Linux Solutions

Ubuntu Linux 7.04 is now available for Sharp’s Zaurus PDAs thanks to Omegamoon, a hacker who has previously worked on ports of Fedora Linux and Google’s Android phone stack to the Zaurus.
The 0.1 release comes with a minimalist filesystem that can be launched in an emulator, enhanced with software from Ubuntu archives and then flashed on to a real Zaurus.

Omegamoon suggests first trying the distro out in the free QEMU emulator, where configuration and tweaking is more straight forward than on real hardware. Once the customizations have been completed, it can then be installed on Zaurus PDAs such as the SL-C3100.

The project was inspired by Nokia’s Handheld Mojo project, which is porting Ubuntu to the ARM architecture.

At CELF’s recent Embedded Linux Conference, Mojo project leader Andrew Christian noted that while Nokia’s Maemo project has packaged 500-600 Linux binaries, Ubuntu packages upwards of 12,000. He believes that porting Unbuntu to ARM and then to the Zaurus should make for greater software versatility.

Omegamoon drew pre-built binaries from the ARMv5EL (ARM9) branch of Mojo Projects Frisky Firedrake tree to create his root filesystem. Built by natively compiling source packages from Unbuntu’s Feisty Fawn (7.04) distribution, Mojo’s Frisky tree also offers an ARMv6EL-VFP or ARM11 branch. Additionally, Mojo has produced a “Grumpy Griffin” build based on Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (7.10), with a Hasty Hippogriff build derived from Hardy Heron planned but not yet underway.

For the kernel, Omegamoon has tapped Debian for a pre-built “versatile” ARM kernel image based on 2.6.24.

The 0.1 Ubuntu Zaurus Distribution is around 80MB (compressed) and the root filesystem download comes with the X Window System, but lets the user choose which window manager to install. Omegamoon has suggested running the distro under QEMU initially, using a bootp server to set up networking, rather than configuring a network bridge device.

Omegamoon has emphasized the early nature of the distribution. “Early users should expect to encounter interesting puzzles and challenges…there’s a lot left to tweak of course, but a full blown Ubuntu is on it’s way.”

He adds, “This is really cool, having the same OS running on my desktop and on the much smaller Zaurus. This proves that the Zaurus is the ultimate mini-laptop.”