Keep in mind that Dynamism charges a hefty premium for the English conversion. If you're willing to do the conversion yourself, just get the Japanese version. Conics.net sells the SL-C860 for $725.
Also, one of the main features of the C860 is the fancy Japanese dictionary, and if you don't need that I recommend getting one of the older models which have the same screen, keyboard, RAM and CPU, but less flash ROM and a smaller battery. The SL-C750 is excellent (I own one), and IMHO a much better value than the C860. Just stick in a SD/MMC card if you need more storage, and get the larger battery separately if you want that (I prefer the smaller form factor).
A laptop computer is obviously the better choice for getting real work done, but there are other uses for a powerful PDA. It's shirt pocket sized, and suitable for taking almost everywhere without needing to lug around a notebook. I've gotten used to having an Internet connection available wherever I go when I need it (i.e. to research products while shopping).
Did you read the article? One of the main improvements in current models is that the user filesystem is in non-volatile flash ROM. This started with the SL-C700 and SL-5600 models, which were released about a year ago.
Only the old SL-5500 model used a RAM disk for storage.
The reason for the lack of progress on pocketworkstation.org has been the usual total lack of time, but I'm still running it on my SL-C750, and have a couple of things on the back burner.
I'm planning to get an updated release together; this had been complicated a bit by some changes to the Debian "testing" archive which had doubled the size of the base distribution.
On the whole, a motivational problem had been that it works for me, with new software installable using apt-get, so there wasn't any pressing technical need to work on the distribution.
To be fair, Evolution crashed on loading and apparently doesn't have an ARM image in the Debian archive currently. But KDE works well, including Konqueror. It takes a fairly long time to launch (a couple of minutes) but is surprisingly usable once running.
You need to apply the cryptoloop-jari patch on top of the 2.4.23 kernel.
Some people reported that you need to use updated userspace tools and the "hashalot" tool as well, but for me applying the patch above did the trick.
I agree that it's disappointing that the cryptoloop support is only partially integrated, since the correct instructions on how to get it working are hidden among a lot of no-longer-accurate descriptions:-(
IANAL, but my impression is that SCO really doesn't have a leg to stand on for this case. If there *are* any lawyers here, comments would be welcome.
First of all, the claim about revoking the Unix license for AIX sounds silly. Unless the contract specifically details conditions in which the rights to Unix are terminated, the alleged trade secret violations have nothing whatsoever to do with the terms of that completely separate contract. A company cannot unilaterally try to invent some quid-per-quo measure to punish someone who they think has wronged them, that's what we have courts for.
Also, what's up with the violations of export controls? In the unlikely case that this has merit, the government would have to sue IBM, and I cannot see any reason at all why SCO should be awarded civil damages due to IBM having violated federal laws.
Lastly, the Sequent code. Sequent wrote the code around 1994, IBM bought Sequent (presumably including the rights to whatever code was developed there), and submitted the code for inclusion in Linux in 2002. I don't understand what SCO is claiming here - do they think some magical Unix vapor has infused Sequent and directly caused the RCU code to be written based on those heady fumes? If so, they should patent that technology:-)
A correction - after some disappointing benchmarks and some digging on the web, it turns out that only the CPU-internal system bus runs at 200 MHz, and the SDRAM is still limited to 100 MHz for the PXA255. So you'll still need the same cache-efficient tuning as for the older PXA250.
To be fair, a simple recompile won't help much. The reason why the xscale is running far below its theoretical speed for most applications is that it spends most of its time waiting for RAM access. This was especially bad on the older PXA250 xscale, since it only has a 100 MHz memory clock, and the 206 MHz StrongArm with its 103 MHz memory clock was even a bit faster for some applications.
So the only way to make good use of the 400 MHz clock is to rewrite your application to ensure that the 32kB cache is used as effectively as possible, so that the program can run at full speed. That's not something that a compiler can do for you, since it will usually involve changing algorithms and data structures, and may not even be possible depending on what the application is doing.
The reason that the newer PXA255 (as used in the C750) is faster is due to its doubled 200 MHz memory clock, which makes this problem much less bad.
You can get the original japanese version for $629 at conics.net, and convert it to English yourself. Or buy it in Japan directly at a discount shop, and pay less than $500. Still not cheap, but it's rather obvious that you'll pay a hefty premium for a direct import of a product that isn't available locally.
It's silly to compare it to the Dell Axim, since the C750 has four times the screen resolution (640x480), twice the RAM (64MB), and twice the flash ROM (64 MB, half available for user storage). An external keyboard isn't the same thing, since that would make the Axim much larger than the C750 which already has a good keyboard built in.
If you want a laptop instead, by all means get one, but don't complain if it won't fit in your shirt pocket...
While the information in DavonZ's report is accurate, keep in mind that he was paid by Dynamism to do the English conversion, so this isn't an entirely unbiased review.
If you don't need a full English conversion, you can buy the units a lot cheaper at conics.net. Then, you can change one line in a config file to set the default locale to English (which changes most of the text, but isn't nearly as complete as the dynamism conversion), or install Debian on it (see my web page at www.w-m-p.com/pocketworkstation/).
I'm not being paid by Dynamism or Conics (or Sharp for that matter), but have bought from and can recommend both suppliers.
The C750 is an excellent machine, it's a Linux workstation you can put in your shirt pocket. The landscape form factor along with the 640x480 screen can display 80x30 characters in a well-legible font, with a full keyboard that's easy to type on despite the small size. With 64 MB RAM and a 512 MB SD card for storage, along with a 400 MHz XScale CPU, its performance is equivalent to desktop PCs a couple of years ago.
The C750 finally has a PXA255 with a 200 MHz memory clock, which is the main reason for the improved speed compared to the older C700, along with the doubled RAM.
Note that the display is flippable 180 degrees, so you can also use the system with a portrait display and no keyboard if you prefer that.
If you install the pocketworkstation environment, all the X11-based Linux applications are an apt-get away. No recompiling needed. I'm running it on my C700 right now, and it works very well.
(My webserver may regret this. Please don't download the large packages unless you have a C700 or Zaurus to run them on...)
I think that this solution misses the point - for efficiency, you need an input system where you do not need to look at the keyboard. This would be especially important for wearable computers.
It would make much more sense to use a chording keyboard for an organizer - the Microwriter AgendA supported this a long time ago, but has unfortunately been discontinued. (BTW, I haven't been able to find a description of the AgendA's chording scheme - does anyone have a link?)
For a wearable, something like the Twiddler would make much more sense. What I would really like is an updated twiddler that plugs directly into the PS/2 (or USB) port, and with a Trackpoint (like in IBM Thinkpad laptops) instead of the imprecise tilting mouse sensor.
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Also, one of the main features of the C860 is the fancy Japanese dictionary, and if you don't need that I recommend getting one of the older models which have the same screen, keyboard, RAM and CPU, but less flash ROM and a smaller battery. The SL-C750 is excellent (I own one), and IMHO a much better value than the C860. Just stick in a SD/MMC card if you need more storage, and get the larger battery separately if you want that (I prefer the smaller form factor).
A laptop computer is obviously the better choice for getting real work done, but there are other uses for a powerful PDA. It's shirt pocket sized, and suitable for taking almost everywhere without needing to lug around a notebook. I've gotten used to having an Internet connection available wherever I go when I need it (i.e. to research products while shopping).
-Klaus
Did you read the article? One of the main improvements in current models is that the user filesystem is in non-volatile flash ROM. This started with the SL-C700 and SL-5600 models, which were released about a year ago.
Only the old SL-5500 model used a RAM disk for storage.
-Klaus
The reason for the lack of progress on pocketworkstation.org has been the usual total lack of time, but I'm still running it on my SL-C750, and have a couple of things on the back burner.
I'm planning to get an updated release together; this had been complicated a bit by some changes to the Debian "testing" archive which had doubled the size of the base distribution.
On the whole, a motivational problem had been that it works for me, with new software installable using apt-get, so there wasn't any pressing technical need to work on the distribution.
To be fair, Evolution crashed on loading and apparently doesn't have an ARM image in the Debian archive currently. But KDE works well, including Konqueror. It takes a fairly long time to launch (a couple of minutes) but is surprisingly usable once running.
-Klaus
You need to apply the cryptoloop-jari patch on top of the 2.4.23 kernel.
:-(
Some people reported that you need to use updated userspace tools and the "hashalot" tool as well, but for me applying the patch above did the trick.
I agree that it's disappointing that the cryptoloop support is only partially integrated, since the correct instructions on how to get it working are hidden among a lot of no-longer-accurate descriptions
-Klaus
IANAL, but my impression is that SCO really doesn't have a leg to stand on for this case. If there *are* any lawyers here, comments would be welcome.
:-)
First of all, the claim about revoking the Unix license for AIX sounds silly. Unless the contract specifically details conditions in which the rights to Unix are terminated, the alleged trade secret violations have nothing whatsoever to do with the terms of that completely separate contract. A company cannot unilaterally try to invent some quid-per-quo measure to punish someone who they think has wronged them, that's what we have courts for.
Also, what's up with the violations of export controls? In the unlikely case that this has merit, the government would have to sue IBM, and I cannot see any reason at all why SCO should be awarded civil damages due to IBM having violated federal laws.
Lastly, the Sequent code. Sequent wrote the code around 1994, IBM bought Sequent (presumably including the rights to whatever code was developed there), and submitted the code for inclusion in Linux in 2002. I don't understand what SCO is claiming here - do they think some magical Unix vapor has infused Sequent and directly caused the RCU code to be written based on those heady fumes? If so, they should patent that technology
-Klaus
A correction - after some disappointing benchmarks and some digging on the web, it turns out that only the CPU-internal system bus runs at 200 MHz, and the SDRAM is still limited to 100 MHz for the PXA255. So you'll still need the same cache-efficient tuning as for the older PXA250.
-Klaus
To be fair, a simple recompile won't help much. The reason why the xscale is running far below its theoretical speed for most applications is that it spends most of its time waiting for RAM access. This was especially bad on the older PXA250 xscale, since it only has a 100 MHz memory clock, and the 206 MHz StrongArm with its 103 MHz memory clock was even a bit faster for some applications.
So the only way to make good use of the 400 MHz clock is to rewrite your application to ensure that the 32kB cache is used as effectively as possible, so that the program can run at full speed. That's not something that a compiler can do for you, since it will usually involve changing algorithms and data structures, and may not even be possible depending on what the application is doing.
The reason that the newer PXA255 (as used in the C750) is faster is due to its doubled 200 MHz memory clock, which makes this problem much less bad.
-Klaus
It's silly to compare it to the Dell Axim, since the C750 has four times the screen resolution (640x480), twice the RAM (64MB), and twice the flash ROM (64 MB, half available for user storage). An external keyboard isn't the same thing, since that would make the Axim much larger than the C750 which already has a good keyboard built in.
If you want a laptop instead, by all means get one, but don't complain if it won't fit in your shirt pocket...
-Klaus
If you don't need a full English conversion, you can buy the units a lot cheaper at conics.net. Then, you can change one line in a config file to set the default locale to English (which changes most of the text, but isn't nearly as complete as the dynamism conversion), or install Debian on it (see my web page at www.w-m-p.com/pocketworkstation/).
I'm not being paid by Dynamism or Conics (or Sharp for that matter), but have bought from and can recommend both suppliers.
The C750 is an excellent machine, it's a Linux workstation you can put in your shirt pocket. The landscape form factor along with the 640x480 screen can display 80x30 characters in a well-legible font, with a full keyboard that's easy to type on despite the small size. With 64 MB RAM and a 512 MB SD card for storage, along with a 400 MHz XScale CPU, its performance is equivalent to desktop PCs a couple of years ago.
The C750 finally has a PXA255 with a 200 MHz memory clock, which is the main reason for the improved speed compared to the older C700, along with the doubled RAM.
Note that the display is flippable 180 degrees, so you can also use the system with a portrait display and no keyboard if you prefer that.
-Klaus
(My webserver may regret this. Please don't download the large packages unless you have a C700 or Zaurus to run them on...)
-Klaus
It would make much more sense to use a chording keyboard for an organizer - the Microwriter AgendA supported this a long time ago, but has unfortunately been discontinued. (BTW, I haven't been able to find a description of the AgendA's chording scheme - does anyone have a link?)
For a wearable, something like the Twiddler would make much more sense. What I would really like is an updated twiddler that plugs directly into the PS/2 (or USB) port, and with a Trackpoint (like in IBM Thinkpad laptops) instead of the imprecise tilting mouse sensor.