Jlime
Encyclopedia
Jornada Linux Mobility Edition (JLime for short) is a Linux distribution
originally only aimed for the HP Jornada platform. It was created in Late 2003 by Kristoffer Ericson
and Henk Brunstin.
It's being developed using the OpenEmbedded
build system.
The Jornada had been unsupported in 2.6 kernel (due to lack of developers / test machines) and first year was focused on enabling support. 2.6.9 was the first kernel to be able to boot.
In early February of 2006 the JLime site was renovated by the JLime forum user "chazco".http://jlime.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=245
Recent development added the NEC Mobilepro 900 and Ben NanoNote
among the supported devices.
based installation tool which can install JLime onto the Jornada 6xx without the need of any Linux machine, however development of this method has halted and has not been applied to any handheld PC other than the jornada 6xx. Most PDA systems use flash memory, but the Jornada handheld computers lack this facility. Therefore, JLime is installed onto a (partitioned) compact flash card. The installer uses a text based dialog
orientated interface.
called ipkg
to handle packages (see package management system
), it can install/remove/update through any existing internet connection or locally. Packages are downloaded from so-called feed repositories and dependencies are handled automatically.http://handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/Ipkg
as a GUI 'environment'. JLime includes the following applications with icewm: Minimo
, XChat, dillo
, Rox-filer, Abiword
, Leafpad, Torsmo and a few other useful applications.
Linux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
originally only aimed for the HP Jornada platform. It was created in Late 2003 by Kristoffer Ericson
Kristoffer Ericson
Kristoffer Ericson is a Swedish Linux coder best known for his work on embedded systems. He currently maintains two platforms in the Linux kernel and sponsors several others....
and Henk Brunstin.
It's being developed using the OpenEmbedded
OpenEmbedded
OpenEmbedded is a software framework to create Linux distributions aimed for, but not restricted to, embedded devices. The build system is based on BitBake recipes, which behave similar to Gentoo's ebuilds....
build system.
History and name
The work on JLime began in late 2003 due to the need for a working Linux distribution on the HP 6xx Jornada platform. The idea behind JLime is a distribution that brings speed and portability to the Jornada.The Jornada had been unsupported in 2.6 kernel (due to lack of developers / test machines) and first year was focused on enabling support. 2.6.9 was the first kernel to be able to boot.
In early February of 2006 the JLime site was renovated by the JLime forum user "chazco".http://jlime.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=245
Recent development added the NEC Mobilepro 900 and Ben NanoNote
Ben NanoNote
The Ben NanoNote is a small cheap pocket computer that runs Linux. OpenWrt is the software platform and the Ben Nanonote is the physical development platform for the Qi Hardware project.From the Ben Nanonote website:- History :...
among the supported devices.
JLime Installer
JLime developers "Chazco" and "B_Lizzard" created an initrdInitrd
In computing, initrd is a scheme for loading a temporary file system into memory in the boot process of the Linux kernel. initrd and initramfs refer to slightly different methods of achieving this...
based installation tool which can install JLime onto the Jornada 6xx without the need of any Linux machine, however development of this method has halted and has not been applied to any handheld PC other than the jornada 6xx. Most PDA systems use flash memory, but the Jornada handheld computers lack this facility. Therefore, JLime is installed onto a (partitioned) compact flash card. The installer uses a text based dialog
Dialog box
In a graphical user interface of computers, a dialog box is a type of window used to enable reciprocal communication or "dialog" between a computer and its user. It may communicate information to the user, prompt the user for a response, or both...
orientated interface.
Package management
JLime uses a minimalistic tool of APTAdvanced Packaging Tool
The Advanced Packaging Tool, or APT, is a free user interface that works with core libraries to handle the installation and removal of software on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution and its variants...
called ipkg
Ipkg
ipkg, or the Itsy Package Management System, is a lightweight package management system designed for embedded devices that resembled Debian's dpkg. It was used in the Unslung operating system for the Linksys NSLU2 , in OpenWrt, Openmoko, webOS, Gumstix, the iPAQ, QNAP NASes, Synology NASes and...
to handle packages (see package management system
Package management system
In software, a package management system, also called package manager, is a collection of software tools to automate the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing software packages for a computer's operating system in a consistent manner...
), it can install/remove/update through any existing internet connection or locally. Packages are downloaded from so-called feed repositories and dependencies are handled automatically.http://handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/Ipkg
icewm on Jornada
JLime is a fully functioning Linux distro and currently uses icewm window managerIceWM
IceWM is a stacking window manager for the X Window System graphical infrastructure, written by Marko Maček. It was coded from scratch in C++ and is released under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License...
as a GUI 'environment'. JLime includes the following applications with icewm: Minimo
Minimo
Minimo was a project to create a version of the Mozilla web browser for small devices like PDAs and mobile phones.The project aimed to make it easier for developers to embed parts of Mozilla into systems with limited system resources...
, XChat, dillo
Dillo
Dillo is a minimalistic web browser particularly intended for older or slower computers and embedded systems. It supports only plain HTML/XHTML and images over HTTP; scripting is ignored entirely. Dillo is available for Linux, BSD, Solaris and Mac OS X. Due to its small size, it is the browser of...
, Rox-filer, Abiword
AbiWord
AbiWord is a free and open source software word processor. It was originally started by SourceGear Corporation as the first part of a proposed AbiSuite. Development stopped when SourceGear changed their focus to Internet appliances. AbiWord was adopted by some open source developers and AbiWord...
, Leafpad, Torsmo and a few other useful applications.
Developer List
Here is the list of the current active developers involved in the JLiME projecthttp://jlime.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=93&t=1243.Kernel Maintainers
- Kristoffer Ericson (kristoffer) - kernel hp6xx/hp7xx
- Rafael Ignacio Zurita (rafa) - kernel hp6xx
- Michael Petchkovsky (cosmo0) - kernel mp900
Package/Userland Maintainers
- Alex Palestras (B_lizzard) - packages hp6xx (OE) (2006 - ......)
- Matt Oudenhoven (wicked) - packages hp7xx/mp900 (OE)
Past Maintainers
- Jan Misiak (fijam) - Documentation maintainer & Kernel Tester (2006 - Oct 2007)
Releases
| Release Name | Platform | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Shrek | [HP] 620/660/680/690 |
|
| Donkey | [HP] 620/660/680/690 |
|
| Vargtass | [HP] 620/660/680/690 |
|
| Mongo | [HP] 720/728 |
|
| Farquaad | [NEC] 770/780/790/800/880 |
|
| Henchman | [NEC] 900/900c |
|
| Muffinman | Ben Nanonote |
|
JLime developed ports
| Release Name | HP Jornada Supported | port of |
|---|---|---|
| Shlack | 620/660/680/690 |
|
| Manfred | 620/660/680/690 |
|
| Stark | (not released yet) 720/728 |
|
| Shark | (not released yet) 620/660/680/690 |
|
External links
- jLime Home page
- Introduction to JLime by the founder
- Handhelds.org
- Presente y Futuro de las Handheld PC Jornada (Spanish)
- Running Linux on HP Jornada 720
- distrowatch.com
- NetBSD's port to ARM-based handhelds, including Jornada 710/720/728
Reviews
- Review of JLime Donkey 1.0.2 by Charles Hague, HPC:Factor (22 January 2007)