Re: [iPAQ] writing graphical software for iPAQ

On Fri, Oct 13, 2000 at 03:27:41PM +0300, Antti Silvast wrote:
> As I understand, I first have to install the Linux for both the iPAQ and
> my PC and I know where to find the instructions to do that. Now, once I
> download the gnu toolchain I can write software on the PC, right? Can I
> use gas or is it just pure C?

You can use both assembly and C, but in the UNIX/Linux world it's the
normal way to code everything in C and use assembly _only_ if you
really need it.

> Any documents out there on using the
> hardware directly (I know I've asked this already. I still need to know).

The UNIX/Linux programming model is different from the DOS way of doing
things. Applications are not allowed to touch the hardware: only the
kernel handles the hardware and for that it has a couple of device
drivers. Applications talk to that driver and in that way they can
control the hardware.

> Do I need X to use graphics? How about sound?

You don't need X to do graphics, the screen is just a framebuffer:
open() /dev/fb, mmap() the device in your address space, and of you go.

Sound is as easy: open() /dev/dsp, do some ioctl()s to select the
correct sample format and sampling rate, write() data to the device, et
voila: sound.

> I pressume the
> ActiveSync-program can still be used to transfer stuff from PC to iPAQ,
> or?

I don't know what ActiveSync is, so I suppose it's not supported in
Linux. You can use Zmodem, PPP, or SLIP to connect to the iPaq.

> I've also not quite figured out how you're supposed to use Linux with a
> touch pad, but of course this will reveal itself to me eventually once I
> get it installed.

A touch pad is just a PS/2 device, so the normal PS/2 mouse driver will
handle it perfectly well.

Erik

-- 
J.A.K. (Erik) Mouw, Information and Communication Theory Group, Department
of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology and Systems,
Delft University of Technology, PO BOX 5031,  2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Phone: +31-15-2783635  Fax: +31-15-2781843  Email: J.A.K.Mouw@its.tudelft.nl
WWW: http://www-ict.its.tudelft.nl/~erik/