[ba-ohs-talk] Linux on iPAQ H3600 for MIT’s Oxygen Project

["John J. Deneen" <jjdeneen@netzero.net>]

Ref.
< http://crl.research.compaq.com/projects/mercury/>

"The Mercury Project software is based on Linux running on the iPAQ H3600. Linux was selected as Mercury’s research platform because it provided critical support for most networking protocols, drivers for most standard PC Cards, and the flexibility necessary to change all aspects of the system. Several examples of how Linux’s flexibility has aided in the development of Mercury include:
 

• The ability to add rotate and resize extensions to X. Combined with the accelerometer, this allows windows to dynamically maintain their top/bottom orientation as the iPAQ H3600 itself is rotated.

• The ability to add improved Mobile IP support and to enhance the performance of handoff

• The ability to implement several power management mechanisms and policies

An additional advantage to using Linux was access to the Open Source community. Compaq’s port of Linux to the iPAQ H3600 is based on the mainstream Linux source tree, the standard ARM Linux port, and the initial Linux work done at WRL/SRC for Itsy.

One goal of the Linux port is to foster an open community of handheld application developers, so that Compaq could explore many different approaches to handheld computing. To facilitate this work Compaq hosts the Open Handhelds web site < http://www.handhelds.org/>, which contains the complete source code for the iPAQ H3600 port of Linux as well as for related applications and tools. Additionally, Compaq also hosts email lists, a community-supported website, and two Open Source Linux distributions for the iPAQ handheld computer.

The Mercury Project investigates similar themes as MIT’s Oxygen Project. The Oxygen Project is a five-year program designed to explore the future of computing. The Oxygen Project will use the BackPAQ as one of its H21 Oxygen Handheld prototypes. Delta Electronics—an Oxygen Alliance Partner—assisted with the fabrication of the BackPAQ. For additional information on MIT’s Oxygen Project visit < http://oxygen.lcs.mit.edu >."