Hello everyone. I just bought a N800, which I think I did right under the wire because it looks like they're being discontinued. I've been poking around the net for a while reading up on the Internet Tablets and the Linux OS. I figured out enough to know that I'd pay the $200 for a N800 - but wasn't sure enough to pay $400 for the N810 I was hoping folks could answer a few questions for me, or at least point me in the right direction.

I use a Treo 700p with Sprint - has anyone had success using dial up networking with this phone and the N800 or N810? For some reason this information is the most difficult to find a conclusive answer for.

There's a program called Celtx that I use - a Mozilla-based writing program. It's available for Linux, but I don't believe it's ever been compiled specifically for Maemo. Does anyone know about this? And if not - how hard is it for someone who has scant Linux knowledge to setup a scratchbox and compile the source code properly themselves?

Which brings me to another point: Since Linux is open source, shouldn't we be able to - in theory - port over any Linux program to the N8x0? Or am I missing a key point?

Also, is there a site that is a primer on Linux? A while ago, I somehow managed to setup a Windows laptop to dual boot with Ubuntu, and I have Suse Linux running on a really old and once thought dead Toshiba laptop - but I BARELY understand the OS. An evening with Linux usually begins with me confidently striding out into the open source wilds, and ends with three hours of Frozen Bubble. I'd love to find a site that explains the underlying principles behind Linux, and why every time someone tries to explain it to me everything starts out ok before they go "Just type sudo get in the lsr on the dlBiers, you know, where the Nkfiefdom is..." For me, this is a lot like when people would point and scream in Bodysnatchers.

I was going to buy the iPod touch, but I need to be able to use an external keyboard and a word processor (for text files anyway). Also, I found out that the iPhone and iPod touch can't download podcasts. Now, I don't need this - because my Treo - which at this point is like a caveman's femur with a screen protector - can do this. Why on Earth would Jobs and Co. not include this feature? I find it kind of offensive. Anyway -the open sourcy-ness of the N800 attracted me to it - even if the jargon occasionally makes me want to curl up on the floor and have a good cry.

One last question. I ordered a blue tooth keyboard as well, and it was supposed to arrive on May 6th. My tablet is scheduled to arrive on May 2nd. Both are using UPS. My keyboard showed up today, and my tablet is still in Illinois (I am not in Illinois). Do you think UPS is messing with me? Also - didn't that almost sound like the start of an SAT question?

I will stop bothering you now.

Thanks for any help or guidance you can give me!

Wow did you order your Tablet from Amazon.com as well? (Tiger Direct is the sub-company) I too ordered a N800 and UPS says it is in Illinois as well waiting to be delivered on the 2nd as well. Creepy...

I'm not very Linux savvy myself so I can't really help you there so I look forward to seeing other folk's answers. Luckily I am used to OS X and Unix (from home and work respectively) so I'm not completely lost. Though that just means I know how to bring up directives and run stuff.

There are many great sites with intros to Linux. Just google something like "linux tutorial". I liked the site www.linuxbasics.org. There is a more or less permanent Linux class going there.

You can't port absolutely anything to the tablet, because it has fewer resources than your Desktop computer. But lots of things can be ported. My impression is that porting a program to the N800 is not something that someone who wants an intro to Linux can do. People here are very responsive, though, so you might be able to interest someone in helping to port your favorite program, unless it is very tricky to do so.

I personally wouldn't use my N800 for professional level writing or editing. The screen is small, etc. Trivial, quick editing -- sure.

It's a great device, but I think some people try to overpress it into something it's not and get angry at it for not fulfilling their fantasies. It probably has many capabilities that you haven't even thought of. Explore the things it does well rather than waste a lot of effort trying to get it to do things that it or you aren't quite ready for.

If you're using Ubuntu, Ubuntu Screencasts has some great video walkthrus. I also highly recommend The Official Ubuntu Book and the book I used to get started on Linux, The Linux Cookbook, The best way to learn though is to use it as your primary OS. keep it installed and try to acomplish any tasks you would normally do on the computer using linux. For ex when you need to print a google map, check the ITT forums, write a word doc, listen to music etc. do it in Linux. If you encounter some stumbling box, the #ubuntu IRC chat room is very helpful, as is the Ubuntu Forums.

I recently just picked up an n800 as well. $220 for this thing is just too good to pass up. Yeah i wish it had GPS and a slide out keyboard. But I ordered a keyboard seperately and I will do the same with a bluetooth GPS receiver in the near future. I couldn't give up the 2 SD card slots it offers over the n810. Also my order came in waves from amazon, and I got my keyboard first too =)

I can't awnser your treo questions because I haven't done dial up with my n800 yet. I think with my service provider I would have to pay $50 bucks more a month for a tethering charge for unlimited connectivity, or just use it when I need it and pay $.15 a kb. So far I've always only needed to use it in places near free wifi (I was surprised to see how abundant it is.

If you want to compile an open source app for the device it is definitely possible, but its probably not as easy as just that. You must make sure all the needed dependencies can be downloaded or compiled for the n800 as well. Not to mention that almost all apps are designed for desktops, not internet tablets, so there might need to be some coding done to allow it to be usable on the n800 screen size, touch screen, and limited hardware specs compared to a full size desktop. But it can be done.

Welcome to the community, and Rock on!

Well, in theory... almost. :-)

There are some programs that will need too much memory or storage, etc..
And (more of what you'll run into) some programs won't like the 800x480 limitation, and that might or might not be easy to fix.

For example:

I DL'd a VM which is ready to go for maemo development and fired it up in VMWare.
Then I DL'd the source for a game called Formido.
I typed:

./configure
make

...and I got an executable. I copied that and the data for the game to my 770, and it ran and worked perfect on the first try. (Making a .deb installer package is a bit trickier.. :-)

However, I have DL'd a few other games, some without the "configure" script (which makes it very tricky) and some with, but with other dependencies. The one that trips me up most is OpenGL. With no OpenGL support in hardware, it makes sense it would cause problems. However, there are games that will work with or without it. But, if the code is written in a way to expect the OpenGL libraries, it means I have to go in and remove any/all references to OpenGL in order to get it to compile.

So, the moral of the story. A lot of programs can be made to work. Some will work with no work. Give it a shot. :-)

desiv

p.s. I didn't mention "hildonizing" an application. Giving it maemo friendly menus, which can be alot of work.

For dial up networking, see this article: http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...e+modem&page=4

It specifies the Sprint Palm Centro, but I'm pretty sure it will apply to the Treo 700p as well.

I don't mind the small screen. I often use a Palm T3, and sometimes even my Treo 700p to write. All I really need is the ability to write text files, but a more robust application would be great. Something akin to Documents-to-Go on Palm. I actually like the small screen for some writing projects, it keeps me focused on exactly what I'm writing and nothing else.

I may not be able to do that any time soon, just because of time constraints. Part of the reason I bought the N800 is to squeeze a bit of extra work and writing into my day using a mobile platform. All I really need is a "T3 plus WiFi" - and everything else will be gravy. Finding out just how Linux-intensive I'll get will be a balancing act as time goes on. But I've been flirting with Linux for a couple years and this is another nice stepping stone.

My problem is that I have programs that are both Windows and Mac based that I wish existed on one perfect platform. Adding a third to the mix will make things...interesting.

Thanks, and thanks for the links!

I thank you guys for the links as well. Though I won't be running Linux on my mac any time soon.

Though I will use terminal windows more now both on my Mac and on the Unix machines here at work.