[sword-devel] PDAs / SA1110

[Chris Little]

> Hurray!  I got my iPaq finally!
>
> I have linux installed (see http://www.ipaqlinux.com).
>
> I spent a little time adding a new target: arm, in the make system.  You
> should be able to build the sword libraries for the arm cpu now.

Very very cool.  Having turned into a PDA-freak myself lately, I actually
made the decision to buy an ipaq the same day you sent this note out. :)  I
should have one shortly (I won an auction on ebay) with which to being
playing.

Do you know anything about writing Pocket PC apps (as in not for Linux, but
for the standard iPaq OS from that company in Washington)?  I'll probably
try out Linux on the iPaq, but what I've read indicates to me that it's not
at all ready for prime time yet.  So I'd be interested in seeing how tough
it will be to write something for PocketPC OS.  I'm afraid it may end up
requiring using of Visual C++ for WinCE (i.e. "Microsoft eMbedded Visual
Tools 3.0") which is apparently free for download, but still confronts us
with the problem of SWORD not having been set up to compile on VC++ yet.
*sigh*  I have a feeling a PocketPC version of SWORD would get more use than
an iPaq Linux-only version. :)

> I still want to try out your PDQ web interface.  I have to get irda to
> work via my Nokia 8290 now, grab a WAP browser, and then try out your
> stuff.

The PQA interface requires either a PalmOS device (Palm VII or other device
with either Omnisky or Palm Mobile-Internet-Kit) or the POSE emulator with a
Palm VII ROM.  I think if you check out the source from CVS, which is just a
bunch of html files, you can test it out in Netscape/IE.  I'll post some
screenshots so everyone can see what it looks like on the device.  I don't
yet know how to do a WAP version (PQA is Palm's proprietary stuff) and am
not even sure if WAP supports text input.  Does it?  I'd love to support
WAP/WML if we can.  I'd also love to try writing a PalmOS native app for
using SWORD that doesn't require an internet connection.

> Putting all the texts on the device won't be as cool/practicle
> as grabbing any text off of the website on demand!

I have this dream that some day I will be able to load all the SWORD modules
onto an IBM Microdrive. :)

--Chris