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Sharp Ships New PDA Running Linux 2.4
cbowland writes: "Sharp is now shipping the SL-5000D Zaurus PDA with a Linux 2.4 kernel, embedded PalmTop, Personal Java, and QT. Priced at $399 for developers only. Their plan is to get some apps created before marketing it to the public. Check it out" I wonder if the USB port on the docking station would let these work with the Happy Hacker keyboard ...
It seems like most programs for other handhelds are made by private individuals, rather than actual software houses. I wonder what the requirements for being a developer are...
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Price tag is a little high for me right now, but it would make a nice replacement for my Agenda :)
Two things surprice me though.
1) why didn't they include more memory? This thing is set up to do some very cool things regarding multimedia, but videos/sound suck up space... Memory has to have dropped enough since I got my Agenda, hasn't it? Guess this is offset a little by the ability to drop Flash cards in, but they're dang expensive..
2) What's that little Serial/USB (via the Docking Station) port comment? Does that mean that I wouldn't have USB when I wasn't docked. That would kinda suck, but it's probably a power consumption issue. Wonder how long that battery runs a color screen?
Greg
For only $99 at Fry's you can pick up an Agenda (now defunct) that runs linux (2.4 I believe). There is active developing going on, and you can't beat the price!! It'll save ya about $300!
Try these sites for info:
Agenda Software Repository:
http://supermegamulti.com/agenda/
Agenda Unofficial FAQ:
http://www.lardcave.net/agenda/agenda-faq.html
To quote: "Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds"
My preference would be inferno. It already runs
on the iPaq and is generally a good fit for this
type of appliation.
http://www.vitanuova.com/inferno
As this is very important to developing the most important applications on any system... GAMES!!!!
Note to self: No more arguing with the faithful.
A pretty sweet machine, but what I'd like to see is to have it horizontal instead of vertical. That way they could probably fit in a bit larger qwerty keyboard. And I'd think the horizontal display is in general more useful, because most text is horizontal too.
Given that the most common use I've associated with Linux has been use on a server of some variety, due to its stability and security, I can't help wondering what makes it a good OS for a PDA. Linux hasn't made a big impact on home computers, largely due to the fact that it isn't as user friendly as might be. Isn't the idea of an OS for a PDA that it be very easy to use and very convenient for the uneducated user?
Or does Linux fit in better with PDA's than I'd naturally assume?
What's in a Sig?
Getting a Z-Com 802.11b CF card working with my Zaurus was thde first thing I did. You can find my HOWTO on the dev2dev forum at http://developer.sharpsec.com (free reg req.) I am using the unit day in and day out as my PDA (web, contacts, email, addressbook, whatever) as well as using the underlying *nix functionality for stuff like systems and network support when I am moving around the office or, in fact, sitting at the pub around the corner having a pint. This device is out-of-this-world-cool and I suggest that every Network/Sys Admin should put it on their Christmas gift list. Having used it for a couple of weeks and watched the incredible pace at which software is ported to it I have to say that it is everything that I need as an IT professional in a PDA right now and it is only going to get better. I seriously doubt that PDA's running anything but Linux will have any market share in twelve months,there is simply no way Palm or embedded Windows can keep up with this thing. End users will appreciate the stability, speed and vast amount of software, while the I.T. people will appreciate the awesome flexibility and functionality. walking around right now with a linux PDA that is a significantly higher spec than my first Linux desktop is a thrill and having it connected most of the time to the 'net at 11mb/s is the icing on the cake.
32 Megs Memory: It seems reasonable to believe that this would not require as much memory as a Pocket PC, but as a temporary storage device, or MP3 player, it's hardly adequate.j
Cost: Yes, portability costs extra, but IMHO, $400 is too much for this type of device considering the alternatives such as Samsung's Uproar Cell-phone/PDA/MP3 player which was only $300 last time I checked. I assume that the consumer version would cost more than the $400.00 discounted developer price, further putting this out of my reach.
It's potential is looking good, but I'm not quite ready.
The Yopy is due out soon (Realize that the Sharp PDA available now isn't much different than the developer release of the Yopy- it's still not a "real" PDA in the same sense as the Agenda...) and the Agenda is already out.
You're supposed to use Fltk to develop apps for either of those, even though they use completely differing GUI engines (Yopy- W, Agenda- MicroWindows)- which means that one app written for the Yopy is liable to work decently enough without major changes on the Agenda (memory permitting...) or an iPaq running Familiar, Similar, Pixil, or some other MicroWindows or X based PDA distribution. The same cannot be said for a Qt/E based PDA. You have either the Sharp PDA or an iPaq in which someone has installed Qt/E on it.
Linux PDAs aren't vapor like you contend- just not pervasive like Windows CE devices or Palm devices.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
A 200MHz iPaq or Sharp has about 10x the speed and memory of desktop workstations on which X11 was used traditionally. X11's performance, disk space requirements, and memory requirements are as good as most "embedded" toolkits. The reason why X11 uses a lot of memory on your Linux box is because it can and because it is deliberately configured that way, not because there is anything intrinsic about X11 that requires a lot of resources.
And don't tell me about "low bandwidth X" and Tiny X - they all serve to illustrate that X is fundamentally broken, and certainly isn't for handhelds.
The X11 protocol was designed for Ethernet and works very efficiently on Ethernet, better than any of the alternatives. LBX was designed to adapt X11 for low bandwidth, high latency connections and works as well as anything over those. I don't know what TinyX is supposed to be for, but you don't need it for a 200MHz handheld. you don't even need it for a 66MHz handheld with 8M of RAM.
The people who are screaming for X on a handheld need to come out and live in the Real World.
I think the people who keep badmouthing X11 should get a clue.
My experience of PJava is that it wouldn't run our 1.1.8 application (which worked fine on the desktop) - thread problem.
Java2 is almost at version 1.4, so you're cutting yourself off from a whole new set of core APIs, not to mention Swing.
My advice to anyone wanting to run Java on a PDA would be to wait 6-12 months and then install the Java 2 STANDARD Edition JRE.
You could just about fit the JRE into a 32MB flash ROM alongside linux, with little space left over.
Wait for PDAs with 64MB flash rom. It may be a while before WINCE devices need the extra 32MB. However, how much does the microsoft charge on each PDA? Remove M$ from the equation and I'll have a larger flash rom!
Better still, if Apple can create the iPOD with a 5MB hard disk it's only a matter of time before these a standard for PDAs.
In my opinion J2ME will become only be relevant on smaller devices. PDAs will have sufficient power to run real Java!