Answers to initial round of questions.

The announcement of this blog page has created some interest. As anticipated, the questions started coming in. Here are a few answers to some of the more pertinent questions.

Is this a Linux replacement for Altair?

Yes and no. The software I wrote is targeted at Linux running on an embedded ARM processor. The target ARM platform is running in big endian mode as opposed to little endian mode used by Linux on x86. There are other portability concerns to take into consideration, such as the way the compiler packs structures. I tried to write portable code, so making the software work under Linux on x86 should be trivial, but it is only tested on the NSLU2. I'm quite happy to leave the porting effort (if any at all) to others.

The software I wrote is not exactly a replacement for Altair. It does not have a GUI or all the capabilities of Altair. The long term plan is to add all the functionality that can be supported, such as turbo mode, file renaming, file deletion, etc.

I have no plans for a GUI, since the software needs to run on a headless embedded system. I expect that at some stage a web interface will be created to allow the user to initiate transfers between any drive on the network and the Toppy.


Should I buy the NSLU2 hardware now?

I like gadgets that serve a purpose. I like gadgets that can serve several purposes even better. The great thing about the Linksys NSLU2 is that it is a pretty handy device on it's own and it can be reprogrammed to do other things. If you can use a box that allows you to attach USB hard disks to your network, then by all means go ahead. Even if this project dies tonight, you will have a device that serves a purpose.

If you are a Linux hacker and want to get involved, then I would encourage you to get a NSLU2 now. You want to make sure that you have your toy in time for Christmas.

If your only purpose for the NSLU2 is to add an easy to use Ethernet interface to your Toppy, I would suggest that you wait until the project gains momentum. I expect that eventually it will be easy enough for a Windows user with minimal skills to get going, but we are nowhere near that goal just yet.

Where should I buy my NSLU2 from?

Since I don't have any incentive to recommend one vendor over another, I won't mention any one in particular. I am quite happy to recommend a particular retailer if we can structure a mutually beneficial relationship. If I do end up recommending someone in particular, I will justify the reason for the recommendation.

Where can I get a copy of this software?

You can't just yet. I need to take care of some house keeping before I unleash the project on the general public. House keeping includes such things as choosing a licence for the source (probably GPL), finding a home for the project (probably SourceForge) and of course writing developer documentation and guidelines. House keeping is tedious. I am not looking forward to it, but the plan is to get it done before Christmas.

Most importantly, I'll have to choose a name for the project. Up until now, the project has been code named puppy and unless a better name comes out of somewhere, it will stay. Suggestions are welcome, but please don't come up with sad aberrations of words like Linux, Tux, Slug or Altair.

When will it be finished?

Probably never. I expect the project to be adopted by the community and evolve indefinitely. There will always be more features that someone will want.

Can I be a beta tester?

Not yet. I am looking for others to join in the development effort. Part of the development cycle is setting up the environment, building the binaries from the source code and testing. At this stage, getting everything set up is non-trivial and a new comer will probably require a fair amount of help. Any effort I put into helping others with set up is effort taken away from making further progress on the project. That is why I am only interested in other developers at this stage. We need to get some initial momentum, so that there are enough people putting in the effort and energy to add features, improve the software and distribution model and eventually help end users with deployment.

If you want to get involved in development, start by getting yourself a NSLU2 and an external USB 2.0 hard disk. I currently use a 6GB laptop drive in a 2.5" drive enclosure powered by the NSLU2 and have a 36GB drive in a 3.5" externally powered enclosure just waiting to be used.