Software

From IrisFrame

After searching for a while the current software I've picked are:

• Debian
  • Damn Small Linux (DSL) for older machines
• Python 2.4
• pygame (a python library based on SDL)

I picked them because:

• Debian: excellent Linux distribution and very portable
  • DSL: is small, relatively easy to install, and it's Debian based (so I can install custom packages). After booting it only uses 8.5MB of RAM with a 1024x768x16 screen, and 160mb of hard drive space.
• python: now that I'm supposed to use Python an not Perl at work, I figured I could write the project to learn more about Pyhton. Python is a good language, it's main strength being to force you to write readable code (vs Perl which can generate the ugliest code 99% of the time).
• python-pygame (SDL library) I originally picked mainly because it allowed me to display a full screen picture without relying on a heavy framework (installing GTK breaks DSL)

Note sure yet:

• python-imaging (pil ... can it do dithering ?)