google earth on psp possible?

[edepot]

Have you noticed that one of the missing features of most portable
devices in the past was the inclusion of hardware accelerated 3D chips.
In the past the CPU was too slow so that 3D was not practical without
a method to add an graphics card for mobile devices (like in regular
computers). As the CPU got faster these 3D games can be made,
but still not fast enough without a graphics card (or similar 3D
manipulation hardware). Maybe the future mobile devices will
allow direct connection to the bus so you can upgrade (expansion
card to add faster CPU or more CPUs or better graphical chips).
In this case the software can query available hardware and use
extra hardware if it is available. With multiple cores, the future
PC will probably have software that query how many cpu anyways, and it is
inevitable that the user can plug in extra horsepower or memory
via an external module without opening up the device.
The USB bus is too far removed a direct connect to bus is still needed.

Given that this is what is coming, and until you can plug in extra
horsepower without throwing out your device, most mobile devices
try to include the best non-swappable hardware inside. The PSP
(like most portable devices) uses a custom mips processor for
this task. So the most powerful 3d portable device is the PSP. Most
other devices lack a decent 3D chip. Maybe the google phone will
include a good 3D one, but that is hard to tell. They might not
even include one, which means google earth will not run on it well
(if at all). So that means it is more feasible for the PSP to run
a ported google earth (the api is public anyways).

But besides that, now that the PSP can run software that output to the external display, all the previous emulators can be updated so that they can output pixel by pixel the original display size. You can now
officially use the PSP as a mobile replacement for them.

But the coolest use for PSP now is to take those public domain sources that can read mp4 h264 main profile videos with support for aac and simply output to either the small display or large display depending on resolution. using the hardware for accelerated output of course.

Or get it to read .vob files of your homemade dvd videos. On the other hand given that 8gb memory sticks are available you can probably get it to read a whole dvd in iso (source is in videolan I think). But to have a really good portable dvd player for your homemade dvd videos is support for the interactive dvd menus (if you know how to do that that is).

But that may be too complicated. Perhaps a simple jpeg loader so it can
look up the PSP's photo folder and slideshow it to the big display if
it is plugged in. Why is this needed? Notice that if you do a slideshow on the big display, it doesn't actually use a pixel by pixel mapping for the 720x480, rather
it uses the same 480x272 image and stretches it to 720x480. You can
verify by making a 720x480 image and press the zoom button
for 100%, you still need to scroll around in the analog nub to view the
whole thing (just like it was on the small screen). Making many smallest patterns like small square "o" in the picture will reveal the actual
resolution is 480x272 being stretched.

And since we are rambling about these features, I think the best custom firmware would be one that supports the features
above natively. But deviating too much from Sony's official firmware will make it difficult to keep up with latest features (like PS3 connectivity).
Because the Slim has extra memory and flash it is easier to offer an
extension to the Sony firmware. The easiest way is to make a separate
program that would be like a totally new OS that would take over the
whole PSP machine. The second easiest way is to press a combination
of buttons and the custom OS will load some osboot.prx in a default
directory that will start the new operating system (or program).
The most intuitive way is to simply insert another xmb icon directly
inside the xmb. When users enters this xmb tree the custom os takes
over and starts displaying icons of a default directory for *.exe (or *.elf)
or shortcuts to them. The difference between this and the eboot.pbp is
that these .exe or .elf (most likely .elf) can run inside their own window
on the XMB, and you can drag them around using the analog nub and
multi task multiple programs. Using Sony's eboot.pbp makes multitasking
multiple programs kind of impossible (they initiate a PSP boot wiping out
lots of stuff). The extension can be like a
download that puts .prx (.dlls) of the windowing api in a default
.prx directory (like system32 on windows) for those programs
to use to run inside the xmb (a registry database and an associated
api for registry maintenance would be useful for programs as well)
Maybe an installshield for custom PSP os extension that does it
automatically for programs that want to install special files here and
there.

Why get into all this? Because multitasking multiple programs is not
possible on the PSP yet for homebrew programs.

[IM back!]

thats what psp linux is for.

[Art]

Why get into all this? Because multitasking multiple programs is not
possible on the PSP yet for homebrew programs.

It is possible even if Sony had no need for multitasking on a games console.
Multitasking is what's happening when you use irshell to play an mp3 over
a UMD game that you are playing, or use a key combination plugin to take
a screenshot, or quick powerdown while running a program.

I don't think anyone cares to pause a video to play round 2 of Mortal Kombat,
then maximise the media player to watch the rest of the video.


So what's this 1/2 hour post about?
Yes it would be possible to make/run a slow dumbed down version I think.

[edepot]

Well, when you have finished hooking the touchscreen to the psp slim,
and have installed the homebrew software to go with it, multitasking
would allow you to use the touch program with games or applications
that can be a sink to the output of the touch screen program without
forcing programmers to include and compile the source redundantly.

It would also allow you to use instant messaging, email, music
stuff at the same time. Perhaps one day when the compiler gcc works
on 64 megabytes of memory of the slim you can even program with
the touchscreen at the same time.

More importantly, it allows you to run multiple service or daemon programs in the background, in case you want to run a webserver or
some other type of server program. And even multitask a task manager allowing you to switch which program gets the screen.

But the killer app is still the touchscreen (besides outputting
to external large screens at very high resolutions, which is coming
along at its own pace). Besides opening up applications and games
which require typing or mouse input (which is like 95% on the pc), it will
allow the PSP to absorb the market of the previous newton, palm,
and windows ce (mobile). What I think is the most useful is typing.
Second, simulator games like simcity or starcraft. Third would be
character recognition. Lastly doodling and paint programs.

But in case you or others fail in getting this to work, there one last
stop-gap savior. Try getting a regular mouse to plug into the psp.
This way if your psp is hooked up to the big screen, you can use
the mouse to type on a virtual keyboard or use it to play a
starcraft2 homebrew clone. Now that output to the large screen is taken
cared of (well, it is still not at 1080p, but it is getting there), all PC apps and games should be able to be ported to the PSP.

[Art]

Well, when you have finished hooking the touchscreen to the psp slim,

Do you mean me personally?
In case you don't remember I'm in the club that thinks it's easy, and also ugly.
For me that means that only Sony can do it neatly enough to be acceptable.

in case you want to run a webserver or some other type of server program

Hold your horses, both PSP web sever programs stop working after running less than five minutes continuously.
Getting one program working properly should be more of an objective than two,
and unfortunately that is a lot to ask of many PSP programs.

I'd be very suprised if multitasking for PSP ever happens at the OP system level, where programmers can forget about it and keep writing.
Many programs are using all of the PSP resources, and the best it could
do is halt one program leaving it resident in RAM, but not running,
while using another. I have to say that would be nice in itself though.

Is there a reason why irshell couldn't do that given the extra RAM?

[Jim]

edepot:
And since we are rambling about these features

Not you again, you fuckwit.

Jim

[edepot]

[quote]In case you don't remember I'm in the club that thinks it's easy, and also ugly.[/quote]

Then where is the code and instructions on installing it? I would like to get it working.


I think the Jim on this forum is offended by my posts.
Do you think I am off topic talking about the touch screen? Or is it
the other stuff related to multitasking?

[jimparis]

I think Jim is offended because you always post long rambling tirades where you are essentially asking other poeple to do work for you. If you want to see something new, code it yourself; these forums aren't for requests.

[Art]

Well I think that's a wee bit harsh, sounds like you do your research but
you might look at making shorter posts or getting a book published.

I think it's easy because I'm a far more avid programmer of microcontrollers than the PSP,
that aside I'd make it much easier as I said in the other thread the LCD touch screen
you linked to is just two analogue potentiometers that operates on two axis the same as your analogue stick.

Remove the analogue stick and connect the touchscreen to the two analogue
inputs you just freed up. the values of the pots are probably differtent to that
of the touchscreen, at most some trimming would be required in software to correct the range of movement.
Couldn't be simpler and uglier.

I do up detailed instructions all the time and few people reproduce anything they say is cool.
The truth is even the 1337est of programmers are often very lame with hardware, soldering and schematics.

[edepot]

[quote]Remove the analogue stick and connect the touchscreen to the two analogue
inputs you just freed up[/quote]

Can you make a youtube video of it working? (simple doodling across the touchscreen and a cursor or line in software following it). As for
harshness, I think you may be pointing out that some people on the
forum like being dicks?

As for Jim's (the one in paris and boston) comment, I don't think it is fair to pick on people who don't provide code. I mean compared to the two J.F.s'...
I think the other Jim pales in comparison in contribution in code (and
expertise), but no one is complaining. I think he just holds a grudge
because tyranid provided technical sync info countering his initial
disbelief of the possibility of homebrew on external high resolution displays. Mostly egos at play, not code. Even if people want to contribute
code, the svn user name and passwords are not public info, and require approval. I don't see how difficult it is to use people's forum username
and give them some way to click away and send stuff into their repository
automatically. Even I have re-coded public domain uploading code in perl and it is not difficult to implement with any site.

Back on the topic of multitasking, I think many shells and OS's can be
incorporated into the firmware. I like Sony's official beautiful firmware
and device (like what Art said), but the problem is that they don't
currently offer a solution to the touchscreen problem. Maybe that
is why there are so many alternative OS and shells, and I was
just trying to do a comparison and see maybe some can be
meshed together. So which is the best OS or shell that can
incorporate multitasking?

Sony, DOS, IRSHELL, ucLinux, m33, and the one by pegasus2k.

Perhaps the current solution is to take m33 (which uses Sony's firmware)
and put DOS, IRSHELL, and the pegasus2k as icons inside the
xmb, and allow seemless launching and return. Even windows allows
opening up a DOS shell within a window, and maybe irshell and the pegasus ones can do the same thing. Maybe the author of DOS needs
some help to get it working inside m33's XMB. The last is ucLinux, it might be
a problem because it has it's own layer of special device drivers which
would conflict with how m33 and sony does their stuff, and current
homebrew won't work on it without major modifications using different
libraries and stuff.

[cloudhunter]

edepot, I think accusing Jim of that isn't very nice, or contructive. As for fixes going into the SVN, you have a fix or an improvement, you'd suggest it, or give them the code and if it is worthy they'll add it.

I think the reason Jim doesn't like you, is that you post alot of unfounded claims. Sure, you do your research, but these people know the PSP better than anyone.

Also the fact that this is not a requests forum - if you want to work on it, then go ahead, but randomly stipulating things won't get anything done.

Even windows allows
opening up a DOS shell within a window, and maybe irshell and the pegasus ones can do the same thing. Maybe the author of DOS needssome help to get it working inside m33's XMB

Yeah, but windows was designed on this principle, the Sony XMB was not. Plus, have you got any idea on how much memory the XMB uses? It isn't trivial to find room for an entirely new app running at the same time - it's not like you can call "sceMakeWindowExec('ms0:/DOSBOX.PBP');" and have it suddenly open in a window. It doesn't have much memory available, even in GAME mode.

Plus, the PSP doesn't have a MMU, which without is very hard to do managing of memory for many things at once.

Can you make a youtube video of it working? (simple doodling across the touchscreen and a cursor or line in software following it).

Yet again, asking someone to do that is unreasonable. He hasn't even done it, he's just saying it's possible. It isn't a request forum.

Cloudy

[Art]

Yet again, asking someone to do that is unreasonable. He hasn't even done it, he's just saying it's possible. It isn't a request forum.

It's only unreasonable if I'm asked to pay for parts and pull apart one of my
own PSPs to perform a mod I don't want. I have never opened a PSP unit for fun.

If the touchscreen and the PSP is provided I'd be glad to, but I doubt that wil
happen so why don't you start with a multimeter and measure the resistance across both
potentiomenters in the touchscreen circuit and do the
same while you're holding your finger in the middle of the screen.

Compare those measurements to that of the analogue potentiomenters and
you're on your way.
Art.