Messages

1

Phoenix / Tucson

« on: April 10, 2008, 09:03:45 pm »

i am about to get an sl-c3200, but first i want to try the thumbpad and the display to make sure they are ergonomically ok for me (they are probably both ok, but i have special needs).  if somebody is willing to let me thumb type for 1 minute and look at the unit in the dark, then that problem is solved.

2

Phoenix / Tucson

« on: April 10, 2008, 04:10:45 am »

anybody ever get to tucson from phoenix, or live near tucson?

3

Debian / Swap 32gb Cf For Microdrive

« on: April 04, 2008, 04:59:40 pm »

rsync also works and is faster if you need to redo.

4

General Discussion / Some Z Questions

« on: November 15, 2007, 07:29:08 pm »

recent activity (debian porting) makes me feel like there is a lot of
life in this platform.

fyi, i am severely disabled.  all typing and clicking is painful.  in
fact, that is why i am going to get a z.  your answers will help me to
thumb type a little while lying down.

a long time ago, before linux, i contributed to unix and multiplatform
open source software, but i am not in a position to do so now.
therefore, i am just a user, not a developer, but i am comfortable
with debian at the shell level.

i read faqs but i still have a few questions.  please don't feel like
you have to answer them all.  this is easier for me than multiple
posts.

        1.  is sound the only thing not yet working in debian?
            (i'm impressed.)
           
        2.  i want debian because i run it on my desktop, but a lot of
            people worked hard on pdax, angstrom, etc., so i'd like to
            know what i will be missing.
       
        3.  do you think that one of the debians will be installable
            via a single set of instructions (i.e. no searching around
            for solutions to various issues like backlight, wm, etc.)
            within a few months?  remember, debugging equals typing.
       
        4.  by that time, do you think that i might be able to know
            exactly which wifi cards and sd memory cards to get?  i
            want stable drivers that will still be supported after
            future debian upgrades (because debugging equals typing
            and because reselling mistakenly purchased items on ebay
            is not a simple activity for me).
           
        5.  is an sd card necessary?  will i need a desktop card
            reader?
       
        6.  does which distro i use matter for choosing wifi and sd
            cards?  my router uses wpa2 personal, i think.  i will get
            a zaurus sl-c3200.  and in the future might want a flash
            hd in place of the 6gb.
           
        7.  i assume i want a flush-ish wifi card for ease of thumb
            typing.  and a low power one so no power cord, recharge
            overnight.  and that bluetooth would be slow or kludgey.
            confirm?
       
        8.  which debian is looking most likely to be supported in the
            future or best for me?  please pm me with your opinion if
            you don't want me to reveal it (assuming anybody knows
            yet).  the reason i ask is that narrowing down the list
            will reduce typing.
       
        9.  anybody know of a thumb typable equivalent to the z now or
            soon?  (i doubt it, to judge by this forum.)

        a.  do you have ideas for how to remote control desktop x
            applications, such as entering into desktop browser url
            bar?  i can use the desktop's mouse while lying down, but
            not its kb.

if any of these are in the faqs, i hope you will forgive me.  i did
not find the answers.  it took weeks to write this post and months to
even start.  it is not a matter of being too lazy to look them up.
also, it takes me a long time to do things, so if i don't reply
immediately, it doesn't mean i don't greatly appreciate your answers.
one of you replied to my sig before via pm and it was very helpful.
and finally, i don't mean to offend anybody, such as people who like
other distros, with this post.  i simply cannot afford to do much
typing on this forum, as much as i would like to participate.  if the
z works, then i can participate (only) slightly more.  and yes, i
believe in giving back.

thanks.


p.s.  most likely uses are:

        1.  running emacs (which is a very nice operating system )
        2.  pim, if emacs pims don't suffice
        3.  reading pdfs, because they are unreadable on the desktop
            (enlarging them to make them readable makes them too big)
            (ideally having desktop iceweasel open them on the z)
        4.  remotely controlling the desktop, such as entering text in
            the url bar in desktop iceweasel.
        5.  displaying .pnm scans (feh)

5

Android / Google Phone

« on: November 08, 2007, 04:27:44 pm »

> angstrom is loosely based on debian, in fact, they could probably wrapper ipkg with a dpkg command which translated the commands and it'd be hard to notice.

my guess is that whether it is hard to notice depends strongly on the noticer.

6

Android / Google Phone

« on: November 07, 2007, 11:44:56 pm »

speculatrix:

> what's the obsession with debian... it's just linux, ok?

for a severely disabled person for whom all typing is painful, having the same distro on the zaurus and the desktop can help reduce typing by reducing the need to find how to do things in the new distro, guaranteeing a similar set of available utilities with exactly the same names and behavior, and ensuring compatible protocol versions for x, vnc, and others thereby reducing test cycles setting up a potentially complex ergonomic setup that allows controlling the desktop while lying down.  and a standard multiarch distro might potentially have other, similar benefits, such as not having to compile or request anybody to compile a tool if it is already there.

7

Android / Google Phone

« on: November 05, 2007, 10:43:52 pm »

2 questions:

what are the chances any of these will be as thumb typable as the z?

what are the chances there will be a debian-based distro on any of these?

8

General Discussion / New Nokia N810 Tablet Coming Soon

« on: October 18, 2007, 08:27:52 pm »

compared to z, seems like this:

+1 memory
-1 even less total storage
+1 screen
-1 no debian yet
+1 wifi
-1 cf
+1 maybe will have more anglophone users?
-1 clamshell
-5 keyboard might not be as ergonomically thumbable
? support for hw in e.g. debian?
? weight
? speed
? sound
? reliability

score = -5 + ?

9

General Discussion / Is The Z, Archos Pma, Etc Dead?

« on: August 17, 2007, 05:01:57 pm »

nilch> They will not consume a uber PDA in these days.

is it really the case that people won't buy a non-phone thumbable pda?

10

General Discussion / Is The Z, Archos Pma, Etc Dead?

« on: August 16, 2007, 05:26:51 pm »

btw not saying i disagree that linux is not a priority.  but the z was made, and the hplx was made, and if there are no reasons why they are no longer made, then there might be a reason they will be made, if you get what i mean.

of course, device after device comes out with nothing like the z's gestalt, so there is a reason there somewhere.

11

General Discussion / Is The Z, Archos Pma, Etc Dead?

« on: August 16, 2007, 05:24:01 pm »

meanie wrote:

> linux

but that is why i wrote "that could be made to run linux" rather than "that runs linux".  the question remains hw: desktops started proprietary and now run linux even if they are made for windows.  in principle pdas can do the same, even if they have not yet.

dumb masses pdas don't have the z's thumbability and size.  there has to be a reason.

so: if linux is the only or main thing that the dumb masses dislike, as you imply, then what is keeping the hw from being z-ish and satisfying leets?  (not rhetorical.  really want to know the real reasons.)

sometimes these things are fashions led by self-appointed gurus, and sometimes they are economics and marketing.

12

General Discussion / Is The Z, Archos Pma, Etc Dead?

« on: August 16, 2007, 06:27:39 am »

i think i'd be ok with a (properly thumbable) pda for the dumb masses that could be made to run linux, or an updated (still thumbable) z with "ubuntu for the dumb masses".

what features would i miss in those cases?  or which features would they have that the dumb masses would not like?

13

General Discussion / Is The Z, Archos Pma, Etc Dead?

« on: August 15, 2007, 07:26:38 pm »

my tastes seem to be very uncommon in the marketplace, since all devices except the zaurus fail them.  (and i haven't yet got my z.)

did some white paper inspire the marketers and designers to avoid some of the z's characteristics?

especially the thumbpad and size... the only significant devices i know that have the right idea are zaurus and hplx (honi soit qui mal y pense).

perhaps it's all due to a few gurus?

14

General Discussion / Zaurus Out Of Production?

« on: May 11, 2007, 03:26:07 am »

i'm new here, so i'd be interested in hearing from experienced z'ers how much of this speculation is (understandably) wishful thinking and how actually pr>0.33.

for example, is it logical that if sharp has spare manufacturing capacity and don't need to retool, they'd continue as long as they can?  if so, that would be a manufacturing thing, and the designers could long since have been reassigned.  no new models.

on that subject, i'm flabbergasted that the answers to these questions are unknowns... do sharp engineers keep secrets about what they are working on that close?  in silicon valley, most people kind of know what most people are working on, kind of, in this type of situation.