Getting English Menus on a Japanese Sharp Zaurus SL-B500 (Japanese version of SL-5600)

The best part of this page now are the links at the bottom of the page -- the English conversion is something I still haven't finished.

First Attempt at conversion -- clearing "/home/QtPalmtop/i18n/ja" directory

To convert some of the interface of a Sharp Zaurus SL-B500 from Japanese to English, follow the directions below. This may work for other Zaurus models as well. Let me know if it does. I'll list models it works on here. Don't do this unless you are able to use basic DOS or UNIX commands. There are some problems with the procedure below. Not all fonts in all apps convert properly. The Zaurus will still work fine, and you will have English menus in many apps. Do check to see if there are other pages that give a better treatment than this. If you find something worth recommending, please let me know. There is an e-mail link at the bottom of this page.

Make a backup to CF first (of course), then
launch a terminal application
   Terminal (ターミナル) came with my B500, but was missing when I updated the ROM to version 1.2JP ROM
   It should be on the 5600's system CD in the "applications" directory.
   Konsole is also available from killefiz.de/zaurus/showdetail.php?app=385 or from Handango.
   It is a free terminal app from Opie Project, and it does work on my B500's Sharp ROM
su (login as admin)
cd /home/QtPalmtop/i18n (going to this directory)
ls (lists the files and dirs here)
    de en ja (results I got -- all users may not have the German de)
mv ja wasja (moves ja to wasja (a rename in dos-speak))
ls (lists the files and dirs here; checking to see the mv/rename command was successful)
    de en wasja (results I got)
mkdir ja (making a new dir named ja)
ls (checking to see if the new ja was successfully created)
    de en ja wasja (it was there for me)
exit
exit

soft reset (flip the switch near the battery cover on the back for a few seconds)

The results for me?
"Set System Time" is English
Application names below icons are still Japanese
Menus are English!
Help is still Japanese.
Japanese input, keyboard and handwriting recognition still work the same.
Some items don't display well (normal English word wrapping is broken -- words break at the end of a line inside words.) Also some fields in Address Book and elsewhere seem to be partially hidden.

Changing back should be easy. Either restore the backup you made to your CF card, or rename the wasja directory back to the ja dir.


Hard to find function of the Zaurus:
To make the screen captures, use <Fn> plus <up arrow> plus <C> (I discovered this keyboard shortcut accidentally). The captures will be saved as .bmp files on the CF card in the "Screen_Files" directory (if you have a CF card inserted.)


links:   altavista's translation page (use to translate Japanese pages below)
official Sharp support and ROM updates
Sharp Space Town for Zaurus (in Japanese)
Zaurus Support Station (in Japanese)
Zaurus Support Station for SL-B500 (in Japanese)
Sharp's SL-B500 ROM update (in Japanese)  This link might change; you might need to navigate the above links to find the current ROM updater. The B500 ROM was 1.5JP as of January 2004.
conics.net's English rewrite of Sharp's page on updating ROM Conics' page may not be current -- it was one year out-of-date as of January 2004. It is still useful for the flashing procedure, however. Compare this page with the original Sharp Japanese page for updates.
Sharp USA's MyZaurus apps, accessories, etc.
Other ROM's The lauded Sharp Kanji handwriting recognition app is not part of the alternative ROM's. Some of these ROM's work only on some Zaurus models as well.
OpenZaurus
thekompany's tkcROM -- improved Sharp ROM
Pages On Converting the Zaurus from Japanese to English
Japanese display on an English A300 / C700 Zaurus (from conics.net) This page did not fully work for me. Everything was fine till I got to the last procedures about removing fonts. The fonts to be removed were not the ones installed on my B500. The instructions for using the VI editor are also incomplete -- though I did eventually get it all done.
Dave Lowndes's conversion method (A300) This page was the basis for the conics.net page above
Collection of ways to get English support on the Zaurus also from conics
Dictionaries and Other Japanese Apps and Fonts
Jim Breen's Japanese Page Lots of info on using Japanese on various devices
KanjiNirvana Learning Kanji on the Zaurus
Sites to Download Zaurus Apps From
Sharp/Handango
Zaurus Software Index
zaurussoft.com
Zaurus Software all free and open.
Opie not just apps -- another environment (no, I don't know what that means.)
New Breed Software The author, Bill Kendrick, is a helpful guy. I've seen his informative posts about various Zaurus questions all over the net.
thekompany (tkc) They have quite a broad "suite" of nice-looking Zaurus apps. Unfortunately, there are problems, especially with the PIM apps and Mail. The president of the company, Shawn Gordon, typically responds to the problems by: 1) ignoring customer complaints 2) shutting down the customer e-mail support list when complaints crescendo [private archive here -- open only to customers -- search for several days of no posts to find the shutdowns] and 3) deleting posts on the support forum (also open to customers only) when they cast thekompany in a bad light. Buyer beware. They don't give out refunds. In time, the specific software problems will be fixed, I imagine, but the attitude toward customer support may never change. UPDATE 2003/10/18 After complaining and publicizing the kompany's practices, I *did* get a refund for all my purchases. This is a mixed blessing -- I would have preferred an apology followed by better service and better working software.
Linux and Programming Reference
Sharp's "Zaurus's Basic Linux Commands"  [another Zaurus command reference in downloadable format]
Mastering the VI editor  tutorial on using the VI editor -- useful for editing Zaurus configuration scripts
FAQ's and Other Reference
Zaurus User Group FAQ
Zaurus Otaku Kurabu FAQ
wbcd.org's Zaurus SL-C700's User Guide (comprehensive -- some applicability to B500 and other Zaurii)
Sharp Zaurus Developer Site
ZaurusZone a Zaurus portal
ZaurusZone Wiki (Wiki is a community editable reference work)
Zaurus Software Home not a catchy name, but thois site is good for an introduction to many elements of the Zaurus.
Discussion Groups and Lists
lists.zaurus.com Mailing Lists
Zaurus Otaku Kurabbu, or "Zaurus Japanese Geek Club"
Zaurus DevNet Forums
Zaurus-ja "Zaurus-ja is a SourceForge.jp project that organizes some Zaurus improvement efforts in Japan."
PDAStreet's Zaurus Message Boards
Importers/Exporters for Zaurus
conics.net
Xtops.DE
thekompany.com
dynamism.com Dynamism is pretty stingy with support. Conics.net is much more open in telling you what has to be done to convert the menus.
Accessories for B500 / 5600 (below is the only case designed for the B500/5600 I've found -- If I buy it, I will post a review here.)
Leather Case for Zaurus SL-5600 (and SL-B500)
Leather Case (same as above -- domestic Japanese B500 version)
Extreme Limit full list of Zaurus cases, etc. from Extreme Limit (maker/dealer of cases above)