PIXIL Embedded GUI Stack Released Under GPL

An anonymous reader writes "Century Software has announced the release of source code for its PIXIL product line under the GNU Public License (GPL). PIXIL combines a graphical windowing environment, widget set, operating environment, and numerous applications into a tightly integrated collection built on the open standards of embedded Linux, according to Century. PIXIL is meant for use in PDAs, WebPads, set-top boxes, cellular phones, smart handhelds and thin clients. It is based on Microwindows, a screentop window manager, FLNX-based widget set, and a set of applications including PIM Suite, ViewML browser, MP3 player, MPEG viewer, Macromedia flash player, Doom, games, system and network configuration applications and more. PIXIL now has a website at www.pixil.org."

And the web browser is KHTML-based

[Roberto]

Showing once more that code is pretty easy to port (they did the exact same thing Apple did, only using older code and FLTK :-)

I wonder if their Qt/FLTK adapter is good for something else. Or if that browser could be used on very small boxes.

Re:And the web browser is KHTML-based

[Spy Hunter]

Wow, they actually appear to be the first people to have this idea. They started back when KDE 1 was still widely used and they used the original KFM browser component instead of the KDE 2 KHTML component.

This little interest?

[RevAaron]

I know this didn't make it to the front page, but is there really this little interest in embedded Linux, or non-X11 GUI systems?

I for one can't say I've ever really been too excited about MicroWindows or this PIXIL system built on top of it. We've not seen any PDAs that use it, although the Royal Linux PDA was supposed to use PIXIL/MW, it never saw the light of day.

X11 is entrenched. There have been a number of free alternatives for a long time:PicoGUI [sourceforge.net], MicroWindows (w/ NanoX [X11 API emulation] or PIXIL apps), Qt/Embedded, [trolltech.com] DirectFB w/ GTK+, [directfb.org] Squeak (and on top of it, [squeak.org] Dynapad [sf.net]), W Window System [interbgc.com], Berlin/Fresco Window System [fresco.org], MGR [hack.org] and others. Many of these have been around for 10 years or more.

Yet, what does almost everyone use on Linux or Unix? X. Relative to the X11 install base, there is a miniscule minority of folks using Qt/Embedded + Qtopia on their PDAs, but even so it still a crappy solution when you consider how poorly Qt/E is suited to PDAs.

About as many Zaurus users are using Squeak as a windowing system. Perhaps more using Squeak, not sure. They may not use it as a X11 replacement, but they're using it all the same.

PicoGUI is the bomb. Although, it sounds like it may be going dormant for a while. One of the most promising of non-X11 windowing systems out there, but still no one uses it.

When will we have a project like this that really goes somewhere? Anyone have any bets?