Anyone know of any open source screen annotation software?

[billdotson]

I am looking for some open source screen annotation software, similar to what you would see a college professor using. If you are not familiar with how it works you have a tablet pc-like monitor or a graphics tablet (like a Wacom tablet), and the program allows you to highlight or write with "ink" on the screen. The big thing about it is that it isn't limited to a program that can use the special pen; the "ink" or highlighter simply writes on a layer over the desktop and the program windows. The one my professor uses allows you to clear the "ink layer" as well so you don't have to spend a lot of time erasing it. I found Pointer (http://www.netop.com/products/education/netop-pointer.htm) but it only works on Windows, and like most things on Windows, it costs money. Ideally I would want to find an open source screen annotation application that is cross-platform. Perhaps there is one in java?

All I want to use this for is the ability to write on top of images in a web browser or other similar things. One example of its use would be a puzzle that asks you to draw lines connecting certain objects in a certain way. I can do it in gimp but I have to save the image first, then open it in gimp and then make an additional layer so I don't have to constantly erase my mistakes.

I have seen gromit, but I can't find a place to download that anywhere and it looks like it is for Unix-based systems only (I need this for Windows).

[billdotson]

Nobody.. at all?

[Xbehave]

compiz and kde compositing let you draw on the screen, although you would need to save screenshots to store the images.

Is the attached png what you want?

[Keith Hedger]

Compiz has an annotate pligin, don't know if its available for windows, if not switch to linux:P

[gravometric]

Not to resurrect a two-year-old thread, but this ranks highly on zee goog search for "screen annotation in linux". I've found a program called Ardesia which does this (http://code.google.com/p/ardesia/). It does require compiz or some screen compositor and does not play well with whatever is built into Gnome3 currently, but it is usable if writing on the screen is necessary and you're using Gnome 2. (note: I have not tested it with Unity, I have not tested much of anything with Unity).

I needed this program for classroom demonstrations. It took me a while to find it, and I'm trying to help anyone else searching for software to write on the desktop for a presentation. It is open source (free), and has Ubuntu .deb binaries for 32 and 64 bit. There is also a Windows version if you have to use someone else's computer.

This should work well with the Wiimote Whiteboard software for a cheap diy smartboard.

Hope this helps someone else.

that link again:

http://code.google.com/p/ardesia/

[Favux]

Hi gravometric,

You might also want to check out the Compiz Annotate plug-in:
http://wiki.compiz.org/Plugins/Annotate
http://ubuntudaily.blogspot.com/2011/07/use-compiz-to-annotate-your-screen.html

[HermanAB]

Xournal does that. It is very nice and I use it regularly.

Open a PDF file full screen, write, highlight and draw all over it and save the mark-up (or export it all to a new PDF file).

[undecim]

Doesn't compiz have an annotation plugin?