A Strangelove For My Linux Handheld
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- Опубликовано: 25 апр 2024
- Sometimes older tech can be a real pain. With software to restore retro devices back to life becoming harder to find or sometimes lost completely. As well as running on Linux, with layers of detail to learn along the way. All the while it's in Japanese because this was a Japan exclusive, and I can't read Japanese. I had to keep pausing work on this video out of frustration. I often kept switching to making two other videos to keep myself going between the pain. These other videos also have their own problems. Too many challenges all at once. Anyway, I was able to finish this video finally. Despite the pain and suffering inflicted into my soul. I think I'm better for it after having had this experience. Now I just need to face the challenges ahead. With two new videos, in various states of disrepair and struggles still to work through. Oh, but I'm never going to stop trying. It's the trying that matters. The outcome is just a thing. Hopefully a nice thing, something that can be enjoyed. But it's the experience of getting there that really matters.
Don't give up on your dreams just because it's hard to achieve the steps along the way. You don't know what's going to happen until you experience these moments. Whatever the outcome, having these experiences is something you will always appreciate later.
Help support the channel with SuperThanks or Memberships on RUclips.
Or Patreon: / januscycle
"I'm not trying to say
I'll have it all my way
I'm always willing to learn
When you've got something to teach
And I'll make it all worthwhile
I'll make your heart smile" - Martin L. Gore
Music:
Depeche Mode - Strangelove [Repain Mix OBS!2022]
• Depeche Mode - Strange...
Depeche Mode - Strangelove [Nopain RMX OBS!2024]
• Depeche Mode - Strange...
Film:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Str...
Images:
Sharp Akihabara
www.flickr.com/photos/takanam...
iPod Mini battery replacement - 2
www.flickr.com/photos/hjl/258...
My Favourite Strangelove:
Depeche Mode - Strangelove (Maxi Mix)
• Strangelove (Maxi Mix) 
Наука
4:42 Toshiba? You sure?
Fujitsu!
Thanks, I ran without much of a script and made some errors in this video.
:)))))))
what's the model of it by the way? @@JanusCycle
First thing with a moving head hard drive, put it on the freezer
@@RobertSmith-ue8if Fujitsu LifeBook u810
How great is the live camera translate in Google Translate hey. That's one of those "living in the future" features I'm still amazed at every time.
We live a little bit in Star Trek Times eh?
unfortunately, no one know this, i have seen many videos that apparetly dont know about this, they think a cellphone is a socialnetwork and games machine only, i know the translation is not that great, but it helps a lot, dude i even translate throught a video for a stupid youter who said, "i dont speak korean", while showing a spicy ramen soup, i paused the video, opened google translate and there you go, if i could translate throught a video, why he wouldnlt physically???
Dialogue came across really natural in this video. I feel like you've improved really well with either your audio editing or recording your vocals.
I have been learning how to record clearer audio. Also speaking much more without any scripting. I'm glad this is starting to pay off. Thanks!
@@unduloidPedantry is pretty universally disliked.
Plus your voice is pure ASMR
@@unduloid The world is in the state its in because we accepted easy answers in the past because we wanted it to be true. We wanted to be able to screw around and buy endless stuff with no consequence and there were an endless supply of charlatans willing to tell us that was possible. Where are they now that we have a sociological breakdown, and an energy/environmental crisis?
@@unduloid I guess...
They called it petty when it was life and death.
Grammar, however, is usually fairly petty (not always, but usually).
Shows off a cool handheld
Explains it doesn't work
Starts diagnosing it.
Needs to test the drive.
Pulls up ANOTHER cool handheld to read the drive and test it
lmfao
Those microdrives are so neat, kinda crazy there is a tiny actual mechanical drive in there.
Next broken one I get I'm doing a teardown (again).
It's not really that surprising when you consider flash media was still brand new technology and very expensive when these came out. The first iPods had a 2.5" PATA hard disk in them, which is the reason why they were that big.
Ipods have little hard drives as well.
Yes, they are so much more futuristic and cool than flash storage. Like a super fast tiny little robot fetching each bit as you need them. 🙂
The pause at 3:36 after the click made my stomach drop
OMG me too right ahaha i just randomly came across this video and i saw strangelove as one word and thats why i clicked on it Not because i Like the show if thats what its even fucking called idk i know theres a Character from IDK North american TV or movie Lore oh wait no Its from the UK? Right isn't it i mean innit!
@@grantnayduk48 I hope you enjoyed randomly finding this and had a good experience from it :)
@@JanusCycle thank you you promptly responding uhm do you accept donations for your YT projects?
@@grantnayduk48 I have received some amazing things from viewers. I'm very humbled by the generosity I have experienced while making videos.
I'm keen to hear what you may have and especially any stories of tech that you have loved over the years.
@@grantnayduk48 wakey wakey
the way the handbook says 'YES theres a drive inside it, and then says 'NO its not a good idea to open the Zaurus to look where it is and play with it,
it just makes you want to play open it for an unknown look inside
"This Toshiba LifeBook"
- Janus Cycle, professional tech disser
oops, I have too many computers :)
@@JanusCycle Is that even possible?
@@JanusCycle i have 4 computers (6 if you include some motherboards and their components seperated) and i think that's too much
@@rockpie not enough
Fun Fact: There's a port of NetBSD to these things.
Also fun fact: The Yocto linux project can directly trace its lineage to these devices. Yocto is the biggest little distro toolkit from Intel and others, and its history comes from OpenEmbedded, which itself was a fork of OpenZaurus. The interface, QTopia, was rarely licensed by QT/Trolltech after the zaurus was popular, as by the time the market had really opened up, Google had swept in with Android.
The different generations of Zaurus are all identified by the breed of dog they're named after; The cl-3100, aka Borzoi, makes reference to this in the introductory boot screen. The only version of the Zaurus that came out after this was the cl-3200 (called the Terrier) which bumped the internal HDD to 6GB and had some minor hardware improvements but otherwise is the same!
I am still with vanilla 2.6.23 + custom patches to have suspend working. Are recent kernels in good support state?
Sweet memories! 🤓 I used to own a Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 (Collie).
_Which cost me quite some hard-earned money, back then as a 20 y/o dude, to import it from the USA (into the Netherlands)._ 🤑💰
I loved 😍 the tiny slide-out keyboard _(to type in the console, on IRC, etc.)_ and the USB 'sync' dock for the PDA (or PMT, Personal Mobile Tool) to stand on my desk.
Pretty soon I switched from the stock OS to OpenZaurus. 🎉 There was also the Ångström distribution.
Would have liked to get my hands on one of the later clam-shell shaped Zaurus devices, with a better LCD screen and many other improvements, looking like a "mini laptop" instead of a bulky, portrait mode Blackberry-ish PDA. 😂 But then, the smartphone came along. Still I have been missing the little hardware keyboard, 😢even though I find the on-screen swipe/gesture keyboard working pretty well on my Android device today.
What I also miss: the unique look and feel of older devices, whether it be Zaurus mini-computers or Nokia mobile phones. Nowadays most smartphones look pretty much the same, like a flat slab with the front mostly covered by a touch screen. For obvious reasons, I know, and there are some (expensive) exceptions like the foldable smartphones.
Anyway, back to the Zaurus 5500. As I don't have the electronics (nor low level Linux kernel/driver) engineering skills to mod(ify) / 'upgrade' it with a better screen for example, I eventually donated the PDA, including the original box, to a local computer history museum.
It's such a great feeling when you finally fix something that at one point you wanted to smash against a brick wall!
sometimes its not worth it to rage quit, just take a break to calm your feelings off and try again
I have a Zaurus SL-C1000. I used this device in 2005(?) on the train on my daily commute to work because it was so small and still had a usable keyboard.
There was a German dealer, thanks to him the desktop has a German layout, despite the English keyboard. I also used Midnight commander as a file explorer. Thanks to its 2-window design, it's better than any Windows Explorer. Incredibly, the device and the battery are still working. A wonderful extreme durable device.
Cool, I love hearing from original Zaurus owners. Thanks for sharing.
DM references are amusing, but the Dr Strangelove at the end, magnificent.
Thank you for another dive into a weird and fascinating hobby.
Love the Depeche Mode bit!
Whoever translated the manual deserves a big hug. They're a breath of fresh air in the art of user manual writing.
Thankyou for this nostalgia trip. I still own one of these (C3100) that I bought in japan, and also still have the 5600. They were way ahead of their time, and running Linux as the default OS was nothing short of groundbreaking back in the day. I also saved (and still have) a bunch of Zaurus related files (images, software, even saved web pages and pdfs, so if you are interested, I can find a way to get them to you). Who knows, some of this stuff might be hard (or even impossible) to find anywhere else, given that groundbreaking as it was, the Zaurus was incredibly niche, even back in the day.
Great to hear from another Zaurus owner. I'm interested in anything not easily available. I did find a one package feed and that's where I found these games.
This is so cool. The Steam Deck is the modern equivalent. I absolutely love the ability to run Linux on a mobile device. Great repair, good job.
Android phones: are we a joke to you. Linux is a kernel and android runs on the linux kernel
@@309electronics5yes, they are a joke
@@309electronics5Android has almost 2 million different lines of code, uses a different C library, among other changes. So, Android IS Linux-based but it's heavily modified so they're basically incompatible
@@309electronics5 but android don't have that philosophy you know, every thing it's open, even if you want to replace your OS, something incredible that valve did
@@309electronics5 yes android is a joke
I love the Sharp Zaurus! I wanted it so badly when I was in high school. I much later on was able to buy the SL-3100 and SL-3200. So majestic.
Damn 2006 account, nice
So glad you got it working in the end, that thing is absolutely amazing. The things 15 year old me would have done for one.
The frustration half way in is something not ever seen on this channel. I thought we were about to witness the first ever round of Janus' Tech Frog Baseball!
Back in 2005 I was using a Palm TX. I would have really liked it if something like this was available in the US when I bought mine. I really enjoyed my Palm TX and with built in WIFI and Bluetooth as well as a GPS expansion module and the ability to work well with my phone at the time it was quite the powerful setup. With that said though I am a Linux user since the late 90's and the draw of a Linux portable may have been enough to get me to sacrifice features for the joy of geeking out with a Linux portable. Very nice looking device.
I wish these existed with modern tech in 2024
Always coming back with excellent content!
thanks!
Heretic is based on an early Doom engine, iirc on Doom v1.2. Raven licensed the engine from iD Software and made some changes like an inventory, so you could carry around health packs until you need them. For the sequel Hexen they also made hub maps you could re-visit. I really like Heretic and consider it underrated. Hexen is boring as batshit, lots of backtracking through empty levels to hit a switch which opens a door all the way in another level which you've already cleared out too. Check out Strife to see the pinnacle of Doom engine FPS RPG.
Lots of details I didn't know, thanks. I will by trying out Heretic further now.
Yeah, I like Heretic too
I was 14 years old in 2005 and wanted one of these SO bad, because it ran Linux. Thank you for this in-depth view!
Thank you for watching and getting into it :)
The flipping screen reminded me of the i-mate JASJAR
Man what a wonder that phone was
I have one of them (Qtek 9000 variant), and I do not have the battery for it. They are pretty much unobtainable; I really should design some sort of adapter for, say, a nokia battery. (So far, I have designed a block with approximately correct holes in it, and then abandoned the project. It's a long way to go.)
@@ozzelot3349 You know who you should donate it to 😉
This brings back Memories. I've used to have a Zaurus C-700, an earlier Clamshell Model. This was my Computer on the Go for many Years until I trusted Smartphones enough to take over these Tasks, but sometimes I really miss this little Brick. Electronics is getting boring today.
9:42 that bootscreen with a dog is sick lmao
wanted to get one so bad when they were new. They were very expensive back in the day, way more than their contemporary (and similarly specced) PocketPC PDAs. In the end, got a Toshiba e740 with the same xScale.
The C7x0 and C8x0 had the previous gen xScale 255 @400MHz, but an ATI Imageon 100 dedicated graphics accelerator!!!
For the unaware, when AMID acquired ATI, they sold the mobile graphics division to Qualcomm, who rebranded it into Adreno, which is an anagram of Radeon :)
So far, I have enjoyed every single video you have released!
The simple videography, the vibe, the pacing, the storytelling, the music, the editing, etc are ALL top notch!
Thank you & please keep them coming!
(PS. Hoping for more Nokia Communicator videos if possible).
Wow, that's quite a compliment, thanks! You can bet I want to do more Communicator videos. My other model is still broken, but I'm looking around for more units.
In the meantime an N series Nokia may make an appearance soon.
I love this. Gives me a relaxing Bob Ross kind of vibe with the calm voice. You sir, have gained a subscriber.
Hey cool. That comparison is quite a compliment, thank you.
BEAUTIFUL. It's hard to explain the feeling of accomplishment one gets out of these projects. This vid gave me life. First time I see your channel, BTW. Subscribed!
Awesome, I'm glad you enjoyed this.
I love the convertible laptop format, It makes so much sense. Versus the yoga format where you flip the thing in half and now you have an exposed keyboard waiting to get damaged and dirty on whatever surface you put it on and yes in some cases still functional so don't bump any keys. I've been running around with a GPD pocket three for the past year and every time somebody sees it they're like what is that thing. And I can't help but think that is what laptops could've been but instead the convertible format didn't go very far other than a select few models and it's not like it's that much more complicated to build.
I always love your use of music in your videos, Janus. It really sets the mood just right.
This is my first time viewing one of your videos, and I'm glad the algorithm steered me here. Thank you for making your frustration so entertaining for us
fantastic, thank you. I'm glad you made it here :)
Awesome job!
What a cool little device and a great form factor, similar vibe to the nokia N90, N93/N93i.
It's nice that all the resources for it are still available too, interested to see what it can do
Hidden service menus save lives - some time ago I bought a Sony Ericsson Xperia X2. There are no tools for flashing this phone. For my luck there already was installed system with my native language but it was code locked. I found only one video that showed how to access hidden service menu which had an option to wipe data and reset device. So now I am one happy owner of Xperia X2. Anyways, another great video! Glad there is someone with love and enough patience to save such rare devices - pieces of long gone world :)
I'm glad you were able to get your Xperia X2 working, well done. I really like these first Xperias. I hope to make a video on them one day.
Fantastic device. I used to own a windows mobile 5.0 based device around this time. Im still amazed at how powerful the devices were.
I understand... Still love my Sony UX-50. These devices were so far ahead of the main-stream markets, yet not only little known, but remembered fondly by so few.
A new Janus video always means it's going to be a good day. I absolutely love your video style, unique devices, and expert information. Your troubleshooting is next level! Awesome video!
You are very kind, thank you. Keep exploring retro tech my friend.
Always cool to see a Zaurus! Haven't owned one myself but something about them sparks wonder and interest. Very glad you got yours up and running once more!
Linux Grows popularity, thanks to everyone including you.
Excellent narrative and presentation of debugging and getting an old device to work.
Always was fascinated reading about these tiny marvels back in the day and now that we have much more powerful phones in our pockets daily, it is a bittersweet joy to mentally return to the days when these highly integrated devices were a practically unattainable curiosity from far away lands. Thank you for the journey!
I'm really pleased to hear that you enjoyed this journey. I had fun making this video. Even the hard bits.
Using the Zaurus to Infrared Sony Ericsson themes, now that would be a blast from the past.
Lots of research and lots of digging man props to you you make me want to even work even harder I thank you
Even when things don't work you learn so much more. Keep going and enjoying the process :)
Incredible video, and an incredible little handheld too! It would have been really cool to live in Japan in the late 90s and early 00s to see this amazing technology taking shape.
I remember my friend buying a Linux based Sony Clie. Went to pick it up form the store, instead of waiting for delivery and got it, but they made a mistake and sent another one to him in the mail. He decided to not tell and keep both. I wish he had given or sold one of them to me. They were such a neat novelty. Though it was hard to figure out for us - non-Linux users, what they would be good for. We played some flash games, which was cool. I had a Jornada 720 back in the early 2000's and was in love with the pocket form factor.
1GB flash card limit is odd. It's typically 2GB.
I remember the Sharp handhelds and a screen swap to fill out the space running Linux would be amazing
Your voice is so relaxing compared to a lot of overly enthusiastic tech youtubers. I love your channel and await more content.
Very kind of you, thank you.
I’m extremely impressed by your patience and dedication to restore then give purpose to these devices. Thank you for sharing this.
The appreciation I receive when sharing these videos is where I get my motivation to keep going. Thanks for your support!
@@JanusCycle you’re very welcome. It’s extremely refreshing to see someone work towards what they want, and do so happily. I wish you continued success and enjoyment.
The ram is 64 MB, not KB. 11:35
oops, thanks
I think that's actually 8MB since the units written were with lowercase b ... 63791 Kb is 7.97 MB
@@EthanBB No, it's 64Megabytes. see the next page at 11:37 where it shows the 4GB CF written as "3971808Kb"
Every video you make is a masterpiece. Thanks again!
I'm humbled, thanks.
The amount of times you said "strange love" I should've expected both Depeche Mode and Dr. Strangelove to show up!
You better believe it!
stylish as ever, janus :) i wish real handheld PCs like this were more common today, i'd much rather have a full on OS than ios or android. i've been considering installing postmarket os on an old samsung tablet of ours to get a taste of that freedom.
The DM joke (thrice) earned you a new sub!
I listened to a lot of Strangelove while making this video :)
2:51 this is something sharp would definitely say.
I was a huge Zaurus fan and actually still have the model featured in this video. My first Zaurus mysteriously went for a walk and I never found it again.
I loved my 5500. Was my first Linux on ARM back in the day.
Really cool device! I glad you made it work!
Really enjoyable repair, highlighting how difficult recovering these legacy systems can be (let alone in a different language).
I craved for a Zaurus machine at the time, but ended up purchasing a Nokia Internet tablet instead (N810), which was not only more easily available in Europe, but also had support for X applications and thus was much easier to get software running for. It also had build tools which run on device, which IIRC could be done on a Zaurus but was significantly more challenging.
Those handheld Nokia tablets were cool. I hope to try either an N810 or 770 one day.
@@JanusCycle Unfortunately I didn't keep mine, but I still have a Motorola Droid 4 running Maemo Leste to remind me of it.
What really hurts the desire to get these kinds of handheld computers is when individuals/groups barricade all available software/firmware/drivers behind a obscene paywall/donation. I purchased a neat little NEC handheld a couple of years back only to find out that, even to get any games or anything on it really, I'd have to pay an absurd monthly subscription to a site and not even be guaranteed any access all because the people behind it are so damn "pick and choose". I honestly wish that companies would invest time and money into portables like these again since the demand/interest for them are increasing and would be a great tradeoff of having to mess around with ones phone all the time.
It wasn't so much about nickel and diming than about saving someone's retirement fund eligibility. Japanese companies were even more join for life organization so everyone was fixed cost which makes any spots in employee record a cost saving opportunity which made everyone ultra risk averse and anti-growth, which lead to those walls. No one knows how companies would be even able to exist with that kind of culture, but a lot of them do, it's a big mystery.
I miss little devices like this. I understand why everything got absorbed into the smartphone but purpose built devices are just so much more interesting to me
I know this isn't possible, but one of my fantasies is people from hundreds of years into the future, or thousands, discovering these devices and trying to experience what ancient tech generations experienced. What devices did they use, what applications and games, and so on.
very nice choice of outro music. Subbed because of good content, reminding me a litte bit of LGR's Oddware series of weird computer peripherals and such.
I love LGR Oddware episodes. He's shown some amazing tech over the years.
Very nice device, great that you got it working. Always enjoy your videos 👌😄
one of the best old tech legend.. love your videos
thank you!
Japan truly lives in the Future
Circa 2000 unfortunately
I recognized that little drive straight away from my experience with the iPod Mini. Mine got the click of death too, must be a common occurrence especially at this age. I really liked the choice in music and movies too, both some of my favorites. I still listen to my Depeche Mode tape in my car haha.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Linux handheld
Amzaing, technology and that too in 2005.
People might think that this is a device from 2010+ era unless they are told.
thank you for creating the video
I still have my SL-C860, which was my daily driver for years. Fired it up today, and it is still working great. :)
I didn't even know these existed until this video. And now I really really want one XP
My dad still uses this to this day. He takes it every where he goes. It's his mp3 music / internet raidio (He built the app that runs on linux)
I love hearing this, makes me smile.
Okay, man, as an American I am SICK (with envy!) of all these damn Aussie/NZ tech discussion channels! THERE'S SO MANY OF YOU ALL that have fantastic tech content about niche devices or operating systems! A Sharp Zaurus running Linux?? Never heard of it and why do I want one, even tho it's obsolete?
There are some amazing American retro tech channels too. But thanks for appreciating the Aussie and Kiwi ones.
I have a few favourites from here including, @GreenHamGaming and @TheBasementChannel.
Feel free to share any tech channels that you like from here or around the world. I enjoy finding hidden gems of retro tech channels.
the hard drive sound was better than most asmr videos, also your voice with the background noise is relaxing
Respect for exceptional perseverance!
thank you :)
You need to find a compact flash wifi card that is 802.11 b, the driver should already be on the distro. This brought back so many fond memories of my Zaurus SL-5600.
gorgeous piece of hardware, as PDA very useful.
Impressive video! I'm always looking forward to your videos. This one was a Home Run! Thanks for sharing!
awesome, thank you.
Awesome content, Janus
That old tech bring me some nice vibe.
Hi, I really enjoy your videos. I always hope that you are able to get as much functionality working as possible, on the devices you look at. I hope to see the infra red connectivity working one day, and all else. Cool music too. Best regards from Lamb, South Africa.
Thank you. I have so many more videos I want to make. I'm glad you are enjoying them.
I'd watch your videos all day. Believe it.
Insanely cool little computer!
That was a satisfying video! Nice one. I bet this would be something LGR would love to see if he hasn't already too.
He makes some great videos and has shown so many devices I would love to try out.
it is always nice to revisit these old devices. hoping for your future nokia videos. would be awesome to make one about the n-series. nostalgia will hit everyone.
I've started carrying a Nokia N95, nice phone :)
I absolutely lusted after that model of Zaurus. Honestly, I still want to build something with the same form factor but with modern hardware and cellular capabilities.
I never heard of the infrared port thingy.. That would be cool to see how you set that up. Thanks for the cool video!
I'm keen to try infrared communications one day. I'm glad you enjoyed watching.
This would have been amazing to have in 2005. Especially being able to read Japanese.
These days I've got so many other tiny devices with huge functionality I wouldn't need this but it's a cool nostalgia trip.
Man, I do wish people still made thingamajigs like these
smartphones exist but they're not as cool sadly
@@rockpie exactly, they are too powerful and lack plysical keyboards
I like the Zaurus but that Fujitsu Lifebook is a thing of beauty 😮
You should feel great satisfaction in finally conquering the Demon Zaurus 👍
10:50 Love the DM music!
this guys voice is so relaxing
I love when Depeche Mode makes an appearance 🎉
Sometimes techs are just too ahead of their time, with cloud computing today, these handhelds is just another Chromebook alike that's will do just the job, plus cool factor!
its a good day when janus uploads
I remember wanting to get one of these back in the day.
How the world has changed..
Damn what an awesome concept.
I love those palmtop computers! You got a new subscriber mate!
thanks!
Depeche Mode reference was gold.
:)
That Microdrive is awesome!