**** BEGIN LOGGING AT Sun Oct 25 02:59:57 2020
Oct 25 18:46:09 <linkmauve> Hi, I’m going to start using my Freerunner again after like three years without a phone, what are the current good distributions for a GTA02?
Oct 25 18:46:38 <linkmauve> I was previously running QtMoko I think, but in a super old version based on Debian Lenny IIRC.
Oct 25 18:48:08 <linkmauve> cat /etc/debian_version says 5.0.6, which sounds way too old.
Oct 25 18:48:54 <PaulFertser> Hey linkmauve ! I'm not aware of anything newer than the latest QtMoko.
Oct 25 18:49:10 <PaulFertser> Or more suitable for generic phone usecases.
Oct 25 18:49:37 <linkmauve> ArchLinuxARM only goes back to ARMv5, no ARMv4T. :(
Oct 25 19:12:17 <Rjs> Iirc systemd didn't work with the old OpenMoko kernel, and that rules out most modern Linux distributions... I think there was also some issue about unsupported assembler insructions even on Debian armel.
Oct 25 19:14:08 <Rjs> The last time I used it I had Debian 6 or 7 (not quite sure) and a few applications refused to work because of those missing instructions (I think newer kernels would implement them if the hardware doesn't) but most things did work there.
Oct 25 19:19:32 <linkmauve> Why are we limited to a specific kernel version?
Oct 25 20:35:42 <Rjs> The OpenMoko kernel was always its own fork of Linux (like a lot of ARM hardware back in the day and some still), and I think most of the drivers never got mainlined. I think I heard about some effort to do it long ago, but at least I didn't hear about it getting very far.
Oct 25 20:36:35 <PaulFertser> I think it got quite far, an upstream kernel was bootable on the device.
Oct 25 20:40:11 <Rjs> Hmm ok - maybe I didn't follow it to the end. I wonder if that would be useful nowadays for some special-purpose application (= if it's not a phone you might not need many of the drivers)...
Oct 25 20:43:11 <PaulFertser> And I think current Debian can work without systemd.
Oct 25 20:50:20 <linkmauve> I’m fine with running mainline without all of the drivers, as long as the modem does work, but that’s standard AT commands over serial IIRC, so it shouldn’t be very hard.
Oct 25 20:51:03 <linkmauve> Atm, having it as an external modem for my laptop would be useful.
Oct 25 20:51:16 <linkmauve> For SMS mostly.
Oct 25 20:51:40 <linkmauve> Hmm, but then current kernel and Debian Lenny should work too.
**** ENDING LOGGING AT Mon Oct 26 02:59:57 2020