HP Ditching WindowsCE for Linux on Jornada?

An anonymous reader sent in linkage to a story talking about HP ditching WinCE for Linux on their Jornada handhelds. As cool as that would be, I'm gonna seriously doubt that its gonna happen. But if they did, I'd have to buy a jornada.

Comments

Re:Don't your applictions decide your OS?

[xtal]

..I use a vaio right now for a machine that has some semblence of a keyboard and can run GCC - and has some sort of warranty (e.g. isn't 10 years old :). I used to have a HP100LX with Turbo C++ on it, but that got too old.. one of these Jornadas running linux would make a GREAT little development platform that could run GCC; And I'd buy one tomorrow (are you listening HP?), doublely so if they could make it have some sort of battery adapter to take standard sized cells.

One of those machines makes a lot more sense for things like news reading, browsing, etc than my pilot - which is useful for PIM functions and games because it's always with me in a pocket. The combination of a palm and a jornada is something I've missed since I sold my 100LX.

I want to shut this thinking down now - HP had one of the best PIM packages I've ever used developed in house for their 100/200LX units, and porting that or implementing it in linux would not be that difficult. The Jornada is much more "general purpose" than a handheld device, and I suspect this is why WinCE is falling flat on it's face - I want to be able to do my own stuff, and WinCE is too limited (as is PalmOS, in this application, IMHO. I'd rather linux or even DOS (like the 100LX).

Go HP!

RTFL! Linux OR PalmOS

[wowbagger]

Much as I'd LOVE to see a major player shipping a Linux based PDA, read the freaking article! They said "Linux OR PlamOS", not "Linux". Until I actually see Tux on the bootup, I will pessimistically assume it will be PalmOS. Then they can leverage all the PalmOS apps.

Mind you, if they did ship a Linux version... well, I'd have my Mastercard out so fast Einstein would be spinning in his grave.

Re:Right, Taco.

[1010011010]

Besides, show me a Compaq iPac with Linux installed that can play MP3's. I rest my case.

Win2k on a handheld?!?! What is it powered with, a car battery?

Here is a screenshot of an iPaq running pocketlinux, playing an MP3. Here is another -- this one of QPE, including screenshots that show its support for alternate input methods.

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Why not Minix?

[connorbd]

What seems to be lost in all of this is that Minix seems to be the way to go for such a small system. Linux takes work, maybe even a code fork. What I simply fail to get in all this: YES, it's good that Linux is being ported to hell and back, and YES, it's nice to have an option other than PalmOS the great and WinCE the self-explanatory, why does it have to be a full-up Unix? Here's the second biggest problem with WinCE: its interface is still bound to the desktop metaphor. I don't see how exactly you can do much better than this with Linux -- you need a GUI but a "windowing system" per se is overkill. Palm uses a few windows, but for the most part seems to rely on pageswapping to display interfaces. And Linux itself is just too damn big. What's really needed here is an OS that's small to begin with. Minix doesn't need to be built from the ground up; just add some decent power management to the kernel, replace the console with the above-mentioned hypothetical minimalist GUI, and go from there. Face it, folks: the only reason we want to see Linux on a palmtop is name brand recognition. It's about time someone came up with a GPLed OS designed specifically for PDAs. (suggested moderation: -1 Flamebait) /Brian