HW/SW Stability?

[iillyyaa]

I am one of the last Newton MessagePad holdouts. Aside from the form-factor, it has been serving me well for the last seven years. Nothing out there had been sufficiently better (if at all) then the MP to get me to change. That was until recently...

I got a chance to play with an SL-5500, and I think I\'m ready to bite. I have one question though: how stable is this platform? How often do you have to reboot it? Have you ever lost data and had to restore it from a backup? How long does the battery (not the charge) last before you have to replace it?

For what it\'s worth, my Newton MP2100 has been running continuously (w/o reboots) for the last five years (that\'s when forgot to bring a charger to a business trip and ran the battery dry). I use it daily, and recharge the battery once every couple of weeks. I\'ve learned to trust MP\'s stability. I don\'t have any synchronization or backup software installed on my PC  because I have never needed it. I don\'t even know if I still have the disks anymore.

How does your SL-5500/5600 compare agianst that? Will I be disappointed?

Thanks!
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Ilya

[lardman]

My 5500 is rather stable. I don\'t need to reboot it, though I do tend to from time to time as I\'m currently messing around with kernel modules and I want to start from fresh. Assuming you use OZ on the 5500 (which allows you to store your data on the flashROM), or you use a 5600 (which automatically stores its data on inbuilt flash memory) then you will be fine if you run out of power.

Not sure about bettery life, I think mine is starting to get worse but it still works (I\'ve had it for 2-3 years, I\'ll have to dig out the receipt for more accuracy than that, or someone can tell me when I joined zauruszone ).

I\'ve not lost any data but I perform automatic backups anyway.

I think you will need to charge more often that you currently do though.

Hope that helps a little,


Si

[Anonymous]

It certainly is not as stable as I expected.  I don\'t mess with kernels, and indeed have done nothing more than load a couple of extra programs.  Still, every now and then it freezes, and I must press the reset button.  It only takes 2 minutes and except the disturbing *concept* of having to reboot a unix computer, it\'s not a big annoyance.

[ran]

I haven\'t had any stability problems except when I\'ve been beta testing Bluetooth and other drivers,  but you\'re likely to be disappointed by the 5500\'s PPC-like battery life.  Especially if you use it with the stock kernel,  which keeps all your data in RAM that gets wiped out if the battery goes flat.

If you want a *real* \"pocket PC\" that you can do serious tinkering and computing with,  get a Zaurus.  If you want a \"PDA that can do some computer-ish functions\",  get a Palm.  I love my 5500s to death,  because they\'re a great way to put computing power in otherwise-difficult situations.  But I carry a Palm for day-to-day PDA use,  mostly because I know I can count on it not to wipe its brain if I happen to leave it in my purse for several days without using or recharging it.

Ran

[V-Man]

The only stability problems I have had were my own fault for screwing around with the settings via command line (something stupid people like me shouldn\'t do if they have important stuff on it.  It\'s okay for smart people though).  The only reboots I do are for my kinda sorta daily (every third day, whenever I realize that its been a while since I backed up) back ups.  I have had mine for over two years and have noticed no degradation of battery performance.  Definitely more stable than my iPAQ, which I can screw up without even trying.

V-Man

[iillyyaa]

Thanks for the feedback!

I guess I\'ve been spoiled by my Newton, but I think it\'s time for me to move on. I\'ve just purchased a new 5600. I have high hopes but realistic expectations, so I thik I will like it.
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Ilya