allow cairo to use window instead of framebuffer

[catfact]

for development / test away from norns hardware.

shouldn't be difficult:

1. provide alternative function to create cairo surface from window instead of FB: https://github.com/catfact/norns/blob/master/matron/src/hardware/screen.c#L66

(specifically, would probably have to first create the window using Xlib functions, then cairo_create_x11_surface - see https://cairographics.org/Xlib/ )

2. add a preprocessor flag and/or matron argument

[leinir]

Noticing that this got closed same time as that other one that just sniffs whether it's running on arm - is there some decision that it shouldn't be a thing that matron can make use of something that's not a framebuffer, or was it more a case that there wasn't active development on the feature? :)

[tehn]

we've largely decided against strongly pursuing norns running on desktop/laptops. this is a longer conversation and we can make an effort to document it somewhere--- a formal roadmap would be a good thing to have.

there's a working PoC here that needs to be fast-forwarded, though there are other issues (cairo thread optimization) that would come first. https://github.com/monome/norns/pull/1221

[leinir]

Thanks for the swift reply, there! For sure, absolutely understand that there's only so much coding time to go around :) Say someone else were to chip in on that effort, would that be welcomed or shunned or... i guess somewhere in between? ;) Relatedly, thanks also for the link, that does look like a nice bit of work :)

[tehn]

i'd maybe suggest waiting a month, as there might be something in the works that fulfills a similar desire that you may be chasing right now. (sorry to be vague, i just can't make a lot of promises right now)

[leinir]

Hehe, sure - i know how "vague" sometimes works ;) No problem, and thanks for the headsup! :)