Full X11-Based Distro For PDAs

omin0us writes "over at http://cacko.zaurususergroup.com, we are working on a Full X11 based Linux distro for the Sharp Zaurus SL-c7x0/860 series of PDAs. The screen has a usable full VGA resolution of 640x480 and the distro uses Openbox/ROX Desktop as its Native WM. But others such as Fluxbox, Afterstep, and XFCE have been compiled for it and run nicely. You will also find a WIDE variety of compiled apps in the Feed on the Cacko website such as a native GCC Compiler, XMMS, Mplayer, prboom, Gimp, Gkrellm, Abiword and numerous others. Many different screenshots of it in action may be found here. This is truly bringing desktop linux to the PDA. Also, another project that has branched from Cacko Linux is Gentoo for Zaurus. This project, at the moment is based on the Cacko X11 environment, but will eventually become a full Gentoo environment. "It can emerge packages, sync, or create Gentoo packages using the -B switch in emerge." This should be an interesting project to watch."

Comments

Portable Compiler While You're on the Plane.

[DarkHelmet]

You will also find a WIDE variety of compiled apps in the Feed on the Cacko website such as a native GCC Compiler

Maybe it's me, but I find it downright hilarious that they include a compiler with a PDA. Like that's some kind of huge geek selling point for it.

Geek 1: Yeah, I got Quake running on my PDA. Take that!
Geek 2: That's nothing! I compiled it on my PDA and *then* played it.

All the other geeks gather around Geek #2. One of the geek chicks who was with Geek #1 pulls away from him and goes over to Geek #2.

Yeah... I guess it's that important. Just like that nifty new 64-bit CPU that makes my penis feel bigger than it actually is. Yippie.

Re:Portable Compiler While You're on the Plane.

[Michael Spencer Jr.]

I work at a bank, and own a Zaurus SL-C700. I work full-time in a tech support call center (noon to 11 PM), and am a full-time student. This means when it's late at night, I have plenty of time to work on homework.

For the past two semesters, all of my programming assignments have been written, built, and debugged on the SL-C700. I'd say it takes me perhaps twice as long to type in code, and GCC runs rather slowly. But the hours would otherwise be wasted. I'm not allowed to put Linux or GCC on Bank computers.

Portable GCC is indeed useful.

Re:Portable Compiler While You're on the Plane.

[Phillup]

...I can do everything in Windows I can do in Linux...

Yeah, I wasn't very good at Linux for a while either. Keep at it tho, you'll get there.

;-)

I am the founder of Cacko

[mirko]

Make a whois :)
Glad but surprised to be Slashdotted :)

Interesting project to watch?

[ObviousGuy]

Yeah, watching Gentoo emerge packages on a crappy PXA250 is a whole lot of fun, I'm sure.

Is the Linux desktop really the right metaphor for a palmtop device? Apple knew a desktop was wrong, Microsoft finally figured it out with PPC2002.

When will the good folks working on these Linux ports figure it out?

Re:Interesting project to watch?

[MS_is_the_best]

Actually, with a keyboard, as this device has, a terminal with all powerful command line tools (bash, ssh, text editor, IS very usable. Ok, being able to use multiple windows (which don't fit together on 640x480) is not very useful, but the mentioned window managers can do a lot more which can be useful to the geek and on a pda (tabs, proper keybindings etc. etc.)

Re:Interesting project to watch?

[jarran]

Is the Linux desktop really the right metaphor for a palmtop device?

Probably not, but is that relevant. Do you think people run X on their Palmtop because they think it makes it a better PDA? I rather expect it's because more because Linux has a vast range of other software that they want to run.

I run Linux on my Psion 5MX - means that I can hack on my personal coding projects on long journeys without having to lug a huge laptop around. I couldn't do that with the Psion's native OS as it just doesn't have the tools.

Eventually we will have the best of both worlds - a decent PDA interface running on top of X. But first you have to get the basics working.

Damn,,

[vpscolo]

after seeing those screenhosts my first 2 geek reactions are

1) Must by gadget to run Linux on
2) Must get a copy of Lemming and run on GnuBoy

Damn you slashdot for spending my money and filling my time.

Rus

Opie should be mentioned

[Anonymous Coward]

I know it's a different project, but people who find cacko interesting might find opie interesting as well.

http://opie.handhelds.org/

Integrated WiFi

[AsnFkr]

If it had WiFi built in I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I know I can add it, but at the cost of one memory slot. Thats a heafty price to pay. Very cool stuff though.

Re:Integrated WiFi

[robson]

The recently released specs for the new 6000 series will include an option for built-in wifi, both Bluetooth and 802.11.

If it had a hard drive...

[bcg]

Wouldn't a 4Gb hard disk just like whats in the mini ipod go down a treat in one of these things?

Combine that with wifi (as mentioned by another poster) and at least laptop battery life expectancy and i would instantly order one.

I don't ask much :)

Coming soon to /.

[m00nun1t]

Updates on the only items that HAVEN'T run linux so far:

- Porting linux to a kitchen blender
- Porting linux to a carrot
- Porting linux to the wart on my grandmothers knee

That's one giant leap backwards...

[dublin]

X is all wrong for devices like this. Qtopia, on the other hand, which is what Sharp was smart enoug to put in them to start with, is a very good fit. This is simply a hacking tour-de-force. Sure, you can do it, and run X on an X-scale PDA, but it's *stupid* to do so. Especially since Qtopia lets you port Qt applications with minimal fuss. I suppose this gives the rabid QT haters somethign to do with their spare time, though, so it's not all bad...

Re:That's one giant leap backwards...

[torpor]

Rubbish. X is just fine on a platform like this, if you do it properly. Not to mention, with this box running X, I can access countless fleets of Unix machines which are quite happily configured to allow my X session to work.

"Qtopia", being new and exciting, is of course a nice lib to namedrop, but in fact 'porting Qt applications' isn't necessarily a factor when you've already got a standard, open, fully working window system implemented. you can port anything to X.

X works. and ... its not as bad as those who haven't worked with it recently would make it out to be ...

Remote X?

[Mister Furious]

Could this be used as a remote X terminal? I haven't looked into the prices of these things, so it'd probably be cost-prohibitive (or at least cost-a-lot), but it could be really useful to have access to my main machine's desktop as I walk around the office.

They still don't get it

[Feint]

The point of a PDA is a digital assistant. By porting X/gcc/etc to it, you get a nice demonstration of C/C++ portability, but you also end up with (another) underpowered desktop.

The reason for PDAs is not to shrink the desktop to fit in your pocket. They exist to provide pinpoint functionality at your fingertips without having to boot ro lug around your laptop/desktop.

If the same amount of manhours was put into getting a real PDA environment on top of linux (ie. syncs with outlook, has a taskpad, reads word docs etc) instead of repeated ports of X/perl/gcc/emacs to a handheld, the linux would already dominate the handheld market...
if you want something starting to get close, look at opie.handhelds.org... They aren't there yet but at least its not another "port the kitchen sink to handheld xyz" project.