Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 1:28 AM
Say, your're not happy with the way PCZapper performs. Maybe you want to change the startup program into something different, or you could be unhappy with the way the scripting and containering works. Or you could be fed up with the way the PCzapper community is non-existent, the
forum filled with Britney Spears and Facials instead of cool scripts and containers... Or you like to use the hardware under Linux...
If you'd want to bypass the software from PCzapper (the orange icon in the taskbar), or reuse the hardware for whatever reason:
it's possible!
First, there's
WinLirc (or for Linux:
lirc).
The remote-reciever I'm using from PCzapper is connected to the serial port. Winlirc captures remote signals that go through there. There's even a
mention of the palmbutler IR remote in the Lirc listings of supported remotes that works under both WinLirc and Lirc... Cool!
WinLirc captures the keypresses on the remote, but now we have to do something with those keypresses. You'd want to use IREx. IREx can do virtually anything with these keypresses! Generate keyboard-presses (like the scripts from PCzapper do), start software, reboot your computer etc.
So the process is simple:
1- Install WinLirc and setup your remote
2- Download and install
IREx
3- Config your remote config (as exampled in the IREx help and config files)
4- Maybe make these programs autostart when windows starts.
Maybe in the near future a more extensive list with examples and all, but for now:
This would be great with
GBPVR (also see my post on using GBPVR together with PCzapper), WinAmp... GBPVR even has a PCZapper alternative aboard, called
UbuStream.
Not as neatly actualised as PCZapper is, you have to do it yourself there, but if you want streaming video, it's there!