Bulding new kernel and userland for Psion Netbook Pro using Open Embedded

This thread is a continuation of "Netbook Pro I've found a working Linux distro". A lot happened since the first post, we used our machines with 2.6.9 kernel, now it is time to build a new kernel and userland, most likely with OE + Angstrom. Please join so we can have best HPC running latest embedded GNU/Linux.

Please keep us posted on this, salmonito!!

Sounds great!

Forgot to ask, given the progress that has been made on the Netbook Pro with Linux, is there any advantage to getting the Linux developer version of the Netbook Pro, other than the obvious; it has Linux already on it, and more RAM?

Or with what is happening now, one will have the same Linux setup with a regular Netbook Pro, plus the option if one wants of running it with WM instead of Linux...

Hope this makes sense.....



Thanks!

Salmonito,
Greetings. I have been attempting to decipher instructions to install Openembedded. Christ, what a chore. I really want to get this going since it's holding me up but I find a lot of instructions are full of jargon or terminology or just plain bad English that I don't understand.

I think one of the main benefits of me getting openembedded installed on my linux box will be clear installation instructions for like-minded idiots. I am humbled.

Toolchain really seems to mean, every tool in the universe. All of my efforts have ended with "broken" or "unresolved" or other exception. I've loaded so many "tools" I'm expecting my next error to be "Warning, Disk space low."

For starters, I tried apt-gettable OE. Do you have any suggestions?

Paul

With eee type devices running linux I can't see the netbook pro demanding too much of a premium in the market. The regular netbook had leather now the pro has plastic (with some internal improvements granted). But the eee is quite a boost in performance for a netbook type device.

The price of the LX is very high it being made only for developers. The extra ram is nice but not worth the money I've seen on ebay and the likes. Expansys wanted over a thousand dollars for one earlier this year.

Sorry about hijacking that thread.

I want to get the toolchain built. I need a road map. Any help out there? Further, I noted on the OE page the images for the pro are dated 3/08. I do not understand their conventions and I don't see any references explaining what is deposited there but something is new.

Paul K

Did anything ever come of this? It seems that the 2.6.9 kernel is still the best kernel that is available for the netbook pro, as far as I can find.

I'm going to have a go at building a 2.6.28 kernel for the netbook pro; initially including display drivers for the Epson S1D13506 graphics controller. I have also discovered that the Netbook Pro graphics controller has BitBLT for Write, Move, Solid Fill, Pattern Fill, Transparent write, and Read BLT. So it should eventually be possible to have decent windowing performance too I have also obtained all the sources that were released for the Netbook Pro 2.6.9 kernel (don't know if the sources are complete though). Would be nice to have the Simtec Epson drivers to be honest, but anyway!

Once this is all done, it should be possible to get Debian ARMLinux up on the Netbook pro. Currently running Debian Etch on QEMU under Ubuntu Intrepid . It looks very nice at 800x600 and would look even better on the Netbook Pro!

This is a welcome activity. I'm working a new job but I check in now and then. If nothing else, I'll try to follow along.

Paul K