Can drivers/cards transfer between x86 and other CPUs like ARM?

[Rick Funderburg]

Andrew Lentvorski wrote:
> Rick Funderburg wrote:
>
>> If I was buying a device for portable Linux, I would get a GP2X[1], 
>> which runs Linux stock.  It doesn't have wifi, 3d, or a touchscreen, 
>> but it is more powerful and hackable.
>
> Surprisingly, I have found that the lack of touchscreen is the biggest 
> problem.
>
> With the touchscreen, you have a high resolution input device.  That's 
> a big deal.
>
> However, I have heard good things about the gp2x.
>
> -a
>
>


Yeah, I would miss the touchscreen somewhat as well.  I google'd a 
little bit, but I didnt' see any touchscreen overlays for that size of 
screen (3.5 inches, I think), so applying an aftermarket touchscreen mod 
might be somewhat complicated.  Touchscreens are good for selecting from 
many objects or typing out something between one word and one sentence 
long.  However, if you are really using it on the go (like in a moving 
vehicle or while walking), a touchscreen won't be very accurate.  An 
add-on thumbpad keyboard would probably be more useful for inputing 
short lengths of text.

One of the recent hardware hacks was embedding a gps within the casing 
of the unit.  Apparently, there is quite a lot of space inside the 
case.  I have had the thought of embedding a bluetooth radio so that you 
could use a wireless mouse and keyboard.  It still doesn't completely 
make up for the lack of a touchscreen, but it adds other functionality.


-- Rick