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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."
How does this compare to the OSes already available for the Zaurus?
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.
Bel, the mostly sane.. "Of course I can't see anything! I'm standing on the shoulders of idiots." -- Me
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.
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?"
I wish someone would package this environment for old 386 and 486 systems.
Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.