Marble is a KDE 4 targeted Widget application that is currently in beta version. It offers a preview of the app and its functionalities.
Marble Widget is an exciting new software in beta preview mode, designed specifically for use with KDE 4. To use Marble, users need to install both "marble" and "marble-data" packages. This generic geographical map widget can be utilized across KDE4 applications. While it depicts the earth as a sphere, it does not use hardware acceleration, such as OpenGL. Although it might resemble professional applications like Google Earth or NASA World Wind, Marble prioritizes being a small, lightweight multi-purpose widget.
To optimize speed, the Kubuntu packages include SSE support (-msse). Users can expect Marble to be a fast, efficient application. Some noteworthy features of Marble Widget include the use of minimal free dataset and the ability to utilize Marble offline. The current package size measures approximately 5 MB.
Marble is distinctive in that it does not use OpenGL or 3D hardware acceleration. It simply uses Arthur as a painting backend. It currently uses the old MWDB II data with ETOPO 2, but this will be updated soon to support current SRTM. The world map is displayed as a 3D sphere, making it a fun and engaging tool to use. The framerate ranges between 5-20 fps based on the hardware and maps being displayed.
Marble also provides flexible features such as the integration of vector and bitmap data, KML-Import to display places, different map themes and layers, dynamic coordinate grid, measure tool, and basic Wikipedia integration. The widget displays cities down to 12000 inhabitants that users can click on using the mouse, along with the highest mountains of each continent and automatic placemark label placement.
Finally, Marble has impressive loading times, starting up almost instantly. Fully "cold" starts can take 2-5 seconds, while subsequent starts only take about one second. To use Marble Widget, Qt 4.x is required. Overall, Marble Widget is a promising software that holds up well in the competitive world of geographical map widgets.
To optimize speed, the Kubuntu packages include SSE support (-msse). Users can expect Marble to be a fast, efficient application. Some noteworthy features of Marble Widget include the use of minimal free dataset and the ability to utilize Marble offline. The current package size measures approximately 5 MB.
Marble is distinctive in that it does not use OpenGL or 3D hardware acceleration. It simply uses Arthur as a painting backend. It currently uses the old MWDB II data with ETOPO 2, but this will be updated soon to support current SRTM. The world map is displayed as a 3D sphere, making it a fun and engaging tool to use. The framerate ranges between 5-20 fps based on the hardware and maps being displayed.
Marble also provides flexible features such as the integration of vector and bitmap data, KML-Import to display places, different map themes and layers, dynamic coordinate grid, measure tool, and basic Wikipedia integration. The widget displays cities down to 12000 inhabitants that users can click on using the mouse, along with the highest mountains of each continent and automatic placemark label placement.
Finally, Marble has impressive loading times, starting up almost instantly. Fully "cold" starts can take 2-5 seconds, while subsequent starts only take about one second. To use Marble Widget, Qt 4.x is required. Overall, Marble Widget is a promising software that holds up well in the competitive world of geographical map widgets.
What's New
Version 0.6.0: N/A