what is 'familiar' ?? YAUI ??

[dansawyer]

There is reference to YAUI or "yet another user interface' in a project called familiar. So far Opie, Qutopia (sp?), and GPE see like two too many. Is this new project different?

The handheld world seems very fractured. If it is to succeed it must find a way to develop new ideas and capbilities within the freamwork of an existing framework. Each of these efforts is starving for resource and each seems to get to a 1.x release and loose momentum.

By example if Linux had followed this model when the ip 'rules' issues arose we would had three new uncompatible OS kernels, with names like ORNIX, CANUX, and EUNIX for example, for ipfwdm, ipchains, and iptables. Linux managed to maintain a level of cohevisness and update accross changing implementations. The handheld world needs to do the same.

There must be natural architectural levels that allow a new UI to be supported on core drivers. There must be a way to support application experimentation on top of an existng framework. If alternative handhelds are to truely gain momentum and offer an alternative then there must be a way to support that within the existing framework. The answer of a new uncompatible implementation simply because it can be done or seems like the shorted distance between 2 points is not the best long term answer.

Dan

[Hrw]

Familiar is Linux distribution for Ipaq. Thanks to OpenEmbedded project future versions of OpenZaurus, OpenSimpad and Familiar will be compatible.

[Mickeyl]

Dan, for what it's worth, I seriously agree with your views, and this is why we do the hard work on the OpenEmbedded project trying to have the zaurus, simpad, ipaq, linksys routers, epia dvb machines, psion communities, and many many more, join forces.

This is the reason why we don't improve releases limited by design, but do the ground work on something which has a broader vision and use.

Unfortunately not much people understand that. The last time I tried to teach people about the danger of fragmentation in small communities they just scared me off with their "choice" polemics...

[dhns]

Familiar is Linux distribution for Ipaq. Thanks to OpenEmbedded project future versions of OpenZaurus, OpenSimpad and Familiar will be compatible.

I just wonder about the status of Familiar. The Home page says

"News": 2003-11-13 -- Familiar v0.7.2

So, it is 10 months and far before 1.0 release. Is the home page outdated or are there no news?

That might also be a reason why people start their new projects - there appears to be not enough progress in other projects they do not understand deeply. So it is much simpler to start their own effort.

I admit that this is also the way I am thinking - if I don't get what I need, I better start my own project and integrate what I can find and just add what I can't. Rather than embarking into an existing (large) project and trying to drive it to where I would like to see it. Appears to be too more effort to solve my immediate problem.

And this increases the fragmentation again, of course...

A long known approach for this issue is to use well defined and stable interfaces on different levels. E.g. the system call API, or library APIs (POSIX), X server, ...

-- hns

[Mickeyl]

So you see there are not even enough people working on it to update the news site. So much for all the volunteers telling the old tale of "I can't code but I like to help"...

Anyway, as you can see if you read the handhelds.org homepage, the news concerning future familiar linux distributions have been integrated in the OOO newsletters - the more or less official "OpenEmbedded and related projects" newsletter.

Of course, People are free to start their own projects. Most of them are doing it because it is either fun or they need to start from scratch to actually be able to learn something. This is all good and fine and eventually the community as a whole benefits if they get their act together and submit changes upstream.

I just can't understand it when people rolling their own projects because of being [too lazy|not capable|not interested|control fanatics|add a similar reason]...

[cradlinski]

Sharp's decision to dump the Zaurus has inspired me to help out with OpenEmbedded development.  However, I know little about system programming.  I'm a Unix application programmer by trade.  Do you have any advice for a programmer interested in helping out?