X Scribble Project

What is xscribble?

Xscribble is an X application that allows a user of a touch screen to input characters into X applications, using a uni-stroke (graffiti like) alphabet. It uses the X test extension to allow synthesis of characters as though they had been typed on a keyboard. It is the X version of the scribble program.

As this program is "familiar" to Palm users, even if other, better recognizers become available, it is important that we have a good implementation of this recognition system..

What is xscribble's geneology?

Long and varied, as in many open source projects.

Keith Packard did the X interface. Debby Kerr (Compaq WRL) has recently been improving some of the character definitions.

Sharon Perl (Compaq SRC) ported scribble to Itsy.

CMU and Sun wrote key parts of scribble.

Where can I find more information on the algorithms used?

See the mail archives for some pointers.

Where is the CVS repository for xscribble?

On handhelds.org, as apps/xscribble.

What release of xscribble is current?

Version 1.3.

Where can I download sources?

Best done from CVS at the moment: we have not been good about updating the ftp version.

What is the license of xscribble?

Check the individual files: as an aggregate work, it is GPL; parts are under an X/MIT/Berkeley style copyright.

How do I install xscribble?

Besides installing xscribble itself, you also have to install the data files that drives it, and the X app-defaults file as well.

Where do I find screen shots?

How do I make the stroke for foo?

Get the source of xscribble, and run this perl program with one of the classifier files on stdin.

How do I get the keystrokes into a program?

1. raise xscribble so its window is entirely visible.
2. Using the root menu, select System->WindowOps->Focus
3. Click on the window you want to type into.
4. Now stroke in xscribble, and your keys go into that window.

How can I contribute to making xscribble more useful?

There is lots of work to be done. Join the discussions on the handhelds@handhelds.org mailing list.

What can/should be done to make xscribble better?

Fix bugs.

Improve UI.

A "scribble server" which looked for windows that could be scribbled on and sent scribbles to those windows without having to explicitly set input focus, would be a major step forward.

What other recognizers are there?

Here are ones we know about:

• NIST Form-based Hand Print Recognition System (RELEASE 2.1)
• Companion Link has some recognizers as well, see GridWrite which is based on a slightly modified libstroke.
• libstroke
• wayv

Questions?

Please post any questions to handhelds@handhelds.org.