iPAQ

Links

Other Linux PDAs

  • OpenBench Labs reviews Terapin's pocket data server, the Mine TX200. It runs Linux and shares data on a LAN; exchanges data over the Internet via FTP; sends and receives POP3 e-mail; and synchronizes its information store with Terapin's web-based archive service. It also doubles as a full-function digital audio player and photo album system.
  • There's a great Linux PDA for $100 at http://www.softfield.com/ that runs Linux -- the Agenda VR3, a GNU / Linux based PDA.

Update 19 November 2002

On Debian Libranet 2.7, the iPaq driver loads automatically when I plug it in:

Nov 19 17:58:26 spello kernel: hub.c: USB new device connect on bus1/2, assigned device number 18
Nov 19 17:58:26 spello kernel: usb.c: USB device 18 (vend/prod 0x49f/0x3) is not claimed by any active driver.
Nov 19 17:58:26 spello /etc/hotplug/usb.agent: Setup ipaq for USB product 49f/3/0
Nov 19 17:58:26 spello kernel: usb.c: registered new driver serial
Nov 19 17:58:26 spello kernel: usbserial.c: USB Serial support registered for Generic
Nov 19 17:58:26 spello kernel: usbserial.c: USB Serial Driver core v1.4
Nov 19 17:58:27 spello kernel: usbserial.c: USB Serial support registered for Compaq iPAQ
Nov 19 17:58:27 spello kernel: ipaq.c: USB Compaq iPAQ, HP Jornada, Casio EM500 driver v0.2
Nov 19 17:58:27 spello /etc/hotplug/usb.agent: missing kernel or user mode driver ipaq

This is not the behavior I want in this case, as I'm running the device from vmware. Just do rmmod ipaq and rmmod usbserial to hand control over to Win98. It also looks like I need a user space program to control the iPaq in Linux -- and I guess this means that at some point I'll be able to switch it fully over to Linux. This way I get to do that gradually. (I love having Dreamweaver in Linux.)

Note: I renamed the ipaq module to ipaq.o-do-not-load so that it wouldn't load automatically; later I discover that the hotplug program has discovered this new name and is using it! Still, I don't think it now loads. Monitor in /var/log/messages.

Update 6 September 2002

There's a driver for allowing the iPaq to connect to the PC through USB; it's called usbnet and is enabled in the kernel under USB support, USB-to-USB Networking cable device support (EXPERIMENTAL). This can also be used to connect laptops to a PC and for lots of other things -- essentially running a peer-to-peer network that might even be hotpluggable. I didn't bother to recompile the kernel to put this in, as I would have to do the iPaq before it made any sense anyway.

These features are under active development and USB 2.0 may make them attractive as a network.

http://www.linux-usb.org/usbnet/index.html

Setting up USB link between PC and iPAQ --

http://dredd.crimea.edu/ipaq/ipaq-usb-howto-new.html

In the meantime, the Familiar project is continuing active development. If you install Linux on the Ipaq six months from now, they'll have advanced much further; there's no hurry. Also, they're relying on Debian as their base distribution it seems, so you'll do better when you've switched.

http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Systems/Handhelds/iPAQ/

This HOWTO implies there's a driver for the Stowaway:

http://www.iptel-now.de/HOWTO/IPAQ/ipaq.html

ln -s /dev/tts/0 /dev/ttySA0
insmod h3600_stowaway
/usr/bin/stowd &

So that's pretty clear -- there's a driver for the external keyboard.

Lots of articles to help:

http://www.handhelds.org/z/wiki/HandheldsDocuments

The intimate project is a fully blown debian based linux distribution for the Compaq iPAQ.

http://intimate.handhelds.org/

Using the Debian setup requires expansion sleeves for mass storage or networking, so look to get a PCMCIA sleeve and card, in addition to a flash card for the Flyview.

Games on iPAQ Debian :

http://www.east.isi.edu/~cworth/ipaq.html

iPAQ inks galore

http://dmoz.org/Computers/Systems/Handhelds/iPAQ/

Xaos -- fractals!

http://xaos.theory.org/
http://www.gnu.org/software/xaos/xaos.html

 

  

 

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