MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan

[globetrotterdk]

Anyone have a Nokia N9? I just purchased a 16 GB N9 and was surprised that cli apps like vim, alpine, cmus, mc, lynx, etc. were not included. (I did find nano in the repo.) Do you know if this is a matter of using the correct repository or if everyone rolls their own? If the latter is the case, can anyone point me to a HowTo on the topic? I understand that this would involve using the MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan Platform SDK to compile the above programs.

[Shador]

Anyone have a Nokia N9?

Got a N900, but it's basically the same architecture.

vim

Try vi. I think that's what I have here.

correct repository or if everyone rolls their own?

For the N900 there are also some 3rd party repos. But the official ones contain lots of stuff too including many GNU/Linux applications you wouldn't expect on a smartphone.

I understand that this would involve using the MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan Platform SDK to compile the above programs.

I don't think installing the SDK was a big issue. Debian packaging is somewhat more complicated though. But if you can get the source files including the build rules, it shouldn't be too difficult. I'd focus on the packaging part for howtos. Generall stuff for debian should apply too. For the SDK you could possibly revert to N900 tuts too. I don't expect them to have changed anything on that part either. In any case it's absolutely ridicolous how Nokia keeps developing (or renaming) one OS after the other just too release not much more than one phone with it and dropping support for something else straightaway.

[thenktor]

vi on the N9 without a keyboard sounds like "fun"

[globetrotterdk]

vi on the N9 without a keyboard sounds like "fun"

or vi on the N9 without a magnifying glass It would be nice to be able to change the terminal app font size.

Edit: I just found out that a pinch gesture will increase the font size

[globetrotterdk]

I don't think installing the SDK was a big issue. Debian packaging is somewhat more complicated though. But if you can get the source files including the build rules, it shouldn't be too difficult. I'd focus on the packaging part for howtos. Generall stuff for debian should apply too. For the SDK you could possibly revert to N900 tuts too. I don't expect them to have changed anything on that part either. In any case it's absolutely ridicolous how Nokia keeps developing (or renaming) one OS after the other just too release not much more than one phone with it and dropping support for something else straightaway

Thanks for the quick reply Shador. Here is what I found out on the Alpine info list:

...the most important thing when searching the web is to always check what the page talks about exactly. There is Maemo, Harmattan, Meego, Moblin and Tizen which are all related but different. Plus there are the different devices, N800, N900, N950, N9. Also, current Harmattan 1.2 is quite different from older versions.

Regarding compiling Alpine 2 for the N9:

The main changes (to the Debian control files) are removing kerberos and ldap support to reduce dependencies and setting the c-client build target lnx.
The build runs quite nicely, except at the linking phase of the final binaries it fails with

../c-client/c-client.a(osdep.o): In function `checkpw':
osdep.c:(.text+0x1cb4): undefined reference to `crypt'
osdep.c:(.text+0x1d50): undefined reference to `crypt'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
make[5]: *** [alpine] Error 1
make[5]: Leaving directory `/home/nephros/alpine/alpine-2.00/alpine'

This is because the linker flags are in the wrong order; -lcrypt must be
specified *after* -lssl. (The compile was run) manually correcting the flag order and then running
dpkg-buildpackage -h -nc again.

Seems pretty advanced for me. I will have to take a look at it when I get some time. Here I was hoping that there already was a .deb package and I was just looking in the wrong place I haven't found a .deb for (alternatively) re-Alpine either.

[thenktor]

vi on the N9 without a keyboard sounds like "fun"

or vi on the N9 without a magnifying glass It would be nice to be able to change the terminal app font size.

Edit: I just found out that a pinch gesture will increase the font size

Off topic: After switching from a Motorola Milestone (with hardware keyboard) to Galaxy Nexus I don't use any terminal applications anymore. Somehow it's like mortification to the flesh to use them on such a touch device I've first thought I won't like a keyboard less device very much, but now I know: the Galxy Nexus is soooo much better than the Milestone

PS: It's sad that Nokia has dropped Meego and is doing Wondows only phones now.

[globetrotterdk]

vi on the N9 without a keyboard sounds like "fun"

or vi on the N9 without a magnifying glass It would be nice to be able to change the terminal app font size.

Edit: I just found out that a pinch gesture will increase the font size

Off topic: After switching from a Motorola Milestone (with hardware keyboard) to Galaxy Nexus I don't use any terminal applications anymore. Somehow it's like mortification to the flesh to use them on such a touch device I've first thought I won't like a keyboard less device very much, but now I know: the Galxy Nexus is soooo much better than the Milestone

PS: It's sad that Nokia has dropped Meego and is doing Wondows only phones now.

Possibly OT I have been using a Samsung Galaxy Spica for the past two years and IMHO:
1) Sammy's upgrading software sucks.
2) Sammy isn't good at customer communication w/ regards to system upgrades.
3) Sammy only seldom upgrades products that are in the shops or in people's pockets.
4) Android just ain't Linux. I know it uses the Linux kernel, but in practical terms, it doesn't have the same feel under the skin so to speak as "pure" Linux has.

In a side note - the price of my N9 was relatively good (the company parallel imports from Poland) however, I was disappointed that I still didn't have the cash for the N9 64GB version - until I found out, that due to Nokia's partitioning system on the N9, there is no more space for apps on the 64GB version, than the 16GB version that I purchased. The extra space only goes to videos, pictures, docs and music in the user's /home/user/MyDocs directory. In that context, using cli apps where one can, despite a certain amount of self-flagellation in the process, makes sense. I would much rather have a cli e-mail app like Alpine, where I can quickly determine the size of the .deb package and only use it to glance at my mail for quick replies or deleting messages, than downloading a gui e-mail client that I have no clue to how much actual space it uses with cache und alles. Interestingly, having said that, the only way I have found for checking the partition space usage, other than downloading another gui space eating, battery draining app, is to go to the command line and "df -h". I love Linux

[JRD]

4) This is because Android use Linux kernel, but no libc or glibc....or a compatible one. This is why it's so different.

[thenktor]

Possibly OT I have been using a Samsung Galaxy Spica for the past two years and IMHO:
1) Sammy's upgrading software sucks.

So does Motorola and that's why I have a Nexus. Only the Google phones come with recent Android, are updated soon by Google and have a great community ROM support.

4) Android just ain't Linux. I know it uses the Linux kernel, but in practical terms, it doesn't have the same feel under the skin so to speak as "pure" Linux has.

That's true, but IMHO at the moment the only really usable mobile system, if you don't want to bother with bad Meego support by Nokia, the lack of apps and the lack of available hardware.

The time I've bought the Milestone I have considered a N900, too. But to be honest: the hardware of the N900 was far away from the Milestone: much thicker (a brick in your pocket ) resistive touch screen (are you kidding?) and Nokia did not show real interest in the system. No new phone was announced at all. Next thing is: a mobiles system is only as good as the available apps, e.g. I cannot say to my friends: use some jabber client to communicate with me when all of them already are using (the much easier to use) Whatsapp.

4) This is because Android use Linux kernel, but no libc or glibc....or a compatible one. This is why it's so different.

The GUI is made of some kind of Java, but the system still uses a C lib (no idea which one). BusyBox is available and a Terminal, too. There is a lot of an embedded Linux system under the hood.

[Shador]

resistive touch screen (are you kidding?)

I doubt anybody than me can control his smartphone with folded chewing gum paper.

e.g. I cannot say to my friends: use some jabber client to communicate with me when all of them already are using (the much easier to use) Whatsapp

That's true. But it's actually worse than SMS because the whole protocol behind is completely proprietary and monopolized.

That's true, but IMHO at the moment the only really usable mobile system, if you don't want to bother with bad Meego support by Nokia

Hey, there's windows phone.