Author Topic: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)  (Read 50649 times)

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Offline compu

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Hi,
I'm trying to make some kind of package manager for the TI-Nspire.
The goal is to make installing/removing programs on an Nspire very easy, e.g. for games that need a large amount of other files/resources.
In its current state pacspire can install zip files and register file extensions on installation time.

For testing purposes I made a package of Tile World which can be installed with one click ;)

To do this, you have to send pacspire.tns and tworld.pcs.tns to your calc and start pacspire once. Now you can click on tworld.pcs.tns to install it.
Source code and more information is available on github.
This is an early version so please let me know if you have suggestions, find bugs, etc.

Offline TheNlightenedOne

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2013, 05:40:33 pm »
Wow :o! Very cool. I'll be trying this next time I use my Nspire.
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Offline ajorians

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2013, 05:55:25 pm »
Hey compu,

Nice!  I do find it can take a little bit of time creating the necessary directories and setting up a program.  I've messed up setting up a program a few times and so because a file wasn't found and the way the program was written the calculator restarted.  Hopefully this will fix that!

Keep working on it and adding more features when you can!

Have a great day!

Offline Sorunome

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2013, 06:13:02 pm »
wait, this is awesome!
a package manager for the nspire O.O
But you need linux, right?

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Offline Streetwalrus

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2013, 06:58:11 pm »
Nope, it's for Ndless. :P
It  does sound pretty awesome indeed. ;)
« Last Edit: August 08, 2013, 06:59:08 pm by Streetwalker »

Offline Vogtinator

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2013, 07:55:27 pm »
So I would have to download the .pcs package manually, transfer it to my calculator and then install it?  :-\

Sure, it's easier to install and you won't make any mistakes, but I think a pc-based version (using tilp's libs) would be better, but also harder to code and maintain.
Imagine a public omnimaga and ti-planet repository with almost every app available as "one-click-install".
Something like an "Nspire-App-Store", maybe even with automated ndless installation?
Maybe even an "One-Click-Update" which updates all applications installed on the calculator..
Maybe my brain is already dreaming at 2:00 am while I'm still awake typing this post..
However, this tool is already waaaaaaayyy more awsome to use than dragging and dropping dozens of files in tilp ;)

Edit: pacspire uses .zip format for the files? What is the installation speed like?
« Last Edit: August 08, 2013, 08:09:56 pm by Vogtinator »

Offline ExtendeD

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2013, 03:23:21 am »
compu: nice :)
Would being able to temporary unpack/run/remove temporary files be an interesting option, to avoid cluttering the OS file manager at the expense of launch time?
Also how does pacspire conflicts with Ndless's zlib definitions?


Vogtinator: an app store would indeed be a nice way to promote TI-Nspire programs which unfortunately often sink into Omnimaga's topic archives after a few months.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2013, 03:25:10 am by ExtendeD »
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Offline Lionel Debroux

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2013, 03:29:48 am »
Yeah, the remote control support in libticalcs (although it's just the mechanics, the key definitions themselves need to be retrieved from TI's software and added to libticalcs as "keysnsp") might prove handy.

An app store would indeed be nice, but who will do the work of setting it up, maintaining it in the long-term, and sifting through old programs for re-packaging them ?
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Offline Streetwalrus

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2013, 03:47:51 am »
An app store would indeed be nice, but who will do the work of setting it up, maintaining it in the long-term, and sifting through old programs for re-packaging them ?
Maybe Linux style repos ? This way devs maintain their stuff themselves and it's pretty easy to set up (you just need an HTTP server and there are plenty of free hosts). ;)

Offline compu

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2013, 07:10:33 am »
So I would have to download the .pcs package manually, transfer it to my calculator and then install it?  :-\
At the moment, yes.

Sure, it's easier to install and you won't make any mistakes, but I think a pc-based version (using tilp's libs) would be better, but also harder to code and maintain.
A PC-based version is at least on my wishlist ;D

Imagine a public omnimaga and ti-planet repository with almost every app available as "one-click-install".
Something like an "Nspire-App-Store", maybe even with automated ndless installation?
Maybe even an "One-Click-Update" which updates all applications installed on the calculator..
Maybe my brain is already dreaming at 2:00 am while I'm still awake typing this post..
Well, I'll see what I can do. :P

Edit: pacspire uses .zip format for the files? What is the installation speed like?
I'm at school now and can't give you exact times, but it is not too slow. Try installing the tworld package (~1,8MB uncompressed, ~400KB compressed) and you'll see.

compu: nice :)
Would being able to temporary unpack/run/remove temporary files be an interesting option, to avoid cluttering the OS file manager at the expense of launch time?
Sure. And by the way, would it be possible to make the program loader of ndless available to launched programs?

Also how does pacspire conflicts with Ndless's zlib definitions?
Everything zlib-related in os.h is commented out at the moment.

Offline Vogtinator

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2013, 09:09:07 am »
An app store would indeed be nice, but who will do the work of setting it up, maintaining it in the long-term, and sifting through old programs for re-packaging them ?
Maybe Linux style repos ? This way devs maintain their stuff themselves and it's pretty easy to set up (you just need an HTTP server and there are plenty of free hosts). ;)
Why not a simple Web UI for submitting and updating apps?

Sure, it's easier to install and you won't make any mistakes, but I think a pc-based version (using tilp's libs) would be better, but also harder to code and maintain.
A PC-based version is at least on my wishlist ;D
Great! If you want to, I could help :D
Quote
Edit: pacspire uses .zip format for the files? What is the installation speed like?
I'm at school now and can't give you exact times, but it is not too slow. Try installing the tworld package (~1,8MB uncompressed, ~400KB compressed) and you'll see.
Wow, not too bad for a calculator..
But if I click on tworld.pcs.tns again, it says 1.3.0 would be newer than my installed version 1.3.0, but in the log file it states otherwise xD
« Last Edit: August 09, 2013, 09:09:34 am by Vogtinator »

Offline Eiyeron

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2013, 09:11:20 am »
Will you do the same for other calculator models?

Offline Adriweb

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #12 on: August 09, 2013, 09:27:37 am »
The [great, in my option] idea of an Nspire App-Store has been in mind of several people for quite some time, yet nothing has been done on that path :P
It could be coupled with some remote control software to automatically extract/isntall/launch whatever. nRemote for example can do that quite easily with its "script" support.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2013, 09:27:56 am by adriweb »
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Offline Vogtinator

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #13 on: August 09, 2013, 09:30:18 am »
But doesn't nRemote use the mysterious NavNet.jar to interface with the Nspire windows driver?
That would make it completely useless to me, as I'm using Linux.

Offline Streetwalrus

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Re: pacspire - A simple package manager for the TI-Nspire/Ndless (WIP)
« Reply #14 on: August 09, 2013, 09:32:53 am »
But doesn't nRemote use the mysterious NavNet.jar to interface with the Nspire windows driver?
That would make it completely useless to me, as I'm using Linux.
Same here. libti* supports this functionality though as Lionel stated a few posts up. ;)