Re: NetBSD on tablets?

[Scrap Happy <Scrap%GMX.com@localhost>]

Hi Herb,

On 7/26/2012 12:36 PM, herbert langhans wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 12:08:37PM -0700, Scrap Happy wrote:
> > I assume this is sheer fantasy, but has any work been
> > done on porting NetBSD to any of the "tablets" available?
> > If not, is this due to:
> > - lack of interest
> > - lack of personnel
> > - lack of documentation
> > - lack of "other" resources
> >
> > I.e., what (realistically) could be done to facilitate
> > this sort of activity?
>
> - lack of keyboard :)

Surely, that's not a real impediment.  With only a cursory
exposure to only a *few* such devices, it seems like easy
ways around that would include:
- USB keyboard
- BT keyboard
- telnet
- graphic "touch keyboard"

I suspect the real problem is a dearth of detailed information
on the actual underlying hardware.  Or, hooks to expose that!

> I think NetBSD is almost the right thing for such downsized 'computers'.
> But there is this user interface - on the tablets you need some window
> manager and a bunch of applications what you can use with a touch
> screen. Some meta-pkg would do the trick, maybe. But with the usual i/o,
> like keyboard and terminal it is just not what the tablets are made for.

No reason you can't use a touch interface talking to apps running
under NetBSD/X, etc.  Or, "(user-) output only" applications...

> Has there some standard established with typical tablet-processors
> together with graphic chipsets? Are these touch screens working with a
> mouse driver?

No idea -- though something of the sort seems likely.

> How difficult is it to compile Android sources for NetBSD? I think about
> some touch-apps what are required to make this tablet doing something
> ...

I've no first-hand knowledge of Android.  Wedding oneself to Google
seems as foolish as "committing" to MS...  <frown>

--don