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Why not connect this low power webserver to the hamster. It could use the same circuitry as this handpowered webserver...

i gotta build myself a hand powered webserver for redunduncy purposes!

This hand powered webserver was featured on slashdot awhile ago. Personally I find this cooler, even if it is less usefull.

This reminded me of the the windup Linux Webserver.

So now, all you need to do is connect the phone up to the webserver to provide the network connection, and you have a fully mobile, fully human powered solution.

It has already been done... Check out this hand-powered web server

Also, there is a bunch of Free and not-Free software available from the .org site.

Later, mr.

They are properly running their webserver on a uClinux DIMM computer
uclinux :-)) (Or maybe a TI calculator)

here that already does all that for you.

Dumb, sure, but you can get the full page with images quickly from https://www.uclinux.com/hand-powered_web_server/in dex.html...

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It'd sure be cool to make a low-cost board that could run the real linux, with real memory management (MMU), and a pretty speedy CPU. By low cost, I'm thinking able to sell at $120-$150 for board where you add a SDRAM DIMM and use a network bootstrap or add compact flash card for a local boot. So far, it's looking like the available PPC based off-the-shelf boards are quite expensive. I probably ought to do a bit more homework, but since you're here, my question is....

What are the propects for making a really low cost PPC-based embedded linux computer? Has anyone done it or tried? Is it even possible?

There's a .org for the OS and a .com for the hardware.

Finally, this discussion comes to light without me having to ask it. I've been thinking about trying this for about 2 or 3 months, the problem I have is that my design seems rather novel, and I havn't seen any of the small boards/systems (like LART, TINI, TIQIT, uCLinux) that would support it hardware-wise, let alone getting the software working for it. Most of the following rant is nothing more than a pipe dream, but if you know of something to make this dream a reality, by God post it.

I envision a bifold device, about the size of a deck of cards, with rounded edges. The device flips open (either spring loaded to a set angle ala Psion, or with a friction clutch holding it at any angle), and both inside faces are LCDs with digitizers on them. The side that you hold in your hand is the input area,which can be changed to fit the application (for example, all buttons for a calculator app, or a few buttons with a writing area for a notepad app). The top half is the display area.

Two displays/digitizers may seem like a waste, but an infinitely configurable input area seems like it might be just the kind of thing to make this badboy very easy and fast to use. The other nice thing about two halves is that you get about twice the screen real estate, as well as a measure of screen protection. Additionally, the bottom half in the hand, with the top half above, allows you to write while resting your writing hand against the holding hand, which would make input more natural (i.e., just moving the wrist, as opposed to the whole arm I envision this system using Quikwriting as the primary input method, but implemetning other software would also be necessary, especially the stuff with the input area and receiving input. I could imagine that a writing area with four general buttons would be the default, and a special call would be executed to change this, that way, only programs that need to have a different input method would have it. Other programs could act as if they were receiveing input from a keyboard.

I already have the case design in my head (at least the design for individual manufacture). The problem I've run into is the lack of suitable hardware. Some of the devices listed above are small enough, but do not include any way (that I can see) of having a configurable input area that is separate from the display screen.

I am a Mechanical and Biomedical engineer by training, so most of the aspects of specialized hardware implementation are beyond me, and I have been looking into using pre-built boards and stuffing them into a novel case (which my training does let me specialize). So I ask you, fellow /.ers, "what do you think?" Am I a deranged loon, or does an idea like this have some merit (if not, I'll still want to build one for myself)? Can anyone offer me guidance for hardware and even some software? Anyone want to help build one?

--Copyright, 2000 by WhyCause (just in case something pans out)

I think that your needs are best solved with the ucsimm. Its relatively cheap ($210), however, it already runs uCLinux, has 8 mb ram, 2 mb flash, and all the development tools set out. That means more of your time will be spent developing your application, rather than hacking up TI hardware. ;) Check out the uclinux website.

These SBC (Single Board Computers) are generally used in embedded applications where standard form factor PC's won't work. Additionally, you get the ability to use main-stream/common development tools rather than more esoteric ones. Depending on your market, you can use DOS, Windows, or Linux combined with tried and true development tools such as Visual C++ or gcc. Definitely makes training & debugging much easier.

I've used devices similar to build controllers for therapeutic water beds, various interfaces to hardware (non-computer, i.e. control surfaces on an aircraft, and the like).

When you need them, they're very useful, although generally you're trading size for price. The last intel based device I used was about 5"x8", but the smallest was the ucSIMM Module running the Motorola 68EZ328 or the DIMM PC running an i486.

When you pair up an intel based SBC with the solid state disks from M-Systems that's when things start getting interesting.

Where are the Open Source PalmOS nerds? While uCLinux looks really neat, It's not palmOS by any measure. Linux was just conceived to do different stuff. There is also a company called OSK who claim to have a Linux and PalmOS compatable operating system, with the base open source, since they'd be in violation of the Linux license if it wasn't. Besides, it seems like a PalmOS emulator running on top of Linux...

Is there, to anyone's knowledge

• An open sourced, teeny lil' OS that will run on Dragonball Processors, is a single task, messaging based, and has a data storage abstraction like PalmOS databases?
• Barring that, is there any attempt to clone the PalmOS interface in an efficient, open source implementation? Would this kind of thing be legal?
• Barring both of the above, is there at least a community of Open Source development for PalmOS out there anywhere? And how would one get in touch with that community?

Linux does not have this problem. Linux is a low-level OS which does not inherently include a particular user interface. You can access it with the Bourne Shell or with Gnome--or for that matter a Palm-OS look-alike interface.

This is the advantage ucLinux has over WinCE.

The advantage ucLinux has over PalmOS is that it has a versitile architecture that will easily keep abreast with Hardware. PalmOS already has memory heap problems. When standard PalmPilot hardware includes hi-res colour displays, 1 GHZ processors, 512 MB RAM, wireless modems--and voice recognition is commonplace--PalmOS will be as kludgy and buggy as DOS/Windows is today. And ucLinux will shine.

GPL or not ... the removal of copyrights is not fair use. Not sure if Korean law protects the interests of the authors and community volunteers that have worked for years on linux and derivatives like uClinux. Many companies do use uClinux in commercial products and do so in a responsible manner, releasing code changes back to the authors and retaining original copyright headers and console output copyrite markers. Jeff (from Rt-Control) and Kenneth (now at Palm) both put a lot of effort into porting a non-mmu version of Linux now known at uClinux. While I have not been able to download or see any source code from the OSK site directly, the mirrored images that I did see seem to make claim that they are the sole authors all rights reserved. I think they may have made a simple mistake. I think Palm would be mighty pissed if they stole their ROM image. I do not support theft of intellectual property Palm's or that of the uClinux Project's. Michael Durrant

Does anybody know if this comes with a custom boot loader option so we can run uCLinux on it? I know the previous trg memory upgrade boards did.

On the one hand, Linux is adapting to Desktop computers in terms of integrated features and this is a good thing, nobody questions that, but on the other hand, Linux's size means its suitability for embeded applications becomes questionable. Not as questionable as using NT but still... (correct me if I'm wrong, and I wish I were, but I do have heard micros~1 is pushing its NT kernel (if there is such a thing...) for embeded applications)
Anybody remember this /. article about a cash machine BSODing?

Now... there is always a way to compile a custom kernel with minimal functionality, thanks god! the size of the compressed kernel source means for a great part that there are now lots of features / drivers / functionality that were just not available a couple of years ago.
However, how does a minimal 2.2.10 compares with a 1.2.13? (both considered stable if I recall correctly)

This is important, because projects like linuxrouter depend on being embedable, either on a floppy or much much more important, on devices like the diskonchip thingy. Do you see the market? routers, dns, xterms, you name it! Any of those devices could work on an embeded 486 with 8Mb or more of RAM. Is this 486/8Mb under my desk, a masquerading router/caching DNS? I thought so too.

Now... you can spit on Linux, and use QNX ( check it, QNX is the king!).
OR, because we're dealing here with a minimal Linux, actually designed for embeded applications, there is a lesser chance to get it wrong, therefore adding to security /stability / once again, you name it. Also, but some people might argue this is not the point (then please tell me what is the point about Linux), make it more attractive to hardware hackers.
Hackable alternatives to QNX might include katix, ELKS or even FreeDOS... and of course, uClinux.

Well well well,those are just some thoughts of mine, I'm nowhere involved with The Kernel, therefore I'm not in a very good position to critisize it, I just hope that the right people have reached the same conclusions or are aware of the fact that we may loose an important market if we only concentrate on desktops and above.

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