GNU/Linux On The Prowl: PocketLinux

An unnamed correspondent writes:"Transvirtual has released PocketLinux for the iPaq. It features Video4Linux, mp3 playing ability, web synchronization, Kaffe OpenVM, GUI Themes, and displaying in standard or portrait mode. PocketLinux runs on VTech's Helio, iPaq's, and various other platforms." PocketLinux V.P. of Engineering Peter Mehlitz took some time off from the LWCE booth the other day to tell me about Pocketlinux -- read on for some details.

With the buzz that screenshots of X and other windowing systems running on svelte handhelds have generated lately, it's not surprising that the aisle by the PocketLinux booth was swamped with rubberneckers who actually wanted to play with the demos, not just grab t-shirts. If there's a prize for "oohs" and "ahhs" per square foot, Transvirtual may have swept the show with their demo machines, which use an integrated framebuffer device rather than coax on X. The Pocketlinux system consists of an XML framework running on Java -- using Kaffee means no Sun license required -- running on Linux. It's themeable, extensible, and slick.

"Java makes sense for this [because] it makes sense to have a machine that gives you access to distributed apps," said Peter. He anticipates applications equally at home on cell-phones, kiosks and PDAs -- and provides proof in the form of running systems, with handwriting recognition, games, audio players, and (quite nice to see) streaming video."Kaffee and XML let us do just about anything," he says. "With Kaffee, we really learned from the Linux example," he says, adding that Kaffee is now under the GPL.

The LWCE display featured the OS on both a Compaq iPaq and the exotic Itsy, as well as on a V-Tech Helio. While the Compaq machines can also run Windows (for those so inclined), PocketLinux is primed to become the default OS for the Helio, which currently comes with V-Tech's VTOS. Though the grayscale screen isn't as sexy as the Itsy's, the $150 Helio has both more RAM (10MB, including 2MB of flash) and a more powerful processor than my Visor. Helios running PocketLinux were available for sale, too -- not just vaporware -- though the PocketLinux Web site cautions that buyers who want a standard PDA should stick to V-Tech's OS until more PDA features are implemented.

(Interestingly, rather than the obligatory note that only Red Hat-based distros are supported, the installation instructions for the Helio software says instead "our development effort has standardized on a Debian Linux hosted environment and our documentation and operation under Debian is better supported. If anyone wants to write documentation for RedHat installation and submit it, we would be happy to include it.")

Despite their tendency to wolf down batteries, the color machines showed off few things the Helio couldn't, such as a small selection of colorful themes. "They're just XML files -- everything is XML files," said Peter, a point he emphasizes as important for keeping information portable. Streaming video, too -- slightly jerky, but very watchable -- had more than a few onlookers drooling. The important thing, according to Peter, is to rely on hardware to do as much of the tough work of decompression as possible. The video is transmitted with the aid of triggers embedded in Javascript. Viewing compressed movie files is "no problem, he says, "as long as we're not forced to use streaming in user space." Despite Peter's assertion that people will rely on collections of small, nearly disposable appliances rather than an "anything box," some aggregation and assimilation looks inevitable, not to mention fun. All work and no play would probably make for slow sales.

While the software inside the user's machine is free, Transvirtual intends to make money by selling server-based translation software to convert external data types for viewing and listening, as well as by providing businesses (and content providers) with specialized apps.

With the Embedded Linux Consortium, LinuxDevices.com, handhelds.org, and a gaggle of others, Free software for handheld devices has a woven a comfortable net of support for tiny systems. Welcome to the fray.

"Anything" devices

The author, along with many top people from many companies, asserts that the "anything" box is dead and that the future is moving towards smaller, specialized computers. This is the logic of the network machine, the logic of the compact car. It seems to make more sense than the all-purpose desktop computer + PDA -- and it is also doomed to failure.

The American infatuation with the desktop computer and the PDA is very similar to our love affair with the car. Cars are big, cars are possessions. While successful in many other cities, shared car plans have never really caught on (although there is a plan in the works for Cambridge, or so I have heard). Why? Americans like owning big cars, SUVs and cadillacs. They like owning them. A car is not just a tool to get from one place to another -- it is a lifestyle.

In the same way, cell phones are far more popular in Scandinavia and gadget-crazy Japan than in the U.S. While there are many factors that can help account for this, one important observation is that Americans treat computers like they do cars. We don't want gadgets. We don't want a bunch of specialized devices that each only do one thing. We want a big mother****ing computer fully loaded with an AM/FM cassette, kitchen sink available as an option.

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Do we really need Linux on a PDA?

...or is this being done solely for the sake of proving it possible?

I decided about a year ago that if I ever decided to get a PDA, it would be the Palm. (I've wavered over just which model I should get, but I like PalmOS, nice and simple). The only thing I would do with a PDA is take notes/schedule my day. If I want to hear music, I'll bring a Walkman/Discman/Rio. If I want to watch movies, I'll go to a theater. If I want to read a book, I'll go to my local Barnes & Noble.

Personally, I think it's a waste of time and space to squeeze a Linux kernel on a PDA. It would be hell if you yanked out the batteries, checking the entire flash memory would take a long time. Furthermore, what's the point of shoving a server operating system onto a handheld organizer? To all those who say, "Because I can," I say, "Go ahead, waste your money." I'm not the one using a rocketship to travel three blocks down the street.

BeOS vs. Linux

Interestingly, here is one place BeOS will be competing with Linux. Be has recently announced a deal with Compaq to use it's BeIA OS in some of its machines. Neither OS really has a clear advantage in this field. Since most of the handhelds will use non X-based GUIs, POSIX will be about the only standard that the Linux-Desktop and Linux-handheld OSs will have in common. Since BeIA has POSIX support too, application support will not be a big factor here. Linux has the advantage that it is OSS, which enables developers to customize it. Although BeIA is very modular and customizable also, Linux may have the advantage here. Linux also has the advantage that it is free. However, BeOS has the advantage that it would probably be quicker to work with, since it includes a GUI that is easily customized for a PDA-maker's needs.

The future is really pretty cloudy. It is very probable that the two will compete, because undoubtedly BeIA will scale down from Internet Appliances to handhelds, while PocketLinux will scale up from handhelds to IAs. Neither really has a technical or performance advantage, because most of the speed issues depend on what GUI the PDA-maker chooses to use. I think that the two big factors here are going to be GUI quality, and ease of implementation for the PDA maker.

I bought a vtech Helio at LinuxWorld

I purchased a Helio from the TransVirtual people at LinuxWorld for $150 total.

Out of the box it outperforms my Palm Pilot. It runs on a 75mhz MIPs CPU with 8MB of ram and 2MB of FLASHABLE (ie. can upgrade the OS, etc) RAM. The unit uses an interesting method that allow you to completely swap in different operating systems.

I _totally_ see a big future for this little device. Below are some links

Transvirtual's Pocket Linux Site [pocketlinux.com]
Helio HomePage [myhelio.com]
Sourceforge Linux on the Helio page [sourceforge.net]

And.. If this isn't enough for you. There is another company that has put Linux on handhelds. They were at LinuxWorld also (I never saw them), and were demoing their Agenda VR3 Linux Handheld. Their web site is at: Agenda Linux Handheld [agendacomputing.com]

The Agenda VR3 will not be available til around October according to their WWW site. The vtech Helio is available now. I hope they both do well, but I'd have to say the helio has an edge over the VR3 with it's sound recording features, plus the head start jump on the VR3.

Oh.. Of course TransVirtual's Linux software and Kafee software for the Helio are GPL!!!

I am putting Linux on my Helio tonight. Please post pertinent links and info. Will report back on how it went tomorrow.