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It's not quite "retro" in the same sense, but I used to run Debian on a Zipit Z2 handheld computer as a daily driver. The CPU was a respectable 312Mhz ARM, but
by dTal 4y ago
It's not quite "retro" in the same sense, but I used to run Debian on a Zipit Z2 handheld computer as a daily driver. The CPU was a respectable 312Mhz ARM, but it only had 32Mb of RAM. X11 ran like a dog, but it was a perfectly functional machine if you stuck to the command line. It'd even compile software, provided it was written in C and not C++. This was around 2010.
I doubt you'd get any "mainstream" distros to run on it now, much less Debian. The bloat is real.
- bacchusracine 4y agoI really wish there were more devices like the Zipit Z2. I missed out when it was in its heyday and I really wish I could have jumped onboard. There seems to be a real dearth of cheap easily hacked hardware for Linux that can be turned into hacker toys and used to show off with these days.
- dTal 4y agoWell, for what it's worth, I now fill that same niche of "pocket daily driver" with a GPD Micro PC, which is a wildly more functional machine in every respect. It doesn't need to be "hacked" to put Linux on it - it's a perfectly ordinary x86 laptop - but it still gets coos of interest from strangers.