A Viewpoint After 3 Months Of Lurking And Anticipation

[lucidchaos]

Hello.

I've been lurking on the boards for a few months now ever since I was looking up GP2X info and caught wind of the Pandora. Since then I have been checking back nearly every day in anticipation of new info. Unfortunately I missed most of the developments and it seems now most of the chatter concerns who's getting one and what they are using it for.

I am planning on getting one.

I will be pre-ordering, although I have never pre-ordered anything before.

And to be honest with you, I haven't the slightest clue what I will do with it.

The capabilities blow my mind. I have only used two pieces of hardware that I can compare to a Pandora. One is a Windows laptop, and the other is a Palm handheld. I have VERY little experience with Linux, although this is one aspect of the Pandora I am excited about. However, never being a part of the GP2X or Linux world, I have NO IDEA what to expect in terms of software to make the device useful.

Sure, I use my palm TX and Centro for everything from book reading to games (Bike or Die FTW) to a universal remote, mp3 player, GPS system for streets and geocaches, and, of course, that friendly morning reminder that it would be a bad idea to fail to wake up and go to work.

And most nights, tonight included, I will fall asleep to the cool white glow of Wikipedia or Google news or one of the many movies or TV shows shared on my hard drives throughout the house, or perhaps playing some good ol' Super Mario RPG or Bionic Commando, or perhaps watching animated clipart over a yellow background while Yahtzee complains about the last game he's played.

My first question that needed answering was, to me, will this new black clamshell miracle box be able to combine, from a recreation standpoint, my laptop and palm? And after months of searching on the forums, I've determined it should do most of what I want it to do. All things should be POSSIBLE, although I know so little about Linux and the ARM architecture, along with porting open-source software, licensing flash, etc that I am quite baffled if some of these things will be done.

<rant> Also I would like to add right now that some of you forum members, you know who you are, can be very intimidating to people new to the scene like myself. I never asked a question and for the most part I was able to find most of the info I was looking for. But this info came at the cost of scrolling through countless pages of posts impolitely asking new members like myself to use the search function. As many mods and devs have stated, a simple link to another post will suffice. </rant>

With that being said, I would love to have it confirmed that I can use the device for my following planned uses.

-Will I be able to access all my files that are shared over my network including roms, videos, & mp3s, just like I can from my laptop?

-What are the limitations to bluetooth tethering to a cell phone with data plan? Is it reasonable to assume I will be able to use my Sprint Palm Centro with data plan to get internet access on the pandora?

-For web browsing, the Pandora should be compatable with firefox3. Will firefox plugins work by default? Will I be able to watch embedded videos?

I have not had the experience some of you have had with the GP/GPH handhelds and scene. I would love to know what to expect in terms of porting software such as openoffice. Also I am hoping to find the time to develop software myself and would like to know where to start reading.

And to everyone: Thanks for being here and contributing to a great project. You've already answered MANY of my questions. I am excited to start contributing to the community.

 

[gaterooze]

I can't expertly answer your questions (my immediate reaction to each is "probably"), but I would like to say what a thoughtful post that is. Welcome to the board!

 

[Pleng]

-Will I be able to access all my files that are shared over my network including roms, videos, & mp3s, just like I can from my laptop?

Yes

QUOTE


-What are the limitations to bluetooth tethering to a cell phone with data plan? Is it reasonable to assume I will be able to use my Sprint Palm Centro with data plan to get internet access on the pandora?




90% certain, yes

QUOTE


-For web browsing, the Pandora should be compatable with firefox3. Will firefox plugins work by default? Will I be able to watch embedded videos?




Firefox plugins will need to be recompiled individually, so you're only likely to ever see the ones that the devs use/like. Embedded videos require FLASH afaik. There is a open source Flash player for Linux that is capable of playing videos but I'm not sure how it works and if anybody is planning to port it

 

[TrevorBradley]

There is in fact an openpandora wiki with a FAQ, that's not been updated since July.

http://pandorawiki.org/FAQ

Is it possible the 20 most frequently asked questions that don't appear on that wiki could be migrated there? There's a reason why these questions are asked over and over again; Stickies aren't the best way to present information.

 

[benjymous]

Hi lucidchaos,

I'll try and keep this as non-techy as possible (so sorry if it sounds overly patronising!)

-Will I be able to access all my files that are shared over my network including roms, videos, & mp3s, just like I can from my laptop?

That shouldn't be a problem. It might not be included "out of the box", but there's an application called Samba that "emulates" the Windows file sharing system, letting you browse your Windows shares as if your machine is just another windows PC (it works both ways, so you could create a shared "drop" folder on your pandora too)

- This would just require someone to rebuild it for the ARM processor that the Pandora uses, since most available linux binaries are for x86 (e.g pentium) type CPUs

-What are the limitations to bluetooth tethering to a cell phone with data plan? Is it reasonable to assume I will be able to use my Sprint Palm Centro with data plan to get internet access on the pandora?

It shouldn't be a problem at all, assuming your cell provider actually allows you to use the device as a modem (some can get a bit arsey and cut you off, or charge you more for the privilege)

-For web browsing, the Pandora should be compatable with firefox3. Will firefox plugins work by default? Will I be able to watch embedded videos?

I think it's been mentioned before that FF3 has already been made to work. Plugins should "just work" automatically, since they don't actually contain compiled code (they're a mix of javascript and xml data) - of course this is assuming the plugin developer hasn't been naughty and made major assumptions...

Unfortunately, the official flash player isn't an open source application, so it's unlikely that the pandora will have full flash capabilities out of the box (although someone's bound to find a way...)

it should be possible to stream the video directly from an external application, though, it just won't be embedded in the web page the way you'd expect on a regular PC

I have not had the experience some of you have had with the GP/GPH handhelds and scene. I would love to know what to expect in terms of porting software such as openoffice. Also I am hoping to find the time to develop software myself and would like to know where to start reading.

And to everyone: Thanks for being here and contributing to a great project. You've already answered MANY of my questions. I am excited to start contributing to the community.

me neither - I only found out about the pandora a couple of months ago, and never owned any of the GP/H devices (although I used to be quite active on the DC scene years ago)

As far as open office, never say never, although it's a pretty meaty application that might struggle on the pandora.

Googling finds a java-based "mobile open office" but that's early on in development

There is in fact an openpandora wiki with a FAQ, that's not been updated since July.

It's a wiki, so update it...

(assuming that's not going to incur the wrath of whoever owns the wiki?)

Sadly, from experience of maintaining a big FAQ in the past, most people are lazy, and will prefer to ask their question in a forum/email rather than bother reading an FAQ themselves.

 

[Chip]

It's a wiki, so update it...

(assuming that's not going to incur the wrath of whoever owns the wiki?)

Of course not! That's what wikis are for.

At this point, I think I technically own the wiki. At least I own the domain name. Orkie actually set it up and got it started. ED hosts it on his server. I wrote 90% of the FAQ and a few other bits, and I have full management access.

If anybody wants to add something, please do so. Request editor access and I'll let you in. Or if you just have a list of questions that you feel should be added, post them here and I'll stick them up in the next couple days.

 

[rasczak]

It's a wiki, so update it...

(assuming that's not going to incur the wrath of whoever owns the wiki?)

Of course not! That's what wikis are for.

At this point, I think I technically own the wiki. At least I own the domain name. Orkie actually set it up and got it started. ED hosts it on his server. I wrote 90% of the FAQ and a few other bits, and I have full management access.

If anybody wants to add something, please do so. Request editor access and I'll let you in. Or if you just have a list of questions that you feel should be added, post them here and I'll stick them up in the next couple days.


It's possible to add another language for the wiki? I'm finishing my exams and may be I would translate some of the wiki's articles to spanish; not sure I could translate the whole thing, but is better than nothing.

 

[PoisonedV]

http://pandorawiki.org/Es:Main_Page

have at it

 

[rasczak]

http://pandorawiki.org/Es:Main_Page

have at it



Thanks PoisonedV. I'm still searching for my eyes (I can't understand how I didn't see that).

Now, I only need a couple of days to be free and an editor account if Chip wants me in.

 

[TaG]

Welcome, lucidchaos.

Nice post. Many people do try to help newcomers. Some newcomers give the impression they can't be bothered to read up and ask a question for the 29th time and get short shrift. It's generally a friendly place though, so enjoy the journey.

 

[juanvvc]

-What are the limitations to bluetooth tethering to a cell phone with data plan?

Assuming that your phone company let you use your mobile phone as a modem (it is not an iPhone, for example):

Download bandwidth (=speed) is the major limitation to use Bluetooth for internet connection. My current data plan is 3Mbps, and I achieve that amount with a USB cable from the phone to the laptop. You'll be able to do this with a Pandora, of course. A Bluetooth connection is much slower, I can't get more than 150kbps. That's a huge difference. Anyway, there are slower and cheaper data plans (256kbps) that are ok to be used through a Bluetooth connection. You choose.

Upload bandwidth is just crappy, no matter of the data plan. This is not a limitation of the Bluetooth/USB/cellular, but a political limitation of the ISPs to prevent P2P. You'll need high bandwidth if you need to upload large files frequently, and in this case your better bet is a traditional wired connection.

Apart from P2P and upload speed (that is artificially limited), there is no other limitation to the things that you can do with a data plan for cellular phones, no matter if it is connected through Bluetooth or USB.

 

[javaJake]

The capabilities blow my mind. I have only used two pieces of hardware that I can compare to a Pandora. One is a Windows laptop, and the other is a Palm handheld. I have VERY little experience with Linux, although this is one aspect of the Pandora I am excited about. However, never being a part of the GP2X or Linux world, I have NO IDEA what to expect in terms of software to make the device useful.

Welcome! You and I are from the same origins (laptop and Palm)! Makes me feel good that I'm not the only one trying to pull the two together.

Sure, I use my palm TX and Centro for everything from book reading to games (Bike or Die FTW) to a universal remote, mp3 player, GPS system for streets and geocaches, and, of course, that friendly morning reminder that it would be a bad idea to fail to wake up and go to work.

Bike or Die will be available in the form of xmoto for Linux. I recommend you check that game out.

A universal remote should be easy enough to do. I've actually just thought of that a day or two ago since the one that came with my cable box is dying. It doesn't have an IR port, though, so that'd need to be added on through USB.

And most nights, tonight included, I will fall asleep to the cool white glow of Wikipedia or Google news or one of the many movies or TV shows shared on my hard drives throughout the house, or perhaps playing some good ol' Super Mario RPG or Bionic Commando, or perhaps watching animated clipart over a yellow background while Yahtzee complains about the last game he's played.

Web browsing: check. TV shows: check. Super Mario RPG: check. Bionic Commando (NES version?): check.

Not sure what the Yahtzee thing is all about.

My first question that needed answering was, to me, will this new black clamshell miracle box be able to combine, from a recreation standpoint, my laptop and palm?

Absolutely. Flash will not be available unless something big happens, so without external applications that support streaming YouTube without Flash you'll have to use a regular computer to catch up there.

Everything else, though, is a slam dunk. Games are a go. Web browsing is a go. Instant Messaging is a go. Standard productivity applications are a go.

And after months of searching on the forums, I've determined it should do most of what I want it to do. All things should be POSSIBLE, although I know so little about Linux and the ARM architecture, along with porting open-source software, licensing flash, etc that I am quite baffled if some of these things will be done.

Well, think of it this way: anything with source code and Linux can be done. That includes hardware that works on a normal Linux PC. B)

<rant> Also I would like to add right now that some of you forum members, you know who you are, can be very intimidating to people new to the scene like myself. I never asked a question and for the most part I was able to find most of the info I was looking for. But this info came at the cost of scrolling through countless pages of posts impolitely asking new members like myself to use the search function. As many mods and devs have stated, a simple link to another post will suffice. </rant>

Hear hear!

-Will I be able to access all my files that are shared over my network including roms, videos, & mp3s, just like I can from my laptop?

-What are the limitations to bluetooth tethering to a cell phone with data plan? Is it reasonable to assume I will be able to use my Sprint Palm Centro with data plan to get internet access on the pandora?

-For web browsing, the Pandora should be compatable with firefox3. Will firefox plugins work by default? Will I be able to watch embedded videos?

Yes to all of these, except the embedded videos. These require plugins that may or may not be open source. Remember: it needs to have source code for Linux to work here.

 

[PoisonedV]

<rant> Also I would like to add right now that some of you forum members, you know who you are, can be very intimidating to people new to the scene like myself. I never asked a question and for the most part I was able to find most of the info I was looking for. But this info came at the cost of scrolling through countless pages of posts impolitely asking new members like myself to use the search function. As many mods and devs have stated, a simple link to another post will suffice. </rant>

i have no trouble extending the common courtesy of not being an asshole if they extend the courtesy to take 3 seconds and read THE STICKIED TOPICS, the signatures, the homepage, the pandora website, the wikipedia page, use the search engine, or any other source of information

javajake: yahtzee is a sarcastic game reviewer (nothing new really) that the internet seems to love for some reason. any asshole can offer negative opinions.

 

[Chip]

any asshole can offer negative opinions.

You owe me a new irony meter. Mine just broke.

 

[Sphinxter]

I laughed so hard I can't get up.

 

[Squidge]

/me slaps Chip for going off-topic

(and I slightly modified the topic title, hope the OP doesn't mind)

 

[CronoTriggerfan]

any asshole can offer negative opinions.

You owe me a new irony meter. Mine just broke.

That was awesome. :lol:

And lucidchaos, welcome to the forums! Hopefully you stick around and have a good time. Though you must understand that there are a considerable amount of crap threads posted by new people who ask questions that have been answered a thousand times over. It's not a bias against new members, just a bias against stupid ones.

 

[bustaballs]

any asshole can offer negative opinions.

You owe me a new irony meter. Mine just broke.


That's funny stuff, right there. I don't care who you are.

 

[atomicthumbs]

Firefox extensions will work fine.

Firefox plugins, however, will not (unless recompiled).

 

[PoisonedV]

any asshole can offer negative opinions.

You owe me a new irony meter. Mine just broke.

Good job, chip! you got the point of the joke! im sure before long you'll be making your own!