The bitsy comes with Wince. To get to Plan 9, you will need a serial cable, a Windows machine with a serial interface, the CDROM that comes with the bitsy, and a Plan 9 machine with a serial interface. The Windows machine is used to get the Linux boot loader onto the bitsy (and to save away wince, if you so desire). The Plan 9 machine is used to get the plan 9 kernel and a read only file system onto the bitsy. 0) charge up the bitsy. 1) go to ftp://ftp.handhelds.org/pub/linux/compaq/ipaq/stable/install.html and go through the steps to get the linux boot loader into the flash. This is where you'll need the CDROM and the Windows machine. Roughly the steps are: a) install activesync from the cdrom b) use activesync to copy osloader-1.3.0.exe to wince's fs. c) run osloader-1.3.0.exe. This is a RAM version of the boot loader whose only real function is to put the final version of the boot loader into the flash. d) Optionally select Tools->Flash->Save to make a backup copy of your flash e) Select Tools->Bootldr->Run (screen goes blank) f) In plan 9 use con -b115200 /dev/eia[01] to connect to the bitsy g) hit enter h) load the bootldr-0000-2.14.5 using xms You are adviced to follow the instructions in the install.html file mentioned above, since this is delicate and could turn your bitsy into a paperweight if you fail to install the boot loader properly. This is more than a bit convoluted. Windows runs its applications from flash. The odd dance is to get a windows program (osloader) running from flash to then load a bootldr into ram and jump to it. That bootldr can then destroy the flash since it isn't running there. Finally you copy into the beginning of flash a copy of bootldr that knows it is being started in flash. When you power up the bitsy it starts executing at location 0 in the flash so the `real' bootldr has to live there. The only difference between the first and second bootldr is in initialization. 2) You are now done with wince. Connect the serial cable to a Plan 9 machine. 3) In a plan 9 window (turn on scrolling) con -b115200 /dev/eia[01] You'll have to figure out whether it's 0 or 1 on your machine. 4) Reboot the bitsy by cycling power using the dip switch under the sliding door at the bottom of the bitsy. In the con window, hit spaces. If you don't see the boot> prompt, try with spaces+enter. 5) In the con window type partition reset partition define root 0x80000 0x80000 0x0 partition define ramdisk 0x100000 0x700000 0x0 params save This defines the flash partitions where to load the kernel and the ram disk. 6) In the con window type load kernel 7) in the con window type ctl-\ to get con's >>> prompt. Then !xms /sys/src/9/bitsy/9bitsy This does an xmodem load of the kernel 8) In the con window type load ramdisk 9) in the con window type ctl-\ to get con's >>> prompt. Then !xms /sys/src/9/bitsy/ramdisk This does an xmodem load of the read only file system 10) Cycle power again to reboot. A screen will come up that says root is from [sac]: Just wait a while or hit enter in the con window and it'll continue. 11) The bitsy will now want to calibrate the screen. It'll put up a series of crosses that you should tap the center of. Hold the machine in your hand the way you'ld normally use it or the calibration could be off since there is depth to the glass in the screen. 12) You'll get a new screen with a blank top and a keyboard/scribble area at the bottom. This is a simple one file editor. This file is similar to plan9.ini on PC's. You need to enter a few things: user=your-user-name wavelankey='thekey' When you're done, hit the quit key on the simulated keyboard. The system will now come up as you. 13) To get your password into the system: # auth/iam password: After this you can run cpu, 9fs, whatever...