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There is a flavor of linux that runs on the iPaq, the name of the distro is Familiar. There is also a GUI for it, named Opie. I had both of these on mine, but the difficulty I had syncing it with either my Win2K at work or my Linux box at home was disappointing. And it was slow. And I had a lot of freeze-ups (don't know whether to blame Opie or Familiar for that though).

As a side note, installing Linux on an x86-based machine is much different than installing it on a PDA, which uses a variety of different chips. The memory sticks don't have the same speed as conventional memory, too. And then there's the fact that people use PDA's differently than handhelds - putting a desktop OS on a handheld makes the handheld harder to use. Not that that argument has stopped people from installing Linux on a Dreamcast...

There is a flavor of linux that runs on the iPaq, the name of the distro is Familiar. There is also a GUI for it, named Opie. I had both of these on mine, but the difficulty I had syncing it with either my Win2K at work or my Linux box at home was disappointing. And it was slow. And I had a lot of freeze-ups (don't know whether to blame Opie or Familiar for that though).

As a side note, installing Linux on an x86-based machine is much different than installing it on a PDA, which uses a variety of different chips. The memory sticks don't have the same speed as conventional memory, too. And then there's the fact that people use PDA's differently than handhelds - putting a desktop OS on a handheld makes the handheld harder to use. Not that that argument has stopped people from installing Linux on a Dreamcast...

It should also be possible to save the email application that comes with the Zaurus to install on top of OZ. Better yet, just download Opie's mail app.

Rather than using signal strength for triangulation, you use it to record a "radio map", and compare your current position to the map. The basic steps are:

1) Walk around a room, recording the signal strength to each AP (so you get a file such as "Access Point #1, Avg signal: 96 AP#2, Avg signal: 74 ..." ). Netstumbler or other software can help you make this file.

Create a "profile" like this for every location you wish to map (roughly, one every square foot or meter). The number of profiles determines the granularity of the system, but too many profiles can cause "collisions" in the sense that different locations have similar profiles, for some reason or another. There are ways to combat this, one of which is to make an educated guess on the new location based on the last one. (i.e., the user could not have walked over 10m in one interval)

2) When a user connects, they can compare their current signal strength info ( such as AP#1, signal: 34 AP#2, signal: 74) to the map: the closest point is probably their location.

I did a simple euclidean distance calculation (taking each profile as a vector in some large space [cool how the pythagorean thm. generalizes, eh?]. There are many better ways, which I am researching this semester, but euclidean distance is fine for now.

I'm pretty sure this is why they must spend an hour per 10,000 square feet to "calibrate" the system. I had to do the same, but it was a *lot* slower; I need to make a tool to do this automagically.

This semester I am also looking to get my system working with an ipaq robot running familiar. It's the combination of the palm pilot robot kit and this positioning system. Hopefully, the little robot should know (roughly) where it is, and be able to be controlled via the internet.

Check out my webpage if you are interested in more details.

I suggest using Linux on the Toshiba as well. See handhelds.org and linuxdevices.com.

Wanted to mention Opie, which is an open environment for handhelds (notably the Zaurus and the iPAQ)

Check out the screenshots of opie in action... I was hooked at first sight :)

Please use Qt so it more easily fits in my Linux handheld.

StrongARMs are highly integrated chips. One piece gets you all sorts of stuff up to things like LCD controllers. They're not exactly upgradable and usually not a do-it-yourself project to build one from scratch.

However if you do still feel like building a StrongARM based machine from scratch (very difficult, I hope you're into board fabbing and have the gear to solder lots of exotic surface mount components), you might want to check out the LART.

If starting from something premade is OK with you, there's an excellent developer community for Linux on iPAQs at handhelds.org. The iPAQ has a huge expansion bus that you could probably use to do neat things with. Of course some hardware hacking would still be required. You can probably get one with a broken batt and/or screen off eBay pretty cheap.

Another option for a premade unit is the Lucent/Phillips IS2630 screenphone (Shannon). There's a project to run Linux on them called TuxScreen. Unfortunately they don't have any more of them for sale, but you might be able to find someone who bought more than one or who is done with theirs that's willing to sell you one. This is a pretty sweet phone, and there's lots of docs on modding it, but it's sure not a PC.

www.handhelds.org

opie.sf.net

And that's all you need.

Install Familiar on your iPAQ (you need a serial cable), then install opie (if it's not already installed.) Use ipkg to install zaurus packages. Then smirk and go "NYAHHHH" to all those trying to charge you money for it. :)

Have fun!
--pi

You forgot the two most important links:
http://opie.handhelds.org
http://openzaurus.sourceforge.net

On May 04, Nicolas Pitre released a free (GPL) fixed point vorbis decoder and announced it on Vorbis Developement list.

But this important contribution was kept in silence. Even all posts from May 2002 had mysteriously dissapeared from Vorbis-dev archive.

Fortunately a copy of Nicolas announcement could be find here.

Now Xiph.org anounces that its fixed-point implementation is available for free under BSD style license.

This seems very strange to me.

Linux has been running on iPAQ for a while. I haven't tried the Remote tools because the standard IR emitter is only designed for desktop range.

I've got a cerfcube here, it's pretty nice. Their GNU toolchain setup process is kinda brain-dead, but their Linux port isn't too bad. I've heard they're moving to Familiar for their Linux setup, but I haven't taken a look lately to see what progress they've made.

Still, it *is* a StrongARM-powered device. Man, that's one buggy chip! If it didn't have Chipzilla and Micro$oft pushing it so hard, that silicon would have been made into bathroom mirrors a long time ago. Gaaak!

But yea, if you're wanting to get a quick start with embedded Linux, a 'Cube isn't a bad way to go.

1. A free fixed point decoder has been announced.

   Supposedly the Ogg-on-a-Chip Project has a workable hardware design. I've not heard of anyone planning to build these tho.

2. With version 1.0 out now, Vorbis is pretty solid for decoding. Ongoing development is expected to not break decoding functionality.

3. Legal complications remain embarrassingly unresolved.

If you are not attached to PocketPC you may want to try Familiar Linux, I am sure you could find a solution there as most existing software can be compiled to run on the StrongARM chip. Although not for the faint of heart it is the best way to make use of the features of the PocketPC. familiar.handhelds.org

My iPAQ does much the same with it's CF sleeve, and Linux installed on it, except with a MUCH shorter battery life (45 minutes with an Ambicom 802.11b card... ! ) and no keyboard. I'm thinking of selling my iPAQ and seeing what I can get off of eBay....

--j

that runs the open source Open Palmtop Integated Environment environment. (which also runs on other devices such as an Ipaq)

I've had no problems syncing. OpenZaurus does contain security patches not in the official Sharp rom, so syncing might not work, untill the sync software catches up.

that runs the open source Open Palmtop Integated Environment environment. (which also runs on other devices such as an Ipaq)

I've had no problems syncing. OpenZaurus does contain security patches not in the official Sharp rom, so syncing might not work, untill the sync software catches up.

>So, a company releases a proprietary DivX player
-Yes... tckPlayer is propriatary

>for a proprietary window system
-Nope... The windowing system and toolkit are GPL. For an entirely GPLed enviroment that will still run standard Zaurus apps (minus Java for now, sorry) see Opie which is the UI for OpenZaurus. We're building a player for all these formats as I type this.

>running on hardware that's mostly used in Japan
-Nope again. The Zaurus 5500 is a US/EU product.

On the iPAQ, at least, the matchbox packages which mallum has been putting out are setup to bind the record button (on the side of the device) as a command button. Holding down that button and hitting left and right on the joypad scrolls through the open top-level windows. I frequently run my iPAQ with the title bar minimised away, and flip through windows this way. I tend to leave the dock open, because having a clock/wireless strength meter/memory & CPU meter visible is nice. There are more shortcut keys listed in the matchbox manual on mallum's handhelds.org page...

On the iPAQ, at least, the matchbox packages which mallum has been putting out are setup to bind the record button (on the side of the device) as a command button. Holding down that button and hitting left and right on the joypad scrolls through the open top-level windows. I frequently run my iPAQ with the title bar minimised away, and flip through windows this way. I tend to leave the dock open, because having a clock/wireless strength meter/memory & CPU meter visible is nice. There are more shortcut keys listed in the matchbox manual on mallum's handhelds.org page...

On the iPAQ, at least, the matchbox packages which mallum has been putting out are setup to bind the record button (on the side of the device) as a command button. Holding down that button and hitting left and right on the joypad scrolls through the open top-level windows. I frequently run my iPAQ with the title bar minimised away, and flip through windows this way. I tend to leave the dock open, because having a clock/wireless strength meter/memory & CPU meter visible is nice. There are more shortcut keys listed in the matchbox manual on mallum's handhelds.org page...

Don't wait for your favorite development tools and languages to get ported to PocketPC -- bring your PocketPC device to them!

The Familiar GNU/Linux distro has packages of ScummVM ready to install. Only the game data files have to be added, for Purple Tentacle to conquer the world on a iPAQ, Zaurus or Yopy. :-)

You are assuming that is projects have slow development cycles because they are opensource.

What about the Linux kernel? Last time I checked it was open source, and has probably the fastest devel cycle of any OS I know of.

A slow release cycle is not necessarily a bad thing. Solaris has a slow release cycle IMHO, and I am very pleased with the result. How could you even say that Open office has been slow, btw.? Try comparing its release cycle to other office suites out there. For the major changes introduced in 6.0, is it still slow?

BTW, there are open source PDA distro's out there. Take OPIE http://opie.handhelds.org/ for example. Way faster release cycle than the PalmOS, cross platform ( supports Sharp Zaurus and Compaq iPaq ), tons of apps available, because it's Linux. If Opie found it's way to more PDAs as the default OS instead of an after-market option, then I'm sure it would be a force in the marketplace.

The Familiar Distro has worked well for me. (just incase you want a suggestion.)

• Take a few minutes to download Familiar
  
• ipkg install thttpd
  

I mean, c'mon ... there is at least one person who ported Apache to Windows CE (ApacheCE), so it's not like this particular example is unique in terms of serving networked content. One wouldn't even have to go through the pain of configuring Familiar Linux, as was the case here. Slow news day already?

I had an old Palm 5000 (before the convenience of backlights). Worked just fine until one day the touchscreen simply died. C'est Le Vie...

Now, I have an Ipaq 3635 and just love it. It's capable of running Linux, it has decent rechargable batteries in it, has a nice PCMCIA slot on it, it can be used as a portable security scanner, and did I mention that it can run Linux?

The color screen is pretty decent too. It can even play mpeg files.

Try THAT on your palm device...

>Can anyone point to any actual useful uses it's been put to so far?

yep. sonyericsson t68 plus any bluetooth laptop or palmtop means you can do sync/ Net/ data stuff with no cable, line of sight, etc.

yeah 802 is cool, but yeck it's expensive plus new Europe cellphones don't come with it as standard.

You don't need to worry about getting your 802 connected, you can roam with no worries about local datacentres..It's not competing, just different.

It might be true that Compaq don't "openly" offer a Linux-based handheld solution, but please don't forget about handhelds.org, the community site for Linux-on-iPAQ. That site is sponsored by Compaq, and the Linux distro they distribute (Familiar) is neat.

You definately want to go with a zaurus then.

tcpdump, rdesktop, ssh, ftp,... have all been ported to the zaurus. Also important, linux on the zaurus flies!. You can start a command line and run multiple apps, saving a lot of valuable memory which would be used by a gui. Try http://www.debian.org/ports/arm
, http://ipkgfind.handhelds.org, http://zaurusoft.com,... for a lot of those ports.

You can do stuff yourself if you develop in linux or java, the zaurus is simply a 2.4 kernel running on a ARM chip.

Other cool stuff on the zaurus. zMame.

There's a linux distro for the PDA called, http://opie.handhelds.org. It runs on the z and ipaq. Should check that out.

I have a zaurus, and I plan to use it for this exact purpose, when I get my NIC compact flash card.

There are other
Linux PDAs out there as well, if you're on a budget.

You definately want to go with a zaurus then.

tcpdump, rdesktop, ssh, ftp,... have all been ported to the zaurus. Also important, linux on the zaurus flies!. You can start a command line and run multiple apps, saving a lot of valuable memory which would be used by a gui. Try http://www.debian.org/ports/arm
, http://ipkgfind.handhelds.org, http://zaurusoft.com,... for a lot of those ports.

You can do stuff yourself if you develop in linux or java, the zaurus is simply a 2.4 kernel running on a ARM chip.

Other cool stuff on the zaurus. zMame.

There's a linux distro for the PDA called, http://opie.handhelds.org. It runs on the z and ipaq. Should check that out.

I have a zaurus, and I plan to use it for this exact purpose, when I get my NIC compact flash card.

There are other
Linux PDAs out there as well, if you're on a budget.

Check out opie.handhelds.org/ For a great distro for handhelds. supports ipaq, zaurus, and I think others. This project, could do wonders, for unifying linux PDAs on a single platform.

With countless stories every day on how Microsoft is evil, and Microsoft practices must be stopped ( more articles than I could stomach usually ), I'm surprised on how eagerly slashdot jumps on their products. Guess what, you're funding them!!

By buying their products, you're speaking with the voice that counts, your money.

The zaurus is a great tool. I love mine. Everyone was raving yesterday about how the clie had a software writing area that's hideable, guess what, the zaurus has that. And it has a built in keyboard, and a screen keyboard, and a unicode keyboard...

And don't talk about software either. Because, there are tons of ARM linux software. In places like zaurus.sourceforge.com http://zaurusoft.com http://opie.handhelds.com http://myzaurus.com http://ipkgfind.handhelds.org http://www.debian.org/ports/arm

so go ahead. complain that microsoft is bullying the educational institutes, that their licenses prevent OEMs from distributing alternative OSes, that they want to prevent us from being able to buy computers without paying them everytime...

Then go buy their friggin' products.

Check out opie.handhelds.org/ For a great distro for handhelds. supports ipaq, zaurus, and I think others. This project, could do wonders, for unifying linux PDAs on a single platform.

With countless stories every day on how Microsoft is evil, and Microsoft practices must be stopped ( more articles than I could stomach usually ), I'm surprised on how eagerly slashdot jumps on their products. Guess what, you're funding them!!

By buying their products, you're speaking with the voice that counts, your money.

The zaurus is a great tool. I love mine. Everyone was raving yesterday about how the clie had a software writing area that's hideable, guess what, the zaurus has that. And it has a built in keyboard, and a screen keyboard, and a unicode keyboard...

And don't talk about software either. Because, there are tons of ARM linux software. In places like zaurus.sourceforge.com http://zaurusoft.com http://opie.handhelds.com http://myzaurus.com http://ipkgfind.handhelds.org http://www.debian.org/ports/arm

so go ahead. complain that microsoft is bullying the educational institutes, that their licenses prevent OEMs from distributing alternative OSes, that they want to prevent us from being able to buy computers without paying them everytime...

Then go buy their friggin' products.

At Ipaq LINUX, the familiar project, or at Intimate Handhelds.

(Just in case somebody isn't aware of this)

At Ipaq LINUX, the familiar project, or at Intimate Handhelds.

(Just in case somebody isn't aware of this)

I swapped out roms but others are having moderate success booting linux all in ram. Search here for details.

As far as what will happen with the joranda hpc's, I'm trying to find out... but everything done so far is directed toward the $ so I'm not hopeful.

Try this and get some real use out of it.

Oh and check out the OPIE Project.

See this.

If you want to get rid of that 3150 for cheap, shoot me an email... I could always use a backup for developing my own WinCE/Linux replacement.

Just download the apps from Sharp's My Zaurus site (where they have the terminal and file manager). Even better, download the enhanced OPIE version from their feed (be careful with installing too much OPIE stuff though - might break things).

The source for many of the applications (or at least the code they were based off of) is available from the QPE website. http://qpe.sourceforge.net

There are two related project to improve the applications and replace closed source applications with open source equivalants: OPIE and Open Zaurus.

For the time being OPIE will only run on Ipaqs, but OpenZaurus will be using it as the environment in the future

Try here for more information on java for strongarm-based handhelds & pdas running linux.

Well, it is possible... There are two ways of going about it :

1) The Compaq handhelds.org team is working on getting the CF/PC sleeve supported in the bootloader. In fact, if you see the changelog of the bootloaders, you will see that they have already started putting in code for this purpose. Once this gets done, you should be able to load linux on the CF card, and leave wince on the internal flash. I dont know though how much longer this would take.

2) The second option is to use Redboot, and use the technique described here. However, these instructions are rather old, and would require some ammount of effort to get them to work.

Well, it is possible... There are two ways of going about it :

1) The Compaq handhelds.org team is working on getting the CF/PC sleeve supported in the bootloader. In fact, if you see the changelog of the bootloaders, you will see that they have already started putting in code for this purpose. Once this gets done, you should be able to load linux on the CF card, and leave wince on the internal flash. I dont know though how much longer this would take.

2) The second option is to use Redboot, and use the technique described here. However, these instructions are rather old, and would require some ammount of effort to get them to work.