My 24 yr outdated HP Jornada can do issues your trendy iPhone nonetheless cannot do!
I wish to tinker with outdated {hardware}. The DEC PDP-8 is my favourite retro computer and Office 2003 is the perfect model ever launched IMHO. Considered one of my different favourite retro gadgets is the HP Jornada 720. A small handheld PC (smaller than a netbook) working Home windows CE or in my case, Linux. It has an honest keyboard, CFL backlit display screen, 32 MB of RAM(!), a compact Flash card for storage and a stylus for the resistive touchscreen. Oh and I obtained a 10Mbit PCMCIA community card, however wi-fi playing cards are additionally nonetheless out there. It may be outdated, launched in 1999, however can do one factor your trendy iPhone cannot.
You’ll be able to develop, compile and run native software program on it. It has a C and C++
compiler, Python is offered in addition to Perl so it’s a full fledged
improvement workstation. Not solely are you able to develop software program on it, it will probably run
that software program as properly.
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Screenshot of GCC compiling my code
Screenshot of my compiled code working
Here is a review of the system working customary Home windows CE and here is an
other review together with a comparability to its predecessor, the Jornada 680. NCommander has an excellent video on the 680e and the usage of the
system on the Dutch Railways (NS). Previously I additionally had a NS 680e however the
battery went dangerous, bricking your entire unit, so I sadly needed to throw that away.
The Jornada 720 price me 80 EUR on the Dutch CraigsList (marktplaats), used,
however boxed together with the guide and software program CD-ROM.
Gaming on the HP Jornada, OpenTTD is my favourite recreation. Doom can also be out there.
Bow for me for I’m root
I’ve a rule that I attempt to adhere to for gadgets I personal. They need to permit a way
of root or administrative actions. The Nintendo Swap I obtained second hand is outdated
sufficient to be jailbroken. The 2 Apple gadgets I personal (a primary gen iPad Air and
first-gen iPhone SE) have vulnerabilities that give me root entry. All Android
telephones I owned I’ve particularly purchased as a result of the bootloader could be unlocked.
As soon as I purchase a tool, it’s mine and I resolve what to do with it. Not the
producer. In any other case it’s e-waste the second it leaves the manufacturing unit.
With the ability to develop software program on a tool is sort of a should have as properly for me.
Lacking performance, in any other case generally known as stuff the producer doesn’t make
(sufficient) cash on, could be programmed again in so long as you possibly can develop on a
system and are prepared to place in sufficient time and/or cash.
Or, utilizing a really a lot succesful laptop for issues the producer did
not consider or have been no apps for. Keep in mind the Polish garage that still uses a
Commodore 64 for his or her enterprise?
Fashionable telephones, each Android and iPhone gadgets, can not simply program
purposes on the system itself, they require a second system, specifically a
laptop (Mac or hackingtosh for iPhones even) that may develop and compile
software program for the system. And within the case of Apple, it’s even as much as them to
will let you run software program on the system. Such a monopoly should be forbidden
by law.
Again within the day the Commodore 64 and different house computer systems booted up into Primary
and the one factor you might do was program the system (or begin a recreation). I
may be an outlier as a result of my main PC is a Raspberry Pi and my backup
Home windows laptop computer is a 2014 Medion mannequin, however with an upgraded SSD and extra RAM.
The Intel Core i7 in that beast is greater than succesful, so why substitute it?
Linux on the Jornada 720 in 2023
This HP Jornada, a tool launched in 1999, means that you can develop and run
software program on it. A 3rd celebration linux distro is available, JLime, even in
2023 because of HPCfactor. JLime was launched round 2008.
The JLime desktop
Someone else has a modern Debian working on it. With the total
measurement mini keyboard and 5 hours of battery life mine nonetheless has (or extra should you
substitute the cells) it is an ideal little pocket-able system.
JLime construct model data
I’ve uploaded the working JLime I use to Archive.org. The HPCFactor
model had points unpacking for me, I feel my tar model is just too new, it
complained about not discovering the subsequent header file.
A little bit of fiddling is required in 2023 to get Linux working. The trendy
Debian/Devuan is approach to sluggish for my part (though a marvel of engineering,
getting such a contemporary distro working on an outdated system).
Mini Mozilla browser on JLime
The JLime distro, with a 2.6.25 kernel is far quicker. For jotting down notes or Pocket Paint or a recreation of SimCity, Home windows CE is ok. Pocket Phrase is greater than succesful as is Abiword or your favourite terminal text editor.
Jotting down some notes in AbiWord
For software program improvement, Linux is a should. To develop for Home windows CE you may want
a PC with Visible Studio, the identical difficulty as trendy iPhone’s have. There are some
GCC variations for Pocket PC lingering on-line however I could not get them to work.
Dillo, a textual content primarily based browser on JLime
Partitioning your compact flash card is not that tough, neither is copying some information
to it to run Linux. With the JLime construct I am utilizing GCC is included however the
improvement headers weren’t, so I could not embody <iostream> or
stdio.h.
Nevertheless, as a result of I’ve the PCMCIA community card and since HPCfactor still
runs an online repository, putting in packages is straightforward, in my case simply an
ipkg set up libstdc++-dev away:
Customers must be answerable for their gadgets
So is that this real looking? Would I want this Jornada over a contemporary iPhone? In all probability
not. Would I like an iPhone or iPad that may develop software program on it, for
itself? Sure completely.
Is it a technical difficulty? Completely no, these new gadgets are greater than succesful
computer systems. It is purely a administration / cash difficulty. Apple doesn’t get their 30%
or 15% lower, so they like promoting you e-waste within the hope that you just purchase a brand new
one after a yr. And naturally that accompanying Mac for app improvement.
On the Android facet it is a bit higher. Usually bootloaders could be unlocked
permitting for issues like PostmarketOS being installed when the system
reached its manufacturer-decided finish of life (no extra software program updates on
in any other case succesful {hardware}).
I’ve the identical Poco F1 as Drew DeVault, additionally working PostmarketOS. It runs Qt
Creator simply nice permitting me to program on the system.
You’ll be able to even run Clion (a C++ ide) on Android, or simply about every other
Linux distro / software on most Android gadgets via a bunch of
different apps. This permits for many Android to surpass the producers
finish of life on account of them now not offering software program updates.
Boy do I miss the nice outdated days, the place gadgets have been programmable by their homeowners
as an alternative of simply e-waste consumption slabs.
What number of gadgets do you could have mendacity in a drawer someplace which can be simply nice
{hardware} smart, however lack the software program updates or improvement capabilities
to be helpful right now?
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