Interview: Peter Naulls, Debian ARM Developer
2004-11
Over the space of a couple of days last week, I interviewed Peter Naulls of the Debian 事業／計画（する） about the recently 完全にするd port of OpenOffice.org 1.1.x to the ARM 加工業者 running Debian. As most readers probably know, ARM 加工業者s are 設立する in everything from 動きやすい phones to the 小型の iPod, PDAs (such as the iPAQ), and more, 含むing desktop systems and servers. によれば Wikipedia, ARM 半導体素子s account for 75 パーセント of all 32-bit embedded CPUs though it should be 強調するd that the embedded market is by no means the only market for ARM 加工業者 systems. Making OpenOffice.org 1.1.x 利用できる to this 抱擁する market is thus an 業績／成就 of some magnitude. 動きやすい phones are cheap; as are PDAs; ARM desktops can also be very 安価な. The port gives millions the 力／強力にする and 能力 of OpenOffice.org.
Readers wanting to get the binaries or work on the port are 勧めるd to first 任命する／導入する Debian's Linux (it's 解放する／自由な). The binaries can be 設立する in the 実験の 配当, http://一括s.debian.org/実験の/editors/. 公式文書，認める: this is really meant (at least for now) for those familiar with Debian.
Let's start with the usual question: Tell us about yourself and what you working on with OpenOffice.org (OOo). Also, what do you do outside of working oinOOo?
井戸／弁護士席, I don't have that 広大な／多数の／重要な 取引，協定 of 関与 in OOo, most of my 関与 in the 事業／計画（する） was because I was asked to port it to ARM as part of Linux 開発 by Psion. My background is ARM - in particular, I use a somewhat obscure ARM-based British OS called RISC OS developed by the now 消滅した／死んだ Acorn (on which incidentally, OOo is 極端に ありそうもない to ever run), although most of the 法案 are paid by ARM Linux 開発.
What's Debian's 火刑／賭ける in OOo?
I'm not sure that's the 権利 question to ask, because Debian embraces so many different programs and 科学（工学）技術s without any real favouritism; so Debian's "火刑／賭ける" in OOo is, to me anyway, just one more program that is 一括d and can be easily used on Debian. The final value in that ends up with 使用者s and companies that have Debian systems.
Okay, let's 焦点（を合わせる） on the 支配する at 手渡す, the new port to the ARM 半導体素子. Can you explain what a port of OpenOffice.org 1.1.x to ARM means? And why it is important?
It 論証するs that ARM 加工業者s are not just 設立する in phones/PDAs/washing machines (although the 圧倒的な number are used in those 肉親，親類d of 使用／適用s). ARM has 歴史的に been a 加工業者 for desktop machines, and the OOo port shows that this is still possible; albeit not at the 最高の high clock 速度(を上げる）s 設立する on PPC and Intel-based 壇・綱領・公約s.
What systems and 装置s are 影響する／感情d by this? Why would people be 利益／興味d? What are some 可能性のあるs?
Given the 需要・要求するing space and 過程ing 必要物／必要条件s, the number of ARM 壇・綱領・公約s (beyond 開発 boards) that OOo could 潜在的に run on is a bit 限られた／立憲的な - the 十分な 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） is probably (in order of suitability) 城 iyonix (which I did the Linux port to), Footbridge 壇・綱領・公約s (反逆者／反逆する/Corel Netwinder, Simtec CATS) and perhaps the Psion netBook.
I am thinking, also, of those many who have 手配中の，お尋ね者 a 見解／翻訳／版 of OOo that runs on very lightweight (or even older) systems. Does this port 演説（する）／住所 those 願望（する）s?
No, it doesn't - partly for the above 推論する／理由s. This is an essentially fully featured port - OOo 現在／一般に has some 施設 for turning off features, but nowhere 近づく enough to 演説（する）／住所 these type of 的s.
What were the 重要な 科学技術の challenges that you had to 打ち勝つ?
Doing an ARM 見解／翻訳／版 of the C++/UNO 橋（渡しをする）ing code. The 存在するing code for other 壇・綱領・公約s used dynamically 生成するd machine code ーするために 説得する some コンビナート／複合体 behaviour to occur. This 解答 really wasn't the tidiest, and in any 事例／患者, wasn't that suitable for ARM. In the end, I was able to 令状 some static assembler that 成し遂げるd the same 職業, although did rely a bit on 明確な／細部 (but ありそうもない to change) layout of ARM 指示／教授／教育s by the compiler. I also had to fight with some 明らかな compiler bugs (and C++ really isn't my favourite language) when 取引，協定ing with some different and also tricky ARM assembler 派遣（する） code.
The biggest practical challenge is that it took 3 days to do a 完全にする build on my 600Mhz Xscale system - I did look into a variety of cross-収集するing 解答s, but they were all far from suitable for OOo.
What helped you 打ち勝つ them? What would you have liked to be different?
Mostly a combination of dumb 決意, 連合させるd with some rather specialised knowledge about what the compiler was going to do with ARM code. The ability to cross 収集する OOo would have saved a 広大な／多数の／重要な 取引，協定 of time.
What needs to be done now? And, where can people help out? There are 非常に／多数の readers, I am sure, who would like to know where to go.
井戸／弁護士席, the ARM port really isn't that 急速な／放蕩な. There may be some value to be had out of a recompile with ペルシャ湾岸協力会議 3.4 (ペルシャ湾岸協力会議 3.3 was 現在の for ARM Linux at the time). There is also some locking code that would really 利益 from an ARM 見解／翻訳／版: 現在／一般に it's using the generic and slow 見解／翻訳／版. This 仕事 is やめる コンビナート／複合体, although there's a SPARC 見解／翻訳／版 that it could be based upon.
And not forgetting OOo 2.0, although I 嫌疑者，容疑者／疑う most of the ARM 明確な／細部 bits in that have already been 演説（する）／住所d by my patches to 1.1: it would be good if ARM was a supported 壇・綱領・公約 for that. There's also no 推論する／理由 why a NetBSD/ARM port can't be done - it should be the 事例／患者 that very few 付加 changes are needed.
What should wannabe developers do?
I recommend any wannbe developers first try and build the Debian 一括 themselves. After that (or if they get stuck), pop の上に the #openoffice.org IRC channel on freenode. The people there are very helpful.
