UI progress update

[Mychaela Falconia]

Hello FC community,

I have some exciting news: I succeeded in putting together a working
firmware configuration that uses the new version of TI's UI code (BMI
and MFW) from the TCS3/LoCosto source on top of the new TCS3 version
of ACI on top of the new TCS3 version of the protocol stack, i.e., a
blob-free hybrid config with a working UI.  There are two versions:
hybrid-ui has data services enabled (CSD, fax and GPRS), whereas
hybrid-ui-vo (voice only) has them disabled; both configs build
successfully for both D-Sample and C139 targets.  The new UI has a few
minor differences from the old TCS211 version, more visible in the
D-Sample version; when running on the C139 target where we have
working GSM, I don't see any major functional regressions from the old
version: I was able to both make and receive calls with a C139 running
the hybrid-ui-vo config.

This development may not seem like much, but it is extremely
significant in that it paves the way for the development of a usable
UI on the C139: per my current mental checklist, it looks like I have
everything I need in order to start working on the FreeCalypso UI for
the C139.  Barring some unforeseen complications, I am hoping to have
FC on C139 in a practically usable state (as in usable enough for me
to start using it as my personal phone) by around this summer.

Regarding the more feeble C11x/12x phones: the current C139 config has
a black&white UI, no color, and thus does not use any hw features that
don't exist on the C11x subfamily, but the smaller memory on that more
feeble subfamily is still a problem.  The hybrid-ui-vo config that has
data services taken out fits into the available flash and RAM on the
C139 with plenty of margin, but is currently still too big for C11x.
It can certainly be pruned down further, enough to make it fit, but
the work needed to do so is not something that I am interested in
doing with my unpaid volunteer time.  Therefore, my current plan is to
make FreeCalypso work with a usable UI on the C139, and leave the more
feeble C11x subfamily for someone else.

Hasta la Victoria, Siempre,
Mychaela aka The Mother