Thread: [Tuxpaint-devel] An idea that would make Tux Paint even better!!!
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From: <EW...@ro...> - 2006-12-30 22:23:35
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Hello, First of all I am an avid fan of the Tux Paint software. I had a recent snafu this holiday when I got an "Art Studio" device to connect to a VTech educational game. Click this link for a description: http://www.vtechkids.com/product_page.cfm?productId=364&tvFrom= It turned out the device didn't plug into the "Pocket" version of the device that we had. I noticed that it had a plug that seemed compatible with a PS2 Keyboard connector for a PC though. HERES THE IDEA: It would be absolutely fantastic if you could come up with a driver that would enable a child to drive the software from this "VTech Art Studio" tool!!! I am an engineer, but not a big software (esp Windows) guy, so I don't know how hard this would be. Hopefully there is some PS2 keyboard port montitoring tool that could be used, and then map the control strings to the appropriate menus within Tux Paint. I imagine it may be even possible to convert the PS2 connector to USB with standard off-the-shelf computer components. What do you think? Ed Ronka |
From: Albert C. <aca...@gm...> - 2007-01-01 05:59:54
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On 12/30/06, EW...@ro... <EW...@ro...> wrote: > It turned out the device didn't plug into the "Pocket" version of the > device that we had. I noticed that it had a plug that seemed > compatible with a PS2 Keyboard connector for a PC though. It's probably a PS/2 mouse device. > HERES THE IDEA: It would be absolutely fantastic if you could come up > with a driver that would enable a child to drive the software from > this "VTech Art Studio" tool!!! > > I am an engineer, but not a big software (esp Windows) guy, so I don't > know how hard this would be. Hopefully there is some PS2 keyboard port > montitoring tool that could be used, and then map the control strings > to the appropriate menus within Tux Paint. Most of us aren't Windows developers either. Tux Paint is native to Linux. Tux Paint runs on MacOS X too. PS/2 port monitoring is much easier on Linux. Writing drivers is also easier on Linux. Linux drivers are much smaller than equivalent Windows drivers because the kernel serves as a full-featured library, because there is no binary-compatible driver interface layer, and because the driver interfaces have been allowed to rapidly change for the better. I give your device a 60% chance of working perfectly in Linux with the existing drivers. Most likely the X server will detect the device as some type of mouse. (maybe a touchpad) > I imagine it may be even possible to convert the PS2 connector to USB > with standard off-the-shelf computer components. It might actually be USB or able to switch protocols automatically, but probably not. |
From: Bill K. <nb...@so...> - 2007-01-02 10:24:11
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On Mon, Jan 01, 2007 at 12:59:54AM -0500, Albert Cahalan wrote: > On 12/30/06, EW...@ro... <EW...@ro...> wrote: > > > It turned out the device didn't plug into the "Pocket" version of the > > device that we had. I noticed that it had a plug that seemed > > compatible with a PS2 Keyboard connector for a PC though. > > It's probably a PS/2 mouse device. Interesting-sounding device. I haven't looked at the thing in detail, but it sounds like it might just be a drawing pad that acts like a mouse, as Albert seems to be suggesting. Have you tried connecting the device to a PC? Beware: if it's NOT, in fact, an actual PS/2 device, you may damage/destroy your computer's motherboard! If so, and you didn't break your computer :), does the thing control your mouse pointer? If yes, then it should Just Work(tm) with Tux Paint, at least in a simplistic way. (i.e., if it has special buttons or areas, Tux Paint won't understand them, just as any other app would not understand them.) Anyone else familiar with this device? Thanks, and happy new year! -bill! |