[9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?

[9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?

[Dan Cross]

Has anyone tried this combination?  This is the only iPaq I have available
to me at the moment....

	- Dan C.

(ps- when I ``mk ramdisk'' in /sys/src/9/bitsy, I get a few errors;
some files and directories aren't found by disk/mkfs.  Specifially:

	/lib/ndb/local-cs
	/lib/ndb/mesa
	/sys/src/9/bitsy/sacfiles/unicode.6.font
	/rc/bin/reboot
	/rc/bin/Kill
	/sys/lib/music
	/usr/sape
	/usr/presotto
	/usr/cyoung
	/usr/rob

aren't found on my installation.  I'm assuming that the ndb files
and home directories are not necessary, and am mostly concerned about
unicode.6.font and the scripts.  What's supposed to be in /sys/lib/music?)

(pps- opening up the box for this thing is like opening a set of
Russian dolls....)

Re: [9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?

[presotto]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 970 bytes --]

The user directories aren't important.

unicode.6.font is:

11	9
0x0000	0x00FF	lsr.10
0x0100	0x01f0	../lucida/EuroLatin.5.0
0x2000	0x20aa	../lucida/GenPunct.5.0
0x2200	0x22f1	../lucida/MathOps1.5.0

The /lib/ndb files should be your own, just edit the proto.

/sys/lib/music on our side was just some music files in a
format we're not allowed to release code for.

You shouldn't be using disk/mkfs, you should be using
disk/mksacfs.

The idea is to make a read only file system with what you want in
it to serve as a root file system.  We'll be releasing an update
with a journaling flash file system for the rest of the flash
soon.  I want to test it out a bit first.

That means that the eventual flash memory layout will be:

bootldr
kernel
parameters
compressed read only file system (sac)
journal based real file system (flashfs)

The bootldr is the linux one that you can load following the
instructions on the handhelds.org page.

[-- Attachment #2: Type: message/rfc822, Size: 1984 bytes --]

From: Dan Cross <cross@math.psu.edu>
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: [9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 15:24:30 -0400
Message-ID: <200104181924.PAA09989@math.psu.edu>

Has anyone tried this combination?  This is the only iPaq I have available
to me at the moment....

	- Dan C.

(ps- when I ``mk ramdisk'' in /sys/src/9/bitsy, I get a few errors;
some files and directories aren't found by disk/mkfs.  Specifially:

	/lib/ndb/local-cs
	/lib/ndb/mesa
	/sys/src/9/bitsy/sacfiles/unicode.6.font
	/rc/bin/reboot
	/rc/bin/Kill
	/sys/lib/music
	/usr/sape
	/usr/presotto
	/usr/cyoung
	/usr/rob

aren't found on my installation.  I'm assuming that the ndb files
and home directories are not necessary, and am mostly concerned about
unicode.6.font and the scripts.  What's supposed to be in /sys/lib/music?)

(pps- opening up the box for this thing is like opening a set of
Russian dolls....)

Re: [9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?

[nemo]

I remember from 9fans that the flash had to be erased
to run Plan 9 on the 3635. Would that be still the case
on the 3660?

Re: [9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?

[presotto]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 2322 bytes --]

I'm totally confused about the Compaq model numbers because the
Compaq web pages seem so hard to navigate (missing pages etc).
The model we've developed on is the H3650 that is shipped in the
US with a USB base.  I was told that in some other parts of the world, it ships
with a serial base.   We had to order serial cables for it (just soldered
together the first one and got a few more from Jim Gettys till
more arrived).  The H3650 has 32 MB ram and 16 MB of flash.  If
you were really lucky and got the first batch of H3650's they had
32 MB of flash because Compaq was having a hard time getting 8 MB
flashes and ended up using 16MB chips (the flash is interleaved
across 2 16 bit wide chips to create a 32 bit wide word).

There is now an H3670 that is the same as the H3650 but with
64MB of ram.

Looking at the Compaq site, the H3635 appears to be an H3650
that just costs more.  I'm not sure why, neither was Consumer
Reports.  It may be that it comes prepackaged with an expansion
sleeve, or more software or something, I really don't know.  It
does claim to be the Internet solution so maybe it comes with
a modem.  I've sent mail to compaq asking about the models but
haven't gotten a reply yet, I'll try Jim Gettys later today.

Jim Gettys and George France from Compaq have been incredibly
helpful in getting things going.  They even came down and
visited for a few days.

There's also a cheaper H3100 series that has a 15 level grey
scale screen instead of the 12 bit color of
the H3600 series.  The H3150 has 16MB of RAM and costs
noticably less than the H3650.  We haven't seen one
to play with.  I assume the major diff is just figuring
out the display.  There are linux sources available
from the Compaq guys at www.handhelds.org and once
you know the chips, all of the info is on the net from
the manufacturers.  It was the least painful port for
me to date.

I have constant orders out for more Bitsies.  They are
always backordered and every now and then one filters in.
The most amazing was the first order I placed that filtered
in 10 months later.  I also managed to find a few in a truck
arriving at a Circuit City.  It helps to just ask when
they're expecting more, buy them before they show, and then
wait with your arms out when the truck shows up.

[-- Attachment #2: Type: message/rfc822, Size: 1295 bytes --]

From: nemo@gsyc.escet.urjc.es
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 08:49:04 +0200
Message-ID: <20010419064652.EFD4A19A38@mail.cse.psu.edu>

I remember from 9fans that the flash had to be erased
to run Plan 9 on the 3635. Would that be still the case
on the 3660?

Re: [9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?

[Dan Cross]

In article <20010419143002.3D73819A5C@mail.cse.psu.edu> you write:
>I'm totally confused about the Compaq model numbers because the
>Compaq web pages seem so hard to navigate (missing pages etc).
>The model we've developed on is the H3650 that is shipped in the
>US with a USB base.  I was told that in some other parts of the world,
>it ships with a serial base.   We had to order serial cables for it
>(just soldered together the first one and got a few more from Jim
>Gettys till more arrived).  The H3650 has 32 MB ram and 16 MB of flash.
>If you were really lucky and got the first batch of H3650's they had
>32 MB of flash because Compaq was having a hard time getting 8 MB
>flashes and ended up using 16MB chips (the flash is interleaved
>across 2 16 bit wide chips to create a 32 bit wide word).
>
>There is now an H3670 that is the same as the H3650 but with
>64MB of ram.
>
>Looking at the Compaq site, the H3635 appears to be an H3650
>that just costs more.  I'm not sure why, neither was Consumer
>Reports.  It may be that it comes prepackaged with an expansion
>sleeve, or more software or something, I really don't know.  It
>does claim to be the Internet solution so maybe it comes with
>a modem.  I've sent mail to compaq asking about the models but
>haven't gotten a reply yet, I'll try Jim Gettys later today.

Yeah, the 3635 was the only one that J&R Computer World (in lower
Manhattan) had with a color display, but they had quite a few when I
was there yesterday (maybe 10).  The sales guy was explaining to some
stock broker in a suit why the 3635 cost $100 more than some earlier
model (perhaps the 3650).  Since I had to get back to work, and
listening to people explain technical stuff to stock brokers is about
as interesting as listening to Kit Kat commericals on the radio, I
split without listening further (``Well, so it's like the old one, but
missing this thingy...break me off a piece of that kit kat bar!'').

The 3635 *does* come with an expansion sleeve, but it's the compact
flash kind, which is pretty uninteresting.  There's no modem with it
that I can detect.  I guess I kinda thought that they all came with one
(sleeve), though, if for no other reason than that they wouldn't
physically fit into the sync cradle without one.

>Jim Gettys and George France from Compaq have been incredibly
>helpful in getting things going.  They even came down and
>visited for a few days.

That's cool....

>There's also a cheaper H3100 series that has a 15 level grey
>scale screen instead of the 12 bit color of
>the H3600 series.  The H3150 has 16MB of RAM and costs
>noticably less than the H3650.  We haven't seen one
>to play with.  I assume the major diff is just figuring
>out the display.  There are linux sources available
>from the Compaq guys at www.handhelds.org and once
>you know the chips, all of the info is on the net from
>the manufacturers.  It was the least painful port for
>me to date.
>
>I have constant orders out for more Bitsies.  They are
>always backordered and every now and then one filters in.
>The most amazing was the first order I placed that filtered
>in 10 months later.  I also managed to find a few in a truck
>arriving at a Circuit City.  It helps to just ask when
>they're expecting more, buy them before they show, and then
>wait with your arms out when the truck shows up.

You might try J&R Computer World; we've found at work that they tend to
have a pretty steady stream of the things coming in.  They tend to lack
other things, though, like the PCCARD expansion sleeves and serial sync
cradles.

	- Dan C.

Re: [9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?

[Martin Harriss]

Dan Cross wrote:
......
> >
> >I have constant orders out for more Bitsies.  They are
> >always backordered and every now and then one filters in.
> >The most amazing was the first order I placed that filtered
> >in 10 months later.  I also managed to find a few in a truck
> >arriving at a Circuit City.  It helps to just ask when
> >they're expecting more, buy them before they show, and then
> >wait with your arms out when the truck shows up.
>
> You might try J&R Computer World; we've found at work that they tend to
> have a pretty steady stream of the things coming in.  They tend to lack
> other things, though, like the PCCARD expansion sleeves and serial sync
> cradles.
>
>         - Dan C.

Sears.com is advertising the 3635.  Some of the stores also carry them
-- I was at a Sears in Wilkes-Barre, PA over the weekend and they had
maybe 4 or 5 on hand.  I don't remember which model this was, though.

Martin

Re: [9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?

[David Ness]

Dan Cross wrote:
>
....
>
> Yeah, the 3635 was the only one that J&R Computer World (in lower
> Manhattan) had with a color display, but they had quite a few when I
> was there yesterday (maybe 10).  The sales guy was explaining to some
> stock broker in a suit why the 3635 cost $100 more than some earlier
> model (perhaps the 3650).  Since I had to get back to work, and
> listening to people explain technical stuff to stock brokers is about
> as interesting as listening to Kit Kat commericals on the radio, I
> split without listening further (``Well, so it's like the old one, but
> missing this thingy...break me off a piece of that kit kat bar!'').
>
> The 3635 *does* come with an expansion sleeve, but it's the compact
> flash kind, which is pretty uninteresting.  There's no modem with it
> that I can detect.  I guess I kinda thought that they all came with one
> (sleeve), though, if for no other reason than that they wouldn't
> physically fit into the sync cradle without one.
>

The (fairly definitive) word from the iPAQ NGs is that the 3635 = 3650/3630 +
CF Expansion Sleeve + Two Pieces of Software. The approx. value of the
CF Sleeve is $50, so if you `value' the software at $50 it explains the $100
bump in price.

What you are perhaps confusing is that there is a `sleeve' (piece of hard plastic)
that comes with the 3630/3650 that has _no function_ associated with it other than
to (slightly) protect the device + to make it fit nicely into the sync cradle. I used
my null-sleeve for this purpose until I got my PCMCIA sleeve, but haven't ever used
it since. The other two sleeves, CF and PCMCIA, each have their place, although I
find that the extra power in the PCMCIA sleeve is particularly nice with my 1Gb
MicroDisk.

Re: [9fans] Plan 9 on iPaq 3635?

[David Ness]

Dan Cross wrote:
>
...
>
> Yeah, the 3635 was the only one that J&R Computer World (in lower
> Manhattan) had with a color display, but they had quite a few when I
> was there yesterday (maybe 10).  The sales guy was explaining to some
> stock broker in a suit why the 3635 cost $100 more than some earlier
> model (perhaps the 3650).  Since I had to get back to work, and
> listening to people explain technical stuff to stock brokers is about
> as interesting as listening to Kit Kat commericals on the radio, I
> split without listening further (``Well, so it's like the old one, but
> missing this thingy...break me off a piece of that kit kat bar!'').
>
> The 3635 *does* come with an expansion sleeve, but it's the compact
> flash kind, which is pretty uninteresting.  There's no modem with it
> that I can detect.  I guess I kinda thought that they all came with one
> (sleeve), though, if for no other reason than that they wouldn't
> physically fit into the sync cradle without one.
>

The (fairly definitive) word from the iPAQ NGs is that the 3635 = 3650/3630 +
CF Expansion Sleeve + Two Pieces of Software. The approx. value of the
CF Sleeve is $50, so if you `value' the software at $50 it explains the $100
bump in price.

What you are perhaps confusing is that there is a `sleeve' (piece of hard plastic)
that comes with the 3630/3650 that has _no function_ associated with it other than
to (slightly) protect the device + to make it fit nicely into the sync cradle. I used
my null-sleeve for this purpose until I got my PCMCIA sleeve, but haven't ever used
it since. The other two sleeves, CF and PCMCIA, each have their place, although I
find that the extra power in the PCMCIA sleeve is particularly nice with my 1Gb
MicroDisk.