Software

From OESF

Where can I buy software for the Zaurus?

• MyZaurus.com (aka Handango.com/sharp)
  

MyZaurus.com is a portal site run by Sharp which includes a software section managed by the PDA site Handango.com.

The software there is under the Software section.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.01

• theKompany.com sells Zaurus software
  

theKompany.com, known for their commercial Linux-based desktop software, already have a collection of commercial software (typically in the $5-20 USD range) for the Zaurus.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.04

Where can I download software (free or otherwise) for the Zaurus?

• Zaurus Software Index
  

Zaurus Software Index is a community-maintained, categorized index of software available for the Zaurus.

There's also a daily mailing of what new or changed items have been added to the index, zaurus-software

Last updated: 2002.Apr.19

• ZaurusUserGroup.com
  

ZaurusUserGroup.com has a downloads section.

Last updated: 2003.Sept.18

• Sharp Community Site
  

community.zaurus.com is the area where developers can host their projects, and the whole community can download from.

Last updated: 2003.Oct.08

• Zaurusoft.com
  

Zaurusoft.com is another community-maintained, categorized index of Zaurus software.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.14

• ZaurusZone IPK Feed
  

Now at http://docs.zaurus.com/feed, this feed lets you download and install applications directly over the Internet and onto your Zaurus (just like many desktop Linux systems do!) NOTE: This feed is not kept very up-to-date. Last updated: 2003.Oct.09

• The Zaurus SourceForge project
  

The Zaurus project at SourceForge has a "Files" section full of downloads.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.01

• MyZaurus.com (aka Handango.com/sharp)
  

The Software section of MyZaurus.com doesn't just contain commercial and shareware software. It also includes a lot of free/Open†Source software, as well as trial versions of some of the non-free programs.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.01

• From the OPIE Project
  

The OPIE project is an open source alternative to Trolltech's Qtopia suite. It includes several enhanced Qtopia apps., as well as a few originals.

Note: Some may need the 'libopie' package to run properly!!!

Source: ljp on the Zaurus-General list
Last updated: 2002.Apr.05

• IpkgFind
  

IpkgFind, similar to RPMFind for desktop Linux users, lets you use keywords to search for available packages, many of which will work on the Zaurus.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.07

How do I install software onto the Zaurus?

• Use the Add/Remove Software program to install IPK packages
  

Most software for the Zaurus comes in a format called "IPK" (e.g., "someprogram_1.0_arm.ipk"). Place the IPK files on your Zaurus either by:

• Using the sync software on the desktop
• Uploading to the "/home/root/Documents/"

directory using FTP or SCP

• Placing the IPK on a CF or SD card (anywhere will do, at the moment)

Run the 'Add/Remove Software' program (found in the 'Settings' tab of the launcher), click the "Install packages" button, and select the packages to install from the list. (Uninstalled programs will have a icon next to them.)

You are typically given the choice to install the package into "Internal" storage (the storage space inside the Zaurus's RAM), on a CF card, or on an SD card. Note: Some packages fail to install on external cards!

When you're done installing, exit the Add/Remove program, and Qtopia will restart. Last updated: 2002.Apr.01

• Use the Add/Remove Software program to install packages off the net
  

Similar to the Debian distribution of Linux, and Familiar Linux-on-iPaq PDA project, the Zaurus can download software packages off of the Internet using 'feeds.'

Add a server (referred to as a 'feed URL'), and then select and install software available from the feed.

Source: Gilles Fedak
Last updated: 2002.Apr.06

• Run the "ipkg" command from a terminal
  

Instead of using the 'Add/Remove Software' application, you can run the "ipkg" command from within the http://www.oesf.org/faq/images/icon_terminal.png . (e.g., "ipkg install some.ipk")

Run the "ipkg" command without any arguments to see what else you can do with it. Be sure to restart Qtopia (from the 'Shutdown' app.) to see the newly installed package!

Last updated: 2002.Aug.28

How can I upgrade software? 'Add/Remove' shows the new IPK is already installed!

• First, uninstall the old version
  

Unfortunately, the current 'Add/Remove Software' application doesn't seem to pay attention to version numbers, so you must first remove an old version of a package to be able to upgrade to a newer one. If ANY version of a package is already installed, the 'Install†Packages' screen will show the blue 'installed' icon next to the package, even if the IPK is for a newer version.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.10

Is Hancom Office available for the SL-5000D model?

• Purchases of the SL-5000D before March 21, 2001 can get it
  

You can get it from here at Sharp's website. You'll need to provide your name, e-mail address and SL-5000D's serial number. Tech support is not available for SL-5000D users who experience installation problems.

Source: Jason Perlow
Applies to: SL-5000D
Last updated: 2002.May.3

• You can use the 30-day trial version
  

You can get it from mobile.hancom.com.

Applies to: SL-5000D, SL-5500
Last updated: 2002.May.3

Is Hancom Office available for the German SL-5500G model?

• Hancom is working on a version
  

Hancom's website states that their office suite for the Zaurus SL-5500G (German model) is under development. In the meantime, you can run the SL-5500 version - it will just be in english.

Source: Roel Vandeweghe, Sven
Last updated: 2002.Apr.22

I get 'Bus Errors' when running programs

• Typically, this is due to a truncated IPK install
  

If a newly-installed application won't run from the Launcher, and you get welcome with a 'Bus†Error' when trying to run it from the http://www.oesf.org/faq/images/icon_terminal.png , it probably got truncated during install, and, unfortunately, the 'Add/Remove Software' application didn't notice. Try uninstalling it, freeing up some space, and then re-installing it.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.05

I heard you can play Quake on the Zaurus

• Yes, but it's slow and currently buggy
  

You can download the Quake IPK and data  IPK and install them on your Zaurus, if you have space. People have had problems running it from the launcher using the Quake icon in the 'Games' tab.

You can run it from a command line with:

quake -nosound -width 240 -height 200 -basedir /opt/QtPalmtop/quake/data

It will run, but slowly.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.05

Can I run X-Window System programs on the Zaurus?

• Yes, but you'll need to install X-Window, first
  

The Zaurus's "Qtopia" environment runs directly on the video framebuffer, it doesn't use X-Window like Qt for the desktop does on a typical Linux system. To run X11 applications on the Zaurus (e.g., those compiled for Linux running on the iPaq PDA), you'll first need to get the XFree86 packages for the Zaurus. Note: You'll need a CF or SD memory card!

XFree86 for Zaurus at SourceForge.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.06

How do I switch to X-Window from Qtopia?

• Terminate Qtopia and start X-Window from the console
  

• 'Terminate†Qtopia' from the 'Shutdown' app.
• Press http://www.oesf.org/faq/images/key_quest.png at the 'Wait' prompt in the text mode
• Press http://www.oesf.org/faq/images/key_a.png to enter text-only mode
• Log-in as 'root'
• Enter the command "wm" to start X11

See the full release notes.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.12

Can I get back to Qtopia from X-Window?

• Yes, just exit X-Window
  

Exit X-Window using the IceWM menus. Once back at the console, type the command "exit". The 'Wait' will appear and Qtopia will restart.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.06

Can I uninstall the pre-installed software? (e.g., Java demos)

• Not using the Zaurus itself
  

The built-in applications (Opera, the PIM apps., Jeode and the Java demos, etc.) are not installed using the package system, so you can not remove them using 'Add/Remove Software'.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.06

• They're typically in ROM, anyway
  

Most built-in apps. are stored in the 16MB of flashable ROM, and aren't taking up space in Internal Storage.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.06

• Build your own ROMimage
  

Some have taken Sharp's ROMimage and removed some applications, and added others.

Last updated: 2002.Apr.06

Can I run PalmOS software on my Zaurus?

Yes, but it requires an emulator. There are two emulators that you can get from the Zaurus Software Index.

• QCoPilot
  

You need to use QCoPilot to emulate Palm III or earlier devices and will require the associated Palm ROM.

• QPOSE
  

For later devices (only the Dragonball EZ CPU based devices) you need to use QPOSE with the matching Palm ROM.

See the respective homepages on how to use each emulator.

Source: tumnus
Last updated: 2003.Oct.13

I heard MySQL works on the Zaurus!

• Yes, but it's not perfected yet
  

One person was able to cross-compile MySQL from sources and install and run it on the Zaurus. Another person just grabbed pre-compiled binaries from the Debian ARM collection, and has instructions here.

Source: Cary Phillips, Paul Fortey
Last updated: 2002.Apr.12

How can I see what files are inside an .ipk file?

• You'll need to gunzip and untar twice
  

You can gunzip and untar the .ipk file itself, which gives you a few files, including "data.tar.gz", which contains the actual files themselves. Better yet, you can take advantage of Unix pipes, and do this:

tar zxvf FILE.ipk ./data.tar.gz | tar tz

Source: Camilo, David Hedbor
Last updated: 2002.Apr.17

How do I build a custom ROM?

• Detailed how-to in the Docs area
  

The answer can be found in the ZUG How-To Docs at "General" - "Other" - "Building a ROM." Or for those who don't like digging, check out this how to Building a ROM.

My program takes a while to start, how can I speed this up?

• Enable Fast Load
  

When starting a relatively large application, loading times can be long. A way to bypass this is to enable fast load. Enable it by tapping and holding the stylus pen on the icon of the application. A new screen will pop up, with some info on the program. When the program supports fast load, you will see a checkbox saying:

"Fast load (consumes memory)"

Check it, and the program will be loaded into memory, for faster execution. Note that this consumes memory, so you don?t want to enable this for a lot of applications, unless you have a lot of free ram.

Source: r0bert Last updated: 2003.Oct.1

Why do some packages not appear in the list when I try to install software?

• Check the package format, or the package itself
  

This can happen for 3 reasons:

1. There are two package formats, one for Sharp ROMs and one for OPIE ROMs. The Sharp package installer can only deal with packages for the Sharp ROMs so make sure you get a Sharp package or a package from a Sharp feed.

1. The package is corrupt. Sometimes a package can get corrupted during download. Some browsers seem to partially unpack packages after downloading. Try redownloading the package again and, if possible, use a different browser to download it.

1. The package was not put together properly. The internal structure of a package must follow strict rules, however if you get your packages from reliable feeds and/or software sites you should not have a problem with this.

Source: tumnus Last updated: 2003.Oct.8

How do I tell if a package is for the Sharp ROMs or OPIE based ROMs?

• Sharp ROM packages are gzipped tar files. OPIE packages are 'ar' files.

On Linux, gzip will be able to unzip a Sharp package, e.g. 'gunzip -t a_package.ipk', and the command 'ar' will be able to unpack an OPIE package, e.g. 'ar -t a_package.ipk'.

If you temporarily change the file extension from .ipk to .tgz WinZip will be able to open Sharp packages, but will fail to open OPIE packages.

Source: tumnus Last updated: 2003.Oct.8

How do I tell if a package is corrupt?

• If a Sharp package is corrupt then gunzip will probably fail to unzip it. If you temporarily change the file extension from .ipk to .tgz WinZip will also probably fail to unzip a corrupt package.

Source: tumnus Last updated: 2003.Oct.8

Do I have to format my SD/CF card to ext2 to install all packages to SD/CF?

• On the Sharp SL5500 3.x ROMs, SL5600 ROMs, and SL-C7x0 ROMs or any based on these, no. These ROMs have an updated package installer that can relocate any package to a FAT formatted SD/CF, even with symbolic links, as long as they only install files to /opt/QtPalmtop. Some packages need to install files to directories that are only available on internal memory however.

On other ROMs such as the Sharp SL5500 2.x ROMs and SL5000D 1.x ROMs then for a package containing symbolic links to be installed to SD/CF, the SD/CF card must be formatted as ext2.

Source: tumnus Last updated: 2003.Oct.8

When I try to install a package, why do I get this error? "The file of this package includes character this application can't handle. Please change the filename and retry install."

• The package installer does not like spaces and unusual characters in the directory names, where the package is located, as well.

To correct this, find the parent directory where the packages are located that has a space or unusual character in it using the Files tab. Then, with your stylus, tap and hold down on the directory until a menu appears. Select the 'Rename' menu item and remove the space.

Source: tumnus Last updated: 2003.Oct.31

Can I install OPIE apps on the Sharp ROM?

• You have 4 options:

1) Download a package from the OPIE Sharp ROM feed and it should work fine. You normally have to install the libopie and opie-pics packages first. This is best since these applications should have been compiled with the Sharp ROM dependencies

2) For an OPIE package, use dpkg on the command line to install: dpkg -i myopiepackage.ipk

However you cannot uninstall with this and it will generate several errors while installing. There may also be missing dependencies

3) For an OPIE package, install the new ipkg package from ZSI and use ipkg from the command line. This does not enable the graphical compiler to install OPIE packages and there can often be missing dependencies.

4) Peel apart an OPIE package with the 'ar' tool on desktop Linux: ar -x myopiepackage.ipk

Then repackage the bits in the Sharp format: tar zcvf myopiepackage.ipk ./debian-binary ./data.tar.gz ./control.tar.gz

(Those './'s in front of the files are important) The resultant package can then be installed with the graphical installer, but again may be missing dependencies.

Source: tumnus Last updated: 2003.Oct.08</ul>

 cd /home/QtPalmtop/bin
 ln -sf /usr/QtPalmtop.rom/bin/datebook datebook
 ln -sf /usr/QtPalmtop.rom/bin/addressbook addressbook
 ln -sf /usr/QtPalmtop.rom/bin/todolist todolist
 cd /
 tar xvf /root/.home_default.tar home/QtPalmtop/apps/Applications/datebook.desktop
 tar xvf /root/.home_default.tar home/QtPalmtop/apps/Applications/addressbook.desktop
 tar xvf /root/.home_default.tar home/QtPalmtop/apps/Applications/todo.desktop

 su (enter the root password, which is the passcode, if it asks)
 cd /home/QtPalmtop/bin
 ln -sf ./quickexec datebook
 ln -sf ./quickexec addressbook
 ln -sf ./quickexec todolist
 cd /
 tar xvf /root/.home_default.tar home/ QtPalmtop/apps/Applications/ datebook.desktop
 tar xvf /root/.home_default.tar home/ QtPalmtop/apps/Applications/ addressbook.desktop
 tar xvf /root/.home_default.tar home/ QtPalmtop/apps/Applications/ todo.desktop
 exit
 qcop QPE/System 'linkChanged(QString)'
 qcop QPE/System 'updateMenu()'

Source: tumnus Last updated: 2003.Oct.31