720degrees is a distribution of the Debian GNU/Linux ARM port customized for the HP Jornada 710/720/728 palmtop computers.
The goal of this distribution is to provide an updated and working ready-to-use installation of Debian for the Jornada 720. Due to the method that the Jornada has to bootload the Linux kernel from the Windows CE environment, there is no way to use a regular installation of Debian. Thus, the simplest way to install Debian on the Jornada is by copying a set of files from a base installation onto a Linux-partitioned CompactFlash card. Prior to this release, the most recent, widely available ready-to-use image is nearing one year old and consists of Debian ARM Sarge-testing files installed over a Woody base.
720degrees is a pure Debian Sarge-stable release, made by installing a fresh Sarge base system from scratch using debootstrap. The default install was then configured with basic Jornada 720 specific settings and packaged. With the base package, the choice of additional applications, X server, and window manager is left completely to the user.
At this time, this distribution is just a pure Debian Sarge installation set with configuration tweaks specifically for the Jornada 720. Preconfigured application and graphic environment sets may be made available as this distribution matures.
There are already a number of options for people wanting to use Linux instead of Windows CE on the Jornada 720.
JLiMe (Jornada Linux Mobile Edition) is a newer distribution which focuses on the SH3 based Jornada 600 series. Although support for the 700 series is promised, the lead developers have announced that they will only support Kernel 2.6, and therefore 700 series-ready JLiMe will have to wait until a working 2.6 patch is available for the J720.
Update: The JLiMe team has succeeded in creating a working 2.6 kernel for the Jornada 700 series. Their distro based on this kernel will be available soon.
Should I use JLiMe or 720degrees?
This is promarily a question of what you want to do with your Jornada. A Jornada Palmtop is neither a handheld nor a desktop, but a mix of the two. The emphasis of JLiMe is to create a viable Linux handheld platform, versus the desktop/pocket workstation approach of 720degrees. That having been said, you can also do a desktop setup with JLime or a PDA setup with 720degrees -- it is merely a matter of emphasis. Choose the distro which best suits your needs.
The proposed J-720 Distro, as of yet unnamed, was announced by ProgramSynthesiser on the HPCFactor forums. He has stated that he plans to start with a Debian ARM system, but he also intends to eventually break off from Debian to work with a compact, tightly configured Slackware-based distribution. His project has the goals of creating a bloat-free, highly optimized embedded Linux distribution for the Jornada 720.
This distribution has now been named goPhaSt! and is the optimized branch of 720degrees.
This distribution is intended for those who want a full-blown Debian installation in a "pocket workstation," in contrast to using the Jornada 720 as a Linux PDA. It will focus on customizing existing Debian packaged software for use on the Jornada 720, and providing ready-to-install filesystems that are updated and working.
Currently the Jornada 720 is best supported by Linux Kernel 2.4. The latest kernel and modules from the J720 Kernel Maintainer (Michael Gernoth) work well with this distribution. Kernel 2.6 does not yet work fully on the Jornada 720 without a flashboard, and has not yet been released by the maintainer.
Michael's official patch upgrades the kernel Orinoco drivers to 0.15-rc2, which supports monitor mode without patching on Orinoco cards having firmware prior to version 8. For people with Orinoco cards that have version 8 firmware, I have backported the 0.13e Orinoco drivers to the kernel and they are available here as part of this distribution.
Support for the Jornada hardware is dependent on the kernel and maintainer patches, and is common among all of the different Linux distributions available. The current kernel (2.4) provides support for the keyboard, 16-bit PCMCIA cards, including both wired and wireless network adapters, IrDA, sound, and touchscreen. On the other hand, the current 2.6 kernel reportedly boots but will not support wireless (hence it remaining unreleased by Michael). Likewise, the limitation of lack of true hardware suspend faced by all non-flashboard based Linux installations on the Jornada 720 is also shared by this distribution, until a solution is found by the kernel maintainer (or anyone else).
http://wwwcip.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/~simigern/jornada-7xx/linux-2.4.32-j720/
This link always points to the latest 2.4.32 kernel build by Michael, current version is 2.4.32-j720-10
You will need the initrd, modules, and vmlinuz files only - ignore the config and patch files.
Alternatively my kernel files with the backported Orinoco drivers are here:
Orinoco Driver Backport - Kernel and Bootloader
Orinoco Driver Backport - Modules
Kernel 2.4.32-j720-10, March 6, 2006
Lastly, you'll need the linexec.exe kernel bootloader. If you downloaded the Backport package, linexec.exe is already included and you won't need to download it seperately.
Kernel 2.6 Release
A working 2.6 kernel patch was developed by Kristoffer Ericsson, the new 720 kernel maintainer, along with other members of the JLime team.
Download Kernel 2.6.17 - Fully featured kernel compiled by PS with JLime patch release 2. This is a Kernel + Bootloader tarball for extraction to the FAT partition on your CF.
Download Modules for Kernel 2.6.17 - Extract this tarball to your root partition.
Download the 720degrees base installation here:
NEW 720degrees, Debian Sarge r2 stable base installation
720degrees-sarge-r2-base.tar.bz2, 30 MB, expands to approximately 80 MB
August 1, 2006
720degrees, Debian Sarge-stable base installation
720degrees-debian-sarge-base.tar.bz2, 30 MB, expands to approximately 80 MB
March 1, 2006
OR
720degrees, Debian Etch-testing base installation
720degrees-debian-etch-base.tar.bz2, 30 MB, expands to approximately 80 MB
March 1, 2006
Debian Etch-testing base for Kernel 2.6
720etchbase01.tar.bz2
August 2006
Extract the files to the CF card.
Mount the two partitions of your CF card.
tar -xjvpf 720degrees-debian-sarge-base-j720.tar.bz2 -C [root of the ext2 partition, mounted]
tar -xjvpf modules-2.4.32-j720-xx.tar.bz2 -C [root of the ext2 partition, mounted]
or modules.tar.bz2, if you're using the kernel with the backported drivers
Put the kernel files and bootloader on the FAT partition.
If you are using a stock kernel, i.e. direct download from the kernel maintainer, you need to copy linexec.exe, params.txt, vmlinuz-2.4.32-j720-xx and initrd-2.4.32.gz into the FAT partition. Edit params.txt to reflect the names of the kernel files and save it.
If you are using my kernel with the backported drivers, the files needed in the FAT partition are packed together in the tarball you downloaded. Extract it directly with
tar -xjvf kernelfiles.tar.bz2 -C [root of the FAT partition, mounted]
Boot into Debian, finalize configuration with base-config, and use apt to start installing packages.
base-config new
Base-config is not present on the Etch image. Manual configuration will be necessary.
Discussions regarding 720degrees will be held on the HPCFactor forums for now.
Since 720degrees is based on Debian, existing Debian-based documentation and tutorials are applicable and widely available. For topics unique to the Jornada 720 and this distribution, documentation will be prepared here.
Ironically, I'm neither a coder nor Linux guru (yet!) -- I'm just an enthusiastic Debian user frustrated with the lack of an updated and regularly maintained set of Debian files tailored for the Jornada 720, combined with a little too much free time. Any help with maintaining releases is appreciated, and coding help will likely be needed as this distribution takes shape.
At this time, the most important help needed would be file hosting. Please make any offers for assistance in the relevant discussion threads on HPCFactor.com.
720degrees is the amount of rotation in a double turn -- it's a play on the Jornada 720 name and the idea that Linux is being used to completely flip the Jornada around from obsoletion. The logo is derived in part from the logo of Debian, since 720degrees is Debian-based. Additionally, the spiral in the logo is a 720 degree spiral containing exactly 2 complete revolutions. The blue accents match the color of the shell of these Jornada palmtops.
Last updated August 1, 2006