Onboard GCC? - Android Software/Hacking General [Developers Only]

Has anyone succeeded in building GCC on android? And, yes, it would be slow. But it would also be awesome fun.

I started a similar threat a few weeks ago and didn't find anything out
there are c/c++ and java(jikes) compilers for iphone as well as a python shell
I find it strange that they would exist for iphone but not android
I think it would be really cool to have these. If I had a xoom with a bluetooth keyboard, I would use them all the time. In school, almost everything we do is just simple CLI programs so this would be all I need most of the time. I don't know if there are any good text editors for android but there's always vi, if all else fails.
if anyone wants to work on this, I'd definitely be will to help but I don't really know where to even start myself.
I'm a second year software engineering student so I don't have that much experience but I think I could help out. I've been using android phones for years and I am currently on a work term with the android development team at broadcom so I do know android well enough.
http://thebigboss.org/2009/03/28/iphone-os-c-compiler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BDylxLzUEM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFrzSDdTXkk

This goes deep down to a dependency hell of cross-compiling to ARM. I see it do-able if anyone has enough time to dedicate to cross-compile gcc and glibc all the way down to its bottom dependencies. I'm not sure if we can get the kernel headers, either.
Probably do-able, but unpractical. Maybe writing a compiler in Java would waste less time, albeit being inefficient?

Funnily enough, I wanted to build vim, as busybody VI is awful.
Sent from my HTC Wildfire using XDA App

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10258071&postcount=6
maybe there's hope?

also, check this out
http://code.google.com/p/android-scripting/
not what you were looking for, but still pretty cool.
I'm installing it right now.. it takes quite a while

smaskell said:
I started a similar threat a few weeks ago and didn't find anything out
there are c/c++ and java(jikes) compilers for iphone as well as a python shell
I find it strange that they would exist for iphone but not android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't used my iphone in a year but I think the difference is that debian is installed on the iphone during jailbreaking. You can put debian on the sdcard and I think it would give you the same thing with android. But its not native gcc on either phone, its just the debian ARM version of gcc which happens to be on the iphone/android phone.

The Android scripting project is nice. Lots of examples, pretty good interface. I think that is the best way to go for developing stuff right on the phone.
If you want a good way to write code in class from a tablet with a keyboard, I'd recommend getting a shell account somewhere. freeshell.org and devio.us are both good providers (but there are many more). Then you can use connectbot to ssh into the account, and do all your coding there. Anything CLI will work fine.
Also means when you get home you can just ssh into the box and jump right back in where you were before, without having to transfer files around.

I found ASE a great idea, but a little limiting. Iwas usong python
The UI classes are pretty basic and found SSL support missing.
Good proof of concept however.
Sent from my HTC Wildfire using XDA App

Related

Ubuntu Mobile Internet Device (MID) Edition????

There is a new ver of Ubuntu http://www.ubuntu.com/products/mobile. Could we possibly turn this into a workable ver for the G1?
hmmm, interesting
it looks nice, the g1 seems to fit the vauge specs they listed for MIDs (thats a new one for me wtf?)
hmm, OS companies fighting over market share on the G1.... IMAGINE
bhang
I hope we can do it.
I think that is geared more at netbook-esque products.
that would be an interesting project to get that running off the sd card in the same manor that people are running debian and connecting to a x windows session via vnc.
The new release (Jaunty) should work with some tweaking - there is a build for ARM processors.
Nickedynick said:
The new release (Jaunty) should work with some tweaking - there is a build for ARM processors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ARM processor is one thing, but will you be able to make a call from within Ubuntu?
Well, it doesnt really matter right now anyways; it's not even out with a stable ARM version yet.
bornmw said:
ARM processor is one thing, but will you be able to make a call from within Ubuntu?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would that matter? You aren't going to make a call within Debian either, remember you'd be running Ubuntu on top of Android and tunneling into the GUI with VNC, it's not booting into Ubuntu or anything else. It's more virtualization than it is replacement.
If you get a call, it'll just interrupt your VNC session to let you answer it.
multiboot?
it would be great to have multiboot then. I've seen videos, of Iphone having multiboot, maybe it would be possible to have it on Gphone too?
it would be great to boot from MUbuntu. and, as Android is based on linux, maybe it would be possible to copy some of it's setting to make things easier?
carmelos said:
it would be great to have multiboot then. I've seen videos, of Iphone having multiboot, maybe it would be possible to have it on Gphone too?
it would be great to boot from MUbuntu. and, as Android is based on linux, maybe it would be possible to copy some of it's setting to make things easier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible to have this on a MID as I have seen it done (and held it in my hand) in a group that I work with at my job. We are currently working on putting Ubuntu as the standalone OS on MID's that match the specs listed. There are still a lot of "kinks" to work out around this, but it IS possible to get it going
ubuntu MID edition is geared towards ARMv7 devices, while the G1 is ARMv6. =(
andonnguyen said:
ubuntu MID edition is geared towards ARMv7 devices, while the G1 is ARMv6. =(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
darn, i would have loved to multi-boot into this... looks awesome!
Hopefully there might be some chance of doing it??? lol
the phone stuff could happen
Who's to say that enough is known about the phone side of the dream to do it but if that part is "open source" or not, that phrase is getting thrown around a lot these days, it seems this and things like the nokia n800/810 are only open to things that don't matter much (gui, network,etc) while things like the phone side or the displays multi touch abilities.
Which sucks and looks like it could do exactly what htc/android/tmob wants, it willl keep us from complete OS replacements but who knows with enough time things can be reversed, so I can still hope.
Bhang

[Q] Transformer for students.

A bit of background: I will be attending UCLA as a computer science student in the fall. I will be bringing my desktop with me, and am trying to decide between a laptop/netbook or the Transformer.
Would the transformer work in conjunction with the desktop, or will I need a full laptop.
Thanks.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
You should consider what you want to use this device for before you decide. As a CS major, you will certainly be doing quite a bit of programming, and you might want to prefer to use a full linux environment for this, depends largely on the program you have at UCLA. What you can consider is to get this device and using the splashtop program access your desktop to do your programming. However, you will want to consider whether or not you want to utilize the local processing power of your device. It would be far simpler to use a laptop/netbook for those purposes, rather than trying to find solutions with the tablet+dock. In the end, if you find that you will be using the device docked most of the time for school, then you should probably consider just getting a laptop/netbook. If the convenience of the tablet and media consumption is something you'd prefer, then get the transformer.
tl;dr, I consider the transformer+dock a fun/entertainment device. For CS based schoolwork, you would most likely want a laptop/netbook.
unless you wanted to focus on tablet development in your coursework...but that's not for another 2 years...
Hope that helps.
It helped a lot. Thank you.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Keep in mind that you can use the Transformer's bundled remote desktop app and/or a terminal app to control your PC, and run stuff that way - assuming you can connect to your desktop from wherever you are.
I do agree with omguss, if you don't plan on using the device mostly for entertainment, get a netbook/laptop.
Sorry if this is hijacking your thread (ill start a new thread if you want) but just wondering if there is a good note taking apps for android?
There are two uses I can see being needed for me.
First I would need something to annotate on pdf's and powerpoints. I remember seeing an app that looked pretty solid for this so it should be good.
Secondly I would need an app that I can be typing with the keyboard, and then when needed draw in equations, graphs, pictures, whatever. Not really sure if there is something good for this.
As a programmer, I would suggest getting a full laptop for somebody majoring in CS. As much as I love the transformer, you cannot compile code on it. At least in my searching I have not found a single IDE meant to be run on Android (Lot's target Android, but none run on Android). More than likely, there will be several times that you want to do work away from your room. On the transformer, the only real way to do this will be remote desktop software. It's up to you whether you think the remote desktop software will be sufficient for this, but one other thing I would caution against is the small keyboard. It is far more comfortable (and efficient) to program on a full-size (or as near to full-size as possible) keyboard.
I don't know what type of program you are going into, but if you take any courses on 3d graphics you are almost certainly going to lose the ability to test your programs through a remote desktop connection.
I personally think that tablets are great in conjunction with a desktop. I plan to get rid of my netbook once I get the transformer. My only concern for you is that a tablet simply isn't a good tool for programming. If the hacker community manages to get ubuntu onto the transformer then the device will be an acceptable programming tool in my opinion; although, you will still lack a full size keyboard.
My advice to you is wait until mid-to-late summer. There is a slew of new tech toys coming out this summer, and almost anything you get now will be outdated by the time you start in the fall. By summer you will know if we managed to get Ubuntu on the transformer, AMD's Llano processor will be out on laptops, and Tegra 3 tablets may be just around the corner.
BongoBong said:
Sorry if this is hijacking your thread (ill start a new thread if you want) but just wondering if there is a good note taking apps for android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't need to hijack anything. Just look here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=980783
I'm a secondary school student, I have a HP DM1 (Not the Z ), runs 7 pro X64 + VS 2010 Pro + VS2008 Pro. Got a load of VM's for debugging ETC...
Windows is good for note taking to, Onenote is great.
Hope this helps
Badwolve1
good old days of using SSH + eMacs + X client, they all switched to windows in school?
Magnesus said:
Don't need to hijack anything. Just look here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=980783
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but I have already seen that thread and done some other looking up and the majority of discussion is whats the best handwriting app. They really don't mention how good it would be for mostly typing (understandable since most would be using the on screen keyboard).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1039287&highlight=onenote
someone seriously needs to start porting some compilers to android..
many scripting languages are available through SL4A but most CS courses are taught with C/C++ or Java. I'd love to help out with this project but I just wouldn't know where to start
Just adding on to this, since I'm a student and also looking for a tablet solution.
I'd love:
1. Printing to my university printers. My university currently requires you install some software to use their printers. Mac and Windows versions available, no Linux, no Android.
2. Onenote would be awesome. I read that there was an iPhone version available? Android should be coing soon hopefully.
I would suggest a full laptop, and something with high resolution. Once your CS load picks up you'll need something you can work on in between or during classes. Android lacking compilers on the OS itself is the killer here, otherwise you are free to code all you want via text editors.
j7899 said:
I would suggest a full laptop, and something with high resolution. Once your CS load picks up you'll need something you can work on in between or during classes. Android lacking compilers on the OS itself is the killer here, otherwise you are free to code all you want via text editors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a CS student myself I would agree with the above and add that in programming classes you will want all the screen real-estate you can get your hands on(17"+), a good amount of hard disk space, 4gb+ ram, and a good Virtual Machine program. Less important is video and cpu power unless you intend to make it a desktop replacement/gaming machine.
That being said... Such a laptop is going to be rather heavy. I am getting the Transformer to replace an early gen AspireOne for less technical classes.
Just my $0.02
Flowah said:
Just adding on to this, since I'm a student and also looking for a tablet solution.
I'd love:
1. Printing to my university printers. My university currently requires you install some software to use their printers. Mac and Windows versions available, no Linux, no Android.
2. Onenote would be awesome. I read that there was an iPhone version available? Android should be coing soon hopefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was about to say that you're insane and that MS would never make OneNote for iOS but.. turns out you're right. That's really strange. Hopefully they start work on an Android version soon.
Edit: The iOS version of OneNote doesn't seem all that great. You can't write with a stylus.. it's just keyboard input. lame. Writing with a capacitive stylus on the transformer would kind of suck anyway, but I might still consider the HTC Flyer which has an active digitizer.
smaskell said:
I was about to say that you're insane and that MS would never make OneNote for iOS but.. turns out you're right. That's really strange. Hopefully they start work on an Android version soon.
Edit: The iOS version of OneNote doesn't seem all that great. You can't write with a stylus.. it's just keyboard input. lame. Writing with a capacitive stylus on the transformer would kind of suck anyway, but I might still consider the HTC Flyer which has an active digitizer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, but I'm interested in the Transformer almost purely because of the keyboard dock, so keyboard input only is fine with me tbh. As long as it's decently full featured.
I'm waiting to see if the AMD Llano will make the best thin gaming laptop. Hopefully, new AMD laptops will come out in June, right before back-to-school season.
Oh yeah, OneNote. Yeah, that's important too.
joe_dude said:
Oh yeah, OneNote. Yeah, that's important too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Onenote is the single most useful piece of software MS has ever produced (Excluding win7;p))
Virtual Machines? Eh, I never needed to use one except when I was using a Mac. Wandering what you guys are doing with it.
Any laptop that is 13"+ in screen size is good. The power of the computer depends on what you plan to do. So you have to decide on the specs yourself. Dual Core is fine unless you plan to do any CPU intensive tasks. If you ever need a bigger screen, then you can just buy a monitor and hook it up so even a netbook could be fine if you are okay with the power it gives. 13"-15" is good. 17" is just monstrous and you don't want to be lugging that around.

[Q] Dual boot Ubuntu and Android?

The dual-form nature of this item would fit a dual-boot scenario perfectly. Boot into Android when used as a tablet, boot into Ubuntu when docked. Just curious as to the possibility of this.
As far as I know, Ubuntu supports ARM architecture, so the Tegra 2 chip should work well with it. I'm not familiar with the touch screen driver support in Ubuntu, but I remember when I modded my old EeePC netbook with a touch screen, I was able to install third party touch screen drivers without any problem. Then again, even if the touchscreen won't work, when docked it has the mouse and keyboard anyway.
Are there any devs working on this, or know what the feasibility of such an endeavor would be?
Thanks!
Let me know when I can dual boot into Linux Mint.
I'm wondering if the webtop from atrix can be ported to work here.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
PGibbons999 said:
Let me know when I can dual boot into Linux Mint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Linux Mint is based off of Ubuntu, so if you can get one working, you can get the other. However, vanilla Ubuntu has three times the user base, so I feel that would be the best bet, considering the much larger community support.
Definitely should be a project someone works on
Should be very easy to boot ubuntu alongside android. Got a lot of spare ram on these systems.
This of course means running ubuntu with a vnc server, and connecting to localhost. Which is far from optimal. But it works atleast. That's what I plan to do when I get the tablet.
Hell with wireless adb there's a decent chance I'll be able to run up eclipse and build apps directly to and from the tablet
nurre said:
Hell with wireless adb there's a decent chance I'll be able to run up eclipse and build apps directly to and from the tablet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not unless we get an ARM SDK. There is nothing I would like more than to be able to develop for my tablet on my tablet, but right now it is not possible, even with Ubuntu.
Ubuntu 11.04 was just released with the new Unity interface standardized. I'm not sure how well the Tegra 2 can handle it, but there's also Unity 2D, which looks great.
And the touchscreen interface looks lovely:
http://unity.ubuntu.com/projects/utouch/
I'm getting excited, I really hope we can get this working!
nurre said:
Should be very easy to boot ubuntu alongside android. Got a lot of spare ram on these systems.
This of course means running ubuntu with a vnc server, and connecting to localhost. Which is far from optimal. But it works atleast. That's what I plan to do when I get the tablet.
Hell with wireless adb there's a decent chance I'll be able to run up eclipse and build apps directly to and from the tablet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was already done on the Xoom I believe.
ZaelFaroe said:
Not unless we get an ARM SDK. There is nothing I would like more than to be able to develop for my tablet on my tablet, but right now it is not possible, even with Ubuntu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A very good point :/, oh well. I can still do my normal development
nurre said:
A very good point :/, oh well. I can still do my normal development
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understand, Eclipse is actually built entirely on Java. Is anyone aware of a full java environment for ARM Linux?
The problem isn't eclipse being based on Java, the problem is the Android SDK plug-in (which specifies x86). It could be that you only need x86 for the emulator or for the USB drivers (I don't know), but it could also be something else where none of the plug-in will work on ARM. You could probably do development (write code), but you probably couldn't compile to apk or test at all. People on PPC Macs already have this issue. It appears that the source code for the SDK is publicly available so maybe we could get it working, but I think that might be more effort than it is worth at this point in time.
But this is getting off topic. We need Ubuntu (or other full linux distro) before the rest of this is even remotely possible.
They have Ubuntu working on some of the old Windows Mobile phones (check out the HTC Touch Pro 2 / Rhodium). Isn't that an ARM based CPU?
Yes, Ubuntu should have no problem working on ARM. The only questions on Ubuntu are the drivers and bootloader.
Getting linux up and running shouldn't be hard. It's done on most modern cell phones already. And the cut down versions are normally due to limitations in hardware.
The only part that sucks is the vnc localhost solution which is generally being deployed, it's not exactly optimal performance wise.
nurre said:
The only part that sucks is the vnc localhost solution which is generally being deployed, it's not exactly optimal performance wise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best way to deal with this problem would probably to get X11 working with Android's graphics stack (mostly OpenGL) as a backend- sort of like Xephyr, or Wayland's embedding of X11 (basing the work on Wayland's work might be the easiest, since they already use OpenGL ES).
That should deliver near-native performance, with full hardware acceleration.
I'd think the best way to structure it would be to have an app you launch within Android that connects to the X11 server and just pushes the final image to the screen (akin to what Wayland does). That should make it reasonable practical to move between Android and Unity (/Gnome/KDE/etc) without too much weirdities.
---
For doing Android development on Android, until there's a native SDK, you could use X11's network transparency to be running Eclipse on a remote machine via SSH, using port forwarding to allow the remote machine to connect back over the tunnel for ADB. It's ugly, but it should work (assuming you have a network connection... and a working x11!).
Initially thought this would be a huge reverse enginering job, but look and behold : http://developer.nvidia.com/tegra/news/linux-tegra-released !
Did anyone actually tried to run any Linux distro on it?
Is there any dev working on the question ?
Having a Android/Ubuntu tablet with an actual removable keyboard good me a huge advantage in terms of productivity/entertainment share... !!
nordicfastware said:
Is there any dev working on the question ?
Having a Android/Ubuntu tablet with an actual removable keyboard good me a huge advantage in terms of productivity/entertainment share... !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for that

best alternative to windows?

hey guys, I want to try something new. I'm looking for an alternative to my windows 7. so this will either be windows 8, OS X (can I install that on a real laptop?) or Ubuntu 12.4.
Ubuntu and OS X seem really similar to me. they're both Unix based, so why not. OS X seems to be better polished and more user friendly, no manual command lines or scripts to run to do simple things, yet its apple so I'm hesitant to try it, because of how they treat their phones.. I've tried Ubuntu in the past and it was a pain to fix issues, and lots of Googling what command lines to enter to install programs..
I know nothing of windows 8, but doubt its improved from windows 7 much.. looking for a comp I don't have to worry about drivers on
thoughts guys?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
I believe there is a way to install osx on a regular PC, but the hardware has to comply to osx standards. Dual boot Ubuntu, its great!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Are you looking to change the software on your computer, or get a new one altogether?
Linux+++++
Ubuntu for the nubs, +9000 internets for Gentoo install. I'm still stuck on my customized slax build, but I love the speed of gentoo
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You get live CDs for everything these days.. if you dont want to experiment at the expense of your current OS, i suggest installing virtual machine.. n installing OS on dat.. Linux is the past,present n future if you ask me..
Sent from my MB525 CM9-Nightly using XDA
Ubuntu 12.04 so much better than windows
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=)
Ive Used OXS, Windows and Linux (Ubuntu / Mint / Fedora)
I would say Windows is best for gaming and flashing ROM,
OSX is good for Graphics and Music Making
and Linux is good for Open Sourse, but not for Gaming !
n to get OSX to work on a PC its hell, id say buy a mac instead its a lot quicker !!
arch linux is the way, gentoo is deprecated and not sense, windows is like a trash, and unix and bsd is too hard for news
Windows s game is stupid and not logic, if you want play buy a console
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I would say to go with Linux
I am currently running Ubuntu 10.04 but I see the new one
has just come out, though I'm not sure I like the new interface.
I am a network Admin by trade but I switch to Linux when I go home at
night, for me Linux is much more flexible and does what I need it to do.
For those times I really need Windows at home I run it under Linux via VirtualBox.
There are many flavors out there Try a few and see what one fits you.
For a great linux alternative that can give a windows "feel" try out Mint 12. It is also fully customizeable so you can remove any features you dislike. It is based on Ubuntu so most things that are designed for Ubuntu function in Mint also.
cepsbow said:
Linux+++++
Ubuntu for the nubs, +9000 internets for Gentoo install. I'm still stuck on my customized slax build, but I love the speed of gentoo
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be a Gentoo ricer.
Use Linux Mint over Ubuntu. Each new version, Ubuntu drops a few hardware drivers. by version 10, my wifi card (RAlink RT3090) wasn't supported anymore.
cepsbow said:
Linux+++++
Ubuntu for the nubs, +9000 internets for Gentoo install. I'm still stuck on my customized slax build, but I love the speed of gentoo
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you nuts
can you please tell me why is Ubuntu for noobs????
suky08 said:
are you nuts
can you please tell me why is Ubuntu for noobs????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always laugh what I hear that, I'm an IT guy (have been for over 20 years).
I run Ubuntu. Just because I can compile from source does not mean I want to.
My time is worth something.
soraxd said:
hey guys, I want to try something new. I'm looking for an alternative to my windows 7. so this will either be windows 8, OS X (can I install that on a real laptop?) or Ubuntu 12.4.
Ubuntu and OS X seem really similar to me. they're both Unix based, so why not. OS X seems to be better polished and more user friendly, no manual command lines or scripts to run to do simple things, yet its apple so I'm hesitant to try it, because of how they treat their phones.. I've tried Ubuntu in the past and it was a pain to fix issues, and lots of Googling what command lines to enter to install programs..
I know nothing of windows 8, but doubt its improved from windows 7 much.. looking for a comp I don't have to worry about drivers on
thoughts guys?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont agree whit you that OS X is more frendly. Because you can customize it however you want. and about comands they are difficult first days but later... all comands are similar. Im using Ubuntu and it is excellent.
btw: apple is 10 years behind Microsoft and Microsoft ist 10 years behint Ubuntu as far as the security and viruses.
I prefer Kubuntu (with KDE). Gnome or KDE, it is more or less a matter of taste.
suky08 said:
Dont agree whit you that OS X is more frendly. Because you can customize it however you want. and about comands they are difficult first days but later... all comands are similar. Im using Ubuntu and it is excellent.
btw: apple is 10 years behind Microsoft and Microsoft ist 10 years behint Ubuntu as far as the security and viruses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you justify that claim?
Most variants of Linux have their specific purposes. Gentoo as a development environment is not only practically sound, it is purposefully built for that.
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cepsbow said:
Most variants of Linux have their specific purposes. Gentoo as a development environment is not only practically sound, it is purposefully built for that.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^^ very true from my experience, if you go with a linux build there are specifics where each alternative shines. So choose yours that suits your needs.
PC died with XP........
OSX runs nicely because of ease of use, however its more "out there" with cloud computing and everything being connected one way or another, I personally don't like that.
Overall, linux is where it's at! Comes down to personal preference though
soraxd said:
OS X seems to be better polished and more user friendly, no manual command lines or scripts to run to do simple things, yet its apple so I'm hesitant to try it, because of how they treat their phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first computer(s) I bought/built myself (starting around age 18) were "white box" PCs running whatever the current version of Windows was, and, invariably, dual-booting into Linux. I still have my super-sexy-for-the-time Sony VAIO PCG-Z505R (Win 98SE / Mandrake 6.1), a PIII-450 stuffed with MJPEG and UltraSCSI hardware (Windows 2000 / RedHat 7.2), etc. My personal / professional mail/web/file servers are all CentOS boxes (VPS instances). I just picked up a PogoPlug to run a small low-power ARM Linux server on, and my NAS units are Linux-based ReadyNAS devices. I've been a technical reviewer for, and/or authored chapters in, a dozen books on Linux deployment and/or programming. If I were to ever get inked, it would probably be with an image of Tux.
That said...
When the release of Jaguar made OS X a viable platform, I leapt (iBook G3/600), and have never looked back. Best of all worlds -- I get must-have apps like Office (no, Open/Libre/etc.Office is not a viable replacement, not for the complicated formatting-heavy documents I routinely have to exchange with other parties and institutions -- and yes, I have tried), Photoshop (GIMP is great, but it's not a substitute), StarCraft and I also get a full POSIX UNIX environment. (Open Group UNIX 03 certified, at least as of OS X Leopard.)
I even hackintoshed the HP mini 1116nr netbook I picked up cheap (refurbished) to play around with. Neither of the two main 'consumer' distributions, Ubuntu or Fedora, were "quite there." There were, not constantly but consistently, weird issues with WiFi, or closing the lid to put the machine to sleep, or, well, something. Even on machines that shipped with Linux from the factory (I had a Dell mini 9 for a while.) So-called "compatible" software, like OpenOffice.org, was ~90%, but the devil was in the details found in that last 10%.
I'm a little unnerved by Apple's apparent push towards a closed environment (walled garden); it's (marginally) acceptable on an iPhone or even (arguably) an iPad, appliance devices, but a general purpose computer should, IMHO, remain just that.
But if you can get OS X 10.6 running on a Hackintosh (or if you can swing the entry price for actual Apple hardware; the MacBook Air in particular is a sick piece of kit not priced much higher -- often cheaper -- than an equivalent "ultrabook" from any of the Wintel shops), I'd say go OS X.
You'd be far from alone... Google for:
Watching the "Alpha Geeks": OS X and the Next Big Thing
by Tim O'Reilly
Return of the Mac - Paul Graham
Etc.
Just my two cents,
However, i've been using Windows in my job (IT support for a school) for about 6 years, and toyed with the idea of running Linux or something else.
i've tried Linux Mint and a few other variants and even the lightweight one. And tbh while they are all perfectly reasonable OS's for being free, i can only really say it's not something i ever went back to.
I'm currently running Backtrack 5 over Oracle VM.
Linux has a huge user base, however for it to compete with Windows i do believe they need to make it easier for nubs to use. I'd install it all day on peoples computers if i knew they'd be able to use it.

[Discussion] Future of Android

How do you think Android is going to get when Ubuntu, Tizen, or even Firefox OS appear?
I find Android really wasteful in resources, and any developer will confirm that Android can't get the max out of any hardware (due to Java VM)
Until now, Android didn't actually have any competitor, iOS is closed source, and Apple makes 1000$ devices, and phones with Android with the same specs (or better) are at no more than 800$ (correct me, I don't use $ in Romania)... The other competitor is still existent, Windows... it is really smooth, fast, looks cool, but it seems to be a marketing fail+not open source
Tizen and Firefox OS seem to be having only HTML5-based apps... which means it will be a rendering engine processing everything... just another kind of VM in my opinion they have the same smoothness Android has, from what I saw
However, Ubuntu seems to be a lot like the PC version, smooth, fast, user friendly, and will be able to run NATIVE (no VM) applications, which will make it a lot faster, even for lower end devices
Where do you think Android is going to go when they will be released? Yes, I am asking you and expressing my opinion, please Google before answering (yes, one cool thing about Android is the full Google integration)
Tizen - announced to be released this year
Ubuntu and Firefox OS - 2014
I really don't know the answer.
I've never seen Tizen and FF OS so I can't tell.
I know iOS and Windows aren't open source so we can't "deal" with them.
Ubuntu isn't user friendly at all, in fact, all Linux is NOT user friendly, at least comparing to Windows.
Right now, I just enjoy the beauty of Android until some things blow it away.
votinh said:
I really don't know the answer.
I've never seen Tizen and FF OS so I can't tell.
I know iOS and Windows aren't open source so we can't "deal" with them.
Ubuntu isn't user friendly at all, in fact, all Linux is NOT user friendly, at least comparing to Windows.
Right now, I just enjoy the beauty of Android until some things blow it away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Linux is just the kernel Ubuntu is a distro, and Android can also be called a distro, but for mobile platform
Re: [Q] Future of Android
A good question with uncertain answer. We can't say about the future of android.
But what i can say is that a new device with new platform will take some time to get good market. Since android is the largest selling platform in the world it takes some time to survive the competition.
Android will be fine. Ubuntu didn't convince majority to leave their investment in Windows, and they'll have same problem moving people from android.
Allanitomwesh said:
Android will be fine. Ubuntu didn't convince majority to leave their investment in Windows, and they'll have same problem moving people from android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ubuntu can't convince me to switch because I can't give the PC to anyone, they say "wtf is that sh*t?"
And plus, it is a lot harder to get the drivers for my Optimus laptop... and gaming is slower in wine if more games had native clients for Linux
Re: [Q] Future of Android
Go with ubuntu you will never be mistaken........
I hate my X and love my Next.......... Conditions apply*
Google might expand the NDK API (native development kit) so you could make an entire app with it. Anyway i think most Games is written using it nowdays, since Java is so (too) slow.
The Google ecosystem is getting so large, i don't think that Ubuntu will have the resources to get anywhere near that.
Talking about Future of Android, I heard that WINE application which run in linux is being developed for android
Re: [Q] Future of Android
In future android will surely come up very much..
May be the andriod can interact by talking.
At that time we will ask mods to build our regional languages
Re: [Q] Future of Android
I wonder if a sensor that is capable of detecting our eyeball movement, that could be used for scrolling and other purposes
Sent from my HTC Explorer
Re: [Q] Future of Android
swaroopg551 said:
I wonder if a sensor that is capable of detecting our eyeball movement, that could be used for scrolling and other purposes
Sent from my HTC Explorer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SIV's eyeScroll?
Sent from my GT-I8160 using xda app-developers app
swaroopg551 said:
I wonder if a sensor that is capable of detecting our eyeball movement, that could be used for scrolling and other purposes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I hate solutions that try to "think" for me, and guess what I want to do. Even if they are right 70%, they are still wrong the other 30%...
And it feels like my phone (or a car, or whatever) is forcing me to do things I do not want to do. That a developer thinks he is smarter than me.
I get used to functionalities presented this way but they are still irritating.
I just imagined a number of times this eyeball movement sensor would be wrong... wrrrrr....

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