What:  Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project
 Where: http://code.google.com/android/index.html
 Description: Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system,  
 middleware and key applications. 

This early look at the Android SDK provides the tools and APIs 
necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using the [Java] programming 
language: [http://code.google.com/android/download.html]

Features

    * Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components
    * Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices
    * Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine
    * Optimized graphics powered by a custom 2D graphics library; 3D graphics based on the OpenGL ES 1.0 specification (hardware acceleration optional)
    * SQLite for structured data storage
    * Media support for common audio, video, and still image formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)
    * GSM Telephony (hardware dependent)
    * Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, and WiFi (hardware dependent)
    * Camera, GPS, compass, and accelerometer (hardware dependent)
    * Rich development environment including a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, and a plugin for the Eclipse IDE


Another opportunity for Tcl/Tk to gain visibility in a cutting edge environment, if enthusiasts are inclined to develop applications for this platform.

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[RS] 2008-05-29: Here is, from [http://code.google.com/android/intro/hello-android.html], a ''hello world'' example in Android environment (and [Java]):

 package com.android.hello;

 import android.app.Activity;
 import android.os.Bundle;
 import android.widget.TextView;

 public class HelloAndroid extends Activity {
   /** Called when the activity is first created. */
   @Override
   public void onCreate(Bundle icicle) {
       super.onCreate(icicle);
       TextView tv = new TextView(this);
       tv.setText("Hello, Android");
       setContentView(tv);
   }
 }
Oh that overengineering, compared to
 pack [label .tv -text "Hello, Tk Android"]
But seriously, has any of the [Jacl] (or [Hecl]) crowdlet considered to bring Tcl/Tk to Android in the Jacl way?

[TP] [David Welton] and the [Hecl] developers have Hecl running on Android.  See [http://journal.dedasys.com/articles/2007/12/17/announcing-hecl-android-alpha-and-hecl-android-developer-challenge-entry] and [http://journal.dedasys.com/articles/tag/hecl]


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'''Tcl and the Android Scripting Environment'''

[PT]: Android when running on a phone does not permit general installation of binaries. The only significant writable filesystem is the sdcard but that is mounted with a non-exec flag to prevent anything running from the card. This means you need to install applications using the system installer which has permission to create files and directories on the data filesystem. The Android Scripting Environment is a project which provides a java shim to get compiled scripting languages installed onto the phone from where they can run script files from the sdcard. It comes with Python, Lua and some others.

I have created a Tcl interpreter package for ASE and it is currently hosted at http://www.patthoyts.tk/tclkit/android-arm
This is a modified version of the ASE project to add Tcl support. You need to install the APK file and then copy the three zip files to the root of your sdcard and have ASE install the Tcl8.6b2 interpreter. This includes support for using the JSON interface to the Android interface so the various examples posted for other languages are readily translated into Tcl. See the scripts package but a sample is:

  package require android
  set android [android new]
  $android vibrate
  $android getInput "Hello!" "Type something in..."
  $android webSearch "android scripting with tcl"

In the longer term it is probably more sensible to use something with better Java integration. Either [Hecl] or {Jacl] would seem good candidates. Hecl is not-quite-tcl and Jacl needs some updating. When I tested a threaded build and tried to create a thread in Tcl the executable aborted so I suspect we cannot make use of [tclblend] which says it requires threads.

Note that [Hecl] already has support for Android. 

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[LV] Note that this product is different from the earlier product, [Android], which is a GUI testing system.

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!!!!!!
%| [Category PIM] |%
!!!!!!