Flashback: HP Jornada 720

Many years ago, I got a HP Jornada 720 from eBay. At this time, I didn't have a private laptop, and smartphones were still not available. So I needed a portable device:

The hardware was not very powerful, neither was the software:

• Intel StrongARM, 206 MHz
• 32 MB RAM
• CF card slot
• PCMCIA slot
• 56k modem
• 640 x 240 pixel touch display (resistive)
• Windows CE 3.0, Handheld PC 2000

I really wasn't interested in using Windows on it. Instead, I tried to install NetBSD on it:

• Kind of a bootloader
• kernel (NetBSD hpcarm)
• PCMCIA ethernet card
• CF card

I successfully started NetBSD, installed in on the CF card, and I was able to do some network. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to install NetBSD over Windows CE (I read that e few devices were able to flash NetBSD to the internal storage, but the mos device weren't). Instead, on every boot, I had to start the bootloader, which started NetBSD from within Windows CE, reding the OS from CF card.

Wireless networking wasn't available for me at this time. So my NetBSD handheld had to be connected by Ethernet card + cable, or it was offline...