Familiar Linux is a discontinued

Linux distribution A Linux distribution (often abbreviated as distro) is an operating system made from a software collection that includes the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system. Linux users usually obtain their operating system by downloading on ...

for iPAQ devices and other personal digital assistants (PDAs), intended as a replacement for

Windows CE Windows Embedded Compact, formerly Windows Embedded CE, Windows Powered and Windows CE, is an operating system subfamily developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows Embedded family of products. Unlike Windows Embedded Standard, which is ba ...

. It can use OPIE or GPE Palmtop Environment as the graphical user interface.

Technical details

It is loosely based on the

Debian Debian (), also known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a Linux distribution composed of free and open-source software, developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993. The first version of De ...

ARM distribution, but uses the ipkg package manager. It contained Python and XFree86.

History

In May 2000, Alexander Guy took a kernel that had been worked on by Compaq programmers, built a complete Linux distribution around it, and released the first version of Familiar (v0.1). The first version was released in May 2000. It was developed as part of the Handhelds.org project.

Reception

According to a 2004 review by

IBM developerWorks IBM Developer is a global community of coders, developer advocates, and digital resources that help developers learn, build, and connect. The IBM Developer website (previously known as IBM developerWorks) hosts a wide range of resources, tools, a ...

, Familiar Linux needed more polish and "could gain mass acceptance if a dual-boot procedure were made possible".

References

External links

*
Linux.com interview with the original author
{{Linux distributions Linux ARM Linux distributions Linux distributions