[PLUG] Projector

Keith Lofstrom keithl at kl-ic.com
Wed Oct 15 09:28:02 UTC 2003


Zot writes:
>         I do need a project still (Again). Kieth has fixed the  project
> power supply but we have not got it to work reliably yet.

Setting up computer projectors is hard, especially setting up that old
Proxima's 640x480 from a random laptop.  Some of the newer projectors
scan-convert, which leads to a shitty looking picture but quicker
laptop setup.  However, XFree is certainly powerful enough and XConfig
files versatile enough that there is almost guaranteed to be a workable
solution for 98% of laptops and 98% of projectors.  The problem, Linux
or Windows, new projector or old, is finding that solution in a few
minutes before a talk.  This has plagued projectors since day one.

  *******************************************************************
  This is actually a career opportunity for one of us!  What about an 
  open-source tool that does this configuration semi-automagically?  
  *******************************************************************

Is there someone here with a smidgen of programming skill (this would
not take much, probably a tiny bit of perl programming) willing to do 
the experimentation necessary, then write a program and a user's guide?
There would be a lot of writing (Mini-Howtos with the setup formula for
every machine) and a lot of user-empathy needed for a friendly design.
You will have to learn XConfig, of course.  But after a while, the
Mini-Howtos will be contributed over the net, so this will not take
forever to complete.

A smallish script driven by a big table of projectors and a big table of
laptops (with accompanying setup formulas) followed by some experimental
algorithms for laptops and projectors not listed, would likely reduce
the fiddling around to seconds or at most minutes.  It would be an
excellent skill advertisment (your splash screen would be projected
worldwide thousands of times a day), and an excellent way to promote
Linux ("This Microsoft junk isn't working!  Go get the Linux laptop!").

Talk about low hanging fruit!  We probably have half-a-dozen projectors
and 30 different kinds of laptops among us, and we are mostly helpful
and friendly types;  whoever took this on as a project would be able
to get a lot of testing experience rapidly.  InFocus and Compview
are in town, and probably would provide access to projectors for the
development of the second version of the program (and if you wanted a
job at such places, this would be a good way to get it).   

Zot, I'm *glad* that hard-to-configure projector is giving you fits, 
because this could lead to a new Linux tool, one that closed-source
Windows will never be able to match.  It could also lead to a good
job for an ambitious PLUG member.  Scratch that itch!

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom           keithl at ieee.org         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs




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