Mer - A New Ubuntu-based Distro Derived From Maemo!

[speculatrix]

http://wiki.maemo.org/Mer


snippage from http://wiki.maemo.org/Mer/About

Mer is a new Linux operating system, built upon a thin base of Ubuntu Jaunty combined with the best open-source elements of Nokia's Maemo platform.

The goals of Mer include:

    * Improving and developing parts of Maemo that are of interest to the Maemo community.
    * Making it easier to port existing desktop applications by hildonizing and adjusting them to the tablet form factor.
    * Encouraging third party experimentation and development.
    * Supporting tablet hardware no longer receiving updated OS software by Nokia.
    * Making Maemo a generic platform for all tablet devices, including non-Nokia ones.
    * Focusing Maemo community efforts in platform-related areas

[Capn_Fish]

Mer recently brought new life to my N810. It's really nice. I strongly suggest those people with Internet Tablets try it (it's like Maemo by default, but can easily be customized).

[craigtyson]

Cool.  Will it run on a Zaurus?

[speculatrix]

Cool.  Will it run on a Zaurus?

er, yes, that was the point.  

[espi]

Is this able to be installed to zaurus at the moment (I see on site it says zaurus support is coming...) I'd like to install on c3100 if possible (sitting unused).

[agosine]

The list of applications looks impressive.  I would also like to try this, but I do not see anything on the site regarding the Zaurus.  When I get a moment I will have to figure out how to build it.

[dhns]

The list of applications looks impressive.  I would also like to try this, but I do not see anything on the site regarding the Zaurus.  When I get a moment I will have to figure out how to build it.

Sounds cool.

But - not even thinking about installing on a Zaurus - where are instructions for installing on a N770 or N810? What I found is how to install and use all the impressive apps.

-- hns

[Capn_Fish]

http://wiki.maemo.org/Mer/Releases/0.13

Just click the .install file and you're off.

On an unrelated note, I saw a Z screenshot somewhere, but no instructions. I'll see if I can dig it up.

EDIT: Here you go:
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/JohnX/zaurus-google-maps.png\" border=\"0\" class=\"linked-image\" /]

EDIT2: N810 install instructions:

http://wiki.maemo.org/Mer/Documentation/In...on#N8x0_Install

Also see my GPS how-to page (PM me if you don't feel like compiling things, you'll see what I mean):

http://wiki.maemo.org/Mer/Documentation/N810_GPS

[espi]

I'm seeing the updates today and I'd love to try this on my zaurus 3100!
Any word on Zaurus instructions would be appreciated I'm sure, even if it's months from now, we are out here and would like to try Mer!

[mars]

One idea would if we could take up a collection to donate the main mer developer with an actual zaurus to test on. He got a moses-smartq-5 and promptly set out to get mer running on it as well as a smartq-7. I would donate some funds if someone wanted to organize.

The folks on talk.maemo.org seem to think that mer is the future of the community-built maemo for the older nokia tablets once Nokia abandons them. As it stands now, the ui on mer is still a bit unstable on the N810 (one reason I am now trying fluxbox per Capn_Fish's instructions).

It was reported the end of May 2009 that Ubuntu MID would start to transition to mer, so it looks like mer will have some broad support. Mer is also currently being targeted for several devices including the openmoke freerunner.

What might be cool is if zubuntu were to be eventually built on top of mer. That way mer would provide the ubuntu layer as well as their ui to play with and zubuntu could add the zaurus customizations and a window manager and tweaks more suited to the zaurus.

[ofels]

What might be cool is if zubuntu were to be eventually built on top of mer. That way mer would provide the ubuntu layer as well as their ui to play with and zubuntu could add the zaurus customizations and a window manager and tweaks more suited to the zaurus.

Well, ideally I would l like to install zubuntu and then add a simple repository which enables to "apt-get install mer-base" to get a lxde replacement.
That would be my favorite solution.

Oliver

[Capn_Fish]

My impression is that at least one of the devs has a Zaurus already.

Also, you should be able to add the Mer repos (assuming they're Z-compatible, which I don't know one way or the other) and install stuff over ZUbuntu already. Anybody feeling particularly adventurous can add this line to /etc/apt/sources.list:

Code: [Select]

deb http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Maemo://Mer://Stable/Ubuntu_9.04/ /
You probably also need these in /etc/apt/preferences:

Code: [Select]

Package: *
Pin: release a=jaunty
Pin-Priority: 800



Package: *
Pin: origin download.opensuse.org
Pin-Priority: 801
Just remember, I haven't tested this myself, and can't/don't support it. It may or may not work, and you possibly will FUBAR your install. Anyway, have fun.

[speculatrix]

I think we'd have to have our own builds for Zaurus - the PXA processor offers only a subset of the functions in the OMAP2 of the N800 & N810 tablets. However, since Mer is open-source, it shouldn't be too hard to do, it's only software, right?  

[Capn_Fish]

I suppose it depends on how the stuff was compiled. That's the whole idea of armel, right, that it runs on many/most ARM CPUs?

I would guess there is a Z build somewhere, but it's not public (or officially so) at the moment.