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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 ...
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
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.
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.