Questions...

[dhns]

I have looked at

ftp://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/3.8/zaurus/INSTALL.zaurus

and other OpenBSD pages but found it complex and not clarifying some points (I have never used OpenBSD before). Perhaps somebody can help me.

1) Does the installation remove Linux/Qtopia or is it an bootloader where you can choose?
2) How long does it take for an un-experienced user?
3) is there a simpler method to install everything?  Something like an "Install Everything"-package to launch from within Qtopia?
4) which applications are included besides POSIX and some X11 tools?
5) is there a way to get rid of it if it does not work as expected?
6) which version of gcc does it use (2.95.x, 3.x, 4.x)?
7) how fast is the floating point emulation?
does communication for Ethernet/IP over USB work the same way as for Linux? (would it break the AJZaurusUSB driver for MacOS X?)

-- hns

[Sequethin]

What it does with your linux install depends on how you partition your drive. You could install on a cf disk I think... there's a doc about that floating around...

For an unexperienced user, it will take a while. If you're not familiar with using the command line at all it will take very long - not as long if you're used to the linux command line (it's the bsd slice/partition system that usually drives linux users crazy).

If you really need a simpler method of installing, you probably don't want to use openbsd on your zaurus. The install is really just a basic openbsd install (except for the part where linux is used as a bootloader). You might consider installing openbsd on a desktop to see what the process is like first.

The included applications are a base openbsd system. everything is the same, but there are fewer ports  (sensibly so)

"Getting rid of it" could be as easy as booting to the single user linux shell and re partitioning the disk and reflashing with a different ROM... though I haven't considered removing it so I'm not so sure

The gcc version is 3.3.5

as for floating point emulation.... dunno about that

and finally, the last time I checked, there was no "usb networking" support available or planned. many usb network cards do work though, including wireless. Check the supported device list for details on that. You would need a host cable, the network device, and maybe a crossover cable if you wanted to go from it directly to a pc. I plug mine into the little router/hub thing I have here at home and I plug it into the extra port on my phone at the office.

Good luck

[sthen]

1) Does the installation remove Linux/Qtopia or is it an bootloader where you can choose?

At the OpenBSD bootloader prompt, if you type c[enter] you load linux, otherwise wait or hit [enter] and you load OpenBSD.

4) which applications are included besides POSIX and some X11 tools?

Base os includes a few things that might be packages on some other OS, e.g. sendmail, OpenSSH, httpd, named, netcat. Compilers are treated as an optional part of the OS, rather than as add-in packages. Some precompiled packages are available. Most of the rest of the ports collection can be compiled yourself, some might not be compatible with arm though due to unportable coding.

5) is there a way to get rid of it if it does not work as expected?

If you decide to install it in the first place, I don't know why you'd want to remove it (-:

6) which version of gcc does it use (2.95.x, 3.x, 4.x)?

3.3.5 with local patches, see gcc-local(1) for info about these.

7) how fast is the floating point emulation?

Don't know - int-only decoders (libmad/tremor) avoid floating-point for listening to music. I can't think of other software I've tried that would make much use of FP.

8) does communication for Ethernet/IP over USB work the same way as for Linux? (would it break the AJZaurusUSB driver for MacOS X?)

USB is only supported as a 'host' not as a 'device'. You need a Zhost cable and either a nic, or some other host-to-host cable, if you want to connect by USB. Maybe CF wi-fi is an easier option.

There's also no support for the internal flash (so sl-c3100 doesn't give a benefit over sl-c3000), or for SD cards in the built-in reader (though that's listed as a project on http://www.openbsd.org/zaurus.html).

It is a standard Unix installation, not the easy end-user PDA-style experience of Qtopia (or even a desktop-oriented Linux). The general experience is very similar to OpenBSD on i386 and the other architectures - that's the whole point. Expect the installer to leave you with a shell prompt on a tty, not a GUI login screen and preconfigured desktop.

If you want to see if it suits you before installing on your Z, try it out on a spare computer (PC, Sun, [...]) with a blank or unneeded hard-drive (or e.g. vmware player in the case of a PC).