Familiar Linux

{{Short description|Linux distribution for iPAQ machines and other PDAs}}

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| screenshot = FamiliarLinux_GPE_Screensot.png

| screenshot_alt = Familiar Linux with GPE

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| family = Linux (Unix-like)

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| source model = Open source

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| latest release version = v0.8.4 /

| latest release date = March, 2007

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| ui = OPIE, GPE

| license = GNU GPL

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| website = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20050207003346/http://familiar.handhelds.org/|familiar.handhelds.org}}

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Familiar Linux is a discontinued Linux distribution for iPAQ devices and other personal digital assistants (PDAs),{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51975801|title=Software configuration management : ICSE Workshops SCM 2001 and SCM 2003, Toronto, Canada, May 14-15, 2001 and Portland, OR, USA, May 9-10, 2003 : selected papers|date=2003|publisher=Springer|others=Bernhard Westfechtel, André van der Hoek, SCM|isbn=978-3-540-39195-1|location=Berlin|oclc=51975801}}{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63766883|title=Crossing design boundaries : proceedings of the 3rd Engineering & Product Design Education International Conference, Edinburgh, UK, 15-16 September, 2005|date=2005|publisher=Taylor & Francis|others=Paul Rodgers, E. K. Brodhurst, Duncan Hepburn, Design Society. Design Education Special Interest Group, Institution of Engineering Designers|isbn=0-415-39118-0|location=London|oclc=63766883}} intended as a replacement for Windows CE. It can use OPIE or GPE Palmtop Environment as the graphical user interface.

Technical details

It is loosely based on the Debian ARM distribution, but uses the ipkg package manager. It contained Python and XFree86.{{Cite web|date=2005-02-27|title=LinuxDevCenter.com: Linux on an iPAQ|url=http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2001/06/01/linux_ipaq.html|access-date=2021-04-25|website=O'Reilly Media|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050227154129/http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2001/06/01/linux_ipaq.html|archive-date=2005-02-27}}

History

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.{{Cite web|title=In Pictures: Linux for mobile. A visual history|url=https://www.arnnet.com.au/slideshow/521891/pictures-linux-mobile-visual-history/|access-date=2021-04-26|website=ARNnet}}

It was developed as part of the Handhelds.org project.{{Cite web|title=LWN.net weekly edition|url=https://static.lwn.net/2001/0607/|access-date=2021-04-25|website=LWN.net}}

Reception

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".{{Cite web|date=2004-12-15|title=Running Linux on an iPAQ|url=http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-ipaq.html?ca=dgr-lnxw04iPaq|access-date=2021-04-25|website=IBM developerWorks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041215205932/http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-ipaq.html?ca=dgr-lnxw04iPaq|archive-date=2004-12-15}}

References

External links

{{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20050207003346/http://familiar.handhelds.org/}}
[http://linux.omnipotent.net/article.php?article_id=12287 Linux.com interview with the original author] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425185916/http://linux.omnipotent.net/article.php?article_id=12287 |date=2021-04-25 }}

Category:Linux

Category:ARM Linux distributions

Category:Linux distributions

Category:Discontinued Linux distributions