ZAULUX
The purpose of the ZAULUX project is to build a custom Linux distribution for the Sharp Zaurus SL-6000.
Description
ZAULUX is derived from the OpenZaurus Linux, both created by the OpenEmbedded meta distribution. The purpose of the OpenEmbedded Project is to provide an universal framework to synthesize Linux distributions for different PDA like devices. It consist of an collection of "blueprints" containing the necessary information to cross-compile the software for the target platform. It will also create and set up the tools needed for this task. These "blueprints" are called "bitbake (.bb)" files named after the bitbake tool. This tool is comparable to "emerge" of the gentoo distribution or more loosely to the GNU utility "make". A bitbake file is made up at least of a short description and an URL pointing to the source of the software to be compiled. Additional it is possible to add a list of dependencies for the particular software package so bitbake can satisfy those dependencies by building the needed packages first. The bitbake tool provides default functions to unpack, compile and install the software. If these default actions are unsuitable for the software (i.e. the software does not follow the "configure && make && make install" concept) it is possible to overwrite them, utilizing any standard shell functions.
To create a Linux distribution the OpenEmbedded Enviroment utilizes the bitbake files together with a profile for the target platform. The result is an image file and a kernel, ready to be copied to the system.
Resources
- Some pictures of the SL-6000L.
- A Personal Mobile Tool linux distribution for the Zaurus is provided by the OpenZaurus project
- Getting Started page of the OpenEmbedded project with all information necessary to compile a kernel and a root filesystem.
- ZAULUX Updater Script
People
Stephan Zalewski
Wolfgang Kieß
Contact
kiess at cs.uni-duesseldorf.de