Customising 3200
Ian Briggs
to configure it with the apps I need. But I'm getting really confused
about the different ROMs, X/Qt, jumbo, superjumbo, PocketWorkstation, and
so on. I need advice -- and clarification!
Basically the functionality and apps I need are:
* simple ethernet networking
* simple wireless networking (preferably including WPA-PSK)
* unit appears to Windows/OSX as a USB storage device
* automounts USB storage devices
* OpenOffice
* Firefox
* jpg viewer
* simple package management for upgrades
* voice recording up to 30 mins
* conversion of recordings to mp3
* mp3 player
* print to Canon Pixma iP3000 [yes, a Linux driver does exist for this]
(plus GnuCash and would be handy, but I could manage without).
What basic ROMs/distros would best suit this functionality? And what
X/Qt/GPE/OPIE/super/jumbo/whatever would you recommend adding?
I'd prefer to keep the customisation as simple as possible (using a
package manager where I can), so there's less chance of me screwing up
and it's easier to maintain.
Hope I'm not asking for the impossible!
Thanks in advance for any advice (or pointers to alternative sources of
advice).
Ian
--
To email, replace receptacle with my forename.
David L. Johnson
> Basically the functionality and apps I need are:
> * simple ethernet networking
No problem.
> * simple wireless networking (preferably including WPA-PSK)
Wpa may or may not be easy to set up. Depends on the system on the server
side.
> * unit appears to Windows/OSX as a USB storage device
This is rumored to work.
> * automounts USB
I haven't had much luck with that.
> storage devices
> * OpenOffice
> * Firefox
> * jpg viewer
OO is kind of a pig for this machine. I prefer Abiword and gnumeric for
those functions; unless you have a bunch of powerpoint presentations
you'll be fine with those.
> * simple package management for upgrades
Well, "simple" isn't there yet.
> * voice recording up to 30 mins
No clue
> * conversion of recordings to mp3
There should be lots of options
> * mp3 player
No problem
> * print to Canon Pixma iP3000 [yes, a Linux driver does exist for this]
CUPS should handle this.
> (plus GnuCash and would be handy, but I could manage without).
>
> What basic ROMs/distros would best suit this functionality? And what
> X/Qt/GPE/OPIE/super/jumbo/whatever would you recommend adding?
My needs were perhaps somewhat different from yours, since I've been using
linux/X exclusively for years. So, for me, an Xwindows based system was
perfect. I have a 3100, and use pdaXrom.
Most of the programs I use are right there and work the same way on the
Zaurus, making it an ideal machine for travel. I don't care about
interoperability with Windows, nor do I want it to be readable as an
external drive on a windows machine. I use sftp for file transfers,
between my Z and my desktop, over the house wifi.
But don't misunderstand. pdaXrom is perfect for me, but may not be for
you. It is still ragged around the edges. Upgrades of the OS and
installation of packages is not as easy as you would like. You might want
to look at one of the flavors of OZ as well. One is more pda-like, and
compatible with (I think) the distribution that comes on the machine, so
you get Hancom Word etc., which is more windows-ish. The other is
actually based on X, but is more pda-ish than pdaXrom, which gives you
instead a little tiny box that works just like a linux desktop machine.
None of the distributions has everything. Look to see what is available,
then decide which is best.
Don't expect it to be as lively as a modern desktop, either. It will run
firefox, but pages with a lot of googaas will take a long time to load and
may kill the browser.
It sure as hell beats lugging around a 5-lb laptop whose battery lasts an
hour. My Z weighs a few ounces, and the battery lasts about 6 hours. And
I really can work on the thing.
--
David L. Johnson
__o | As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not
_`\(,_ | certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to
(_)/ (_) | reality. -- Albert Einstein
Ian Briggs
> OO is kind of a pig for this machine. I prefer Abiword and gnumeric for
> those functions; unless you have a bunch of powerpoint presentations
> you'll be fine with those.
Thanks for that warning. Does Abiword read/write Word and OpenDoc files,
or even old OpenOffice files? And does gnumeric read/write Excel files
(or old OpenOffice files)?
> pdaXrom is perfect for me, but may not be for
> you. It is still ragged around the edges.
I read (http://www.users.on.net/~hluc/myZaurus/distros.html -- final para
of "pdaXrom") that it's something of a "buggy distro for testing"! How
"ragged" is it?
GROG!
> On Tue, 08 Aug 2006 01:00:06 +0100, Ian Briggs wrote:
>> * unit appears to Windows/OSX as a USB storage device
>
> This is rumored to work.
>
>> * automounts USB
>
> I haven't had much luck with that.
This *does not* work with the newer ROMs for OZ (3.5.4.1+). As far as
I know, it's currently broken with any ROM based on the 2.6 kernel.
Check out some of the threads on oesf for more details. Here's a
recent example.
http://www.oesf.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=20090&hl=
--
GROG! www New members urgently required for SUICIDE CLUB,
thks (O-O) Watford area. -- Monty Python's Big Red Book
--oOO--(_)--OOo--
EMAIL: uber [dot] grog [at] gmail [dot] com
David L. Johnson
> On Mon, 07 Aug 2006 21:42:36 -0500, David L. Johnson wrote:
>
>> OO is kind of a pig for this machine. I prefer Abiword and gnumeric for
>> those functions; unless you have a bunch of powerpoint presentations
>> you'll be fine with those.
>
> Thanks for that warning. Does Abiword read/write Word and OpenDoc files,
> or even old OpenOffice files? And does gnumeric read/write Excel files
> (or old OpenOffice files)?
Yes, Abiword handles Word (what is "opendoc"?) files, and AFAIK OO files
as well.
Gnumeric can handle any excel file I have ever used, and it can do more
that excel can't, in terms of numbers of variables of some functions, and
things like that. I really, really, like gnumeric. Back when I started
using linux (at about the K/T boundary), I struggled to find a decent
spreadsheet. I used sc and variants, Winz, one other commercial product,
OO, and gnumeric. None but gnumeric were anything other than a linux
program that might (or might not) be able to handle files produced by a
real spreadsheet. Gnumeric is powerful, fast, and easy to use.
> I read (http://www.users.on.net/~hluc/myZaurus/distros.html -- final
> para of "pdaXrom") that it's something of a "buggy distro for testing"!
> How "ragged" is it?
Well, I use 1.1beta1. It is not the most up-to-date, but at least for
this most of the bugs have been ironed out. I am waiting for a new stable
release, to get around some of the limitations with the current version.
Biggest limitation for me is that I can't get on to my university's wifi
due to the type of "protection" they use. But, no one else I know using
linux can, either, so maybe it is beyond pdaXrom's problems. I can get on
to any unrestricted wifi network, though. Also, figuring out how to use
things like bluetooth and the usb port has frustrated me, but in those
cases I think I might be able to manage it with more effort and a better
bluetooth card.
On the other hand, I find that abiword, gnumeric, firefox, latex (yes, a
full latex distribution), even wxmaxima (CAS program) work extremely well.
I have viewers for pdf, dvi, djview. Postscript viewers are also
available. It also has my favorite e-mail program, sylpheed. Basic unix
networking works just as with a desktop, so I have ssh and sftp, with X
forwarding so I can use the big screen to display programs running on the
Z.
Others will have to address sound file manipulation. I don't do that.
I won't suggest that pdaXrom worked fine out of the box. There were many
interesting bugs that I needed to work around. But I now have something
very usable, and I really don't leave home without it...
--
David L. Johnson
__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and
_`\(,_ | Excellence.
(_)/ (_) |
Ian Briggs
> On Tue, 08 Aug 2006 08:52:07 +0100, Ian Briggs wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 07 Aug 2006 21:42:36 -0500, David L. Johnson wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
OK, I think you've persuaded me about Abiword and gnumeric.
> I can get on
> to any unrestricted wifi network, though.
What card are you using?
David L. Johnson
>> I can get on
>> to any unrestricted wifi network, though.
>
> What card are you using?
AmbiCom WL1100C-CF
--
David L. Johnson
__o | Accept risk. Accept responsibility. Put a lawyer out of
_`\(,_ | business.
(_)/ (_) |