I've done some tests using scratchbox and iliad executables work in it!

Scratchbox is a cross-comiling development environment for linux that uses qemu (or real hardware) to execute the "alien" executables (arm in our case) but native tools for cross-compiling and execute the scripts. It's used for maemo development (the nokia 770 webpad).

Using the atached script to execute iliad binaries (edit the script to change the username so that it matches the one of your machine), I was able to execute xpdf and xebreader.

Attached is a screenshot of this nice moment (executing iliad's xpdf in scrtachbox) :wink: .

It's used as in:
[sbox-armgcc401libc232: ~] > ./iliad.sh usr/bin/xpdf launch4-a5.pdf

Of course, you must install scratchbox :-)

http://www.scratchbox.org/download/
http://www.scratchbox.org/download/files/sbox-releases/1.0/tarball/

This would provide activity enough while you stay in the "paid not shipped" limbo.

If you run Debian or Ubuntu, you can also install Scratchbox this way:

Add the following to /etc/apt/sources.list:

deb http://scratchbox.org/debian/ ./

Then:

$ apt-get update
$ apt-get install scratchbox-core scratchbox-devkit-debian \
scratchbox-devkit-doctools scratchbox-devkit-perl scratchbox-libs \
scratchbox-toolchain-arm-gcc3.3-glibc2.3 \
scratchbox-toolchain-i686-gcc3.3-glibc2.3

You need to set up your user with Scratchbox. Type the following:

$ sudo /scratchbox/sbin/sbox_adduser $USER

Restart your session in order for the group changes to take affect. Once you're back in, log in to your scratchbox:

$ /scratchbox/login

This would provide activity enough while you stay in the "paid not shipped" limbo.
Morph, but there is no way to get to the binaries before it's being shipped, is there?

It is a technicality. I suppose the "paid" status qualifies for begging :-) but not all of the content is GPL'd so it can not be distributed.

*grin*

Is it possible that you attach a list of all files on the iLiad? Like,

ls / -Rla > content.txt

I can't get it to run, it always complains about a missing cpu transparency type. I installed qemu, including qemu-arm. Alas, the list of cpu transparency types is empty in sb-menu. Any hints what I could do?

I can't get it to run, it always complains about a missing cpu transparency type. I installed qemu, including qemu-arm. Alas, the list of cpu transparency types is empty in sb-menu. Any hints what I could do?
I'm using Debian 3.1 Sarge. Here you have the packages I've installed and the relevant lines of the sources.list:
$ dpkg --get-selections | grep "scratch\|qemu\|bios"
bochsbios install
qemu install
scratchbox-core install
scratchbox-devkit-cputransp install
scratchbox-devkit-debian install
scratchbox-devkit-perl install
scratchbox-libs install
scratchbox-toolchain-arm-gcc4.01-glibc2.3 install
scratchbox-toolchain-host-gcc install
vgabios install
$ cat /etc/debian_version
3.1
$ grep scratch /etc/apt/sources.list
# scratchbox
deb http://scratchbox.org/debian/ ./

Here are the instructions I used as a guide for installing scratchbox in this machine:
http://www.scratchbox.org/documentation/user/scratchbox-1.0/html/installdoc.html

I'm right now preparing a toolchain for scratchbox using gcc 2.4.2 and glibc 2.3.3 (hope it's ok for the iliad, as crosstool didn't had glibc 2.3.2 in the recommended configurations for arm target).

Hey, it works now. I didn't install scratchbox-devkit-cputransp. Thanks!

More news.

I've finished compiling the gcc 3.4 and libc 2.3.3 and setup a new target in scratchbox using that new toolchain. Then, copied the contents of the iliad (yay, now I've mine :-b) to that new scrtachbox user.

I've noticed two things:

1. The libc of the iliad is a 2.3.4, although it's name is 2.3.3 (but hope that the binaries I compile using this new toolchain work)

2. Some of the programs in the iliad use BOTH the X server and the framebuffer directly (that is, /dev/fb0). An example of this is the xebreader and scribble.

Attached is a screenshot using pageBar and xpdf executed in the scratchbox with the DISPLAY exported to a Xnest in my desktop :-). And it works (clicking in the pagebar you go to other pages), ect.