GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[gautier_niouzes]

Hello,
I am about to buy a mini-laptop with the Linpus operating system
installed, which is a variety of Linux if I understand well.
Did someone have experiences with GNAT and GPS (GPL) on such a beast ?
Any advice about which version / distro / whatever to use ?
I have close to zero experience with Linux and would like to keep the
maintenance to the minimum - in order to keep enough time for
programming :-).
TIA !
_________________________________________________________
Gautier's Ada programming -- http://sf.net/users/gdemont/
NB: For a direct answer, e-mail address on the Web site!

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[Georg Bauhaus]

gautier_niouzes@hotmail.com schrieb:
> Hello,
> I am about to buy a mini-laptop with the Linpus operating system
> installed, which is a variety of Linux if I understand well.
> Did someone have experiences with GNAT and GPS (GPL) on such a beast ?
> Any advice about which version / distro / whatever to use ?
> I have close to zero experience with Linux and would like to keep the
> maintenance to the minimum - in order to keep enough time for
> programming :-).
> TIA !

Make sure that your GNU/Linux distribution comes with gcc,
or has a known way of installing gcc.
This should give you a good start. My order of preference
would be
- Debian
- Ubuntu
- anything that can run AdaCore's GPL Edition of GNAT.

*However*, there may be a few glitches. At least one of the
small ones from ASUS comes with a Xandros variant installed.
While this is Debian-based, it is really tricky to
get a gcc for this, if possible at all (other than just
copying the necessary tree of files from some compatible
computer).  You'll probably loose some multimedia support
if you install some other GNU/Linux.

See
http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[gautier_niouzes]

On 2 Apr., 16:22, Georg Bauhaus wrote:

> Make sure that your GNU/Linux distribution comes with gcc,
> or has a known way of installing gcc.
> This should give you a good start. My order of preference
> would be
> - Debian
> - Ubuntu
> - anything that can run AdaCore's GPL Edition of GNAT.
>
> *However*, there may be a few glitches. At least one of the
> small ones from ASUS comes with a Xandros variant installed.
> While this is Debian-based, it is really tricky to
> get a gcc for this, if possible at all (other than just
> copying the necessary tree of files from some compatible
> computer).  You'll probably loose some multimedia support
> if you install some other GNU/Linux.
>
> See http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/

Thanks - all I can say is that it is the Linux flavour described here:
  http://www.linpus.com/products_1.php?pid=2
It seems to be a descendent of Fedora.
_________________________________________________________
Gautier's Ada programming -- http://sf.net/users/gdemont/
NB: For a direct answer, e-mail address on the Web site!

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[Ludovic Brenta]

Gautier wrote on comp.lang.ada:
> On 2 Apr., 16:22, Georg Bauhaus wrote:
>
> > Make sure that your GNU/Linux distribution comes with gcc,
> > or has a known way of installing gcc.
> > This should give you a good start. My order of preference
> > would be
> > - Debian
> > - Ubuntu
> > - anything that can run AdaCore's GPL Edition of GNAT.
>
> > *However*, there may be a few glitches. At least one of the
> > small ones from ASUS comes with a Xandros variant installed.
> > While this is Debian-based, it is really tricky to
> > get a gcc for this, if possible at all (other than just
> > copying the necessary tree of files from some compatible
> > computer).  You'll probably loose some multimedia support
> > if you install some other GNU/Linux.
>
> > Seehttp://www.linux-on-laptops.com/
>
> Thanks - all I can say is that it is the Linux flavour described here:
>  http://www.linpus.com/products_1.php?pid=2
> It seems to be a descendent of Fedora.

This seems to be optimized for low-cost, low-speed machines.  Are you
sure the hardware you're considering is appropriate for programming?
i.e. does it have a sufficiently large screen that you can read your
program, a sufficiently largee keyboard that you can type comfortably
on it, sufficient RAM, disk and CPU for compiling?

I won't comment further on the distribution because you probably know
what I think already :)

--
Ludovic Brenta.

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[anon]

If you want to use Ada with a Netbook or mini I would suggest getting a 
system with ATOM 270 cpu, 2G memory and 16/32G SSD. The SSD allows 
a longer time between recharging.

To find out if GNAT will work.
	Load the GNAT system and example programs onto a Flash Drive.
	Install the drive into a USB port on the mimi at the store system.
        And try to compile and test example programs. Using command line.

Note: You can use either VI or KATE/WRITE for your editor and the command 
line or TERM to compile and build programs. 

        Then try excuting the GPS (will be VGA or low density SVGA mode).

Note: The only problem I see is in using the GPS with a 7 to 12 inch screen 
it might be too hard to see the multi-windows to use. So you might want to 
use the GPS only when you have access to an external monitor. 



In <eaac9e71-8cd3-4d79-81a9-921aab1025c7@y7g2000yqa.googlegroups.com>, gautier_niouzes@hotmail.com writes:
>Hello,
>I am about to buy a mini-laptop with the Linpus operating system
>installed, which is a variety of Linux if I understand well.
>Did someone have experiences with GNAT and GPS (GPL) on such a beast ?
>Any advice about which version / distro / whatever to use ?
>I have close to zero experience with Linux and would like to keep the
>maintenance to the minimum - in order to keep enough time for
>programming :-).
>TIA !
>_________________________________________________________
>Gautier's Ada programming -- http://sf.net/users/gdemont/
>NB: For a direct answer, e-mail address on the Web site!

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[Alex R. Mosteo]

gautier_niouzes@hotmail.com wrote:

> Hello,
> I am about to buy a mini-laptop with the Linpus operating system
> installed, which is a variety of Linux if I understand well.
> Did someone have experiences with GNAT and GPS (GPL) on such a beast ?
> Any advice about which version / distro / whatever to use ?
> I have close to zero experience with Linux and would like to keep the
> maintenance to the minimum - in order to keep enough time for
> programming :-).

Perhaps you refer to an Acer Aspire One, which comes with linpus (I have 
one). I don't like the linpus variant (is an old Fedora 8 with some custom 
packages that prevent proper use of the full F8 repos), but I still keep it 
because I love the ultra-fast boot. However, if some day it breaks, I will 
go for either eeebuntu or the ubuntu netbook remix variants. I've read that 
most hardware in the aa1 is functional with these, barring some minor 
things.

To your question: never tried to install gnat on linpus, but certainly it 
works on ubuntu, and you can get ubuntu running on the aa1 with relative 
ease (although if you have the 512M ram version it can be a real problem. It 
will boot to desktop okay, but once you open a firefox and something else it 
will be a lazy dog. And gnat/gcc can require some good memory sometimes).

OTOH, once you break out of the default linpus gui, with yum you can install 
a great deal of F8 packages, which may allow for gnat on linpus. Never 
tried, though.

However you say you have little linux experience, and I'm afraid that in any 
case you'll need some initial tinkering for any of the options to succeed. 
So brace yourself... ;)

Some links:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AspireOne
http://www.eeebuntu.org/
http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/unr

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[Brian Gaffney]

I have an eeePC 900 (9" screen).  It comes with Xandros, but I don't use 
that much, so haven't looked into installing too much on it.  But I do have 
Ubuntu installed on an SD card, with GNAT installed.  I have had no problems 
with that (I don't use GPS, etc.).

There are several eee-specific Ubuntu (and other) distributions.  What I did 
was added an eee-specific repository and installed a few packages, including 
an optimized kernal.  I haven't found anything that doesn't work on it. 
(The only problem with the way I installed was that I needed to use an 
ethernet cable until I had installed the unique packages - it was just 
easier.)

"Alex R. Mosteo" <alejandro@mosteo.com> wrote in message 
news:740moaF119la3U1@mid.individual.net...
> gautier_niouzes@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>> I am about to buy a mini-laptop with the Linpus operating system
>> installed, which is a variety of Linux if I understand well.
>> Did someone have experiences with GNAT and GPS (GPL) on such a beast ?
>> Any advice about which version / distro / whatever to use ?
>> I have close to zero experience with Linux and would like to keep the
>> maintenance to the minimum - in order to keep enough time for
>> programming :-).
>
> Perhaps you refer to an Acer Aspire One, which comes with linpus (I have
> one). I don't like the linpus variant (is an old Fedora 8 with some custom
> packages that prevent proper use of the full F8 repos), but I still keep 
> it
> because I love the ultra-fast boot. However, if some day it breaks, I will
> go for either eeebuntu or the ubuntu netbook remix variants. I've read 
> that
> most hardware in the aa1 is functional with these, barring some minor
> things.
>
> To your question: never tried to install gnat on linpus, but certainly it
> works on ubuntu, and you can get ubuntu running on the aa1 with relative
> ease (although if you have the 512M ram version it can be a real problem. 
> It
> will boot to desktop okay, but once you open a firefox and something else 
> it
> will be a lazy dog. And gnat/gcc can require some good memory sometimes).
>
> OTOH, once you break out of the default linpus gui, with yum you can 
> install
> a great deal of F8 packages, which may allow for gnat on linpus. Never
> tried, though.
>
> However you say you have little linux experience, and I'm afraid that in 
> any
> case you'll need some initial tinkering for any of the options to succeed.
> So brace yourself... ;)
>
> Some links:
>
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AspireOne
> http://www.eeebuntu.org/
> http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/unr
> 

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[Gautier]

Alex R. Mosteo:

> Perhaps you refer to an Acer Aspire One, which comes with linpus (I have 
> one). I don't like the linpus variant (is an old Fedora 8 with some custom 
> packages that prevent proper use of the full F8 repos), but I still keep it 
> because I love the ultra-fast boot. 

It's exactly that beast - really amazing! The last time I had the 
impression to make a technological leap was many years ago. I'll try to 
install GNAT without changing the system: the idea is to have at least 
the same comfort as on Windows (and for what I can tell now all the 
pre-installed stuff by Acer is a lot faster and easier to use).
I have some ancient exposure to Unix (sgi) which helps for the more 
technical side.
Thanks all for your help!
Gautier
_________________________________________________________
Gautier's Ada programming -- http://sf.net/users/gdemont/
NB: For a direct answer, e-mail address on the Web site!

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[Gautier]

Ludovic Brenta a �crit :

> This seems to be optimized for low-cost, low-speed machines.  Are you
> sure the hardware you're considering is appropriate for programming?
> i.e. does it have a sufficiently large screen that you can read your
> program, a sufficiently largee keyboard that you can type comfortably
> on it, sufficient RAM, disk and CPU for compiling?

The screen is very small, but with a 1024x600 resolution. For the 
keyboard, it depends on finger size :-). Sure these two things are not 
ideal for hours-long programming, but anyway you can plug in any big 
screen, read keyboard and a mouse.
RAM: 1 GB
Disk: 160 GB !
CPU: 1.6 GHz
I built a large project which is pretty compiler-challenging and it 
seems not a lot slower than on "serious" office hardware...

> I won't comment further on the distribution because you probably know
> what I think already :)

I think I guess.
I am just too lazy to install the very best one :-). A working one is 
already fine. Maybe it will change (the tamagochi syndrom :-) ).
_________________________________________________________
Gautier's Ada programming -- http://sf.net/users/gdemont/
NB: For a direct answer, e-mail address on the Web site!

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[Gautier]

A followup on that topic, now that I have GNAT (GPL 2008)
running on this netbook:

In case it could help people in a similar context,
here are the steps to successfully install GNAT on a
machine with a pre-installed "Linpus Lite" Linux system.
The first two steps are rather to facilitate the
installation of any software and are not specific to GNAT.

1) From the UI, start xfce_settings_show (you get it
through a terminal window (file manager: File menu) or
via Alt-F2).
Select the "Desktop" icon, the "Behavior" tab and enable
the "show desktop menu on right click" option.

2) From the Desktop menu available now, you have access
to *lots* of things (applications, options) you hadn't
access to before. Select System, then Add/Remove software.
Install any gcc-based development tool. It is for having
the "make" utility available as well as the right libraries
in the right place (/usr/lib) for the GNAT linking to
complete successfully. The proposed Ada pack is superfluous
(a very old version).

3) Download the GPL GNAT from http://libre.adacore.com/
and unpack it some directory.

4) In a terminal window, go to directory of step 3 if necessary
and type sudo ./doinstall and say yes to all questions...

5) To have GNAT available from any directory, you need to
change the path: in the /home/user/.bashrc file, add the line:
export PATH=/usr/gnat/bin:$PATH

-- 
_________________________________________________________
Gautier's Ada programming -- http://sf.net/users/gdemont/
NB: For a direct answer, e-mail address on the Web site!

Re: GNAT & GPS on Linpus Linux

[Alex R. Mosteo]

Gautier wrote:

> Alex R. Mosteo:
> 
>> Perhaps you refer to an Acer Aspire One, which comes with linpus (I have
>> one). I don't like the linpus variant (is an old Fedora 8 with some
>> custom packages that prevent proper use of the full F8 repos), but I
>> still keep it because I love the ultra-fast boot.
> 
> It's exactly that beast - really amazing! The last time I had the
> impression to make a technological leap was many years ago. I'll try to
> install GNAT without changing the system: the idea is to have at least
> the same comfort as on Windows (and for what I can tell now all the
> pre-installed stuff by Acer is a lot faster and easier to use).
> I have some ancient exposure to Unix (sgi) which helps for the more
> technical side.

Well, just the other day I got fed up of the crippled linpus when yum ceased 
working for no clear reason (it just hung up). So I gave a shot at the just 
released ubuntu netbook remix 9.04 and I can say that I'm very satisfied. 
Everything works out of the box* and it's pretty nice visually speaking. 
Since I've got GNAT working in another ubuntu 9.04 box without issue, this 
is also an option.

[*] Wireless led doesn't work and the right card reader is not hot-
pluggable. Boot time is longer but still feels quick enough.