Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 11:59:24 -0600 From: kitsune <kitbsdlists@HotPOP.com> To: Gary Dunn <knowtree@aloha.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Is FreeBSD suitable for a tablet PC? Message-ID: <20030214115924.69b836cd.kitbsdlists@HotPOP.com> In-Reply-To: <20030214104131.65f91a6b.knowtree@aloha.com> References: <20030214104131.65f91a6b.knowtree@aloha.com>
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On Fri, 14 Feb 2003 10:41:31 -1000 Gary Dunn <knowtree@aloha.com> wrote: > I am working on a project that applies open-source philosophy to > hardware design and courseware aimed at the secondary school and > college level. The centerpiece of the project is a self-made portable > computer similar to the newly reborn Windows tablet PC. There are > still many design details to be worked out -- thin client vs. full > featured, independent workstation, for example -- but one of the most > fundamental issues is the choice of operation system. > > I have been using FreeBSD at work since version 2.something and am > completely satisfied with it as a server. Setting up X and a clean > user experience was a lot of work. I kept hearing about Linux and how > much more it was like Windows, so I bought a box of Mandrake 6.5 > and gave it a try. I was very impressed with how smooth the > installation went and the resulting workspace -- not just for myself, > mind you, but for a hypothetical newbie. I have continued to use > Mandrake, and have 8.1 running on my little Sony SR7K notebook with an > 802.11b home LAN. (But that was NOT a newbie level task, I can assure > you!) Linux is just another unix clone with not that truely seperates it from any of the others... but any ways setting up FreeBSD is simple. Not sure about linux being much more like windows than FreeBSD... /me does not regards niether of them to be any thing like windows... the closest thing they have to windows is KDE which looks some what like windows in that it has a startbar thing... > My biggest complaint is poor battery life; about an hour. Even less if > I use Xemacs! > > I continue to have doubts about using FreeBSD for my reference > design. To me it seems like using a cargo ship to go fishing. Okay, > how about holding school in a sports stadium? Using a deer rifle to > kill a mouse? A fire hose to fill a water glass? > > On the other hand, FreeBSD as a complete OS -- kernel plus ports -- > comes the closest to my ideal. The technology is cutting edge, we > don't get too tangled up in different versions and feature sets, and > there is this wonderful community. Most Linux distros have their own > community of supporters, too, but so often they become, well, so > passionate. > > I would enjoy hearing your opinions on how well FreeBSD supports these > requirements: > > o Long battery life (e.g. automatic CPU speed throttle) do a man on apm > o Multi-level power management > - Full speed > - Reduced speed > - Suspend > - Hibernation man apm should help > o 802.11b networking > - Automatic configuration in a many-access point setting > - Seamless transition to wired or dial-up connections http://www.FreeBSD.org/releases/4.7R/hardware-i386.html moving from connection to connection is easy... never done it with wireless, but have done it with ethernet... doing dial-up on freebsd works nicely > o Digitizer input > (I have John Joganic's Linux Wacom tablet driver working on my > VAIO) This is provided by X... goto /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/input and ye will see what input stuff there is for the version of X ye have installed > o Handwriting recognition > (Not really there even in Linux) does not exist in either, afaik > Finally, a shameless plug: I am looking for help, so if this sounds > like something you'd like to participate in please drop me a line and > visit my mailing list sign-up page. ---------------- -kitsune when asking a fox expect a foxy reply To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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