Would it be possible for an app to update the tablets background image with one that is automagically fetched from the net at a predetermined frequency?

I'm thinkin' a local Doppler radar image that refreshes every 20 minutes or so.

Sounds interesting, I wonder if a dbus message could be used to make the change.

I have some "enlightened self-interest" in seeing this get somewhere, so here's a link to the other thread where it was discussed:
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...bus+background
and the bug (#3030) where you can *vote*:
https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3030

-John

and while we're doing background images, why not videos too....

Regarding YoDude's probable end goal, it might be easier to produce a quick desktop applet which takes over some large area of the screen and displays whatever image you want.

This assumes you just want to see the location of tornadoes (or the like) rather than just like the look of weathermaps of course...

Of course, you can stack home applets now, so a full-screen applet makes sense... Except... If you click on it, it pops in front of all other applets. Yes, we do need locking home screen.

Exactly... And I strongly agree on the second statement as well.


Using the NuvoClear theme provided by Underscore >> https://garage.maemo.org/projects/nuvoclear
... and some of my own custom icons, you can see in this image how well the background lends itself to a Doppler radar image. (I was waiting for some weather activity before pulling this screenshot but it looks like clear sky's for the next couple of days. )


This image was pulled from a local TV stations web site. I render just the image in a htm page I keep on my tablet...

What would be nice is if the Tablets own background image applet could read HTM and provide a means to specify an update frequency.

My desktop is so cluttered with stuff that I can hardly see the background at all. Of course I could always go for the transparent theme, but all I'd really want is semi-transparent applets, not to lose the title bar, etc. I'll have to give that theme a try.

I think aiming for an update frequency for the desktop background would be less work and give enough flexibility, rather than having it understand html (/me thinks of Windows Active Desktop bloat). It would also be nice if the desktop background supported animated GIFs. No real use, but it might look nice

Having a programmatic way of refreshing the desktop is what's required; it's already possible to change the wallpaper from a script, but the only way to make that take effect is by crashing the desktop; if you are an over-ambitious BT keyboard user (typing too many keys while it tries to connect), or use certain interacting versions of modest and/or statusbar clock (alarm-related troubles), that happens often enough it's not necessarily useless, but in an ideal world, the API used by the wallpaper changer would be exposed.

Then it's just a matter of a daemon setting the wallpaper as often as desired, rendering it from an html if desired.

This scheme is better than an auto-update interval because you can update images on other bases than fixed time intervals. Also, I feel that html rendering capability in there is major bloat.

I personally could care less about the radar, but I *do* love the idea of being able to 'scroll' through a set of background images, at timed (or otherwise) intervals.

i agree with you. although i´m sure the radar could be beneficial to some, i would just love the ability of a wallpaper ¨slideshow¨. even some basic cell phones have this. just select the directory and the interval and enjoy the visual show.