Messages

1

Zaurus - Void Linux support / Re: Void Install Guide

« on: August 28, 2025, 12:09:22 pm »

Hi Varti,

Great to hear about Void's new release news—super excited! Any word on the release date?

I’m already using Void Linux build-8, plus the new kernel Greguu released in Jan 2025. Void feels really lightweight, but I’ve run into some challenges too.

Also, do people still use Arch Linux? Any tips to share, like on GUI or productivity? Eager for Void-related insights too!

By the way, I have a question: the USB hosts of C1K and C3K cannot provide sufficient power to support external devices. How can I get these devices to work properly? Thanks.

No release date yet unfortunately, I hope greguu can update us on the current status of the release.
As already mentioned by DiTBho, an externally powered USB hub/device is unfortunately required.

Varti

2

Zaurus - Void Linux support / Re: Void Install Guide

« on: August 22, 2025, 03:47:33 am »

Greguu is preparing a new Void release and he's asking what new packages to add to the release, you might want to list the packages here and he'll add them to the new release.
Regarding the setup of the crosscompiling env, there are some instructions here: https://github.com/greguu/voidz-packages

Varti

3

Site Suggestions, Requests, and Updates / Re: Forum outage

« on: August 18, 2025, 04:43:20 am »

Hi,

the forum is currently experiencing connection issues, from time to time the forum fails to load. The source of the issue might be a recent PHP upgrade on our hosting server, the current version isn't fully supported by our forum software. Sorry for the inconvenience, I'm working on a forum upgrade which should solve these issues.

Varti

4

New products and alternatives / A Chinese company is reviving old BlackBerry Classic phones with Android

« on: August 15, 2025, 07:43:26 pm »

"A brand named Zinwa Technologies is working on resurrecting a limited number of decade-old BlackBerry Classic Q20 devices and installing Android on them. The reborn phone will be sold as Zinwa Q25 Pro."

https://www.androidauthority.com/blackberry-classic-revive-android-3587932/

Varti

5

Zaurus - pdaXrom / Re: Sharp Zaurus linux in 2025

« on: July 23, 2025, 07:15:39 am »

Welcome! PDAXRom is a good choice for the Zaurus, AFAIR it's the only one which allows to overclock the CPU on-the-fly, at least on the SL-Cxx00 models. Thanksfully, the official install guides and FAQs can be still recovered from archive.org:

Installation: https://web.archive.org/web/20071016182436/http://pdaxrom.org/?q=docs/installation
FAQ: https://web.archive.org/web/20071016182505/http://pdaxrom.org/?q=faq

Varti

6

Zaurus - Hardware discussion / Re: C1000, C3xxx: is the PXAfb/LCD 16bpp?

« on: July 11, 2025, 05:23:47 am »

Don't know about the 8/6 bit modes, but I can confirm it's 16bpp.

Varti

7

Zaurus - Other distros support / Re: it looks like a dead forum, is it just a bad moment or is it really dead?

« on: June 24, 2025, 09:44:22 am »

AFAIK the SL-C1000/3x00 models were never directly sold in the US/EU, only imported through resellers. I bought my 1000 from an online japanese shop which exported japanese electronic goods.

I'm really looking forward for your new bootloader, I can help with testing it on my devices. I understand your frustration with the lack of feedback, unfortunately the Zaurus community is these days extremely small. I have answered on your thread for the update issues, sorry I didn't answer earlier.

Varti

8

Zaurus - Hardware discussion / Re: C3000 can't update when the microdrive is missing

« on: June 24, 2025, 09:36:54 am »

I guess the simplest way to fix this is to by editing the update.sh script to remove the need for the microdrive. The file itself is encoded with a simple character substitution algorithm, here's a simple program to encode/decode it: endecsh.c at the bottom of this page:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160505230130/http://www.h5.dion.ne.jp/~rimemoon/zaurus/memo_008.htm

I have tried to make a mirror of the page with httrack but it was unsuccessful, I'll try again.

Varti

9

Zaurus - Other distros support / Re: it looks like a dead forum, is it just a bad moment or is it really dead?

« on: June 20, 2025, 05:12:52 am »

Yes, the Zaurus section of the forum unfortunately has a very low activity since many years, which is expected since only the SL-5500 and SL-6000 models were sold outside Japan. I still have my collection of Zauruses and switch them on from time to time, I read the posts here with interest.
I suspect there are other users following the various threads but they never answer. We have a views counter for each thread, there are between 5000 and 19000 views for each of them, though most of them are be probably made by bots. I prefer to keep the subforums open for read-only access for non-registered users, so that it's easier for Google to index the pages and make the information here more accessible.
Other users that have posted here in the past are probably following this subforum. To any of you, please post here so that we can have a rough idea of how many of us are here.

Varti

10

Zaurus - Void Linux support / Re: who is working on the Zaurus Kernel?

« on: May 14, 2025, 05:01:18 am »

Hi, the only developer working on the kernel that I'm aware of is greguu. I don't think there's any active mailing list for Zaurus kernel development, OESF is the only place I know with discussions about it. In the #kexecboot IRC channel on Freenode there used to be lots of useful, although unsorted, info about recent kernel development, there's a log of the channel available here:

https://logs.nslu2-linux.org/livelogs/kexecboot/

I'd suggest to wget those logs and to make local searches there. There were also #alarmz and #voidz channels, though no logs of them are available. Plus the historical #zaurus one for older discussions, logs are here:

https://infobot.rikers.org/%23zaurus/

Varti

11

Zaurus - Hardware discussion / Re: Zaurus C1000, C3000, components datasheet?

« on: March 21, 2025, 07:34:14 am »

I don't know where they might have been/are still available, I have never seen them. I hope to be able to put the wiki back online sooner or later, maybe some info might be stored there:

https://web.archive.org/web/20080724000758/http://www.oesf.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Varti

12

Zaurus - Void Linux support / Re: Void Linux Packages

« on: March 19, 2025, 06:26:33 am »

I have forwarded the news on three subreddits, let's see if we get any feedback there:

https://www.reddit.com/r/OldHandhelds/comments/1jetqqa/new_release_of_void_linux_for_sharp_zaurus/
https://www.reddit.com/r/retrobattlestations/comments/1jetrhy/new_release_of_void_linux_for_sharp_zaurus/
https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/1jetrye/new_release_of_void_linux_for_sharp_zaurus/

Varti

13

Zaurus - Hardware discussion / Re: Zaurus C1000, C3000, components datasheet?

« on: March 17, 2025, 05:18:22 pm »

From what I have read in a couple of older posts here, no service manual has even been released for any Zaurus SL model, unfortunately:

https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?topic=23469.msg156189#msg156189
https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?action=profile;area=showposts;u=14114

I have done a Google search in both english and japanese (by searching for zaurus 回路図 = schematics and サービスマニュアル = service manuals), they seem to not have been released recently, too. Sharp has only released some HW infos on the earliest models, though no schematics: http://support.ezaurus.com/developer/doc/hardware.asp

I have searched in my local copies of the forum and the old ELSI webpage, too, to no avail.
I hope to be able to put back the old Zaurus wiki online soon, maybe there could be some info about this. It would be also interesting to get in touch with some old Sharp employee or official Sharp repairing services which might have a copy of the manuals, we can host them here.

BTW, not related, but I have found some hires scans of Zaurus related pamphlets and catalogs here: https://galapagosstore.com/web/book/search/result?sw=zaurus&res=false

Varti

14

Zaurus - Void Linux support / Re: Void Linux Packages

« on: March 17, 2025, 01:50:06 pm »

This is great news, I really missed these announcements  thanks greguu!

Varti

15

Astro Slide - Hardware / Re: changed my battery now with video

« on: December 13, 2024, 04:15:06 am »

Hi, that's a very interesting solution for the battery problem, thanks for sharing it! Regarding the attachments issue, we are currently working on it to fix it, sorry for the inconvenience.

Varti