linux for palm pilots?

[hacked1o0o]

will they ever make versions of linux for pocket pc's or palm pilots?

[tom_servo]

Yes, they will, and are. At least for PocketPC type devices. Palm devices are (last I looked) too slow to run a real multitasking OS. My last Palm device (a Visor Prism) had a 33Mhz 16-bit CPU. Most of them I owned even had their OS in a ROM (not in a re-programmable flash ROM). It has been years since I owned my last palm (a Visor Prism), so some of this might have changed. I did read recently that Palm is developing a new version of their software that will run as an app on top of Linux, allowing their devices to finally multitask, and have fast enough CPU to do other fun stuff, but with the maximum of backward compatibility. I will believe it when I see it.

For Pocket PCs there is the Familiar project (which seems to have teamed up with OpenZaurus to create OpenEmbeded). This gives you a complete Linux system, with 2 GUI environments to choose from and runs on many PocketPCs. It is almost like having a Linux notebook PC in your pocket. I use it on my Sharp Zaurus SL-5500, but that probably doesn't count since it came from the factory with Linux, and the Qtopia GUI environment, so it was an easy upgrade. OpenEmbeded's 2 GUI systems are:
Opie - Based on QT embedded (those parts of QT that make sense for a PDA) so KDE programs are supposed to be easy to port. This is similar, but newer and prettier then the Qtopia my Zaurus came with.
GPE - Based on GTK so Gnome apps are supposed to be easy to port. I haven't played with this one much, but it does look neat.

Here is a link to a list of tested PDAs. There do seem to be some Pam Devices on there, so maybe they have stepped up to something like an Xscale CPU finally.
http://handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/SupportedHandheldSummary

Screenshots of GPE:
http://handhelds.org/~gpe/gallery/

Screenshots of Opie (look at the color ones, they are prettier):
http://opie.handhelds.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=opie10


Alain

[hacked1o0o]

thanks i plan on using this os instead of the crappy windows they come with,i havequite a few pocket pc's in my closet of matrix. now i need to find out ow to update the os to them.
and OMG I LOVETHE LOOK OF OPIE. i think i mightof been living in an underground hole after id nstall this :)

[hacked1o0o]

i dont get this part,

do i need a serial cable to perform this bcuz my palm pilots just use usb cable.

http://familiar.handhelds.org/familiar/releases/v0.7.2/install/install-serial.html

why cant they jsut make a program to do all of this :(

[tom_servo]

These appear to be directions for PocketPC and not PalmPilot.

If you have a Pocket PC, then it looks like you either need the serial cable, or the CF card slot (doesn't it have one built in?). It looks like you install a new boot loader from the OS as just an app. You cannot replace the OS while it is running, so you reboot, and use a special function in the bootloader to install the new OS. The bootloader has a very limited size, and complexity, and so doesn't have a USB driver.

I would go with the CF card update if possible, as I think it would be much faster, and more reliable. At least it has worked on my PDA many, many times.


Alain

[Red_FoX]

too bad my version of pocket pc doesnt have a cf card :(