Linux on the PK?

[Sabahattin Gucukoglu]

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Hi all,

I'm not sure that, given the choice of indoctrinating the PackMate or 
moving to an already-Linux-enabled note-taker like the Elba, there is much 
room for question of choice.  Certainly, there is a lot of potential in 
making Linux run on a more common and less obscure architecture, 
especially with the impartial support or interest of FreedomScientific, 
but if you wanted to use a notetaker specifically because it ran Linux and 
gave you everything then moving to the Elba is IMHO substantially 
comparable.  It runs a StrongARM 400, uses Debian GNU/Linux, is only a 
little larger in both models than the corresponding PackMate, and is 
paradise as far as functionality and openness are concerned.  They will 
dish out the root passwords if required, and yes - the shell is fully 
accessible.  About the only thing that isn't open is their screen reader 
and Elloquence, both supplied as closed.  This particular behemoth is 
provided by Papenmeier.  More importantly, this is the sort of 
functionality we are expecting to get out of our BrailleNotes or 
PackMates; there is no denying that significant work must be done!  We 
don't yet know what we will lose because of lack of support from these 
companies, but I only hope FreedomScientific will carry forth its 
curiosity, if only for J.R.'s sake.  I'd certainly like to think that 
PulseData would do the same, but so far this seems exceptionally unlikely. 
 I don't know whether, given their hardware is the best feature of the 
entire sale, getting the specs is going to prove any simpler than getting 
that code.  We've always known that, of course, but we've got to try and 
ride this out as far as we can before concluding that only our own 
resources can uncover the secrets.  Remember, we're going to get an SDK 
soon, that may be the start...

Cheers,
Sabahattin
- -- 
Thought for the day:
    A penny saved is ridiculous.


Sabahattin Gucukoglu
Phone: +44 20 7,502-1615
Mobile: +44 7986 053399
http://www.sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/
Email/MSN: <mail at Sabahattin-Gucukoglu.com>


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