This distribution uses "ipkg" for package management, and is based on Wenzel Jacob's v0.3 plus parts from familiar. It has kernel 2.4.18-rmk6-5mx4 (for uk 5mx), recompiled so the hwclock works. It uses the matchbox window manager, highly suitable for handhelds, although windowmaker is included too. The default set of packages includes lots of base utilities, serial and infrared networking, X, matchbox, ssh, gcc, several editors, the dillo web browser, a couple of games, a visual package manager, some PIM tools, calculator, X tools, image viewers and samba client.

There are a selection of tools included for modifying and building new versions of this distro. Some of these assume that you have ipkg available on your development system as well as on the target. This is inside the incuded ipkg tarball and as a script is independent of architecture. There is a new version of install.pl which offers the 'just install the standard set of stuff' option. The older dependency info in this script has not been fully updated, and indeed I think we should use ipkg to manage this rather than duplicate the info in this script. install.pl can now also be called from formatcard which will set up a 64MB CF card, partition it, format it and copy the epoc and linux files onto it, after setting up the linux-side content using install.pl. There is a a fair amount of bodginess in here and it's not guaranteed not to eat your harddrive so use with care. It needs modifying to deal with CF card sizes other than 64MB for example.

There are also scripts to convert v0.3 to use 'libc6' instead of 'glibc6' so as to be compatible with Debian and Familiar, to start ppp on the host machine in a way matching the psion, to make a new package index when a package is changed, to build a whole new set of ipkgs (including Package index), and to unbuild a whole set of ipkgs to get the resulting set of modifieble files.

This is currently beta status - it works well for me but some things need tidying up. Please give it a go and feel free to fix things.

This has been developed due to investment by POS Ltd, and something a lot like this will be available pre-installed, and with support, from them towards the end of the summer. So if the above sound s bit too scary for you, register your interest with them.

Wookey