composite X11 extension that Telescope uses. (This extension allows to monitor window contents event if window is not visible and it is used by all modern linux desktops.) Due to some bug in whether Composite extension or in XVideo extension in Maemo's X server, video overlay is always drawn on the top of all windows when composition is enabled.
On Diablo Composite is disabled by default and it seems that Nokia didn't event tested it with video.
Telescope includes stupid workaround for this case: when you call Telescope from MediaPlayer in order to switch to another app, Telescope will minimize MediaPlayer and video will be hidden (and paused). The same workaround is for liqbase which uses XVideo too.
But yes, this is not the solution for popups.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Thanks! :D

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Works very well. Though, you should not open telescope when playing DrNokSnes. To be honest it was an accident, but I couldn't get resolution correct and had to reboot. :p

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Yes, you're right :( Telescope works ok with SDL apps, but not with ones which change screen resolution. I will try to find some workaround

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

yep, right after i installed .02 it said update.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Mitrandir. How difficult would it be to put a rotate hotkey/button when you open telescope? Say maybe a rotate left button in the lower right when telescope is launched?

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

If you use advanced-backlight (and volume) with the Community SSU it has rotation on it.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Telescope support user defined hardware keys. You can define one of the keys, e.g. FS, to invoke rotation.

edit:
Well there is no rotate command. The best way to do this is to install Knots2 which contains one, then add these line to /etc/telescope.keys as root:
Now killall telescope to make your changes effective
+ rotates clockwise
FS rotates to normal landscape

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

You could install it, try to copy those out, then uninstall it and see if you could configure it to use that without having knots installed. Perhaps even package it as a new app...? (but you might need to give credit?)

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Would putting those commands cause knots to open everytime I try to rotate?

Now since advanced-backlight has the buttons for rotate, perhaps would it be possible to apply the same command, only swap knots 2 with advanced-backlight? Also, could I do the same commands with opera since it has the rotate options? That way I don't have to install a program that I won't use.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

You could try to transplant the commands it uses and see if you can learn some key bindings. I don't think it would be too difficult.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Nice idea. I will keep in mind suggestion about rotate button.

Now you can rotate easier without knots2 with this xrandr:
http://skriblovsky.net/maemo/xrandr

xrandr -o left
xrandr -o right
xrandr -o inverted
xrandr -o normal

Don't forget to do chmod +x on it

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Wow, telescope is amazing! My N810 is really happy to run it now. :D
Keep up the outstanding great work!

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

pycage, Thanks!

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Does xrandr change the orientation of the dpad too or just the screen ?

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Yes, you are right, it only rotates the screen.

Use this: http://skriblovsky.net/maemo/rotate.tar.gz
This archive contains xrandr, xmodmap and shellscript which can rotate both screen and dpad.
This script is written by user svs57 of n8xx.com forum, thanks to him.

rotate.sh script expects xmodmap and xrandr to be in path

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

It might just be because I have a few devels programs installed (from devels I mean) but when I press the home key it flashes through the programs very fast (like it is redrawing) before I get to Telescope.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Ohhh, for me the Xrandr doesn't works... none of the rotation procedures had worked...Even after a Reflash, reboot

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Did you install the SSU?

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

So, how i install SSU? I don't know what really is this, sorry!

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

http://wiki.maemo.org/Diablo_Community_Project
Without the SSU or a patched kernel you won't be able to rotate.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Yeah, installed! What now?

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

The n810-rotate-plugin conflict with osso-Feature Upgrade!

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

If you have advanced-backlight installed, you will now have rotate options in there. AlsoYou will be able to rotate with opera.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

No, it doesn't work man!

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

Nothing that I try make this Fu***** screen rotate!

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

In order to make rotata the screen you need to:
1. Install Community SSU
2. Install Advanced Backlight

And if you have installed these both without errors, it will work.
Check that you have installed SSU without problems. Remove n810-rotate-plugin if it conflicts with SSU.

Re: [Announce] Telescope: Graphical task switcher with thumbnails
 

I never instaled SSU, it comes by default in Diablo,, correct?

I already have adv backlight,