It's more profitable to kill Linux than to save it. And I'm going to prove you that. I posted two news about Linux at todoUMPC. The first one was quoting my friend Daniel's article "Why Mobile Linux is Doomed" and another one about Ubuntu Mobile published at Linux Planet. This last one was asking for help to make Ubuntu fully work in a Q1 Celeron UMPC. Guess what happened, the negative article about Linux is breaking traffic records while the positive one asking to work for a full version of Linux has been completely ignored.
We, bloggers, are some sort of entertainers, we need traffic in our sites. What is the fun of having a blog if nobody reads it? Did you get my point? So, now do you understand why I said that is more profitable to kill Linux than to save it.
And that's part of the problem with Linux. There is a lot of people defending it but just a few working on it. 
I have a full version of Ubuntu Hardy Heron (8.04) running on my Q1 Celeron 900MHz, with working touchscreen, wireless, suspend/resume, sound, Compiz Fusion eye candy, CPU speed scaling, pretty much everything as far as I know.
ReplyDeleteWorks great! Much faster than XP, but with no handwriting recognition of course.
I had trouble with earlier versions of Ubuntu, but Hardy works with little trouble.
Do you have any instructions posted in anywhere?
ReplyDeleteNot yet, but I'll post some (in the next few days, hopefullly) and send you a link. I think I took pretty good notes of the process, because like I said, I did try on earlier versions and had difficulties.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I haven't yet put instructions together is because I thought I was having serious problems with my wireless connectivity until about two days ago. But it turns out it was just my router configuration (oops!), so there never was a problem.
Anyway, some other things that ARE working: onscreen keyboard (including on the login screen), hardware buttons for sound volume and screen brightness, screen touch-and-hold for right-click functionality.
Compiz helps considerably with the limited screen size. With only 480 pixels vertical resolution, some applications (and especially dialog boxes) don't fit. But if you make a virtual screen "wall" rather than the famous compiz cube, you can easily navigate to the adjacent desktops and hit the buttons that don't fit on the first screen. This was a significant barrier to usability before.
Things that are NOT working: those darn U1-U4 buttons -- but I haven't much had time to work on those yet. I doubt that is insurmountable.
That's all for now. I'll let you know when I have something put together.
And is there anything that is not working?
ReplyDeleteJust very minor things:
ReplyDeleteFor example, the U1-U4 buttons and the menu button don't do anything (but menu+volume DOES adjust screen volume). I haven't made those a priority, because with the on-screen keyboard they're not really *needed*. Helpful, sure, but not necessary.
Also, with the onscreen keyboard, ctrl-alt-backspace doesn't work to restart X, which is unfortunate when you're really stuck (but there's always the power switch!)
After you hit "Shut Down," the system winds down successfully but power doesn't turn all the way off, which (again) I haven't really tried to fix, because the power switch will finish the job easily enough. I think this is a minor ACPI problem, and other notebooks have it too.
I haven't tried screen rotation -- everything I have done is in landscape orientation.
Finally, battery life isn't great, but I think that's more of a Linux-in-general problem than something related to the Q1.
Well, that how far probably everybody has gone installing Linux in a Q1. I was asking for a help to get a full Linux with everything working including all the U buttons.
ReplyDeleteFor someone who claims to be a mobile enthusiast, your blog sure renders poorly on my Samsung SGH-i617.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if you actually understood the implementation of software on your device you would be singing the praises of "Mobile Linux."
I'm not sure what your background is, as I really don't care, but maybe the implementation of an Operating System such as that required by an USB memory stick is beyond the scope of your capability?
(you use blogger?) I made this account specifically to leave this comment here!
(I'll code my own websites, thank you very much)
I only read this site because I was looking for factual information as regards to linux mobile. Instead I see the rambling of a windoze aficianado who is unable to grasp the basic concepts of the linux movement. Namely, if it won't work on your device? MAKE IT WORK!!!
Of course this is based upon my own assumption that you understand the architecture of your device, and the implementation of the linux kernel in general.
In closing, I would call your article a detraction from the spirit of the linux movement, and more pertinently, a lamers rally around windoze.
Signed, Holonakaiakea.
Thanks!
ReplyDelete