Familiar Linux
Linux distribution for iPAQ machines and other PDAs
Familiar Linux is a discontinued Linux distribution for iPAQ devices and other personal digital assistants (PDAs), intended as a free replacement for Windows CE. It can use OPIE or GPE Palmtop Environment as the graphical user interface.
01Technical details
It is loosely based on the Debian ARM distribution, but uses the ipkg package manager. It contained Python and XFree86.
02History
In May 2000, Alexander Guy took a kernel that had been worked on by Compaq programmers, built a complete Linux distribution around it, and released the first version of Familiar (v0.1).
The first version was released in May 2000.
It was developed as part of the Handhelds.org project.
03Reception
According to a 2004 review by IBM developerWorks, Familiar Linux needed more polish and "could gain mass acceptance if a dual-boot procedure were made possible".
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Familiar Linux”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- FamiliarLinux GPE Screensot.png by Unknown author, GPL
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