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Since the article does mention Busy Box, I'll explain a little of what I know about it.

Busy Box is a collection of many common Unix shell utilities (sed, ln, ls, etc.). Each package has been scaled down in size and combined into one binary, BusyBox. BusyBox is often used on embedded Linux devices and distros, such as the Sharp Zaurus and the Linux Distro pdaXrom.

See the BusyBox About Page and the BusyBox FAQ for more information.

You must be kidding me. Linux runs just fine on my Zaurus CL-860, and that has the same specs (roughly) as the proposed MIT laptop. 400Mhz XScale, 128 NDRAM. I can run full Firefox, Abiword, Gnumeric, GIMP, XMMS, and many other apps. And the system i'm running is bloated compared to the original one because its intented to act more like a desktop than a PDA.

Negroponte should have a discussion with the people at Sharp, the folks over at Open Embedded and the Linux embedded community in general before spewing nonsense like this.

There are more than enough embedded Linux project around that show just how well suited Linux is for projects like this.

Just got a 3100 from pricejapan.com. Came in less than a week, at under $600. (Could have wished for packing material between the retail box and the shipping box, but it arrived intact despite that lack.) Then put pdaXrom on it and it's a real Linux computer. I'm also running Debian Handheld on it in a chroot -- haven't got that fully ironed out yet, but it does run nicely enough. And this is nearly twice as fast as the model under discussion, with a 4 gig HD as well as SD and CF card slots. It fits in a normal pocket, yet the screen is sharp and the keyboard usable by a large guy like me (in two-finger style, but still, quick enough). There are a half-dozen other Linux variants that also run on it, including the Japanese QT-based version it comes with, which has been well-translated to English (and German) by Trisoft.de, who'd be worth buying from if you're in Europe.

The best thing about QTopia is that it has a *superb* web browser, namely Opera and if you don't like that browser you can use Netfront, too. These are both optimised for handheld browsing and are one of the two reasons I stick with Qtopia...

..the other reason is that I sync to outlook. Oh, the shame of admitting that on slashdot!

There are alternatives, too. If you don't like what Qtopia offers, try PdaXRom. If that isn't available for your device, they might be interested in moving it onto the device so just ask.

And if you want to run X applications, use PocketWorkstation or better still a combination of X/Qt and Pocketworkstation, which gets rid of the frankly sucky use of VNC.

If linux is your thing try one of
these

Not quite as high in specs, but it's less than half the price.
I have a c860 with a 1 gb SD card and I've not had much desire for a laptop since getting it.
My main portable use is just e-mail, web and wireless network auditing, so the little c860 with pdaXrom works fine for me.

No, seriously. I've commented to them and asked a number of times whether it supports Linux; and until it does, I will stick with my Zaurus. (Actually I only have a C860, no 4GB microdrive or whatever, but I don't come close to needing more than the gigs of SD I have.)

Linux is not just a gee whiz thing in the palm. Having all your full-blown apps in your palm is far, far more useful than any stripped-down PDA apps could be. Firefox? Check. Thunderbird? Check. GIMP? Check. Nethack? Doom? ScummVM? Vim? Emacs? GCC? Perl? Python? Ruby? Checkcheckcheckcheck...

While the 5600 does have its quirks, I have an 860 and I have no problems with it. Plenty of software is available at http://www.elsix.org/ (actually, I believe we're up to 1800 pieces of software now) if you don't have enough.

You can run your Zaurus like any other PDA, or if you want install http://www.pdaxrom.org/ and you have a full linux setup with Matchbox.

The Zaurus is definately harder to pick up and figure out than the average PDA, but the benefits are well worth it.

We (the http://pdaxrom.org/ team) are in final testing of the pdaXrom support for the SL6000L - everything is working 90% (only a few apm problems and configuration utils are broken).

This is why: pdaXrom

On my Zaurus SL-C860, I can run the real Firefox (or Mozilla) with pdaXrom, not to mention a whole load of other apps, including abiword, gnumeric, and other apps that, while not exactly full-blown on the PC side, completely blow away anything on the PDA side.

With the latest betas, things are working with very minimal headache. If you're looking for PDA apps, this is a dream come true; if you're looking for a unix workstation in your pocket, this is also a dream come true. Or if you want gvim and gcc in your pocket. Or if you want snes9x in your pocket. Etc. You get the picture.

It's really awesome to have a Linux workstation in your pocket that can dial via bluetooth through your cellphone anywhere you can get reception. Take photos with your camera, edit them right there with the latest GIMP, upload them to your server.

It may seem obscenely expensive for a PDA, but it's also obscenely functional. You can't find a laptop this size, and it does just about everything you'd want a laptop to, except play the latest 3D games.

On my Zaurus SL-C860, I can run the real Firefox (or Mozilla) with pdaXrom, not to mention a whole load of other apps, including abiword, gnumeric, and other apps that, while not exactly full-blown on the PC side, completely blow away anything on the PDA side.

With the latest betas, things are working with very minimal headache. If you're looking for PDA apps, this is a dream come true; if you're looking for a unix workstation in your pocket, this is also a dream come true. Or if you want gvim and gcc in your pocket. Or if you want snes9x in your pocket. Etc. You get the picture.

It's really awesome to have a Linux workstation in your pocket that can dial via bluetooth through your cellphone anywhere you can get reception. Take photos with your camera, edit them right there with the latest GIMP, upload them to your server.

It may seem obscenely expensive for a PDA, but it's also obscenely functional. You can't find a laptop this size, and it does just about everything you'd want a laptop to, except play the latest 3D games.

On my Zaurus SL-C860, I can run the real Firefox (or Mozilla) with pdaXrom, not to mention a whole load of other apps, including abiword, gnumeric, and other apps that, while not exactly full-blown on the PC side, completely blow away anything on the PDA side.

With the latest betas, things are working with very minimal headache. If you're looking for PDA apps, this is a dream come true; if you're looking for a unix workstation in your pocket, this is also a dream come true. Or if you want gvim and gcc in your pocket. Or if you want snes9x in your pocket. Etc. You get the picture.

It's really awesome to have a Linux workstation in your pocket that can dial via bluetooth through your cellphone anywhere you can get reception. Take photos with your camera, edit them right there with the latest GIMP, upload them to your server.

It may seem obscenely expensive for a PDA, but it's also obscenely functional. You can't find a laptop this size, and it does just about everything you'd want a laptop to, except play the latest 3D games.

philo

Any Zaurus owners who haven't checked out the alternative Zaurus distributions available should do so. They are much better than Sharp's ROM. Owners of the C-series Zaurii (c760, c860, etc) should check out pdaXrom and everyone else should look at OpenZaurus.

I have one of these as well, and would like to add a blurb about pdaXrom, which is an alternate ROM that uses X instead of a modified Qtopia.

While it currently doesn't do anything for handwriting recognition (why bother with a full and excellent keyboard), and the UI works pretty well for touch input. Not only that, while your buddies are using slimmed-down feature-light software, you'll have a full word processor (abiword), spreadsheet (gnumeric), email program (pick one), browser (firefox, konqueror), graphics program (gimp), compiler (native gcc!), editor (vim, etc.), games (quake, doom, nethack, angband, dosbox, frozen bubble, scummvm, snes9x, etc.), and the list goes on.

While these are expensive, i can't imagine using anything else... a full suite of software in my pocket, with GPRS for internet-anywhere, is very, very useful.

sharp zaurus + http://pdaxrom.org/
*way* overexceeded all expectations.
can do anything a linux desktop can.

We expect to have the pdaXrom running on it as soon we get our hands on this device :-) So there is an alternative OS for it.

Visit http://www.pdaxrom.org/for more info.

Laze
pdaXrom Team

and same for the second. They are all org not .com

corrected URLs:
http://www.openzaurus.org
http://www.pdaxrom.org

no support? What are you smoking?

I don't suppose people who buy Sharp laptops have to get all their software from Sharp too, do they? Do all Dell laptop owners buy all their software and games from Dell?

Sharp will honor their warranty. That's all they need to do. You can get all kinds of software for this device from other sources, as long as you have the hardware.

--Michael Spencer (An SL-C700 owner, considering buying this SL-C300)

i don't blame them for pulling those units out of the us market. what has always been shocking to me is that they haven't released their good models here. the clamshell models that they make for the japanese market are so much better. I've got a c760 with 512mb sd and a cf wifi card. i use pdaxrom for the os which provides a true x11 enviornment. it's basically a laptop, but pda sized. if sharp were to get behind the pdaxrom guys and make that the basis for the pda's os i think they'd be able to sell a ton of them. philo

My Zaurus gets used ten times more than my iPAQ. 9 hours battery life, kickass VGA display, reasonable ickle keyboard, SD and CF. Lack of built in BlueTooth and WiFi's disappointing, but with a GB of SD it's not much of a hardship.

Crappy software? I wouldn't know, I've never used Sharp's Zaurus stuff (they have Opera? Since when?). I use pdaXrom, although OpenZaurus looks interesting if they ever port it to mine (SL-C860)

I use pdaXrom on my Zaurus C860.

The idea is that I can be anyplace and have access to information I want. I drop by a store to get something, and see a product on sale, but I don't remember what the reviews said. Maybe I'm going to be out longer than expected, and I ssh back and set my PVR to record a show. Perhaps I need to get someplace, and grab them from mapquest. Or I want to see if someone is around, so I log into irc or fire off an email.

There are plenty of uses. Just make sure you have a PDA with an OS that has the software you need. :-)

(Note I haven't yet connected via bluetooth. I've got a symbol bluetooth card, but am still looking for an acceptable phone. 802.11b is wonderful however.)

Recently I received a Zaurus machine and reflashed it with the pdaxrom image. However, I find almost every image for the Zaurus a bit inadequate - getting used to Debian on the desktop makes it frustrating not to have 10000 apps apt-get'able at your fingertips.

However, I did manage to manually bootstrap a ARM-port of the Debian system over NFS and later downloaded it to a sundisk. I simply chroot to it, and then I have all I need including apt-get.

There are some web pages that describe how to use Debian on the Zaurus, but I haven't found yet anything that has ready images and easy installation.

... your momma's cock. Always has.

Get a Zaurus with pdaXrom if you are a real geek.

OK here goes:

1. There is no builtin handwriting recognition. Why? Because the keyboard is so good, you wouldn't want it. Trust me, it's not a "tiny keyboard" (a la the 5500); even someone with huge fingers could easily use it. No, you can't touch-type, but you can thumb-type pretty damn fast. I irc on the thing now and then without trouble, and I'm using it to write.

   That said, with Qtopia (the default UI), there's an onscreen keyboard (mostly for when you're using it with the lid closed). Also, with pdaXrom, someone mentioned a hw recog program for X that might work. So it's available, but trust me, you won't want it.

2. I'm not sure what it comes with, I didn't use it for long. With pdaXrom as I mentioned, you can get abiword, which is probably decent. Personally I use gvim (xemacs, which I use on the desktop is a mite big) and if I really need to format text, I'll type LaTeX. (It would be neat to see LyX or something crosscompiled.)
3. The screen in sunlight is readable if it's on full brightness. It's still a bit dim, but it'd definitely readable.

   Otherwise the screen is amazing, brilliant, beautiful, and the most unbelievably high-resolution screen I've seen.

4. You want a keyboard. No, really. After owning a SL-5500, whose keyboard was tiny, I will never own another PDA without a keyboard. It's that important. Handwriting, even if it was perfect will never be as fast. Editing scripts, using vim or other apps that require "regular" key combinations would be impossible. I'm working on writing some texts for what will (hopefully) be a book or two, and using handwriting would be painfully slow. Maybe if you had a fullsized tablet, but with a pocket formfactor, there's no way.

   To compare, the 5500 had builtin trainable recognition that was very good. I played with it for a few weeks, and I haven't used it since in years. In conclusion: you can get recognizers, but you'll be glad you bought a PDA with an excellent keyboard.

No really. If you need a PDA, and you're a Linux geek like me, get one of these.

Yes, the default half-translated rom sucks. It'll at least let you boot the system and see the beautiful 640x480 screen though. An amazing sight to behold at over 200dpi. After you're done drooling, go get pdaXrom, follow the instructions, and get yourself a real desktop. Here's what mine looks like, using ROX as the desktop manager (with a nice .hack//SIGN wallpaper I found someplace). You have a number of choices, but I use (prepackaged) gvim as my editor, and sylpheed for mail (pretty much the same as my actual desktop!). You can use FireFox and Thunderbird for web/email if you really want (check the screenshots for more drooling material). I use the little Dillo browser personally, because it's ultra fast, but the choice is yours.

No, it doesn't have builtin wifi. It does have a CF slot so you can stick your own card in there, and doing so hasn't annoyed me yet. The biggest benefit (besides the amazing screen, keyboard, ability to use X, and general design) is the battery lasts quite awhile. I charged it last Friday (before PAX... where were you?), and it's only just down to 50% with "regular use". (On my old 5500, I'd have to charge it every day or so with the same use, and that's without wifi.)

This makes a killer PDA. It does most things a small Linux laptop would, and it fits in your pocket. If that's what you need, this delivers.

No really. If you need a PDA, and you're a Linux geek like me, get one of these.

Yes, the default half-translated rom sucks. It'll at least let you boot the system and see the beautiful 640x480 screen though. An amazing sight to behold at over 200dpi. After you're done drooling, go get pdaXrom, follow the instructions, and get yourself a real desktop. Here's what mine looks like, using ROX as the desktop manager (with a nice .hack//SIGN wallpaper I found someplace). You have a number of choices, but I use (prepackaged) gvim as my editor, and sylpheed for mail (pretty much the same as my actual desktop!). You can use FireFox and Thunderbird for web/email if you really want (check the screenshots for more drooling material). I use the little Dillo browser personally, because it's ultra fast, but the choice is yours.

No, it doesn't have builtin wifi. It does have a CF slot so you can stick your own card in there, and doing so hasn't annoyed me yet. The biggest benefit (besides the amazing screen, keyboard, ability to use X, and general design) is the battery lasts quite awhile. I charged it last Friday (before PAX... where were you?), and it's only just down to 50% with "regular use". (On my old 5500, I'd have to charge it every day or so with the same use, and that's without wifi.)

This makes a killer PDA. It does most things a small Linux laptop would, and it fits in your pocket. If that's what you need, this delivers.

What exactly do you need to do on a $2000 palm top unit that's worth the cost, when for around $700 you can get a Zaurus SL-C860 and a wireless card, install the free pdaXrom Linux/X environment, and have decently-functional note taking, word processing, mp3 playing, e-mailing, web browsing, scheduling environment? Sure it's a "slow" ARM CPU, but it's as fast as what was on your desktop a few years back, and with the money you save you can buy a really fast desktop system that you can export you Zaurus screen and apps to when you're sitting there, and have two systems for the price of one (with the redundancy that entails - always a good thing), each optimized for what it does.

In a couple of months of having an 860, I've gotten to where I can thumb-type as quickly as I can write in a notebook (the small, paper kind), and it's as easy to carry around. (I've previously favored real notebooks over the computer kind - smaller, cheaper, more durable.) Most anything I do that really needs CPU is graphics-intensive, and although GIMP will run on the Z, I'd rather have a very large screen for that stuff anyhow.

A full Linux handheld like the Z should go for $400-500 in a year or so, and these folks betting on selling $2000-3000 systems ... suckers required?

See www.pdaXrom.org, this article on cross-compiling, Gentoo for Zaurus, the Zaurus Software Index, the Zaurus Message Board, Zaurus.spy.org, and last but definitely least the Zaurus User Group (which among much else has active discussion of where to buy the clamshells from).

Then, install these apps:

• OpieReader (aka QTReader). Reads Palm DOC files, zTXT, Plucker, HTML, plain text (normal or gzipped), and ppms text (I don't know what that is). It's very configurable for your Zaurus's hardware buttons, and Zaurus units have native screen rotation abilities already.
• qpdf2. This is a full PDF viewer that will let you open standard, untranslated PDFs. There is no need for any sort of desktop "conversion" program like you see on some other platforms. It's an awesome program and handles embedded fonts and graphics just like you'd want it to.

The device itself runs on Linux with Trolltech's QT/Embedded, and ships that way from the factory. Although there are not yet any Linux tools to sync with the newest ROM versions (MacOS X tools may exist), there are these workarounds available:

1. You can install a VNC server on the PDA to help you with data entry, and use rsync to back it up. (This is my preferred method.)
2. You can re-flash the unit with any of the numerous custom ROMs out there. Check out OpenZaurus, which is a Free Software fork of the QTopia environment that comes with it. TrollTech's free QTopia Desktop is available for Linux and can sync with that, as can several other tools like KitchenSync. Or, you can check out PDAXROM (formerly Cacko) for a true X11-based environment.

The one requirement of yours that it will fail is price. Depending on the unit, expect to pay at least $600 (some of the higher-end ones go for that much on ebay). But this unit is much more capable than $600 units from Palm, Sony, or HP/whatever. It really does behave similarly to a laptop, given that it runs a *real* OS. A quick scan of the Zaurus Software Index will reveal all sorts of programs, and you can easily compile others (yes, you can run gcc on the Zaurus itself, too). If you look at it in that light, it's good deal.

I've had great success with pdaXrom. It appears to run X and all, but it has a cut down GUI and is generally made nicer for hand helds.