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Will Linux Ever be Ported to the Palm?
Derek Cunningham asks: "I've had a Palm Vx for a couple months now. All of the nerds I know continually ask me 'are you running Linux on that yet?' and all I can say is 'no'. I've continually read over the uCLinux page, as well as the OSK page... but cannot find details on exactly how to get Linux on my Palm. It seems that uCLinux has a downloadable version, but no docs, and OSK just doesn't have a whole lot of information other than some graphics and screenshots, and even those are almost a year old (same age as the slashdot story). The only thing they seem to document is getting their images to work with XCoPilot."
you should really start here... http://www.trgnet.com/products.htm
I think they quesiton might be better as "Should Linux ever be ported to the Palm?"
Ok, that's a bit harsh. Certainly it would be a neat hack, and I like a neat hack as much as the next being. But is linux right for the palm?
Say you install linux on your palm, and want to use, for example, bash. Unless you're amazingly good at graffiti, it will be a lot slower than on your desktop. You could, conceivably, use a keyboard (all hail the PPK!), first writing a driver for it, but you can't do that on a regular basis (as in jotting down a number on the subway). Yah, you could write a GUI for it, or adapt X, or soemthing, but....why? Does linux have to run on everything and its duck?
I'm not a linux expert, but it seems to me that PalmOS is on the right track with they're handheld OS: simple, streamlined, totally GUI oriented.
Just some things to think about. And I still WinCE when I think about Microsoft's attempt to squeeze their desktop OS onto a handheld....
-J
Karma: T-rexcellent.
Honestly, you need to look at a handheld device as being in a completely different kind of computing paradigm than regular machines. Think about what kinds of tasks you might want to perform on a device the size of your hand. Games, some network communication, maybe some light web browsing, and of course, personal organizer tasks all work. Maybe even book reading. But tasks which are very CPU intensive won't work, because you'll drain your batteries quickly. Most games will have the same problem. I think that you'll see wireless networking functions, telephony and organization functions all integrated into the same device in the near future. So the OS that runs the device has to be targeted for those functions. I don't think that Linux does that very well. That isn't what it was designed for.
Sorry, forgot to login... ;)
-J
Karma: T-rexcellent.
first let me say that i think today's linux is a terrible operating system for handheld computers.
</asbestos>
like another poster said, what the hell would you do with it? i type pretty darn fast, and i love the power that communicating with the computer verbally gives me. but the you just can't do that kind of thing within the palmtop form factor. at least not until we see some real software for that arena.
the palm os (as great as the interface is) is a tragedy from an operating system design point of view. no protected memory, no real multitasking, nothing you would ever tolerate on a desktop system.
rumor has it that the nextgen palms will run on be 200 to 400mHz ARM chips. if i were on the palm (handspring) board of directors, i'd be pushing to develop the next palm interface on linux.
imaging handspring-developed hardware, powered by arm, held together with linux, supporting a palm interface. stunning.
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Of course, but try and FIND a full sized station wagon! They aren't made anymore (and no, a Sable/Taurus isn't full sized). A full sized wagon USED to fit a sheet of 4x8 plywood across the back with the seats down.
This is one of those "Unintended consequences" deals. Back when the US government implemented the CAFE laws (Corporate average fuel economy) they exempted trucks. What we call SUVs today were classed as "Light trucks".
So, in order to meet in increasingly strict CAFE laws, the car companies had to downsize their cars. The first thing that (Mostly) went away was the big huge car. (Note, they HAVE come back - cars like the big MB and the big Lexus etc are as big as anything) The next thing that went away was the full sized wagon. There were a few hold outs till about 1 year ago (The Ford Crown Victoria. Note: The Crown Victoria/Lincoln Town car are now ONLY listed in Ford's "Fleet" program - AKA You are only supposed to be able to buy them if you are a fleet operator).
So the full sized wagon/car went away. So, what does it get replaced with? Well, at first, they really got replaced with Mini vans! (You do remember the Mini van craze, right?) The thing is, the early min vans really had some reliability problems. The people realized, hey, I can get this light truck that works, if I give up some creature comforts (BTW Mini vans of the mid 80s weren't all that luxurious). The move was inevitable. If people want something, they WILL figure out how to get what they want.
Now me? I drive a compact car (a Saturn), because it didn't pay for me to drive in a larger car. However, my next car will be larger (a Saturn doesn't work when you have to transport 4 people, a playpen etc). If I get a SECOND car, it'll be a truck. Why a truck? I work with a lot of heavy tools and equipment. It won't be a SUV, but a truck. If they make me register it as a commercial vehicle, so be it. If the stop pickups, I'll get a box van. They stop that, I'll buy a full sized truck! No, it won't be used every day, as I live where mass transport works.
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
Aren't the current Palms based on 16Bit Motorola 68K CPU's? That would make quite an obstacle for a 32 bit operating system.
It's in Palm's business interest to keep PalmOS as their platform... they make significant amounts of money licensing PalmOS. In order for it to make sense for Palm to go to Linux, they'd have to be convinced that there would at least be a) significant savings in going to Linux, and b) they'd sell so much additional hardware, it'd make up for the loss in revenue from OS licensing.
I don't see the market expanding significantly because of a switch to Linux. Business people don't give a crap what OS it is, as long as it works, and syncs data to their Windows boxes. Geeks are *not* as significant a market for Palm as you seem to imagine.
Besides, they'd lose differentiation in that market. They'd be competing against significantly higher-power hardware in the handheld Linux market. It's far better for them to have the OS as their advantage, and innovate hardware just enough to have new products which cause current owners to upgrade every few years.
PalmOS does not pretend to be more than it is. It is not a computing platform, it is a "keep my notes someplace handy" platform.
-Nev
i'm not saying linux is right for the palm because i'm a linux zealot (like you seem to believe) but because it has proven itself on confined hardware, and because if find the current underlying os on palms to be lacking.
also, i never said that palm would have to release their interface as a free software. the underlying os (and their changes) would remain free, with a for-profit interface. never work you say? heard of OSX?
if your just going to troll, go read infoworld or something.
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the underlying os (and their changes) would remain free, with a for-profit interface. never work you say? heard of OSX? Yeah. Heard of the BSD license? if your just going to troll, go read infoworld or something. I'm trolling because I said that it wasn't in Palm's interest to switch to Linux? If you want handheld Linux, don't buy a Palm. It's not a biggie, and I'm not saying that Linux doesn't belong in the palm of your hand. -Nev
.. but linux (with all its great progress) is not quite there yet. Although there have been some great efforts to port linux to some of the handhelds out there, like the Ipaq, there aren't that many reasons why one should go apenuts to get linux on the palm. Forgive me, I'm more interested in actual functionality as opposed to raw 'coolness'. =)
Maybe in a year or two, we'll have one (or more) handheld-centric distribution that will rock our socks and will be worth every penny, but until then, I'll sit back and relax...
One of the cool things though... There is a linux port to the Psion handhelds, which seems really good... I may drop it on my 5mx someday, when it outlives its usefulness... heh
"We'll need 2000 crickets, 4 cans of Easy Cheese, and the fluid from 18 glowsticks for this plan to work...." - ph0n1c
But they are not considered "Full Sized"
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso