Release Pandora OS


afk9903

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I'm just going to come out and say this and hope no one harasses me too much about this. I've never used anything other than a windows OS and I was just wondering how difficult the linix or armstom OS (I'm still not sure which will be on the system) would be to use. Is it still like windows where I have different screens, is it more like DOS, or something different alltogether? I'd just like a little info so if I need to learn a new OS i can get strted now and be ready to go when I get in on the second shipments of Pandoras whenever that's going to be.
 
This post shows what the GI might look like.http://forum.openpandora.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=595

On such a small screen it is unlikely you will have various windows loaded at the same time, but it is not just like DOS. The is something called the command line that looks like DOS, but it is not expected that you will have to use it - you might want to one day because it can be very powerful.

As I said inresponse to that thread (but on the other forum), if you want to get to know about linux, download a copy of Linux Mint or Ubuntu and burn it to a CD - you can then run it as a live CD so that it doesn't touch your hard drive at all and you can have a play. If you like it you can install it in a separate partition if you have space - and it is as easy as falling of a log as it is all guided installation. The version of linux will not be a desktop version - think of it as a scaled down versio, but looking at a version of linux will give you a flavour. Also remember that the OS is being written specifically for the Pandora - as all the hardware should just work.
 
Linux Testimonial: I had minor experience with DOS back in the day, but most experience with Windows and no experience at all with Linux of any flavor. A few months ago I bought an Asus eeePC that ran Windows XP .. badly. Browsing the interent was painful. Tons of lags trying to scroll a page. It was so frustrating I put the eeePC away and didn't use it anymore. A co-worker suggested I try Linux. I did some googling and found a version of Ubuntu customized for the eeePC and installed it.

Installation was a snap and everything had already been figured out by gurus before I got it ... so sound, camera, wifi, etc., all worked. Ubuntu has been very easy to use, no hard learning curve from Windows. And it runs so much better on the hardware than Windows did the difference is like night and day.

I am sure the Pandora experience will much like this. The real Linux gurus will have already scaled down a "flavor" of Linux (or more than one) and it will be customized for the Pandora. It will be easy to use, you will have no problems using it versus Windows.
 
Just to add my views to the mix:

-Angstrom is a Linux distribution designed for PDAs and the like. It's usual interface is very similar to Palm's, if you're familiar with that (although it can be changed to look like Windows, Ubuntu, or whatever).

-Linux can look like anything you want, really. It can be just text, look like windows (9x, XP, or Vista), Mac OS, or different altogether. None of the interfaces I've used that come packaged with distros need any special knowledge to use (some helps for things like customization).

-The above suggestion for a Live-CD is a good one. Just know that it will be much slower than it will run when running off of a hard disk.

Anyway, if you use Linux once or twice and like it, before you know it you'll know a good deal.
 
I would agree with what the others have said so far. No one has any right too rip on you for only having used windows, I think that most people started out with windows anyway and if it does what you want from a computer then you really wouldn’t have had much of a motivation to change. Anyways back on topic, if you stick with the default OS there really shouldn’t be any real reason to use the console (unless you want to), the OS has a GUI that’s similar to what you might find on a mobile phone, so there is no really need for any Linux knowledge.

The only reason you would have to get involved in the Linux side of things is if you wanted to use it more as a Netbook/standard desktop, even then it shouldn’t be too hard. I’ve been using Linux for about 5 years now and have more trouble using windows (I’m just not used to it anymore).
 
lee said:
I’ve been using Linux for about 5 years now and have more trouble using windows (I’m just not used to it anymore).
I agree. Windows hides some options in obscure places. I've found that in Linux, stuff is more or less where (I) you would expect it.
 
Every so often you are tinkering and come across something elusive. But there are so many sources of help out there, and because of the philosophy it is meant to be changeable, unlike some Windows things where you have things deliberately hidden away, multiple registry entries etc.
 
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