Still Waiting

How long before Native Client and Lighthouse for Native Client release the version that allows databases, 3d and Internet connections between computers is really a guessing game. Until then, I'll be working on the automation side of the system and making significant progress there. From their blogs and code review site, it looks good.

Here's a thought though, when I place the English version of the index on the Internet, I could have the Google translator do a translation for a few dozen languages. This would not be a translation of the actual Urantia Book in that language but simply a word for word translation matching the English page information in the English version. Not sure how useful that could be but I think it could be done pretty easily. Just a thought.

Break time

I'm working on the automation side of the system so theres not much news to blog about except, of course, that I'm waiting on Native Client to release it's first beta. The last release had very little I could use to further the Virtual Urantia system along.

When I realized that very few people were willing to download and install the system, it became clear to me that it had to work on the net without installation. I began to concentrate on how to get it working there. After a few failed tries with 3d platforms running on the net, I began to feel that maybe it would take decades to get it working.

The problem, you see, is that no system existed on the net that would allow the system to run properly on the net. The only system viable was Active X on Microsoft Windows. I'm a cross platform kind of guy, that is, what I develop has to run across multiple types of computers so I won't create software that is that limited to only Windows. I am committed to this decision.

Imagine my excitement when I found that Google was releasing a cross platform client that would take my software and run it across multiple types of computers, even cell phones based on the ARM processor brain.
So now I am playing a waiting game with this Native Client system. When they release, I'll be able to take the Virtual Urantia system and place it on the net. After looking at some the work on the initial non protected tests they ran on this Native Client, I am certain it will work.

Till then, I'll concentrate on the utilitarian side of the system, which will allow me to release a fully animated and automated 3d view of your home, business, building, human body or Power Plant over the Internet. I am quite confident it will help the world see in ways we could only dream of, the world of sensors mixed with artificial intelligence and 3d.

Break Time

Did some preliminary work to see what kind of problems I'd have creating a word index for the french and spanish version. Turns out it's minimal so I plan on having a go at that as soon as the English version is working well. I'm taking a break away from the Urantia side of  the system now to concentrate on the automation side. The 3d menu is working well so everything is on track for Native Client.

Menu Pictures

Most of the menus are working now. Buttons appear at the bottom of the screen that can be clicked to do various things on the screen. These are all in 3d.They appear and disappear depending on which buttons are clicked. A small button appears at the bottom right of the screen when the screen is touched. When it's touched, the menu  appears and disappears.

Wow, it sure takes a long time to create the little pictures on the top of the buttons. I'll be working on some effect when they're clicked.

Figured out how to present the word index screen on small cell phone screens. When searching for a word in the book, just a few things will appear on screen relating to the word(s) chosen. First a list of all words in the book that changes as they type in the words in an edit box.

Also next to the edit box is the amount of paragraphs, the combination of words appear in the book. All these are working and are instantaneously updated.

They'll be three more windows that appear. The reference table showing paper, section, subject and is clickable.

The third window will be a list of paragraph with all text with words searched for highlighted.

The fourth screen is the full book text. Here using a tree, you can jump immediately to any section of the book.

These work just fine in the desktop world but not on a small screen so each screen is separated according to function.

Soon now, Native Client will give me the power to do this. There will be problems at first. One big one will be the time it takes to show the initial program screen whenever I update the program.

Until Google supports separating the programs in pieces, the entire program will download the first time its accessed. To keep that from hindering the user, I'll place revisions on new separate pages. That way, you'll know you have a small wait time for the latest changes to take effect. When they have upgraded to this capability, the wait will be shortened significantly.

Want to mention that I can see very few issues with indexing and using the index with different languages. The program will work pretty easily when creating for Spanish, French or whatever.

Menus,menus, menus

Well, I'm still waiting for Native Client to release it's file and 3d version so I'm creating the menu system that will work on mobiles and desktops alike. That means you can't put a lot of information on the screen at the same time. For instance: If you have a word to look up in the book, the small amount of real estate on the phone keeps you from putting all the references for that word on the screen so a compromise is needed.

First you put the information on just the word like how many times it appears in the book and maybe a small list box that shows all the words in the book and stopping at the closest word being typed in so they know how to type in what's already in the book along with a couple of buttons, one for direct references in a list and the other for paragraphs where they appear.

When they press the button for paper, section and paragraph references then you then place that list on the screen. If press the button for direct paragraph references then you put all those paragraphs on the screen where they appear together and highlight the words chosen. Here we can put a button to enlarge or shrink the text. You really need that feature on a small screen, especially when you ask for the whole book to read. Those settings are saved locally so that whatever computer you're on, it'll remember the text size.

Anyway, I have the scene selection, scene design, system help  and the like on screen with buttons on the bottom of the screen that can scroll when there are more menu items than what can show. there's a few bugs left but I'm sure I'll be handling them in the next few days.

I hope they release 3d at the same time as file access as the menus are all 3d based buttons. I still don't have any pictures on them (textures as they call them), just the text below the buttons so I'll have to get that working after I have a stable menu system.

Also wanted to mention. I think I can create an Spanish and French index pretty easily using the same software so I think I'll have those on a different URL page. We'll see.

Nothing but fun here.

Waiting for Native Client

Lots of changes to the program to get it ready for Native Client. Can't get it working for the UBook index yet. They haven't given us file or database access. I'm sure they are having security issues even though they isolate  the files to a special cached area. Well a lot of the system is ready when they accomplish it. They don't give a time yet but my guess would be, judging from their posts, within another quarter. Probably their next release will allow it. Won't slow me down though, I have a lot of work to do to get the menuing system ready for 3d access to scenes.

Nobody said this was going to be easy.

First Digs at Native Client

My first priority is getting the index working on the book. Got my first taste of what it takes to get the system up on the net with Native Client. I make changes by inserting pre-processor statements in the language I use (c++) and these statements cause the system to ignore parts of my code (commands to the computer brain). I added about 1700 changes yesterday to ignore pieces of code that aren't supported. First, I compile over and over again. A compiler changes my English-like c++ language statements into 1's and 0's understood by computer brain. Then I look at the errors accumulated by the compiler and then I type in the changes to fix those errors. Considering so much is not supported yet, there we're a lot of errors unsupported in by the Qt lighthouse system for Native Client. After those 1700 changes were made, I still had 2632 errors left to fix. I certainly won't finish those today. To be fair, though, when I make a change, the system makes a few changes so I've actually probably edited over 500 lines of code and those were mainly cut and paster stuff so before my I exaggerate too much I need to check my need for accuracy.

It feels really good to get this far. Just from what I've done, I have very little doubt that Native Client can do it. That is, I'm pinning my hopes on it. It's my code that is being fit into it and I trust my code to do what needs to be done, even if it's a partial application.

It's almost unbelievable that I can take all the software work and knowledge I've accumulated since 1981 and put it onto the Internet. Not only the software decades, but also all the electronic work since I was 14. What fun. Say what you will about Google but they are my new friends now. Yes, I know that their real test is coming as a company. Will they have the fortitude to stay the course? Or will their top people buckle under the force of power and money? Time will tell. They have kept their code open-sourced and Native Client is under that umbrella.

I will make money on the automation side of this system. Yes, but people will be able to use it without having to pay me. They will be able to automate and view their homes and businesses on the Internet in 3d without having to continuously shell out from their wallets. They will use my system free of charge. How will I make money from the system to support it? From designers and part suppliers that help you create a 3d automated view of your home or business or building. It's easy to design your view of your home or business and you can use your own parts or install your own stuff and bypass me completely and still use the system without any purchases. So what I do for the Urantia movement, I will do for the automation side of the world also. Using virtualized 3d objects, I can do both using the same system.

I was having a discussion with Dave about the nature of the Adamic bestowal the other day and I needed to know where in the book it mentioned what accomplished the age. Using the index, I found it in less a second after I typed in a few words. I was surprised by his reaction, he said something like 'What's this, where did you get this', it took me by surprise. Something I created could have a reaction from a reader in this way? I have to get this index out there as soon as I can.

Anyway, soon an index that can be used to quickly go through the Ubook It already works on a Windows computer but soon all x86 based computers over the Internet. That's real power. Life is good.