Couch Surfer is a native web browser for the Leopard Front Row and Apple TV written using the
WebKit rendering engine, and is suppose to have a intuitive interface with only the Apple Remote as the interface, (and if the interface works with only the 6-button Apple Remote then one should be able to easily control it with any remote control).
Maybe that GUI could be used as a base if someone decided to integrate
WebKit into XBMC?
I believe that the source code for CouchSurfer is available here:
http://www.brandon-holland.com/software.html
Quote:Controlling Couch Surfer
Once a page is loaded you are in "Navigation Mode" and can use the up and down direction circle on the Apple Remote to scroll though the page. Pressing and holding either the up or down direction on the remote initiates a smooth scrolling motion. Pressing the forward or back direction buttons will navigate through your browsing history.
The Menu button on the apple remote brings up the Couch Surfer info menu and has options to set bookmarks and return to the main couch surfer menu.
"Manipulation Mode" is used when you need to interact with a web page such a following links or controlling flash interfaces. To enter this mode simply press the Play/Pause button on the remote. (You will notice the arrows on the right side of the screen disappear.) An arrow will appear in the middle of the screen and can be moved around using the direction circle buttons on the apple remote just like a mouse.
To click a link in Manipulation Mode just press the Play/Pause button again. This can also be used to click buttons in flash movies like YouTube to stop or adjust volume.
To exit Manipulation mode press the Menu button on the apple remote once. You will notice the arrows re-appear on the right side of the screen indicating you are back in Navigation Mode and want to scroll the page up or down and go back and forth in your browsing history.
Rand Al Thor Wrote:From a functionality standpoint wouldn't it be more logical to devise a way to launch external apps
Maybe but that is off-topic in this thread as this discussion is specifically about "Web browser built-into XBMC"
Anybody tried the mobile version of Firefox yet? There's a version available you can try out on your desktop PC
here
I can see an interface like that work quite nicely with a remote or controller.
One of the main issues is that entering URL's with a remote would be a pain. I use an extension for firefox which syncs my bookmarks between my main PC and my HTPC:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/8379
I'm not saying it would have to be based on firefox, but functionality like this would work nicely imo.
Is there any consensus/direction from the XBMC team on browser type/version they'd like to see and support if there is interest in integrating it (as opposed to launching a separate app)?
Soju Wrote:Is there any consensus/direction from the XBMC team on browser type/version they'd like to see and support if there is interest in integrating it (as opposed to launching a separate app)?
WebKit or KHTML are the best options currently available for embedded integration, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webkit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KHTML
I believe that out of those two WebKit would be preferred as it is for many platforms
At this point it seems like it would make more sense for devs to spend time implementing and perfecting an external app launcher function rather than having to code and maintain a web browser when there are already perfectly good solutions out there like firefox that can be launched fullscreen. Just my thoughts...The only place i see a real benefit for it is on the xbox, and I suppose apple tv. Though, I suppose, if you really want to use a controller or remote to use the internet that's probably not possible with most standalone browsers.
timdog82001 Wrote:At this point it seems like it would make more sense for devs to spend time implementing and perfecting an external app launcher function rather than having to code and maintain a web browser when there are already perfectly good solutions out there like firefox that can be launched fullscreen. Just my thoughts...The only place i see a real benefit for it is on the xbox, and I suppose apple tv. Though, I suppose, if you really want to use a controller or remote to use the internet that's probably not possible with most standalone browsers.
If you mean that the application (e.g., web browser) would be fully integrated as a "layer in the stack" (with XBMC menu addressable features) yes that would be wonderful. I think this project would be tantamount to an example of such a mechanism. I'd love it if there was some general directions or rules of thumb that can be followed.
Generally speaking the uses are many; first and foremost the use of things like yahoo widgets and other browser based mini programs can add immense value at the time media being played.
Gamester17, are there any existing code snippets or architecture suggestions you guys may have to get me started? I'd like to try as much of an integrated approach as possible. Say with Webkit.
If you're thinking of actually doing some coding yourself in the direction of launching external browsers/apps, I'd suggest talking with the guys working on the games library/database stuff. Not identical to what you're after, but definitely related. I'm sure their approach doesn't involve any of the layering you were suggesting but perhaps it's something that could be considered for non game-related apps if it's possible.
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=40715
timdog82001 Wrote:If you're thinking of actually doing some coding yourself in the direction of launching external browsers/apps, I'd suggest talking with the guys working on the games library/database stuff. Not identical to what you're after, but definitely related. I'm sure their approach doesn't involve any of the layering you were suggesting but perhaps it's something that could be considered for non game-related apps if it's possible.
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=40715
Many thanks
Soju Wrote:Gamester17, are there any existing code snippets or architecture suggestions you guys may have to get me started? I'd like to try as much of an integrated approach as possible. Say with Webkit.
I suggest that you take a look at the "
linksbrowser" branch in the XBMC SVN, its only for the Xbox and have not been updated/maintaied in quite a while (which is the major reason of why the code never made it into the mainline SVN).
https://sourceforge.net/svn/?group_id=87054
http://xbmc.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/x...ksbrowser/
http://trac.xbmc.org/browser/branches/linksbrowser/
The "
linksbrowser" branch is XBMC for Xbox with an integrated port of the LinksBooks web browser for the Xbox,
LinksBoks itself is a port to the Xbox platform of the
Links2Browser which is an enhanced version of the
LinksBrowser.
You can find out more about the XBMC integrated LinksBoks branch and its development here:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=11640
and also about the standalone version of the LinksBoks web browser for the Xbox here:
http://ysbox.online.fr/
The nice think about LinksBoks for XBMC for Xbox what that its interface was very remote control and living-room friendly, as it was designed to be used while sitting in a couch about 10-feet from a large screen television.
So if you or someone else could find a way to replace LinksBoks HTML renderer engine with the WebKit HTML renderer engine then I think you would be of to a nice start.
Is it possible to back port the Plexapp webkit server to XBMC to allow be able to stream ABC, NBC, HULU, FOX, WB, FOODTV, etc through the browser instead of hacking each stream individually?
DRM distribution through the web seems to be the next big thing, and Plexapp's way of doing things seems pretty slick. I'm curious if we could take their work and bring it back to XBMC?
AFAIK the webkit bit is in their PMS (who the hell picked that name :p) thingie. So not directly porable back to XBMC. If we decide to add support, it will be a more proper solution.
PMS is also closed source, so it's impossible to port even if we wanted to.
I've recently found
http://ubrowser.com/ ?
It seems that this is specifically for integrating web browser functionality in an opengl rendered application. Apparently it is available for Windows, Linux and Mac and the source code is available (MPL). It might be a bit dated since it is working with the Firefox 2.0 source base.
The demo app and screenshots look promising. Maybe someone with XBMC source code knowledge can take a look at it?
I absolutely love this software. I would like it to essentially be the os that runs on my media pc. Is there a web browser that I can add to the main menu list so that I can surf though a xbmc web browser? Thanks. Dre