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[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.
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PGibbons999 said:
Let me know when I can dual boot into Linux Mint.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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... !!
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+1 for that

Microsoft Surface dual boot

hi all do you thin it will be possible to dual boot the Surface , with Android or a light version of Linux

I'm wondering the same
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

jag1475 said:
hi all do you thin it will be possible to dual boot the Surface , with Android or a light version of Linux
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I highly doubt. Microsoft stated a while ago that it will be locked to only W8 due to secure UEFI.

RT will Deffently be locked. PRO not so sure. We have to wait to see what microsoft do here.

dave888 said:
RT will Deffently be locked. PRO not so sure. We have to wait to see what microsoft do here.
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is the pro intel based? if it is than it shouldn't be locked, because Microsoft said they wouldn't be locking x86/x64 tablets/laptops

let it release first

luigi90210 : The surface pro is supposed to be based on quad-core i5s.....so it is intel based.But microsoft probably will still lock it or atleast make it hard to dual-boot other operating systems.

I seriously don't understand why people always want the possibility to dual boot or install another OS on a Windows device, I never hear people whine about those options for iPads or Android tablets.
Why should Microsoft allow everything while other operating systems don't need to allow this?
I hope dual boot will not be possible, just to annoy you people. :victory:
haters gonna hate

Actually there's an app in play to install Linux on android... So I think it's more of having the options as opposed to absolutely needing it
Sent from my SGH-T959D using xda premium

You can ran windows a Mac and it's working great. People installing other os on different android tablets. Not on IPAD as far as I know.
Windows is very slow as an OS. I'm only using it when I have to run a few dedicated tasks. Plus I have windows 8 cp on my desktop now and don't now if I like on a tablet or not. If I don't do that you simply boot up linux Mint 12.

dave888 said:
Windows is very slow as an OS. .
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...uh what else would you use windows for? if not an OS...

jag1475 said:
hi all do you thin it will be possible to dual boot the Surface , with Android or a light version of Linux
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I don't think dual boot will be possible in surface., and I feel it is already awesome with w8, I don't care for android or linux.,

dave888 said:
Windows is very slow as an OS. I'm only using it when I have to run a few dedicated tasks.
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You cannot be talking about Windows 8. My 5400rpm laptop would boot in around 1:20 with Windows 7 (which is already pretty fast), but with Windows 8 it's about 0:35.

If you read the hardware requirements docs that came out a while ago, all x86 win8 PCs MUST allow the user to disable secure boot. At the same time, all RT tabs must be locked completely.

Even if the Pro version is not locked, remember that its processor is not and ARM.

METEMEDO said:
Even if the Pro version is not locked, remember that its processor is not and ARM.
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those concerned about secure boot on x86 systems, Matthew garrets blog might be worth following:
http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/
apparently the biggest roadblock so far, (since no actual uefi secure boot OS's have been released yet) is actually making Linux compatible with booting from UEFI.

>those concerned about secure boot on x86 systems, Matthew garrets blog might be worth following:
That's not a worry at least for this iteration of Windows on x86. MS' main issue with Win8 is for its mainstream adoption, which to date is not a sure thing. It's virtually giving Win8 away by pricing the upgrade for $40 (or less), and by handing it out to students. Having Windows locking out other OS'es at this point is a dumb idea.
Win8 is going to have a rough time. Businesses tend to be conservative, and having just upgraded to Win7, will likely sit out this iteration. That means the consumer sales will be on point, and a sampling of consumer opinions here and elsewhere indicates a love-hate relationship with Metro. It's great for touch, but it's an annoyance for mouse/KB users, which still comprise the vast majority of the Windows userbase. Having an OS that can't play nice with others may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
WinRT will have even worse sales prospects, with no software base to fall back on. Locking it down and playing dictator is an even dumber idea. At this early junction, techies and enthusiasts will be main driving element for its adoption, and there's no better way to alienate this crowd than to sell a locked down box.
Yes, MS' stated intent is to lock down the RT firmware. We'll see how true that is once RT ships. I'll be surprised if sideloading Metro won't be a reality (via a "hack") on day one.

Wupideedoo said:
You cannot be talking about Windows 8. My 5400rpm laptop would boot in around 1:20 with Windows 7 (which is already pretty fast), but with Windows 8 it's about 0:35.
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What?
Ubuntu boots around 10 seconds. Try it.

>hi all do you thin it will be possible to dual boot the Surface
This would be possible with the Linux Foundation's recent proffered solution to install unsigned OS'es onto Secure Boot systems,
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news...oundation-uefi-secure-boot-system-open-source
The idea is for LF to purchase a key ($99) from MS, use it to sign a pre-bootloader to satisfy the secure boot requirement, then chain it to the actual bootloader of the unsigned OS. This was ostensibly for the x86 platform, but I asked James Bottomley (the blogger) about it, and he said it should work in principle with RT as well.
Whether a solution exists comes down to a business decision rather than a technical feasibility decision. It's up to MS to allow others to play in its soon-to-be walled garden. Given MS' new "devices and services" strategy, it could do an Apple and tell Linux to shove off. My inclination is that MS will play nice, if only out of anti-trust concerns.

e.mote said:
>
This would be possible with the Linux Foundation's recent proffered solution to install unsigned OS'es onto Secure Boot systems,
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to be honest I prefer Red Hat's solution:
http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/18149.html
EDIT: my main reasoning for this is that the "present user test" is mostly useless because the first thing joe blogs will do when a virus attempts to take control of boot and triggers the press key to continue prompt, they'll just press it... the shim loader prompts you to allow the new binary hash first, via an interface.

Possible to run W8 on Transformer TF700?

I am considering buying the Transformer TF700, but I am wondering if it is possible to root the tablet and install Windows 8 on it when W8 is available for purchase?
Regards, Sari

Unlikely, Win 8 requires an encrypted bootloader.

Installing Win8 as a 2nd OS, NO. But running linux as a second OS and Virtual machine windows on it, Yes. Just not sure how stable that would be, or how fluid. You can always wait and see as asus have announced a partnership with Microsoft for a duclboot android windows Pad...maybe, HOPEFULLY, the hardware will be close enough to our infinity for devs to port it over

Its possible. That locked down requirement is for OEMs, I doubt it'd be hardcoded into the OS since that'd be hard to detect or easy to spoof. Asus's WinRT tablets are Tegra 3 based, so depending on which variant they use it might be relatively simple to port.

Very unlikely. I couldn't spout the technicals for you, but it is a very closed down system, and MC certainly doesn't want any modding or porting in any way.

Assuming you mean Windows RT, then...well, I'm sure Microsoft is probably going to do everything they can to ensure that Windows RT doesn't run on anything other than approved devices.

Ah, that's disappointing :l Thanks for your replies!

I used to be very interested in Win 8 but now I am not sure I want it on a Tablet. I know eveybody is saying it is going to be great on tablets, but nobody really knows yet, and I have been an early adopter of other mobile OS products like Win Smartphones, that were big failures. The beauty of Android is it is more open source so its easy to create apps for it, so I am not sure Windows will ever get the kind of app libraries (Free or cheap) Android and IOS have. Looking at Microsoft's history, I am not sure they will excel in this market at this point.
Just my thoughts . .

guitar1969 said:
... Looking at Microsoft's history, I am not sure they will excel in this market at this point.
Just my thoughts . .
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This ^^ -- given the fact that I've owned several Windows Mobile devices that have hung somewhere in space as far as support and development went and that MS have crashed several of their purportedly groundbreaking devices in the past (the Zune and the Kin spring to mind in particular) doesn't really inspire me with any hope that the Surface and its successors will be anything to drool about, except maybe for 'paper specs'.
For the graphically inclined and those in search for a read, a search for "Microsoft failures" comes up with, amongst others:
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise...osofts-Biggest-Failures-and-Successes-500262/
http://www.money.co.uk/misc/microsofts-biggest-flops-and-failures.htm
http://www.complex.com/tech/2009/05/a-history-of-microsofts-biggest-failures
Just for fun, those.

No way.... The largest software development company in the world has had failures? Who would ever have thought that?

almostinsane said:
No way.... The largest software development company in the world has had failures? Who would ever have thought that?
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It's not that they had failures, smart boy -- it's their touting so much 'groundbreaking' stuff that wouldn't even float by itself if you threw it in a lake of polystyrene packaging chips.
Ugh, Win8 with its crappy touchy-feely interface. I am fully convinced that desktop and laptop systems are here to stay, whether for gaming or productivity, so I do not need an interface optimized for mobile touchscreen devices on my rather immobile main piece of trusted hardware.

Jotokun said:
Its possible. That locked down requirement is for OEMs, I doubt it'd be hardcoded into the OS since that'd be hard to detect or easy to spoof. Asus's WinRT tablets are Tegra 3 based, so depending on which variant they use it might be relatively simple to port.
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I think we should wait for any publicly available Windows RT firmware for download. It Asus releases Tablet 600 - that would be even better for us.
I recall the first Hackintoshs (based on first Mac OS X 10.4/Tiger for x86) being run on Pentium 4 and AMD platforms. It required VM and very strong BIOS modifications (as Macs had EFI, at that time unavailable for PCs). Then there were some modified kos (kernel objects, i.e. modules) that enabled it running on PCs with stock BIOS. Later a vanilla kernel was compiled that enabled the system work without problems.
Considering Windows RT port, the last step would be most likely impossible as we don't have kernel source (AFAIK the latest Widows source available is that one of Win2000), but nothing prevents us from attempting to run the Windows RT-enabled device firmware on TF700 and trying to debug failures. However, this can take a long time.
I'm more concerned about running any Linux distro in dualboot with Android %)

What about the new ASUS tablet, tegra 3, windows RT. The same hardware, but different system and screen resolution.

LEGOracer69 said:
What about the new ASUS tablet, tegra 3, windows RT. The same hardware, but different system and screen resolution.
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Is anywhere its firmware?
The main issue would be the bootloader; the resolution in Windows is much easier to fix.
P.S. "I want NATIVE ubuntu on TF700!" - +1. I bought TF700 as a super long-lasting netbook =)

I have the Asus TF600. It has a lower screen Res and twice the ram of the TF700. WIndows RT requires activation just like the desktop version.

LEGOracer69 said:
What about the new ASUS tablet, tegra 3, windows RT. The same hardware, but different system and screen resolution.
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That's wonderful!
When did you buy it?
Have you found the firmware?
I only found this: http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&m=asus vivotab rt - there is only a manual.
Windows activation has never been a probem since its appearance in XP =) The bootloader should be more tricky.

tf700t 1gb ram win8 problem

Even if someone manages to port Win8 over to the tf700, do you think they will curb the use of it by shutting it down from the windows market side?? Especially with RT you wind up at the complete mercy of Microsoft when it comes to applying any apps to the device. I'd be interested in seeing if it could be done as long as there is no hang up on the application side of the equation. Won't do me much good to have a working os with no apps to run on it.
Cheers

Install windows 10 on ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 Z580CA Possible?

I really like the hardware offering from Asus on the ZenPad S 8.0.
I can't find any good windows 10 tablets, does anyone know if you can install windows 10 on a ZenPad?
Thanks!

I'm wondering the same thing.

i think you need the replace the bios or something so that the tablet can boot from a usb

+1 for interest, on the concept anyway. If Windows can boot, Linux shouldn't be much harder (might even be easier), and I'd be far more interested in that.
In order to use Windows on this tablet, you'd either have to hope it has drivers built-in for whichever architecture it boots in (good luck if it boots 32-bit UEFI like some Intel devices do), or hope there's drivers available that would be compatible. Linux has a much better shot at working on this tablet as-is.
Can't quite understand why this tablet out-the-box is only locked to Android though... Could have easily offered a dual-boot scenario, or even outright just allowed any x86-compliant OS to be installed. But having just Android on this tablet is overkill in my opinion.

espionage724 said:
+1 for interest, on the concept anyway. If Windows can boot, Linux shouldn't be much harder (might even be easier), and I'd be far more interested in that.
In order to use Windows on this tablet, you'd either have to hope it has drivers built-in for whichever architecture it boots in (good luck if it boots 32-bit UEFI like some Intel devices do), or hope there's drivers available that would be compatible. Linux has a much better shot at working on this tablet as-is.
Can't quite understand why this tablet out-the-box is only locked to Android though... Could have easily offered a dual-boot scenario, or even outright just allowed any x86-compliant OS to be installed. But having just Android on this tablet is overkill in my opinion.
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Because they would have to charge more if it was native compatible with windows, for the windows licensing.

Ryuhouji said:
Because they would have to charge more if it was native compatible with windows, for the windows licensing.
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Actually not, since Windows licencing is no longer paid for devices under 10 inches.

Ryuhouji said:
Because they would have to charge more if it was native compatible with windows, for the windows licensing.
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You don't include Windows, you just simply make it have a generic x86_64-compliant legacy or UEFI bootloader.
Windows licensing doesn't apply to a device that doesn't come with Windows considering the device doesn't ship with Windows (or at least I would think).

I would still love to see a rom of windows 10 i could load. At the moment, I just use splashtop if i really need windows functionality on my tablet, and since I work from home, it's not too bad, lan Splashtop is pretty good, especially with a good router.

I'm interested in this tablet since it's on sale right now, but I don't have the money. Should I ever get one I'd totally install Arch Linux or something. If anyone has one of these and attempts this, please start a dev thread or something to document the project.
Just so we're clear, this is the tablet we're all hoping to install Windows 10/Linux onto, right? http://bit.ly/1kaRhIZ

I just to bump this again, the z580c has been out for over a year now, hoping someone has a custom or aftermarket ROM for this thing. Links will be appreciated!

Ryuhouji said:
I just to bump this again, the z580c has been out for over a year now, hoping someone has a custom or aftermarket ROM for this thing. Links will be appreciated!
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Or at least some way to change to Windows. This is a great tablet, but it comes with the wrong OS.

Bootloader is still locked. Until that's changed, no alternative OS.

Android on Surface RT

I'm looking to install Android on my Surface RT and have no idea where to start. If anyone has some suggestions I'd be very grateful for the help ?
I've seen plenty of guides for installing Android X86 however the RT runs on an ARM processor, so not too sure the best way to proceed due to a lack of guides available.

Bappers said:
I'm looking to install Android on my Surface RT and have no idea where to start. If anyone has some suggestions I'd be very grateful for the help [emoji4]
I've seen plenty of guides for installing Android X86 however the RT runs on an ARM processor, so not too sure the best way to proceed due to a lack of guides available.
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I don't think it's possible to install android on the Surface RT.

Bappers said:
I'm looking to install Android on my Surface RT and have no idea where to start. If anyone has some suggestions I'd be very grateful for the help
I've seen plenty of guides for installing Android X86 however the RT runs on an ARM processor, so not too sure the best way to proceed due to a lack of guides available.
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You can't install Android on Surface RT.
Anyway, you can use a jailbreak tool and install other apps.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2092158

just install some android emu's under windows .. should be working

solved said:
just install some android emu's under windows .. should be working
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I am afraid that would not work either. The emulators would have to be recompiled for ARM, as there is no such emulator available from the Windows Store (for obvious reasons) and you would then have to Jailbreak the device. Seeing as the hole that we had used to do that was closed by the November update that is not likely. Most of the qualified developers are now focusing efforts into the upcoming ARM64 systems. Now, all of that said there is still a small group of dedicated people working to find a permanent way around SecureBoot. All we can do support them and hope for the best.
You can get more information Here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/wi...dows-phone-windows-10-mobile-surface-t3365743
Important!: If you are not comfortable and 100% confident with any instructions found here DO NOT ATTEMPT IT. Also, if your RT has been updated since November then don't bother, you are out of luck for now.
Cheers!

I have this here that includes all the surface patches I could gather. https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/x86-bliss-x86-pc-s-t3534657

electrikjesus said:
I have this here that includes all the surface patches I could gather. https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/x86-bliss-x86-pc-s-t3534657
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TBH if you were able to do it you would become a hero among us.

areilly111 said:
TBH if you were able to do it you would become a hero among us.
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Then help me out by giving feedback and logs as to what's not working right

electrikjesus said:
Then help me out by giving feedback and logs as to what's not working right
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Currently there is nothing as there is no working port of Android for the surface RT that I know of. Only the surface pro has a port.

areilly111 said:
Currently there is nothing as there is no working port of Android for the surface RT that I know of. Only the surface pro has a port.
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That would be where the confusion is then. I thought this was a thread for the first surface pro. Please excuse my mistake.
Might have to find a surface RT to see if there is anything we can do for it

electrikjesus said:
That would be where the confusion is then. I thought this was a thread for the first surface pro. Please excuse my mistake.
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No problem happens to the best of us.