Lycoris Shipping Linux OS For Handhelds

Bill Kendrick writes "According to LinuxDevices.com, it appears Lycoris has put together an OS for handhelds like the iPAQ and Zaurus. It's based on the Open Source OpenZaurus and OPIE projects, so it should look pretty familiar to Linux-on-PDA fans."

Comments

Better than OpenZaurus?

[NoDoZ]

How does this compare to the OSes already available for the Zaurus?

What is with Lycoris trying to emulate XP?

[gotr00t]

One of the biggest reasons why I went with GNU/Linux with X and KDE is the fact that I can configure it to whatever I want it to look and feel. Many distros also seem to have this philosophy, and have created their own unique interfaces, using KDE as a starting point.

However, of all of these distros, Lycoris has tried to emulate WinXP for all their desktop platforms, and now, they are emulating Microsoft's PocketPC OS for their mobile platform, and by doing so, they have conceded that the XP interface is perfect, and something to copy, which it is definately not (just look at the number of people who have added a program that simulates the OS X dock onto their WinXP desktop) This is the reason I will probably never even consider using Lycoris: because the XP interface (IMO) is terrible, and I would definately not use it, or a rip of it, voluentarily.

Re:What is with Lycoris trying to emulate XP?

[beldraen]

It boils down to, "who do you think they are going for?" You? Nope. You're already copping an attitude of "why would you want it to look like XP?" Reality is that people want familiar and XP is familiar. Business wants to sell to profitable segements and people who cop an attitude and can install it themselves aren't profitable. Take Business 101 and Humility 101. Most people do not want to take the time to learn something new because most people do not have enough time in their lives to do the things that way to do, much less reinvent their way of working with a computer.

So where is this company located again? Redmond?

[LittleBigScript]

linux version 2.4.18 initially, with updates planned soon....

OpenZaurus 3.3.5 is already based on the 2.4.18 kernel but it some major problems with recognizing compact flash cards inserted after boot-time. Now, the 2.6.1 kerenel ported to the Zaurus would impress me, byt Lycoris is more interested in forking and thus gaining market interest than contribution to an excellent, but understaffed (four volunteers!) openzaurus.

According to Cheek, DL-PPC adds customizations to the OpenZaurus, Opie, and other open source project code bases that improve usability....

Meaning that they use everyone else's code, but add a "feauture" to make the background changable. Unfortuanatly they didn't recieve the memo. This can already be done easily.

DL-PPC will include the Samba-based Lycoris "Network Browser,".It's Opie-based PIMs will support synchronization with Lycoris's Desktop operating systems...

So they are adding nothing that isn't already there, but featuring their Logo will give the Zaurus credibility? Samba has been ported, as has Apache.

DL-PPC will support a variety of text-input methods...

It does already! Ever seen a Zaurus?. It possesses a thumbboard and the Qtopia enviroment has a Jot-styled input screen and a virtual keyboard, and even more will be found in the Opie fork.

What is it that Lycroris is contributing back to Linux? I must have missed that. They seemed more keen on hyping the idea or porting linux to a linux platform.

Re:Lycoris vs Lindows?

[Bill Kendrick]

that will be extra confusing for Joe Sixpack buying Linux at WalMart

Perhaps. But then again, they also sell countless brands of toothpaste, lots of different TVs, VCRs and DVD players, etc. Sometimes people are forced to pick/choose. It might end up being random... they might have done research beforehand... they might just ask the pimply-faced clerk "duh, what's gud for me two yoos?" :)

386 and 486

[macemoneta]

I wish someone would package this environment for old 386 and 486 systems.

Re:So you want to make a Linux PDA?

[ajagci]

Many of the things I agree with.

But I think it's a fundamental mistake to approach PDA development like desktop development (in fact, I think it's a mistake to approach desktop development like people do today, but desktop machines are powerful enough to get away with it).

For a usable PDA environment, you need efficiency, robustness, easy communications, and easy extensibility. A dynamic language that runs everything in a single address space can give you that. A collection of C/C++ behemoths linked against complex C/C++ GUI libraries cannot. The Newton got this right. Smalltalk got this right.

Re:Why Linux?

[BlortHorc]

Maybe I'm missing something, but ISTM that unixoid OSs were not designed for this kind of role. Eg power management is just an afterthough on such systems, and size has never been a high priority.


Minor quibble, but given UNIX was first developed on computers with a mighty 128KB of RAM, I think you may be slightly confused regarding the design priorities of "unixoid OSs".

I do know the first system I ran linux on was a 486/33SX (feel that emulated FPU goodness) with 4MB, and I suspect that in terms of the "four yorkshiremen" scale, that qualifies as somewhat more piss than whatever your generic ARM powered PDA does.

Hell, in those days I had to calculate my XF86Config ModeLines by hand to get something my PissWeak(Tm) PVGA card could grok, and even then, I'd only drag it out in case of Direst Emergency (if you've ever used X on an old system like that with drives that whistled as they worked, you'll know what I mean).

You young whippersnappers these days, I tell ya, it's PDA this, slow as dog shit that, *grumble*, onion in my belt, usw.