This tries to document an idea I had about developing a console phone, that is, a text-based phone without all the GUI-phones blues around.
I like the command-line, I use vim, sup, vimperator, wmii, etc. and I like the way it feels. So I thought, maybe a console phone is also easy and nice to use. I haven't found any phones like that (yet) and neither any specification.
So this document tries to be an initial draft of what I mean and see if someone finds it interesting.
The phone will have a 'gnu screen' like interface where you can switch between different screens with different uses.
The main user screen is a command-line interface using 'gnu readline' with a prompt (something short line '>' or '$' or '#'). This is the interface to place calls and run commands. All commands and 'subjects' will have auto-completion.
Commands allowed:
- call
- add (contact)
- edit (contact)
- sms
- chat
- tweet
- web
- contacts
- history
- config
There can be an bottom 'status line' where operator, time, battery and signal are shown.
An upcomming call would switch the screen to the command line and you'll get something like:
> INCOMMING CALL FROM chmeee
answer? [Y/n]
I'm not sure about this. If there should be a text-based onscreen keyboard or a physical one. In any case, even if it's a graphical keyboard (in the case the console-phone app is running inside a GUI phone), the keyboard must be good enough, otherwise, user experience will be crap.
Console apps are already there. Curses apps would be great.
- sup for mail
- links for web
- finch for chat
- ruby twitter gem for tweet
Any text-based game:
- Of course it will have the 'text-based' nethack, best game ever.
- Another good addtion would be gnu-go.
- Adventure, and other conversational games.
I wish the console phone got implemented in ruby. That way you can always drop to 'irb' from the command-line interface and do some ruby magic in your phone.
If I get to finish (one of these days) my degree project I'll implement one basic functionality just for fun :).
Feel free to fork and update this readme or contribute with sample code.