How to create a handheld Linux terminal • Hacker News Board

Re: How to create a handheld Linux terminal

#91

Post by flarg » Wed, Jan 14, 2015, 9:58 AM UTC

pca2 wrote: post #40

DanBC wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Frogpad used to make a nice (i never used it) one handed keyboard. There have been some chording devices - "The Twiddler" is one. https://youtube.com/watch?v=QG3SPSzWUv4 Sadly there are a bunch of patents that hamper innovation and experimentation.

I'm typing this on a Frogpad now. Due to an injury I've used it as my main keyboard for years. Unfortunately the company is all but defunct and the layout is propriety. For years I've been meaning to write script to set the keyboard layout of a full size keyboard to it. That way I can stop paying hundreds whenever an old Frogpad appears on ebay.

Have you tried the cykey keyboard, from the original inventor of the Microwriter keyboard? I got one in 2012 but don't use it much.

Still on sale from http://www.cykey.co.uk/

Or, if you PM me I can send you mine for postage because I don't use it much.

Re: How to create a handheld Linux terminal

#92

Post by dTal » Wed, Jan 14, 2015, 11:01 PM UTC

blueintegral wrote: post #20

Reminds me of the Zipit Z2, which was a handheld messenger toy that could be hacked to run linux: https://mozzwald.com/zipitz2 Not as much power as an RPi though.

The Z2 is a wonderful bit of kit. A few years back I used one as my main "laptop". If you're a console junkie it's surprising what you can do on modern Debian with only 32 megabytes of RAM. Most software that'll run on it will also compile on it, as long as you stick to C and avoid C++. The sound chip is fantastic as well so it makes a great portable media player, and the keyboard is backlit.

Re: How to create a handheld Linux terminal

#93

Post by 5555624 » Thu, Jan 15, 2015, 1:17 PM UTC

freehunter wrote: post #25

erikb wrote: post #23

I think the key point to efficient mobile linuxing is neither the hardware nor the basic software but the language input. I feel touchpads and mobile keyboards are both not handy to communicate with bash/vim in the subway. We need a better mobile keyboard for that. Does anybody know who's working on something in that direction?

I was trying to find a small Blackberry-like keyboard for a side project I was working on about a year ago. Doesn't exist, at least not in a form-factor that is easy to integrate (USB, Bluetooth, etc). The best I could find is a USB wireless keyboard that they sell on Adafruit that really, really, really sucked and was still way too big.

The Lenovo N5902 isn't too bad, but I don't think I'd want to type extensively on it. For short messages, URLS, etc. it works ok.

Re: How to create a handheld Linux terminal

#94

Post by apricot » Fri, Jan 16, 2015, 1:00 AM UTC

RBerenguel wrote: post #11

apricot wrote: post #9

Nice. I've been using a Ben Nanonote ( ) for the past few years. It's a nice open hacking platform, not very powerful but very open and tweakable. ( ) http://en.qi-hardware.com/wiki/Ben_NanoNote

Mine is lying around, not much used for the past years (somehow I can't get it to run a debian image from SD, so I'm stuck with openwrt... Missing some interesting packages then). What do you use it for?

I managed to install Debian on mine without trouble. I've written a mostly-functional Apple II emulator (minus the graphics modes) and enjoy having an Apple II in my pocket. I also use it to learn Chinese by listening to audiobooks.

What I regret most about the Nanonote is the lack of wifi support (unless one buys an expensive and hard-to-find gizmo). With wifi, it would make a very useful ultraportable computing platform.