Linux, NVRAM, and the quest for stardom.

[benbooth493]

Hi all.

I'm new on here, but I'm impressed by the level of enthusiasm for these little devices! Great little community!

Ok, so I'm a Linux Engineer working for a fine company here in the UK. We have 100s of Jogglers which we use as terminals to run our product. The product is an SWF which autoloads at startup.
We also have the same product in HTML form which runs in web browsers, and due to a lack of FLEX knowledge here decisions have been made to drop our 'Joggler' side of the business.
I'm resistant to this so I'm keen to resurrect the Jogglers with a mod to autoboot into a Web Browser! Simple!!

My questions:

1. The current info on installing Archlinux is out-of-date, and I have problems when trying to setup the kernel, essentially pacman need updating, and then it all goes dependency crazy!
2. Is it possible to install Linux to the internal storage? If so, is there any 'concise' documentation on this?
3. I need the bare minimum Linux setup! just kernel, init, X, Browser. Has anyone done anything similar before?

Thanks!

Ben

[gegs]

Couldn't you just add one of the linux distros on this site to a low profile USB stick and boot that instead of the stock OS? You could pare it down to only your essential requirements and try all your software mods without touching the internal storage.

Have a look at the BuZz's distro download pages and see if they might suit your requirements.

[roobarb!]

1. The current info on installing Archlinux is out-of-date, and I have problems when trying to setup the kernel, essentially pacman need updating, and then it all goes dependency crazy!

Never used Archlinux, so I'm afraid I'm no help to you there.

2. Is it possible to install Linux to the internal storage? If so, is there any 'concise' documentation on this?

Yes. Just create a FAT16 boot partition and a whatever-format-your-kernel-supports root partition. Stick the boot files in partition 1, root fs in partition 2, and configure GRUB.

3. I need the bare minimum Linux setup! just kernel, init, X, Browser. Has anyone done anything similar before?

Not quite that small, but yes. My reflashing tool is based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS installed from debootstrap. No X installed, but if you search this forum I had a thread going with BuZz about installing X and the appropriate EMGD drivers. I've had Chrome and Opera (much friendlier for touch screen) working fine with no window manager.

If you wanted, you could even skip all this and just use the currently available Opera browser for the O2 OS in kiosk mode. PnP or PnP2 will install it with no trouble - although you may want to extract it individually from PnP2, as that installs everything and a kitchen sink.

I'm a Linux Engineer working for a fine company here in the UK.

Intriguing! If you can, please say more. And if the Joggler stuff goes, please make sure the Jogglers themselves make their way into other people's hands and not into a skip.

[dwl99]

Also bear in mind that the Joggler's internal memory isn't very robust & is prone to failing. I agree with Roobarb that external memory is the way to go.

[gegs]

And if the Joggler stuff goes, please make sure the Jogglers themselves make their way into other people's hands and not into a skip.

I second that!

[gegs]

If you wanted, you could even skip all this and just use the currently available Opera browser for the O2 OS in kiosk mode.

I don't think this would suit. I'm assuming from benbooth493's original post that he wants the browser to run an SWF file. Opera for the stock OS doesn't support Flash.

[BuZz]

Quickest method - hack an existing distro like xubuntu - removing everything you dont need and make it boot into web browser directly or whatever you need.

slower - build fram scratch - note you can get my kernel diffs/configs from http://joggler.exotica.org.uk/source/

[roobarb!]

If you wanted, you could even skip all this and just use the currently available Opera browser for the O2 OS in kiosk mode.

I don't think this would suit. I'm assuming from benbooth493's original post that he wants the browser to run an SWF file. Opera for the stock OS doesn't support Flash.

Ah, good point. Yes, throw Opera out of the window for this, in that case.

[Mevi]

If you have no need for wifi, you can swap that out for a good quality flash stick hidden inside. Saves someone pulling the stick from the side port and putting it in their pocket.

[pete]

I utilize an Archlinux configuration for a Seagate Dockstar (Arm CPU). I've not tried it on the Joggler. The installation of Archlinux though was plugnplay.

I am using the ArchLinux base for a Wintel port of a Mono Program / web server application/mysql which runs my sprinkler system. Connected to the ArchLinux running Seagate Dockstar is a USB to serial device to two 8 solenoid sprinkler switches. It is though running off of two little HP 165 USB memory sticks. One is a backup of the other one. My first attempt though on the Seagate Dockstar was following a Sheeva PogoPlug methodology; but they are almost the identical same ARM 1.2Ghz CPU.

I too agree and would be cautious using internal NVRAM. I've trashed a few Jogglers a few times just reading / writing a few times for this and that.

That said you could boot into a base Linux command prompt, prep a USB stick with a couple of partitions (ext2-3 and swap), download the Archlinux soup du jour OS for Intel, prep USB stick, copy over the files and see what happens. You really can't mess up the Joggler writing to an external memory stick.

Most likely pacman will be most current; but you could update that too.

[danfoshizzle]

Yeah archlinux on the joggler is something I would like to see.

[pete]

The Joggler has enough horsepower to run Archlinux pretty well.

For whatever reason (mostly memory) Archlinux running on the 1.2Ghz Arm Seagate Dockstar ran circles around the 1.2Ghz Pink Pogo Plug. I had some issues with the internal 120/240VAC Pink Pogo Plug internal power supply heat build up. It was mostly my fault though for putting it in a confined space.

Wonder though if there are touch screen drivers for the Joggler / Archlinux?