Squeak for the Zaurus SL-5500?

Nevin Pratt nevin at smalltalkpro.com
Sun Nov 24 01:18:53 UTC 2002


I also have the SL-5500.

If you put X-Windows on it (with the included ICE window manager with 
the X-Windows package), the standard StrongARM Squeak VM runs fine. 
 There is otherwise no port (that I know of) that "goes to the metal" or 
otherwise doesn't require X.  Note, however, that this is *not* true for 
the Japanese version of the Zaurus-- it has a "to the metal" port 
available for it.

The RAM of the Zaurus SL-5500 is normally configured as a 32MB RAM Linux 
box with the other 32MB as a "hard drive".  The default configuration 
also doesn't define a swap partition.  I suggest you add an SD card (or 
else CF card) with more RAM, and use it as the "hard drive", and then 
define a 10 to 20 MB swap partition in the internal RAM "hard drive". 
 You don't want to create the swap on the SD (or CF) card, as this will 
prematurely wear the memory card out.  Instead do it on the internal RAM 
"hard drive".

Doing this will increase the effective RAM for your Linux programs to 
about 50 MB or so.  Actually, the effective RAM will be a bit more than 
this, because the Zaurus also has Flash ROM from which part of the 
operating system runs, so almost all of the effective RAM from this 
scheme can be used by your user programs.  However, that is still a bit 
on the small side, so you've got to be careful what you try running.

I have a 256 MB SD card for my Zaurus.  However, I was never able to get 
X and ICE to install on anything but the internal RAM "hard drive". 
 Since X and ICE are rather large, this took a lot of the internal RAM 
"hard drive".

Furthermore, running X and ICE takes a lot of the main program RAM when 
it is running, so you will again run into limits.  For Squeak, you need 
to find and run small images only, and then start them with a command 
line switch like "-memory 10m" or something similar.

Another problem: the power management software for X conflicts with the 
internal power management.  What will happen is that the Zaurus will go 
to sleep because of no activity, but then you won't be able to wake it 
up without a hard reboot, which will wipe out your entire configuration 
in the process.  The solution is to disable the X-Windows power 
management daemon (it's called something like "apmd", or something like 
that-- you'll have to google it to make sure).

Also, if you have an SD card of 128MB or larger, you will need to flash 
in the newer version of the ROM's.  However, in the newer version 
they've "hardened" some of the ports, supposedly for security reasons. 
 The net result is that the Zaurus will only accept ftp and telnet from 
either an IP that it handed out via it's DHCP server, or else from the 
IP that is used for wired syncing.  If you have an 802.11b wireless CF 
card on it, the new ROM version will also break the network syncing 
capability.

In my case, because I have a 256MB SD card (plus an 802.11b wireless CF 
card), I was forced to flash in the newer ROM version.  Then, I just 
don't use telnet-- I instead use ssh.  I also don't use ftp-- I instead 
NFS mount from my other machines in my office, and then transfer files 
over NFS.  And when I sync, I used the wired sync (i.e., using the cradle).

All in all, I think the Zaurus SL-5500 is an interesting machine, but if 
you really only need the classic PDA functions, I find the Palm Pilot to 
be a better unit.  If you want to run Squeak on it, I'm inclined to 
think an iPAQ is better.

But, you can certainly run Squeak on the SL-5500.  I've done it.

Nevin


Stefan Matthias Aust wrote:

> Hi!
>
> Yesterday, I bought myself a Sharp Zaurus SL-5500G (a Linux based PDA 
> with the usual pocket PC stats and a small extending-keyboard).  Now, 
> I'd love to put a Squeak on that machine, if only to impress some Java 
> co-developer ;-)  On squeak.org I found a reference to ZauChu (Squeak 
> for Sharp Zaurus), but it seems that's for a quite different machine.
>
> So, is there an installable version of Squeak for the SL-5500?
>
>
> PS: Is a 206MHz ARM processor capable of running the current version 
> of Squeak - which I barely recognize after a year of absense?  Is 
> there a special PDA image perhaps?
>
>
> bye






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