Arch Linux

jmags

Member

Registered: 2006-03-07

Posts: 48

Crazy idea: SVN repo on a pocket PC

So I have no idea how feasible this would be, but I was thinking that having a very light Linux install on a pocket PC would allow someone to have an SVN repo of personal projects stored on it, which would allow you to work on any computer with access to all your data, provided you could get an SVN client onto it.

Which portables are best for installing Linux on? I've been looking around the web, but most of the info seems to be very old and that makes me suspicious.

FUBAR

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2004-12-08

Posts: 1,029

Website

Re: Crazy idea: SVN repo on a pocket PC

Aren't Pocket PC's by definition PDA's running some sort of Microsoft OS?

Why not make a Smartphone/Windows CE/Windows Mobile port of Subversion?

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A train station is where a train stops.
On my desk I have a workstation.

iBertus

Member

From: Greenville, NC

Registered: 2004-11-04

Posts: 2,228

Re: Crazy idea: SVN repo on a pocket PC

I can see two, well, three issues with this idea.

1. Like FUBAR said, PPCs are not designed for linux. This one you can overcome with one of the many ARM linux ports floating around the net (assuming you have serial access to the PPC device).

2. The amount of flash storage on most PPCs just isn't big enough to cope with this sort of usage. Well, maybe for small projects.

3. On every PPC/Windows Mobile Smartphone I've used the flash memory is very SLOW. Way too slow for something like SVN. If you use the external SD slot on most of these, even with a fast card, it will still bog down when working with many small files.

You could try something like the Palm lifedrive. I believe it has a built in hard disc that would be good for this purpose. Plus, it may be easier to get linux running on Palm hardware than hardware designed for MS.

iphitus

Forum Fellow

From: Melbourne, Australia

Registered: 2004-10-09

Posts: 4,927

Re: Crazy idea: SVN repo on a pocket PC

or just use a flash drive?

jmags

Member

Registered: 2006-03-07

Posts: 48

Re: Crazy idea: SVN repo on a pocket PC

The anticlimax!

It's true that it isn't necessarily a great idea, but now I'm fixated. Got a Lifedrive yesterday and will be reviewing my options for putting Linux on it over the weekend.

phrakture

Arch Overlord

From: behind you

Registered: 2003-10-29

Posts: 7,879

Website

Re: Crazy idea: SVN repo on a pocket PC

it seems better to use a non-centralized version control system for something like this.  like darcs, mercurial, or git

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http://phraktured.net

linuxinit

Member

From: Bumkcuf, Egypt

Registered: 2005-08-21

Posts: 33

Website

Re: Crazy idea: SVN repo on a pocket PC

I run Linux on my Asus Mypal A716. The LCD is cracked, so that's all it's good for now. It has an SD slot and a CF slot. It has a total of 81mb of built-in memory for RAM and storage, and a pretty fat processor. I think 500mhz. It has Wifi and Bluetooth, a microphone, and an IRDA port. Not all of that works in Linux, but most of it does, and right now, it's pretty much a brick until I get a new LCD put in.

There are tons of apps for PocketPCs as well, and I'm sure there is an SVN or similar server out there. I know you can run an http/ftp server, as well as vnc.