Ubuntu On Pandora

[robyinno]

Thanks to http://www.omegamoon.com/blog/index.php now ubuntu is working on arm cpu, in particular on Zaurus.
The base porting was done from Mojo project, so now It's to try to Pandora!
I think if it run good on Zaurus¸ on Padora will run perfectly!
What do you think about?

Roberto

 

[Squidge]

So this would give us?

 

[Jonttu]

So this would give us?

Yeah, I believe it would give us Ubuntu for Pandora. Not sure though, as robyinno was pretty unclear. (sarcasm) No, but before everyone is like "you would have to port this and that.. blah blah" I'm pretty sure with a little tinkering the Zauras packages would work on the Pandora. It's really just about preference. However, I would probably not go with Ubuntu if it were available.

 

[chad78]

So this would give us?

Um....

• The most popular desktop distro of Linux in your pocket?
• Access to over 10,000 libraries that are, or are being, ported to ARM by Nokia (for the N810 series)?
• Publicity?
• A way to actually use all the power that the Pandora has?
• A ready-made GUI that is both time-tested and popular?
• A way for people who don't yet have the hardware to make software for it?
• Pre-built emulators and games?
• All of the above and more?

Yeah - it's that last one.

 

[jbr]

Why are people so down on Ubuntu? Just because it's easy to use even for beginners doesn't mean that it can't still be good for experts as well. I wouldn't care if it were Ubuntu, Debian, or whatever, just as long as a mainstream desktop distro could be used in times of need to prove it's not just some over-powered palm-pilot.

 

[Megamixman]

Why are people so down on Ubuntu? Just because it's easy to use even for beginners doesn't mean that it can't still be good for experts as well. I wouldn't care if it were Ubuntu, Debian, or whatever, just as long as a mainstream desktop distro could be used in times of need to prove it's not just some over-powered palm-pilot.

Isn't that what a main stream distro WOULD prove? Ubuntu is great and all, but it is just way too bloated.
Secondly, this isn't meant to be a PC. A Desktop distro just doesn't make sense. Ubuntu Mobile is far more intriguing for something of this form factor. Maemo would be a good idea too, especially since diablo allows for complete in-place updates.

 

[Tom`]

Why are people so down on Ubuntu? Just because it's easy to use even for beginners doesn't mean that it can't still be good for experts as well. I wouldn't care if it were Ubuntu, Debian, or whatever, just as long as a mainstream desktop distro could be used in times of need to prove it's not just some over-powered palm-pilot.

I don't think anyone (here) is down on Ubuntu. I use Kubuntu and Ubuntu on my computers, but I'd much rather run a dedicated distro on the Pandora. Performance would be increased, and power consumption decreased, and all of Chad's points would still be valid, except the first one, and arguably the fifth (since I don't know that GNOME or KDE will necessarily be the best way to interact with the Pandora).

 

[jbr]

Why are people so down on Ubuntu? Just because it's easy to use even for beginners doesn't mean that it can't still be good for experts as well. I wouldn't care if it were Ubuntu, Debian, or whatever, just as long as a mainstream desktop distro could be used in times of need to prove it's not just some over-powered palm-pilot.

Isn't that what a main stream distro WOULD prove? Ubuntu is great and all, but it is just way too bloated.
Secondly, this isn't meant to be a PC. A Desktop distro just doesn't make sense. Ubuntu Mobile is far more intriguing for something of this form factor. Maemo would be a good idea too, especially since diablo allows for complete in-place updates.


What I mean is that the difference between a desktop system and a handheld is very visible to the layperson through the interface. I want to be able to say to people, "Look! I can run the same OS on this tiny thing as you can on your huge PC!"
You are correct, though, that a system designed for mobile use would be much more useful. I wouldn't want ubuntu for utility, just for Wow factor.

 

[atomicthumbs]

Why are people so down on Ubuntu? Just because it's easy to use even for beginners doesn't mean that it can't still be good for experts as well. I wouldn't care if it were Ubuntu, Debian, or whatever, just as long as a mainstream desktop distro could be used in times of need to prove it's not just some over-powered palm-pilot.

I'll support Ubuntu just as soon as they remove GNOME as the default desktop environment.

As it stands, my Linux distro is Kubuntu.

 

[jbr]

I think it's silly to worry about defaults. Change it if you don't like it. Personally, I use Xubuntu. I assumed we'd be able to use any GUI we want to. That's what the Zaurus guy is saying now, anyway.

 

[magicman5421]

I think it's silly to worry about defaults. Change it if you don't like it. Personally, I use Xubuntu. I assumed we'd be able to use any GUI we want to. That's what the Zaurus guy is saying now, anyway.

xubuntu ftw. xfce is a great interface. I run it on my desktop/server. If we could get xubuntu on pandora, it would be a dream come true for me...

 

[norm]

i use ubuntu on mac, eee and desktop and i love it. but i dont see the advantage of having it on the pandora. surely the custom linux distro will be much faster and efficient

 

[magicman5421]

i use ubuntu on mac, eee and desktop and i love it. but i dont see the advantage of having it on the pandora. surely the custom linux distro will be much faster and efficient

yea...but it's kinda the wow factor too of being able to say "i can run ubuntu on this little tiny handheld computer. desktops? feh! i laugh at such bulky things."

 

[Tinnus]

[*]A way to actually use all the power that the Pandora has?

Could you elaborate here? What exactly prevents the Pandora from showing all its power with a custom distro? Or anything that's nto Ubuntu? Personally I think a specifically tuned distribution would show its power a lot more, by removing what's not necessary and adding what we can do that desktop can't or doesn't much (gaming controls, touchscreen).

"Full of stuff like a desktop PC" doesn't qualify as "using all the power it has". It qualifies as "using more power than needed meaninglessy".
QUOTE
[*]A ready-made GUI that is both time-tested and popular?

Ubuntu != GNOME. Ubuntu can run any other Window Manager and any Window Manager could run on pandora assuming it has X, and that includes GNOME if you'd dare to want it. I personalyl like its style and use it in my Ubuntu installations, but it IS too heavy for a handheld. Remember it's not just power but battery life that we're dealing with here.

QUOTE
[*]A way for people who don't yet have the hardware to make software for it?

Again, that doesn't make s*t difference to what we have now. Writing software that runs on Ubuntu or any other Linux flavor is equivalent for Pandora-compatibility purposes.

QUOTE
[*]Pre-built emulators and games?

NO. And NO. For the same damn reason that Wine won't work. "Pre-built emulators and games" are built for x86. That means that the Ubuntu repositories wouldn't work unless all the packages were recompiled for ARM. They probably are though, but the main problem here is that they wouldn't be tuned to the Pandora at all. I mean, Firefox and Pidgin and AbiWord (examples) could well work on Pandora without a single UI modification, but I suppose games and emulators should be built and tweaked for my device specifically!

 

[grahf]

I'll support Ubuntu just as soon as they remove GNOME as the default desktop environment.

As it stands, my Linux distro is Kubuntu.

Hey, I LIKE Gnome! Easy to use, and plenty customizable. Not that it should be on the Pandora of course.
Last time I used KDE it was version... 2 I think. It was rough to say the least. Maybe I'll give it another shot one day, but for now Gnome suits my needs.

 

[jbr]

Gnome is nice, but both Gnome and KDE are too heavy for the Pandora. Some people swear by Fluxbox, but frankly, I don't get it. Xfce is great, but if it's still too heavy, I'd use IceWM. Really, just HAVING a recognizable (among Linux users, that is) GUI on a mobile device would be plenty "Wow" for me. I just want to find the guy bragging about his eee, and be like, "Pft. THAT huge thing? Try this one out!" with my pandora. That is my pandora dream.

 

[cb88]

JWM FTW!!!

http://joewing.net/programs/jwm/

here is a screenshot of my USB DRIVE running JWM http://www.puppylinux.org/home/screenshots...ash-drive-rocks

I also prefer xfce over gnome or KDE but i may just use JWM on the pandora.... ;-)

 

[Tom`]

JWM FTW!!!

http://joewing.net/programs/jwm/

here is a screenshot of my USB DRIVE running JWM http://www.puppylinux.org/home/screenshots...ash-drive-rocks

I also prefer xfce over gnome or KDE but i may just use JWM on the pandora.... ;-)


I have Joe Wingbermuehle's Jezzball and a few other games on my TI-83+, I had no idea he was responsible for JWM as well! :blink:

 

[Megamixman]

How about sticking the WM made of these kind of environments...aka Matchbox? It is small, effecient, looks good, and a shit ton more finger friendly then the other WMs.

 

[chad78]

What exactly prevents the Pandora from showing all its power with a custom distro? Or anything that's nto Ubuntu? Personally I think a specifically tuned distribution would show its power a lot more, by removing what's not necessary and adding what we can do that desktop can't or doesn't much (gaming controls, touchscreen).

Nothing prevents a custom OS from showing it off... But, um, what OS is that? I've asked, and many others have to, what the GUI is going to be like for the Pandora - and nobody has said shit. One must assume, then, that whatever OS they plan on using has yet to be completed, if even started at all. Therefore, a non-existant custom OS can't show off a thing. Ubuntu very much exists, and can show off quite a bit.

Emulators of video game systems that were designed 10 years ago doesn't show off its power. ports of games created for a system designed 5 years ago doesn't show off its power. A up-to-date modern desktop operating system - does. It's a "wow factor" thing. I can do anything with this andora1: - that you can do with that - {insert big clunky desktop photo here}. And I can do that without having to write our own OS? That's a good thing.

QUOTE
Ubuntu != GNOME.


no shit. But if I can install Ubuntu - Gnome comes with it. Therefore, if Ubuntu is ported to the Pandora, I have Gnome, hence a ready made GUI.

QUOTE
QUOTE
[*]Pre-built emulators and games?

NO. And NO. For the same damn reason that Wine won't work. "Pre-built emulators and games" are built for x86. That means that the Ubuntu repositories wouldn't work unless all the packages were recompiled for ARM.

Nokia is spending tons of money porting Ubuntu and tens of thousands of packages to the ARM platform, specifically for their N-Series tablets. I'm sure some of those ports include games, (I say that since there are games that come with the OS on my N800 - not games I downloaded, but games that are installed as soon as you install the OS.) So, maybe emulators might not be on that list - but I am sure games are.

QUOTE
They probably are though, but the main problem here is that they wouldn't be tuned to the Pandora at all. I mean, Firefox and Pidgin and AbiWord (examples) could well work on Pandora without a single UI modification, but I suppose games and emulators should be built and tweaked for my device specifically!


Well you supposed that specifically! Who cares? I never said that Ubuntu should be the default OS. Someone just said what do we get if we Ubuntu. I answered. You don't want Ubuntu - don't install it.

I probably will - unless Maemo gets ported first, in which case that will be my OS of choice. I don't know if booting off of an external hard drive or flash card will be possible - but if it is, I'll have one with Ubuntu, one with Maemo, and one with whatever the default OS of the Pandora is, (unless it's one of the above, of course - because that would be redundant.) If it's the three - the Ubuntu one will just be for the Wow factor, like I described.

I, too, would rather have an OS that fits the device. I can't speak for or against the Pandora OS, since there has been no word whatsoever of what it's like - but unless it is just freakin' awesome, Maemo will likely be what I use most of the time - except maybe for gaming, in which case the Pandora OS will be the best.