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År: 2013

Quiz App Update, 24th aug.

Publicerat av Daniel Holm den 24 augusti, 2013

Hi all,
Back from a lot of work and studying for an exam. Back to my app submissions to the Ubuntu App Showdown.
The Quiz app, which I’ve written about earlier, is coming along nicely. Yesterday and today, I’ve been working on rebuilding some of the backend. Previously Quiz was only able to add a question, with an answer, and then list all of the questions, and if you wanted to answer a question you had to write it down. Then I added four buttons, one which contained the correct answer – no need to type it yourself.
Now, I removed those old buttons, updated the tables for the questions database so that you can add alternatives to your question, and each of them (max four, min two) gets an old button automagically since I’ve rebuild the backend to use ListModels instead of manually doing it. Each alternative is saved in an array, foreach.append to ListModel = done!
Result is found in the images above. I just need to deactivate all of the buttons when one alternative is pressed, instead of just the one that got pressed. Also the alternatives will be in a random order later on.
Later on I will create a way for the app to download new questions from a server, and also bundle the app with some inital questions. Untill then you have to add your own.

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First Ubuntu App Showdown submission: Quiz

Publicerat av Daniel Holm den 13 augusti, 2013

Quiz is a quiz game, simply. But not really as simple as a simple quiz game.The idea is quite large, which actually makes me wounder if I should just make it simple now, and to make it bigger later on.

The idea is that you can use Quiz for two main reasons:

1. To learn: You can add any kind of question you like, and then use it to learn my answering your own questions. I’m currently reading a book about pretty much everything, and I add thinks like years, scientists, definitions and elements.

2. Game: Challenge your friends either by your own quiz, or by already submitted. That brings be to the much bigger thing: infrastructure. I will have to write a web back-end for users to authenticate and submit questions – and most importantly: make it safe.

So this first update is just to bring you up to speed: You can add your own questions, and you can answer them.

Next step will be to add a function do add alternative answers and returning these as buttons for the users, instead of a text field, which will have to be answered exactly.

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Music App update – July 15th.

Publicerat av Daniel Holm den 15 juli, 2013

It’s been a while since the last update, but there haven’t been any real news or updates – until now(!).

Today there where a lot that got merged into trunk, and therefore is coming to a PPA near you.

 

Changelog

  • Removed the ability to chose your own music directory. Instead using default: ~/Music (Victor Thompson)

  • For Ubuntu Hackfest, make Music scan ~/Music on each start up. (Victor Thompson)

  • Placeholder for cover art in Now Playing toolbar. (Victor Thompson)

  • Initial playlist support. (Daniel Holm)

    • Create/edit/remove playlist.

    • Add track to playlist.

    • Show playlists in Playlist tab.

  • Popover. (Daniel Holm)

    • Press and hold playlist to either edit or remove it.

    • Press and hold track to add to playlist or queue it.

  • Debug (Daniel Holm)

    • New function that’s makes it easy to shut debugging of for later.

  • Library. (Andrew Hayzen)

    • A limit has been introduced into the buffer to stop large memory allocations.

    • Performance tweaks so database is written in a single transaction.

  • Ability to seek on the Now Playing view. (Andrew Hayzen)

  • New icons. (Lucas Romero Di Benedetto)

    • Default album/cover art missing.

    • Last.fm

    • Playlist

    • Music Directory

 

Bugs resolved

  • Buttons in queue dialog being too far down.

  • Playlist dialog not showing up.

 

Hackfest

Last week Ubuntu Hackfest started off and day two treated the Music app.

I (Daniel) worked on the playlist support, which landed in trunk today. Although you aren’t yet able to actually play, or show any of the tracks in them, they work.

Andrew Hayzen helped a lot with the scanning of the music dir. He first proposed a branch that shortened the scanning process a LOT! Then he helped trying to resolve the UI lockup during scanning by introducing limit to the buffer.

 

Design meetings

During one of the past design meetings we decided to pretty much put the UI on hold, since we haven’t yet decided how the app will look like, exactly. However, we still do some change, like icons and annoying bugs, but there will be no large changes and I hope you all can bare with us until the UI is decided – and Lisette Slegers and Lucas have some really good ideas coming our way: It will be gorgeous!

 

Whats next?

Well, quite much.

  • Victor and I will take a look on how to switch from the current tracklist playing, to the chosen playlist.

  • I will move the remove the queue dialog and move the queue list to the Playlist tab.

  • I will continue to work on scrobble support, which is not yet done – and together with that, we will get a new way of downloading and using missing cover art.

  • Some nice new icons will land by Lucas.

  • Micah Losli is working on the bug that when shuffling is activated, wrong track info is showing for the currently playing track.

  • Probably much more, which I don’t yet know of.

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How to create a simple web app for Ubuntu Touch.

Publicerat av Daniel Holm den 9 juli, 2013

DEPRECATED – It is now far easier to create a web app using the Ubuntu SDK.

So I’ve started to create some really simple applications for Ubuntu Touch by using already existing web pages that are optimized for touch devices and smart phones, and then open them in the default web browser, but as separate windows.

This guide will go through creating a simple launcher and package it for your device.

What you need before we start is a working development and package environment, so read this:

  • Some knowledge of the terminal.

  • If you later want to upload to Launchpad for a PPA, read and follow this:

    • http://developer.ubuntu.com/packaging/html/getting-set-up.html

  • You then also need a PPA, of course. I’m using ppa:danielholm/touch-apps for this.

We are going to use a simple desktop file that launches and points a URL that Ubuntu Touch’s

browser opens as it’s own application. You get one of your favorite web sites as an app and you get HUD support for free.

Then we add the package stuff, and download an icon to use; build and then done!

And if you also upload your app to a PPA, others will enjoy it as well.

Later, I will stop using Debian packages for these kind of apps, since I figure that the new Click packages is being developed just to be used for applications like these.

Alright, so let’s get going. I’m going to use Wikipedia as an example for this.

If you already know the URL of the mobile adapted web site, use that.

For example, Wikipedia has: http://m.wikipedia.com

1. Download the archive, which contains a template and packaging files: http://ubuntuone.com/4cP0vdGTMd8LsWjru4cTya
If you already know that you don’t want to create a package and upload to an PPA, use the .desktop template: http://ubuntuone.com/2EeECluBvimv1KkcDCDoQv

2. Edit wikipedia.desktop and change the values of ”Name”, ”Icon”, and the URL in ”Command”.
Name: The one that will show in Unity. I’ll use “Wikipedia”
Icon: Path of the icon you want to use.
Command: Replace only the URL. The browser handles the rest.

3. Save it, and change the filename to your new app’s name. I’ll use wikipedia.desktop
(be sure that this file is executable! (chmod +x))

4. Open the Debian directory and open postinst. This file will be run after initial install of the package files, and will here be used to download the icon that will be used. I’m using it this way so that I can redistribute the launcher without any copyright infringement. You simple take the URL of an icon/image you want to use, and replace the one in the file. Then change the filename that the downloaded file is saved as, as well as the app directory. I’ll use the Wikipedia icon from Play Store: https://lh6.ggpht.com/-Eq7SGa8CVtZCQPXmnux59sebPPU04j1gak4ppkMVboUMQ_ucceGCHrC1wtqfqyByg=w78-h78

5. Each of these files has to be edited (in debian/). Replace all Wikipedia stuff with your own app name and info.

  • changelog

  • control

  • copyright

  • install

6. When all the files [that needs to] has been edited, it’s time to imitate some version control in your working dir, using bzr:

$ bzr init

7. Then add the files in the dir:

$ bzr add

8. Lastly create a commit with a appropriate message:

$ bzr commit -m ”Initial commit.”

9. Time to get building! In your working dir, run:

$ bzr builddeb -S

This creates the needed files to upload and create packages in the PPA, which we’ll upload:
(this is to my PPA. You have to use your own)

dput ppa:danielholm/touch-apps wikipedia_0.1_source.changes

10. After a while you package will be ready to apt-get (after you’ve added your PPA, of course).

Enjoy your app, and to please share it.

I set up a recipe to build my packages automagically (yes, magic) every night – if there is a change – in launchpad. If you use this, you don’t have to upload your own packages, and you just need to upload your code to Launchpad.

Since my apps aren’t from anywhere else, I removed the upstream version in my recipe, and replaced it with my own version number, in this case “0.1”. There’s probably a better way of doing that, but I leave that for others to resolve.

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Web apps for Ubuntu Touch.

Publicerat av Daniel Holm den 24 juni, 2013

I got my Galaxy Nexus last week and immediately installed Ubuntu Touch on it, and have run it ever since. I really like the way to jump between applications in the UI, but don’t really like having many tabs running on a smart phone/tab – also I don’t want to input the site I want to check out every time I know what I want to do. Therefore I started to create apps for Ubuntu Touch just like the one for Twitter and Facebook: a simple launcher that opens a new browser window with a set URL.

I started two night ago with testing and yesterday I started to setup and build packages for all of them (moved to let Launchpad to the building now, instead). Today I’ve added a few more.

I started out with the ones I need personally:

  • Swedbank (Swedish bank)

  • Ping Pong (app for Swedish Universities)

  • Wikipedia

  • Västtrafik (Public transit where I live)

  • tv.nu (Whats on TV right now – Swedish channels)

  • IMDb

  • SR (Swedish Radio)

  • SJ (Train)

  • Wunderlist (todo service)

Might be more… they’re building.

They’re all in by PPA: https://launchpad.net/~danielholm/+archive/touch-apps

You can find the code here: https://code.launchpad.net/~danielholm

In the coming days I will post a simple guide the describes how you can do this too – it’s really simple. The only thing that’s hard, really, is the packaging stuff and setting up your environment, which isn’t that hard either.

 

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Music App update – June 19th.

Publicerat av Daniel Holm den 19 juni, 2013

This is the first update of the Music app in the Ubuntu Core apps project – the official Music application of Ubuntu Touch.

At the time it’s been me (Daniel Holm) and Victor Thompson that’s been developing the application for a couple of weeks now.

Victor has put in some really good work to populate the library of meta data of each track in the users music directory, and then show the results in the app. This had to be done, due to that it’s hard to extract meta data of each and every track on each start up. Instead the music directory is scanned on first run and each tracks meta data is saved in a database, which is used later to create each of the tabs now used:

  • Music – Contains each seperate track in music dir.
  • Artists – Not done yet, but will show each artist.
  • Albums – Shows coverart (those who have) of each album in music dir.
  • Playlist – not done yet. More on that later.

The function to populate the library was quite hard to do in a QML way. We made a move to Nemo.FolderListModel(), which Victor sumbitted some changes upstream to.
Victor also has worked out the shuffle function so that works. Also the Now Playing dialog together with the ability to swipe for next/previous track.

This past week I’ve been working on integrating some of Lucas’ ideas about the UI, together with integrating scrobble support and support for Playlists:

  • We now use tabs (might switch to a nother way later on)
  • Some inital code to support scrobble support to Last.fm (not yet complete, so it doesn’t yet scrobble).
  • Tab, functions and database for playlists. Will include import playlist files, that the user already has.

 

Lucas yesterday submitted a demo of his thoughts of how the Music app should work:

 

Music 0.3 just landed in trunk and the package should be in the Core Apps PPA later tonight. Altough Victor’s upstream changes has not yet landed in Nemo.FolderListModel(), which unfortunately makes it unable to run before you got the latest changes. But a PPA package for that is under way.

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My Music app on it's way to Core apps.

Publicerat av Daniel Holm den 29 maj, 2013

Great news! My Music App, which I showed the to the world a week or so, ago is now being developed together with Canonical and the Community to become one of the Core applications in Ubuntu Touch – the default music application!

I just had my first meeting with Michael Hall, Alan Pope and Victor Thompson, where we discussed how to proceed with the development.
The application will be based on my code, which is great. Also we will adopt the UI design from Lucas Romero Di Benedetto, which you can see above.

I’m so excited!

 

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"Kan du jobba för en kvinna?"

Publicerat av Daniel Holm den 28 maj, 2013

För snart två år sedan så gick jag in på en arbetsintervju för att bistå ett göteborgsplacerat företag med en flytt och diverse ihopkoppling av nätverk, datorer, m.m.
Intervjun gick utmärkt och jag fick senare jobbet och har fått mig en vän för livet då hon, chefen, som intervjuade mig har fått en särskild plats hos mig och är en fantastisk person. Men under intervjun ställer hon mig frågan: ”Kan du jobba för en kvinna?”

Jag hoppade näst intill till av chock. Jag förstod inte varför hon ställde mig frågan. Självklart kan jag jobba för en kvinna! För mig spelade det ingen roll om jag jobbar för en kvinna, vid en kvinna eller att en kvinna skulle jobba för mig. Det har ju ingenting med hennes biologiska kön att göra. Jag svarade att jag givetvis inte hade något problem med det. Hon förklarade hur hon på ett annat jobb hade haft problem med män som, av min tolkning, mobbade henne för hennes biologiska kön och hade utttryckt sig som att de försökte se vad hon gick för innan de tänkte ta något från henne.

Jag blir vansinnig.

Men då slog det mig hur, naivt, att bara för jag inte ser den skillnaden på män och kvinnor, så betyder inte det att andra gör det. Bara för att jag har insett hur könen är socialt konstruerade och hur jävla ojämlikt det kan är, så har inte andra det.

Situerad som en vit, ung man i Sverige, med en pågående hög utbildning, bra möjligheter till jobb, stor kunskap och som dessutom är frisk – och smal; jag är på toppen av världen och den grupp som är minst utsatt av alla. Detta ger mig ett ansvar att bekämpa utsatthet, istället för att spe på den. Jag vill jämna ut detta samhälle genom utbildning och politik. Det är mitt kall – mot ett hållbart samhälle.

Frågan är kanske mer: ”Kan jag jobba för ett patriarkat?”

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Kort om näthat.

Publicerat av Daniel Holm den 12 maj, 2013

Det har varit mycket tal om näthat senaste tiden, med all rätt. Det underbara med internet, som är möjligheten till obegränsad och ocensurerad yttring av ens egna tankar och känslor, har också en mörk baksida: folk beter sig som idioter.

På internet kan man vara vem man vill, så varför vill man vara en idiot?

För det är ett väldigt spännande beteende. Hur man vill spendera sin tid genom att hänga ut, förolämpa, och kanske även ibland intill förstöra godtyckligt valda människor.
Jag är övertygad om att dessa ”troll” helt enkelt är väldigt ensamma, oaktsamma, socialt isolerade människor som söker göra sig själva större genom att förminska andra. Patetiskt.

En del säger som så ”Hater’s gonna hate”, och vill helt enkelt lämna det där. Men inte jag. Jag vill bekämpa detta för att jag tror att det går att ändra. Livet är för kort för att hata. Och dessa troll är sociala missfoster som behöver stöd och tillrättavisande. De behöver bli en del av afk-samhället.

Jag har, som så många andra, haft min beskärda del av hat- och förolämpande kommentarer. För en tid sedan så såg jag ett klipp på YouTube där några framstående, kvinnliga, journalister läste upp några av sina värsta hatkommentarer. Det var en man där som förklarade (foliehatt-prat) hur CIA finansierade feminsm, och därför var det ondskefullt. Jag svarade och delade min rädsla och sorg över hans okunnskap. Mannen blev arg och bestämde sig för att kommentera en jävla massa av mina egna YouTube-klipp med kränkande ord.

Jag tycker bara att det är pinsamt – det är för min del som att hälla vatten på en gås: det rinner av. Men många andra tar faktiskt illa vid sig, och därför är detta ett stort problem.

Problem är till för att lösas, men hur löser man detta? Inte ska man sjunka till samma nivå som dessa människor, inte heller ska man ta illa upp för det de säger, för det är deras energi, och deras ord betyder absolut ingenting.

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