Im Not Very Proficient With Linux

[suffer1989]

Well, im really considering an open pandora over an n900, for a variety of reasons ( better gaming controlls, better battery, USB and SD card slots, ETC...). What I understand about the device is that after the initial setup, after you boot up the device, you can choose to go to the desktop (Xfce) environment, or to some interface that allows you to load your games/emulators/apps/whatever. Now, the thing is im kinda newish to Linux. Ive been using windows for the past 13ish years, and linux (Ubuntu) is somewhat of a new experience to me.

Will the desktop environment on the pandora be significantly different to Ubuntu, or Xbuntu for that matter ? Will it be just a matter of plugging in a hard disk/ SD card, for the pandora to recognize it, and mount it, and place an icon on-screen ? Will most things be able to be done via GUI, or opening a terminal window, and pasting a command into there ? Will it be THAT difficult (as compared to Ubuntu) to install new software, or plugins (such as, if somebody ports FLASH to it), or Codecs or others programs ? What about the emulators ? Will they mostly have a GUI, or will I need to learn commands ?

I'm sorry for all the questions, I'm a student, and this is a biggish purchase for me. I do not wish to be stuck with a device that i cannot Use. The serach function generally brings up irrelevant threads.

Thanks.

 

[rabidpoobear]

Well, im really considering an open pandora over an n900, for a variety of reasons ( better gaming controlls, better battery, USB and SD card slots, ETC...).

It's also quite a bit cheaper. Screen's also bigger. n900 if you need a really small device that's also a phone and you're cool with the maemo UI and community. Pandora if you want a rough-around-the-edges outlawy cowboy type of community with some pretty awesome software coming up.

Will the desktop environment on the pandora be significantly different to Ubuntu, or Xbuntu for that matter ? Will it be just a matter of plugging in a hard disk/ SD card, for the pandora to recognize it, and mount it, and place an icon on-screen ? Will most things be able to be done via GUI, or opening a terminal window, and pasting a command into there ? Will it be THAT difficult (as compared to Ubuntu) to install new software, or plugins (such as, if somebody ports FLASH to it), or Codecs or others programs ? What about the emulators ? Will they mostly have a GUI, or will I need to learn commands ?

I'm sorry for all the questions, I'm a student, and this is a biggish purchase for me. I do not wish to be stuck with a device that i cannot Use. The serach function generally brings up irrelevant threads.

Thanks.

You will not have to use the command line for most things. Initially there may be bugs with the wifi/bluetooth support, things like that, so you may have to use the command line tools while the GUI tools get hashed out, but it won't be hard. If you want to compile new packages you will have to use the command line, but pretty much all games / apps will come in files called "PND" files, which you just drop onto your SD card. There's not even an installer, the apps will just automatically add themselves to your menu.

I would make the n900 / Pandora decision based on other factors besides this. I wouldn't worry about Linux being a problem. If there is anything at all that is not incredibly straightforward to use, I'll write a tutorial about it. Gruso's gonna make a section for tutorials on Pandorapress once the Pandora ships, and I will probably start by writing simple introductory articles like this, and I'm sure other people will as well.

I'm a student too, and it's a big purchase for me as well (or it was 2 years ago when I put down the money... it still is somewhat but the money's been gone so long it's hard to even think about it...) But please don't worry about the usability. You'll be able to do absolutely everything you could on the n900 except for phone things. A few apps, like the ones Nokia wrote (I hear they have a good GPS app) you won't have available, but there are going to be alternatives (just don't expect that big-company polish.) But, for example, if you're interested in using it for navigation, you can buy a $20 bluetooth GPS to pair with your Pandora, and there will be other GPS apps (like navit). And there are devs who are motivated to write / improve the existing apps too.

If you give us more insight into your uses, and your background handheld/game devices, we might be able to help you make a better decision. Eg. do you already have a phone you're happy with?

 

[second exodous]

I don't think you'll have to worry about difficultly figuring things out because there is a community right here to help out. The PND stuff will also make things easier. And, of course, Linux is pretty easy to use if set up correctly and I'm sure the OP team will have it set up so just about everyone can use it.

I'd look into the PND stuff, here is a video on PND, easy stuff. Installing from Pandora sources is streamlined.

Linux shouldn't be a factor in the decision to get the Pandora, just think of it as a device that runs software.

 

[rabidpoobear]

I get all you Gir guys mixed up.

 

[todd]

All indications are that the Pandora will be easier to use than Ubuntu. That's why they're developing this whole ".pnd" system, so you can drop new software onto an SD card and have it magically appear on your desktop or in the menus -- all dependencies accounted for. It sounds like some folks are working on emulator GUI's, too.

I think the dev's are seeking to make this into a "console" type device: one where you should hardly ever need to use the shell. Analagous to the N900 (which also runs Linux). With one caveat: the software is still a work-in-progress.

Using Linux these days is not significantly more difficult than using Windows: different, yes. And not even so different as it used to be. One of the most common reasons for difficulty with Linux (or Windows) is that the OS's are built to run on a variety of hardware. Since all the Pandoras will be exactly the same, our OS should be tailor-made for our hardware and not require much user intervention.

If you've coped with Windows for 13 years, I'm betting the Pandora will not be a big deal for you to learn. There's going to be a learning curve on any non-Windows device you get (e.g., Nokia, iPhone, Sansa Clip, etc.). XFCE is quite windows-like as I recall. However, I'm looking forward to the Ubuntu netbook launcher (which is also supposed to come built in). It's a nice GUI that reminds of the iPhone except that it allows multi-tasking.


Edit: Ouch! Triple-ninja'd!

 

[suffer1989]

Basically, i wanna use it as a Game console most of the time, as well as a small portable computer to take to Uni, and view webpages, and Documents. The SD card slot and the TV out will also be usefull to quickly show pics onscreen.

I have a nokia dumbphone, but soon enough will be getting a nokia E55.

 

[rabidpoobear]

Basically, i wanna use it as a Game console most of the time, as well as a small portable computer to take to Uni, and view webpages, and Documents. The SD card slot and the TV out will also be usefull to quickly show pics onscreen.

I have a nokia dumbphone, but soon enough will be getting a nokia E55.

If you're getting a nokia E55 you should probably get a Pandora then. Just my 2c. Maemo community's pretty active though, you should check out some of the apps they have and make a decision then.
[edit]
also consider you can have an n900 TOMORROW if you want. This is not true for Pandora. but you will also be the only one in your area who has a Pandora, which is kinda cool in a way.

 

[suffer1989]

The thing with a cellphone, and what irks me about MOST smart/media phones is the dysmal battery life. I want a reliable cellphone, that has a good battery life. If I loose battery power on the pandora, thats no big issue, but having a drained cellphone is another issue all together.

 

[second exodous]

I get all you Gir guys mixed up.

I've had this Gir since 27 September 2005, I've had it since I've been on the Gentoo forum and have used it on every forum since. My Gir blinks, that's how you tell me from the other Girs.

 

[rabidpoobear]

I get all you Gir guys mixed up.

I've had this Gir since 27 September 2005, I've had it since I've been on the Gentoo forum and have used it on every forum since. My Gir blinks, that's how you tell me from the other Girs.

back assward's gir also faces right, I believe.