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Full X11-Based Distro For PDAs
Posted by
timothy
on Tue Jan 27, 2004 07:38 AM
from the mostly-work-safe dept.
from the mostly-work-safe dept.
omin0us writes "over at http://cacko.zaurususergroup.com, we are working on a Full X11 based Linux distro for the Sharp Zaurus SL-c7x0/860 series of PDAs. The screen has a usable full VGA resolution of 640x480 and the distro uses Openbox/ROX Desktop as its Native WM. But others such as Fluxbox, Afterstep, and XFCE have been compiled for it and run nicely. You will also find a WIDE variety of compiled apps in the Feed on the Cacko website such as a native GCC Compiler, XMMS, Mplayer, prboom, Gimp, Gkrellm, Abiword and numerous others. Many different screenshots of it in action may be found here. This is truly bringing desktop linux to the PDA. Also, another project that has branched from Cacko Linux is Gentoo for Zaurus. This project, at the moment is based on the Cacko X11 environment, but will eventually become a full Gentoo environment. "It can emerge packages, sync, or create Gentoo packages using the -B switch in emerge." This should be an interesting project to watch."
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Portable Compiler While You're on the Plane. (Score:5, Funny)
(http://seventhcycle.net/)
Maybe it's me, but I find it downright hilarious that they include a compiler with a PDA. Like that's some kind of huge geek selling point for it.
Geek 1: Yeah, I got Quake running on my PDA. Take that!
Geek 2: That's nothing! I compiled it on my PDA and *then* played it.
All the other geeks gather around Geek #2. One of the geek chicks who was with Geek #1 pulls away from him and goes over to Geek #2.
Yeah... I guess it's that important. Just like that nifty new 64-bit CPU that makes my penis feel bigger than it actually is. Yippie.
Re:Portable Compiler While You're on the Plane. (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://mspencer.net)
For the past two semesters, all of my programming assignments have been written, built, and debugged on the SL-C700. I'd say it takes me perhaps twice as long to type in code, and GCC runs rather slowly. But the hours would otherwise be wasted. I'm not allowed to put Linux or GCC on Bank computers.
Portable GCC is indeed useful.
Re:Portable Compiler While You're on the Plane. (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, I wasn't very good at Linux for a while either. Keep at it tho, you'll get there.
;-)
I am the founder of Cacko (Score:3, Informative)
(http://linuxette.com/ | Last Journal: Tuesday April 26 2005, @07:00AM)
Glad but surprised to be Slashdotted
Interesting project to watch? (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://goat.cx/ | Last Journal: Wednesday August 18 2004, @02:34PM)
Is the Linux desktop really the right metaphor for a palmtop device? Apple knew a desktop was wrong, Microsoft finally figured it out with PPC2002.
When will the good folks working on these Linux ports figure it out?
Re:Interesting project to watch? (Score:4, Insightful)
Well... maybe (Score:2, Funny)
(Last Journal: Tuesday September 11, @01:41PM)
Well, yes, everything but the three-week bootstrap!
Damn,, (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.vpscolo.com/)
1) Must by gadget to run Linux on
2) Must get a copy of Lemming and run on GnuBoy
Damn you slashdot for spending my money and filling my time.
Rus
Openbox ROX ! (Score:2)
(http://www.savoy.f9.co.uk/ | Last Journal: Thursday August 26 2004, @05:26AM)
There are a couple of openbox/rox-filer desktop screenshots on my site if anyone cares to look - url above.
I gotta get me one of those zaurus thingees..
Noone's said it yet.. (Score:2)
Wonder how long it takes to compile X on a PDA
Although it would work fine with an existing distcc cluster. Now, imagine a beowulf cluster of PDAs compiling Gentoo!
Opie should be mentioned (Score:5, Informative)
http://opie.handhelds.org/
Integrated WiFi (Score:4, Insightful)
(http://www.atomicraygunattack.com/ | Last Journal: Monday September 19 2005, @10:06PM)
Re:Integrated WiFi (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.doublefine.com/)
What packaging system? (Score:2, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Wednesday January 28 2004, @09:49PM)
emerge apt-get!
Cacko? (Score:2)
(http://blog.paulmcgarry.com/ | Last Journal: Friday July 25 2003, @12:57AM)
If it had a hard drive... (Score:4, Interesting)
Combine that with wifi (as mentioned by another poster) and at least laptop battery life expectancy and i would instantly order one.
I don't ask much
Why not KDE? (Score:1, Interesting)
Coming soon to /. (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.shopping-cart-reviews.com/)
- Porting linux to a kitchen blender
- Porting linux to a carrot
- Porting linux to the wart on my grandmothers knee
It used to be a joke... (Score:3, Funny)
(Last Journal: Thursday November 13 2003, @03:44PM)
Link to ROX (Score:1, Informative)
zaurus-debian (Score:2, Interesting)
http://pocketworkstation.org/
Development seems to have stopped in August 2003 but maybe its worth a try - it even claims to enable running evolution just by apt-getting it...
Mirror! (Score:2, Informative)
(http://www.fibersnet.net/)
I went with a Handera 330 instead (Score:3, Informative)
(http://ingles.homeunix.net/)
The first is the battery life. I could go weeks on two AAA batteries in the IIIxe, while all these multi-hundred MHz machines have battery lives measured in hours. On an international flight, or when vacationing on the side of a mountain in rural Italy, that makes a difference.
The second is simple efficiency. On the Palm, apps execute in place; there's no need to copy from "storage" to "executable RAM" or anything like that. This frees up a remarkable amount of memory in practice. Linux's support for XIP is still highly experimental, though it seems some progress is being made.
The other part of efficiency is the apps. The Palm apps are really well-designed, and really work for a small-screen, stylus device. A lot of Linux apps don't translate so well to a dinky screen and pen-based operation, and even the specific PIM apps have some rough spots (though I admit I haven't seen the very latest environments).
I finally decided I didn't really need to run a webserver off my PDA (however much I wanted to, yeah I'm a geek), or Quake. I got a Handera 330 [pencomputing.com] off eBay (not easy, some guy had bought the last 11 of them; wtf?). CF and SD slots, 240x320 screen (but grayscale, so battery life doesn't suffer), built-in voice recorder, etc.
It "just works" (Score:1, Interesting)
That's one giant leap backwards... (Score:4, Insightful)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Title is misleading (Score:3, Informative)
To be fair, though, this is the first time I've ever seen full-out KDE running on a PDA, so this is something new. Definitely, it's an interesting accomplishment that the author should be proud of.
-Erwos
Who on earth came up with the name? (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.adrianbaugh.org.uk/ | Last Journal: Wednesday December 17 2003, @07:58PM)
Remote X? (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://www.thepavedearth.com)
But I just got mine! (Score:1)
Desktops versus Distros... (Score:1)
They still don't get it (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://slashdot.org/)
The reason for PDAs is not to shrink the desktop to fit in your pocket. They exist to provide pinpoint functionality at your fingertips without having to boot ro lug around your laptop/desktop.
If the same amount of manhours was put into getting a real PDA environment on top of linux (ie. syncs with outlook, has a taskpad, reads word docs etc) instead of repeated ports of X/perl/gcc/emacs to a handheld, the linux would already dominate the handheld market...
if you want something starting to get close, look at opie.handhelds.org... They aren't there yet but at least its not another "port the kitchen sink to handheld xyz" project.
I'm looking forward to the future... (Score:2)
UT2k3 or T2 on the bus. When you get bored you fire up blender and start building some new mods. Cool.
Or something like this:
"X is doing a LAN Party. I think I'll drop by and play a match or two."
"You have to go home and get your box."
"No, I got it right here in my jacketpocket"
long overdue (Score:2)
I don't know whether the X11-based GUI will be any more usable as a PDA, but I do know that with a full X11 environment, the Zaurus can carve out a niche for itself for "vertical apps" (applications specific to particular industry sectors) that previously required far too much effort to port to Qt.
Furthermore, with a 640x480 screen and a 200-400MHz processor, the argument that the handheld should run anything other than desktop software becomes really weak anyway.
Slash gets it backwards, as usual (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://pobox.com/~bitman)
What browser is usable with it? (Score:2)
What browsers can be used with these tiny, slow, pen based systems that won't make you want to gouge your eyeballs out?
If only I had a Zaurus..... (Score:1)
I'm a poor student, and I can't afford to throw that kind of money away. But so far eBay is of no help, and I feel helpless. The company is Chedware [chedware.com]. I don't know what slashdotters can do, but I can't stay silent about this.
Re:heh (Score:2, Insightful)
It's not funny, nobody cares.
plural (Score:2)
(http://h4xx0r.co.uk/ | Last Journal: Tuesday November 23 2004, @04:35PM)