Skinable FMCB Configurator

[jimhackthorn]

i got a idea would it be possible to make a skinable FMCB configurator either now for FMCB 1.8 or for the next FMCB release it is a lot like ule and if it can be skinable then the FMCB configurator should also be skinable also it would be better then looking at a plain white screen. let me know what ya think about this idea.

[yoshi314]

in case of fmcb - configurator is like an installer - you don't run these too often. why bother?

that said, i fail to understand why did people make an effort with adding bling to the fmcb installer. i'd rather see a nice full blown OSD replacement (although uLe does the job fairly well) and have a crappy-looking installer.

[_ZedHqX4_]

I agree, its more important the OSD than the installer, as a matter of fact, i want the installer to look like a good old command prompt, a good old DOS screen

[JNABK]

I think it would be a good idea to allow the configurator to have a skin too, it has nothing to do with FMCB's installer or Launcher.

The configurator is a separate app that creates the CNF that FMCB's loader reads, that all. Its based off uLaunchELF {thats why it looks like it} and uLaunchELF has skins, so it shouldnt be much trouble to allow a CNF to work for Configurator, like it does for uLe. Same type of option, users can leave it as is with the default look, or add a skin.cnf and image to the MC or USB stick.

It might not be a "useful" thing to have as an option, but many people like to see "themed" apps and customized to their own tastes. If its not any trouble to impliment, why not have it.

[jimhackthorn]

well if it could at least load a picture it would make it easier to see and more readable if a skin could be made for it. it could be the same size as a skin for ule or if a skin is not possible it could maybe load a picture for the background but a skin would be a lot better. the skin for ule is not that big so a skin for FMCB configurator could be made and not be any bigger then 1 for ule. here is another idea that would be to design a FMCB configurator that can load a skin and make a skin separate from FMCB configurator that you download and then it would be totally optional and then you could load a skin just like for ule i do think yoshi314 has a good idea i think that it would be a good idea if FMCB could eventually be a replacement for ule but ule is able to do some things that FMCB can not do and that would if it would be eventually a replacement it would have to load ps2 net and and have a file browser either from OSD or the FMCB configurator if ps2 net and file browser cant run from OSD then it would have to be built into the FMCB configurator witch would make like a FMCB configurator/ule hydride witch could be possable if it would be it could possibly save memory card space if you could replace ule with FMCB configurator i think it would be possible

[jimhackthorn]

hey JNABK if you like this idea maybe if you would be interested maybe you could help me with this project to make this possable.

[dlanor]

I think it would be a terrible idea to make the configurator configurable this way, for three separate reasons:

1: Adding extra complexity to the usage of the configurator would only confuse people as to what exactly they are doing. (Configuring FMCB or configuring the configurator.)

2: The new configurable feature(s) of the configurator must be registered somewhere, either in a brand new "CONFIGURATOR.CNF" or in the same CNF as used by the FMCB booter, which must then contain some entries that FMCB itself never uses...

3: One of the reasons why the configurator is so small is because it does NOT contain the jpeg (or other picture format) libs required for a good skinning function. Some of you may remember a discussion about the gsKit lib, and its libjpg dependencies recently, where it was found (among other things) that simply compiling the present configurator with such a lib linked would double the size of the elf file. And that was without actually using a single one of the jpg-specific functions...

This means that adding the mere capability, even without using it, for loadable skins in the configurator, will probably cost somewhere in the range of 100KB, which would become mandatory waste for every configurable FMCB installation.
(Not including any size consideration for the skin files.)

So on this matter I have to vote "nay".

Best regards: dlanor

[TnA]

I agree, most because of the third point.

IF there should be something skinable with this ability, then I more think of an AIO-App based on the new FMCB-Installer. ^^
Nothing for yet,...

The basic configurator should kept as small as possible.


About the In-OSD-Stuff "PS2NET" and so on,...

FMCB isn´t a ule-replacement.
It is only a comfortable way to start ELFs and has some extra-features like the PSP-CFW.
ule is more like a fully-featured basic hb-app like DOS on PCs.
FMCB is the MG-"Exploit" and a basic ELF-Loader with some special features.

The only way (to realize something similar), I thought about was plugins-support like in PSPs CFWs.

Another thing is, that the loader is at its limit.
Some simple functions still might be possible and some code-optimizing here and there,...
But all in all it is full again.

A way to give the OSD-Hack unlimited freedom is to give support for an external OSDMOD.ELF (e.g. in "BOOT" again, like ESR...), which can be started through variables then (which was an idea for newer Versions).

ELF-Var-Loading gives more freedom, like starting ELFs with different options, even without a CNF (Just for example. Thought other things are possible, too.).

ESR is another example for apps, which can make use of it... 1 ELF, instead of 3.


Edit: g.t.o. just posted a version from hackchip. Source and binary is included.

I´ll try it tomorrow (still a lot to read...).

[g.t.o]

@jimhackthorn

Look here => http://psx-scene.com/forums/442640-post172.html (Free McBoot Configurator)

[jimhackthorn]

hey g.t.o thanks for trying but this is just FMCB configerator 1.8b it has no skinning capability plus the size of it has increased a lot with nothing extra i do agree with dlanor that the size of it needs to be kept to a minimum i am wanting a FMCB configerator that can load a skin the same way that ule does this one here does not load a skin it is just a plain FMCB configurator for FMCB 1.8 witch soluku made if you didnt modify this then it is just a modified version of it by hackchip witch i dont think he helped it any by unnecessary increasing the file size of it. if it could load a skin at that size there it would be great but as i can see there is no skin loading capability. I would like for it to load a skin in the same way that ule does so that it is easy for anybody to load there skin my idea would be to load the skin from SYS-CONF folder in the same way that ule does for this to happend soluku would have to be the 1 to do this because he made it if it was not for him we would not have a FMCB configurator for Free MCboot so i hope in the future if other people like this they can give there support here and when soluku can do it maybe there maybe a skinable FMCB Configurator if he is able to do this sorry if you may have had a misunderstanding about this here is a way you could help since you speak french maybe you could translate the FMCB configurator to french so people where you are at can read it if you are able to do this but that would require coding skills. any skill is helpful we can all try to make freeMcboot better with every new release just be sure to give thanks to jimmikealkeal and neme and the Freemcboot team