The Nokia N900 is without any doubt one of the most tweakvriendelijke smartphones on the market. Thanks to the Debian-variant Maemo has this device very much, and we tested a couple of nice features.
In our extensive review of the N900 has already been addressed that the N900 thanks to the Maemo operating system, a variant of Debian, in fact a full-fledged Linux-bak, who really is only limited by his processor speed and the resolution of the 3.5″screen. In this redactieblog we go a little deeper in to what exactly you can and can not with this unit. We focus especially on the possibilities of Maemo on a smartphone; those who information and opinions on other features of the N900 are looking for, the review further reading if the corresponding topic set visit.
X-terminal
The terminal application of the N900 offers the possibility to use a ssh-connection software on a desktopmachine to operate. Thanks to X-forwarding the graphical output of the respective programs, then the N900 is displayed. We have connected the testing to the Ubuntu-pc of our serverdude moto-moi and it was indeed possible to run a wide range of software on the desktop to start.
Because the calculations by the desktop is running, and only the image over the network to the N900 was sent, resulted in the starting of applications no problems. So it could fairly useless XClock on the screen conjured, but also browser Konqueror and music player Banshee could be operated, though the music is played and logically, not on the N900, but on the speakers of the desktop to listen. Unfortunately, the engine failed, the operation of Konqueror here and there and found the terminal application on the N900 is far from stable: almost all of the tried applications and let this program eventually crashing.
The most interesting application of our test was OpenOffice.org. Maemo lacks as yet a full-fledged office suite, which makes the use of this suite definitely has added value. The start of OpenOffice.org and the creation of a new document was relatively slow, but did work. The types went, but the typed words appeared not on the phone: the terminal application on the N900 crashed again.
The only application without crashes, wanted to work, was command-line file manager Midnight Commander. With this program, you could all the files on the Ubuntu desktop to be accessed. Also, the reverse path could be followed: the Ubuntu desktop could all the files on the N900.
The removal of this kind of tricks is nice, but has currently no serious value: working with applications over ssh was difficult and was accompanied with crashes. Perhaps better software here can change it, because it opens the door for interesting applications.
Debian on N900
Much more interesting is, of course, to a full Debian distro on the N900 to make it run, so that applications such as OpenOffice.org and the Firefox clone Iceweasel without more may be used. For older Maemo versions there was a Easy Debian, that made it possible to have a light version of Debian in a so-called chroot environment to run. That is to say, that operating system, as it were, as an app within Maemo is running.
Easy Debian is, however, made for the previous generation of Maemo devices such as the N800 and N810 from Nokia. For the N900 is still no real support, but we managed to in to this OS to to swing, as we previously reported. Our way is, however, rather cumbersome. First, there should be two repositories to the Application manager can be added; one for the installation file Qole.org and for the tar-version of the distro Chinook, because the N900 can otherwise no .tar.gz-extract files. Then must be a root image to be downloaded and on sd card.
If all that is done, the various desktop applications of Debian in the menu. Also is a package manager available for new Debian programs on the N900 to install.
In the meantime is to install the Debian version on the N900, however, been a lot easier. The Canadian developer Qole has a N900 port of Easy Debian, so Debian without detours can be installed.
Repositories
Although there is also an Ovi Store for Maemo 5, there are already repositories with applications for the N900. For the N900 there are repositories with Nokia applications and -software-updates. Also the repository’s Maemo Extras and Extras-Devel are usable, and then there is the Mozilla Catalog, where Fennec – the mobile version of Firefox can be retrieved.
A disadvantage is that the repository only through a link can be added: local .deb-adding files is not possible, although it seems that in previous firmwares. This might be a feature in next firmware updates comes back. In application manager, enter any other Debian repositories is not possible: the software refuses apparently to repository use that is not explicitly for Maemo. In theory, it would be for ARM cpu’s compiled software on the N900 be able to run, because the phone has a ARMv7 chipset in the form of the TI Omap3430 board. In practice, however, this is not.
The repositories are full of beta applications, and this is clear: in some cases, applications do not or bad. There is for downloading, incidentally, is invariably a warning. The number of applications takes rap: almost every day there is new software in the repository is added.
If there are updates for software that the user is already on the N900, it appears there is a small yellow cube in the notification bar, right next to the icons for time and battery level. By clicking on this button, the Update menu of the application manager open.
