[Wolves] White-board software

[Andy Wootton]

Adam Sweet wrote:
> --- Andy Wootton <andy.wootton at wyrley.demon.co.uk>
> wrote:
>   
>> I'm learning lots of lovely diagramming techniques
>> and I use Umbrello 
>> software for UML . The problem is that it isn't
>> quite quick enough to 
>> use during an interview. I like the 'Agile' idea of
>> using a white-board 
>> and taking a photograph of it or of using a graphics
>> tablet and VERY 
>> simple drawing software that does no more than
>> working like a 
>> white-board that saves. I don't want polygons,
>> spline-curves etc., just 
>> pens, a rubber and file save. At a push - zoom in
>> and out; move up, 
>> down, left and right, type on the keyboard.
>>
>> So does anyone know of Linux software for
>>
>> a) cleaning up digital photographs physical
>> white-boards automatically 
>> like http://www.polyvision.com/products/wbp.asp does
>> on Windows (a 20 
>> minute Gimp session isn't quick enough. I might want
>> to refer back to 
>> the drawing I wiped 5 minutes ago now.)
>>
>> or b) stupidly simple 'white-board' emulation
>>
>> It's hard to Google for this stuff without getting
>> electronic 
>> white-boards for education or 2 grand 'tablet PCs.'
>>
>> Some amazing idea I haven't thought of would be good
>> too.
>>     
>
> Hmm, most places I looked seem to say there is very
> little...
>
> I a quick search through Synaptic come up with sTeam
> and wbd (which is apparently a clone of wb which James
> suggested). Neither of these appear to be a simple
> standalone app from what I can tell.
>
> Smart Technologies do a version of their Smartboard
> software for Linux, albeit for Red Hat 9, Mandrake 9.1
> and SuSE 8.1. 
>
> http://www.smarttech.com/support/software/unix.asp
>
> The Windows version of Smart Notebook was quite good
> if I recall, although obviously non-free. You wouldn't
> need a smartboard specifically to use it. It worked
> with a mouse, so I'm sure you could hook it up to a
> projector and graphics tablet, though I'm sure you
> could say the same about any plain drawing package
> such as MS Paint and it's Linux clones.
>
> Hmm on closer inspection they don't appear to provide
> Smart Notebook for Linux, you could try the Windows
> version in Wine though I spose.
>
> You could also take a look at Freemind which is
> mind-mapping software. It runs on Java, dunno about
> the free java implementations but the Sun jre is
> packed for Ubuntu these days if you need it.
>
> Thats all I could think of.
>
> Ad
Thanks James and Adam. You have set me off in a new direction. I'd 
forgotten about all the add-ons to IM products for white-boarding. They 
seem very close to what I need. I 'just' need to fool them into working 
without a partner. I'll add this onto the huge list of stuff I want to 
do with Jabber-based comms. I must do something soon though or I'm in 
danger of getting a Tablet PC and being stuck with Windows.

I use Freemind extensively. It's wonderful but no good for freehand 
drawing. It worked fine with Blackdown Java but that is just pre-release 
Sun from what I can tell.

Woo