CF-27 performance with Linux

Hi.

Anyone out there using a CF-27 with Linux, what's the performance like and any issues with it. The reasons behind it are as follows:

I'm part of a volunteer group who provide assistance to emergency services and other user groups - Red Cross, Local councils etc with 4x4 vehicles in bad weather and other times when a 4x4 will be useful. I have been working on implementing an emergency dispatch system (web based) which is now working well and I'm looking for a pool laptop for the team as I don't wnat to just make my CF-28 available to everyone. Controllers could then use this whilst on call using mobile broadband to access the dispatch system and control resources.

Being a voluntary group, a CF-28 would be too costly to buy another for a pool unit, but I can get a CF-27 pretty cheap. I have also just won a repairable CF-51 but would rather a fully rugged one for the pool.

I figured a CF-27 running Windows XP or even Windows 2K would be pretty slow but running Linux may be quite a bit faster. Only really want it for basic web access and possibly typing up documents - could use Open Office for this.

Is this going to be useable and worthwhile or should I stick out and wait for a CF-28 to come up at a reasonable price (maybe a spares / repair unit as I have quite a few spares now).

Cheers
Andy

 

Hi Andy,
Puppy Linux should provide quite decent perfomance.

It very light and fast linux, working good on slow machines.

Also you can try it without installation at all, booting from flash drive, to see how it works.

 

Thanks. Will have a look, have used Mint and Ubuntu 8.04 on my CF-28 and it is pretty good. Only thing I need to find out as well is if any of the Mobile broadband providers support Linux. Didn't think of that before.

Cheers
Andy

 

I've done a similar project...getting together laptops for a local emergency management group. I was using some rescued fujitsu b2175 laptops. I tried many different linux distros (ubuntu, xbuntu, fedora, dsl, suse) I found puppy 4.0 to be the best (I even managed to get the touch screen to work). The b2175 has a 500mhz cpu, and 64mb of ram....these suckers were really fast, and everything worked outta the box except the touch screen calibration took a bit of work. It has plenty of applications, and the browser (seamonkey) is really fast. I'm planning to install puppy on my cf18 when it finally arrives in the next few days.

 

Those CF-27s were great workhorses; but my recent experience puttering with my CF-28 MK1 (600mhz, 384MB RAM) did reveal one drawback; modern websites use a LOT of active content; they bogged down on it even running Win2K/Mozilla with active desktop OFF.

Of course a lot of sites have a WAP interface that will still load fast on these older machines; but for general websurfing, even YaFoo and Goggle can load pretty slow if your page has a lot of ads or other active content.

As much as I love my old dinosaurs, (I have many) I've realized they just can't cut it in the wild anymore... I'm finding I have to put them out to pasture while I still can find them a good home.

Gone this way recently:

My last Dell L400, my IBM 380XD, my NEC Versa 4200, my Asus L7000, my Libretto & my PCG-C1VPK Picturebook.

mnem
Now where did I leave my Ono-Sendai/7?

 

Mnem.

One lucky thing I have here is that they only need to access one website, and as I have built that one, I know whats running on it. Most funky part is google maps. I have looked at it on a PDA and it shows OK so should be fine. The only additional thing would maybe to run the odd spreadsheet or document.

It's looking good for the CF-27. I've even found one I'm watching that is one of those built into a briefcase with a printer (Olivetti J90) which would be pretty good for a controller on site.

So CF-27 it is plus Puppy - downloaded the distro last night, will see what it is like running off the live CD on my CF-28.

Thanks for the help.
Andy

 

I can say its a trouble even on my 1100Mhz/256Mb - if the active content is turned on, not good to have more then 1 web page like that opened. But I keep Flash disabled most of the time and this allows me to have couple dozen pages opened in Opera, with MS Word and some other stuff running at the same time and the speed is fine.

Another important thing is to disable disk caching in your browser - that should be improving pages opening speed, however, it does significantly slow computer because of addressing the disk all the time. With modern speed of internet connections mostly available, this is more of a disadvantage for speed for the slow machines.

This way, there is no need to look for PDA versions of websites, I believe most of the net can be surfed perfectly even on older machines.

 

Should be OK, no activeX, just JS running on the site I will be using, with auto page refreshing set to every 5 minutes so as not to be too bandwidth hungry. Will be running on mobile broadband which will probably be more of a limiting factor.

Just tried out Puppy on my CF-28 and it flys even off the live CD so I think it is a good option. Will see if I can set up my mobile broadband (Huwei modem) on it - supposedly it should work pretty easy. if that works then I have the seeds of a good plan.

Cheers
Andy

 

Well, I often use the WAP versions of popular sites simply to avoid ads & popups... I'm much less interested in all the higgery-jiggery and CSS and crap - I just want to get to my STUFF as quick as possible.

mnem
I prefer to displace as few electrons as possible...

 

Well I don't think I need to worry about the CF-27 now, just picked up a (CF-72 (1.8ghz P4, 30GB) for a really cheap price so it looks like that will become the pool unit. Might keep a lookout for a really really cheap CF-27 anyway as I might be reluctant to let a CF-72 out of my sight but at least I have something now. Will probably run Linux on it anyway as I now don't need to worry about touchscreen calibration or anything like that, the Mobile Broadband modem that I have works on Ubuntu and Mint so will probably run Mint 7 on it.

I'm getting quite a decent collection now, next up is to repair the CF-51 when it arrives and I will then have two decent desktop replacements and old faithful the bombproof CF-28 (which I'm not letting out of my sight as although it is slow it works like a dream and has everything on it now). Will probably end up using the CF-51 at home and keep the CF-28 for in my vehicle with the VDW07 screen.

 

Kul Kat.

This is being typed on my CF-28 running Puppy off the Live CD, it's pretty good and really fast. Managed to get my Broadcom Wireless working, the built in 3com network and managed to find the Mobile Broadband (Huawei 156G) USB modem. Even better it's the first time my Samsung monitor has looked decent and not out of focus, can't get it setup correct on windows at all.

Think I will run Puppy on the CF-72 when it comes.

It's also quick to load so thanks for that.

Cheers
Andy

 

yw
great that things work well for you.

I myself also going to completely switch to Puppy on my toughbook as soon as the linux driver for wimax that i am using becomes available.

 

Well the Cf-72 arrived and rather than using Linux on it as it was not for me to use, I put Windows XP on it - it had a COA sticker and I had a spare disk. It runs well, easy install on the mobile broadband and loaded up Open Office which worked pretty quick compared to my CF-28. Well happy with it, pitty the guy I bought it off is no longer selling them as I would have tried to get another couple at that price.

Cheers
Andy