When it comes to user interfaces, developers have tried all manner of approaches. For instance, consider the zoomable user interface, of which Eagle Mode is a prime example. With this software, which runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD, users can visit things on the desktop by zooming the view, in a manner similar to web-based map software. But Eagle Mode isn’t designed for maps; its ZUI can be used for any kind of information.
At the heart of Eagle Mode is a file manager that integrates file viewers and players for text, pictures, documents, archives, audio files, and videos. The project provides a framework for plugin applications, and comes bundled with plugins that provide a chess game, 3-D minesweeper game, fractal viewer, and multifunction clock. All of the application are integrated in a virtual cosmos in front of an infinite random star field; check out the video or screenshots so I don’t have to write the thousands of words that each picture is worth.
Eagle Mode is well-suited to sophisticated users because it has an advanced set of commands that are highly configurable and extensible through small scripts written in Perl on Linux and Unix and in JavaScript on Windows. The project also provides a C++ API to let developers program plugins or standalone ZUIs. Developer Oliver Hamann provides a tutorial, examples, and a reference guide for the API.
Hamann says he first began playing with a ZUI file manager in 2001 when he wanted to write a better file manger for his own use. “Over time I had fun in extending it to a general ZUI project; serious development started in 2005. I am also driven by idealism, in that a primary goal of the Eagle Mode project is to propagate the idea of zoomable user interfaces and to provide usable ZUI solutions.”
Hamann chose to develop Eagle Mode in C++ rather than Java for performance reasons. “Also, I wanted to make the installation from source as easy as possible, so I developed my own build system, written in Perl (because Perl is so portable), which is able to work with lots of different C++ compilers (such as GNU, MSC, Watcom, and more).” Hamann released the software as open source “because open source allows anyone to adapt the software for their own wishes, and because I think open source is easier to distribute. And I hosted it on SourceForge.net because SourceForge.net is simply the best open source distribution platform!”
The developer cautions users who are new to ZUIs not to expect to be fast with Eagle Mode the first day. “The usage is quite different from classic file managers, so users should read all the docs and practice the mouse functions a while.” One cool thing Hamann suggests trying is working with multiple windows of Eagle Mode. “Have one window for each location you are working on. This possibility is often not seen by users, because they expect a ZUI to replace the concept of windows. I think the best approach is to integrate both concepts.”
For the next version of the software Hamann plans to add another puzzle game in the form of a sophisticated Netwalk clone, “because I got addicted to Netwalk and couldn’t resist trying to develop a better one.” Future plans also include enhancements to the C++ API. “But maybe I’ll start to develop another API first; one that allows people to develop plugins with scripting in Perl, Python, or JavaScript.”