linux for smartphones - General Questions and Answers

hello!
is there a linux distribution for any kind of smartphone?
ubuntu touch is only for a few devices and android apps (e.g. gnuroot, etc.) are not a complete operating system and are very limited
is there a complete generic linux distribution to install on any smartphone (no matter if other functions dont work like phone calls, send messages, etc.)
by now i have a motorola razr xt914 d1
thanks a lot

arturo a. said:
hello!
is there a linux distribution for any kind of smartphone?
ubuntu touch is only for a few devices and android apps (e.g. gnuroot, etc.) are not a complete operating system and are very limited
is there a complete generic linux distribution to install on any smartphone (no matter if other functions dont work like phone calls, send messages, etc.)
by now i have a motorola razr xt914 d1
thanks a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a Linux installer app: which you can find if you search the Google Play store for: "Complete Linux Installer"

hi thanks for your answer!
unfortunately according to commentaries that app is not what i am looking for.
i believe many people wants a linux distribution on their smartphone (full installation or at least dual boot) the same way we can install our favorite distribution on any pc
i hope some day this will be possible
anyway thank you.
bye

GNUroot
Does anyone know what is required to use GNUroot and what it is capable of?
Do I need to install a terminal separately? There is no launch icon.

There is some more info on linux installer development here - http://linuxonandroid.org/ and here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1585009

arturo a. said:
hello!
is there a linux distribution for any kind of smartphone?
ubuntu touch is only for a few devices and android apps (e.g. gnuroot, etc.) are not a complete operating system and are very limited
is there a complete generic linux distribution to install on any smartphone (no matter if other functions dont work like phone calls, send messages, etc.)
by now i have a motorola razr xt914 d1
thanks a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm... Not for ANY PHONES. Just few phones could run Ubuntu(Made from Linux) Touch. There is no Linux distribution for any SmartPhones. You should port Ubuntu touch to your phone.
TIP:Android is made of Linux. Linux-Based OS. Structure of Android kernel is very similar as Linux Kernel. If you want to run a Linux Command line, You should run terminal.(make, gcc, etc... )

Jason Hyunwoo said:
Umm... Not for ANY PHONES. Just few phones could run Ubuntu(Made from Linux) Touch. There is no Linux distribution for any SmartPhones. You should port Ubuntu touch to your phone.
TIP:Android is made of Linux. Linux-Based OS. Structure of Android kernel is very similar as Linux Kernel. If you want to run a Linux Command line, You should run terminal.(make, gcc, etc... )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want the exact same thing that the original poster wants: a smartphone that is running unrestricted Linux.
What I DO NOT want is a smartphone that is "Linux-based", where the "Linux" designation is essentially irrelevant because the interface that is presented to the end-user significantly obstructs access to Linux for average users. In other words:
Who cares if it is "running Linux" if the average user using the phone cannot get to Linux without playing tricks with rooting?
Furthermore, I am NOT looking for a phone where I can use tools to get root access. I already know how to do that.
What I want is to be able to direct my NON-TECHNICAL CUSTOMERS to a website where they can buy these phones, many of whom are doctors and have ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST WHATSOEVER of rooting their phones, to be able to install my native C++ applications on them. In other words, I want a smartphone that is running Linux, unrestricted, and if it is running anything else, that other thing does not interfere with installation of true native C++ applications that have fully access to the device. My customers will buy these phones, and install my custom native C++ application onto these (extra) phones via my web site.
I already know about Ubuntu Phone and Tizen. Both of those are not what they claim to be. They are not truly open platforms, as regular users cannot install regular Linux applications willy-nilly as they can on a PC. Jolla claims to be better, but their phones are not sold in the USA.
I want an unrestricted Linux smartphone that can be purchased online by medical professionals in the USA.
Please do not respond by telling me that there is no market for this, or that I can rewrite my application in Android/Java, or that I can give 3-hour training classes to each of my customers about the joys of rooting, etc. :silly:...

Related

Linux Emulation on Windows Mobile?

Hello Friends,
I am wondering if anyone has heard of emulating a Linux operating system locally on Windows Mobile (CE)? Something like PocketDOS but running a basic Linux operating system instead of DOS? I read about Bochs (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=291899), which may boot a Linux image, but from I've read Bochs doesn't work too well with newer Windows Mobile?
I know I can use Putty (SSH) or VNC and such for remote Linux access, but the goal here is to get some basic version of Linux running locally. I'm not sure Haret's Android port is ready for prime time yet (from what I've read) on my specific phone (Touch Pro 2)
Does anyone have any ideas? Please share, thanks.
mail_e36 said:
Hello Friends,
I am wondering if anyone has heard of emulating a Linux operating system locally on Windows Mobile (CE)? Something like PocketDOS but running a basic Linux operating system instead of DOS? I read about Bochs (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=291899), which may boot a Linux image, but from I've read Bochs doesn't work too well with newer Windows Mobile?
I know I can use Putty (SSH) or VNC and such for remote Linux access, but the goal here is to get some basic version of Linux running locally. I'm not sure Haret's Android port is ready for prime time yet (from what I've read) on my specific phone (Touch Pro 2)
Does anyone have any ideas? Please share, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's possible to run Linux native, not emulated. Search for: HARET
Thanks for your response, but the idea at this point is to run Linux emulated, not native in Haret. I would love to run it Linux native using something like Android but unfortunately at this point Android doesn't look to be stable enough on my platform (Rhodium, Touch Pro 2) for 'production use'.
Any thoughts?
Android on the TP2 is improving every other day. Right now, power management and some features like Wifi, BT, GPS and Camera still aren't working, but things are progressing nicely
Moved as not software release...
mail_e36 said:
Thanks for your response, but the idea at this point is to run Linux emulated, not native in Haret. I would love to run it Linux native using something like Android but unfortunately at this point Android doesn't look to be stable enough on my platform (Rhodium, Touch Pro 2) for 'production use'.
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not saying use Android, but Haret + some linux system, just the console. I thought that's what you needed. There are different system packages available which you could boot, not necessairly Android.

Best Computer OS for Android Development?

Hey guys, I'm new here and new to Android Development. I would like to try my hand at it. Can you guys suggest the best OS for Developing Android Apps.
Linux (Which Distro)
Windows
Thanks
Andrew
I to have been curious as to the best linux distro for android development. I'm not looking for afull blown linus os...more along the lines of dsl for android and app development. I have only dabbled with linux, mainly dsl and phlak livecds. I want something a little more capable then that.
avacomputers said:
Hey guys, I'm new here and new to Android Development. I would like to try my hand at it. Can you guys suggest the best OS for Developing Android Apps.
Linux (Which Distro)
Windows
Thanks
Andrew
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UBUNTU IS THE BEST OS because android is developed under linux with java base...
if you tray windoze you must to adjust a lot of thinks and make compatibilities... donĀ“t complicate and try UBUNTU 10
An answer of one ubuntu lover!
sorry somtimes my english is poor
Linux is best os android development application. Android is an operating system based on Linux and a robot body or synthetic. It is open source as a Java library. It is a software stack for mobile devices because it includes an operating system and middleware, application key.
I think the best Linux for Developing Android is Ubuntu. There is a new version, 11.04. Try it
i know linux is the obvious choice for android development as it has the same base as android. i also understand ubuntu is the most popular of the linux brands, but i dont really need a full blown linux os. i curently use my mobile-ap for internet with about 2 bars if that...so internet speeds are slow. i dont want to spend alot of time and bandwidth downloading a linux os with features i will probably never use. or is there a light version of ubuntu with just a basic environment i need to develop for android?
as for my other computing needs, im still a windows fan!
Is Fedora on GNOME 3.0 a good platform for development?
yea i like linux mint its more user friendly than ubuntu
Since you might be using Eclipse as IDE, there shouldn't be too much difference using a windows or linux OS.
We're using windows and we're satisfied...
Just try different OSs. You'll notice windows is slow when compiling Java. Why is that - the OS, or the usual virus scanners sitting on it - don't know. I'm pulling my hair right know why my Macbook Pro on a 7000 rpm drive is much (3x) faster to compile than windows XP on a 10K rpm drive. My office buddy's telling me Linux is faster then windows.
Wow... some of the answers in this thread are just... wow...
Ok listen up people!
For just pure development it doesn't matter which OS you choose. You can code just as well in Linux, Windows or Mac since they all run the JDK, Eclipse and the Android SDK just as well. HOWEVER:
Linux has some advantages over the two:
1. The Android emulator will run better on certain versions of Linux depending on how they are set up. The AVD works by using an emulation technology called qemu which is now integrated in the Linux kernel giving it direct access to the processor thus improving the speed of the emulator significantly. Windows and MacOS don't have qemu integrated in their kernel as far as I know therefore the emulator works like S**t.
2. Linux distributions by default are optimised to work faster on hardware than Windows. Take note of the words "than Windows". MacOS is highly optimised to work as fast as possible on Macs therefore it can't really compete in this category. But for PC users, if you invest the time and effort to make your Linux machine tweaked accordingly to your hardware settings it will blow windows away when it comes to processing speed, therefore enhancing the quickness of your IDE as a result.
Now that we got that out of the way, I do have a warning: Linux Is Hard To Configure Properly! Unless you know exactly what you are doing you will brake it over and over and over again until you get it working. If you really must use Linux, here are the distributions I recommend for developing Android apps:
Linux Beginners: Ubuntu - any version above 10.04 I think. Take your pick at what works best for you
Linux Intermediate: Spend some time configuring a Slackware Machine with Eclipse + ADT + JDK + qemu. You won't be sorry.
Linux Advanced: Gentoo or Archbang depending on preferance
Linux Experts: The bloody hell are you doing on this thread?
taranasus said:
Wow... some of the answers in this thread are just... wow...
Ok listen up people!
For just pure development it doesn't matter which OS you choose. You can code just as well in Linux, Windows or Mac since they all run the JDK, Eclipse and the Android SDK just as well. HOWEVER:
Linux has some advantages over the two:
1. The Android emulator will run better on certain versions of Linux depending on how they are set up. The AVD works by using an emulation technology called qemu which is now integrated in the Linux kernel giving it direct access to the processor thus improving the speed of the emulator significantly. Windows and MacOS don't have qemu integrated in their kernel as far as I know therefore the emulator works like S**t.
2. Linux distributions by default are optimised to work faster on hardware than Windows. Take note of the words "than Windows". MacOS is highly optimised to work as fast as possible on Macs therefore it can't really compete in this category. But for PC users, if you invest the time and effort to make your Linux machine tweaked accordingly to your hardware settings it will blow windows away when it comes to processing speed, therefore enhancing the quickness of your IDE as a result.
Now that we got that out of the way, I do have a warning: Linux Is Hard To Configure Properly! Unless you know exactly what you are doing you will brake it over and over and over again until you get it working. If you really must use Linux, here are the distributions I recommend for developing Android apps:
Linux Beginners: Ubuntu - any version above 10.04 I think. Take your pick at what works best for you
Linux Intermediate: Spend some time configuring a Slackware Machine with Eclipse + ADT + JDK + qemu. You won't be sorry.
Linux Advanced: Gentoo or Archbang depending on preferance
Linux Experts: The bloody hell are you doing on this thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awe but Archbang is easy, how about pure Arch Linux ;D
is ubuntu still best OS to develop android apps?
how to take back up of only videos on my Android device?
taranasus said:
Wow... some of the answers in this thread are just... wow...
Ok listen up people!
For just pure development it doesn't matter which OS you choose. You can code just as well in Linux, Windows or Mac since they all run the JDK, Eclipse and the Android SDK just as well. HOWEVER:
Linux has some advantages over the two:
1. The Android emulator will run better on certain versions of Linux depending on how they are set up. The AVD works by using an emulation technology called qemu which is now integrated in the Linux kernel giving it direct access to the processor thus improving the speed of the emulator significantly. Windows and MacOS don't have qemu integrated in their kernel as far as I know therefore the emulator works like S**t.
2. Linux distributions by default are optimised to work faster on hardware than Windows. Take note of the words "than Windows". MacOS is highly optimised to work as fast as possible on Macs therefore it can't really compete in this category. But for PC users, if you invest the time and effort to make your Linux machine tweaked accordingly to your hardware settings it will blow windows away when it comes to processing speed, therefore enhancing the quickness of your IDE as a result.
Now that we got that out of the way, I do have a warning: Linux Is Hard To Configure Properly! Unless you know exactly what you are doing you will brake it over and over and over again until you get it working. If you really must use Linux, here are the distributions I recommend for developing Android apps:
Linux Beginners: Ubuntu - any version above 10.04 I think. Take your pick at what works best for you
Linux Intermediate: Spend some time configuring a Slackware Machine with Eclipse + ADT + JDK + qemu. You won't be sorry.
Linux Advanced: Gentoo or Archbang depending on preferance
Linux Experts: The bloody hell are you doing on this thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you guide me how to take back up of only videos on my Android device
using own made program or application software.
Means from where to begin ?
What to cover first ?
File system of Android ?
Or direct using system calls I can copy videos directly ?
regards
matt
You suggested its worth time & effort to properly setup Slackware it would be worth our while. Ok found u page2. Let's see is the needed software list still valid 2015?
Where can I go for support setting up Slackware for android development.
Plus FYI can't watch tutorial video be.cause Flash no longer supports Linux.
I have UBUNTU 16.04.
I've noticed a lot of people saying to use Ubuntu 10. is that because the post is old or is the 10th generation Ubuntu the best for android development. i also am a noob. i can root, i have successfully flashed a lg stylo once with katana rom. i still use it to this day,,,,, bc my gf "accidentally" broke my 500gig hdd that i was booting windows ten from via usb on my dell inspiron. i was using mainly odin and lg flash tool which i rem was hard to get up and running on Ubuntu which if i rem correctly is why i went to windows when i am flashing. Any suggestions or refferences would help greatly. i fig if im starting over id better do it the correct way. My end goal is to try my hand at learning android development. Ty LOVE THE SITE

[Q] OS emulation on other phones?

So I have a smart phone running the Android platform and I know there is an x86 Android project to run it on a full desktop/laptop system.
I also found a DosBox app for it, which I haven't tried but I hear people have gotten Windows 3.11/95 to work on.
Also with the webtop on my phone it can run a full Debian Linux install.
My question is in two parts:
A. Has anyone tried to port this to other mobile phones (Windows, RIM, iOS, etc...) yet?
B. Has anyone tried to port any other OS's to Android?
I mentioned iOS specifically in A. because some MacFans really like their OS and might not want to give up that functionality and it might make people more willing to adopt the platform.
I'd have posted links to cite references, but I'm still under restriction for being new.

[Project] Linux on Android

Hello gents and ladies,
Since the announcement that Canonical made on making Ubuntu on Android a release for OEMs to put on their devices, there has been quite a stir and interest on when we are getting to get this on our phones. Sadly, while the distro of Ubuntu is open-sourced, the programs that were created to achieve this method are not available to the public due to Canonical outsourcing the work to a 3rd party company.
Some users here may already say that we have Ubuntu on our phones but the method that is most commonly used by the community is to load up a virtual environment or Chroot inside of Android then remote into the interface via a VNC connection app. While this does work, it is a pretty sloppy method that is resource intensive and does not benefit from any hardware acceleration for the Linux desktop environment that is used. Plus, there is no way to pipe audio thru a VNC connection so using any audio/video programs in VNC is pointless.
Lastly, Ubuntu on Android is actually nothing new to the world of Android, as its been around for about a year and a half. It came in the form called Webtop that Motorola had launched on their Atrix/Bionic/RAZR lineup of phones. Webtop is essentially a stripped down version of Ubuntu with a lot of Linux tools taken out along with a very limited desktop environment. Webtop does everything that Ubuntu on Android does but in a neutered manner but there are different groups on each phone that have accomplished bringing back many of the linux tools that were taken out. Check out the thread below to see what I mean.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1397583
It is believed that the same methods and tools that are present in Webtop are the same ones being used by Ubuntu on Android and possibly made by the same company. This can be seen in the demo video of Ubuntu on Android where the demonstrator had replaced the Webtop distro with a full Ubuntu 12.04 distro on a Motorola Atrix 2. So to debunk the myth that Ubuntu on Android can be easily loaded up on a phone as shown on video, no cause it was initially was setup with the required framework and partition space to load Ubuntu on Android even before Canonical announced Ubuntu on Android.
With all that is said, Canonical is targeted OEMs and Carriers to launch their Ubuntu on Android on select model phones and probably will not release the necessary tools as open-source code so the development community can compile their own working Ubuntu on Android. Now, all hope is not lost because some of the work has already been done but needs to come together into a package that can be ported from one phone to another.
Here are different parts that are needed:
1) Ubuntu image
There are many working images out there that run in a chroot environment but there is one universal image that is being implemented that is made by zacthespack that works on a variety of different devices - See attached thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1467811
2) X Server Port
Instead of using a VNC client and server model which is very resource intensive and does not benefit from GPU acceleration/Framebuffer. Using a X Server windows management system like they do on home PCs and laptop will greatly increase speed and functionality of a Linux distro opposed to VNC. This is how Webtop on the Motorola phones work is by using a port of X Server which pipes the display out to the HDMI port to be used with the Laptop dock or home dock. There is a group at AndroiX.org that is working on a port of X Server for Android that is looking very promising so hopefully anybody that can contribute to project to speed it up as it is the most crucial part for Linux in Android.
3) Sound
The biggest drawback of VNC is the lack of any sound processing which can be very annoying when trying to watch any videos or listen to sound clips on the web. What they are using on Webtop and Ubuntu on Android is a custom compiled version of PulseAudio module to pipe audio thru Android's audio manager system. No projects have yet been started on this so if anybody knows of one, feel free to post a link.
4) Android in Window
As demo'ed in the video and on Webtop, you have the ability to see whats on your Android display but in a window within Ubuntu when Webtop/Ubuntu on Android is engaged. This is a cool feature that maybe a X client app within android that pipes the display to a window in Ubuntu or maybe VNC client/server scenario. This is not really necessary to Linux in Android but non the less a cool feature to have.
5) Contacts/Text messages/Call logs
This is more shown in Ubuntu on Android opposed to Webtop where in Ubuntu mode, you can look at your Contacts or call logs in a program as opposed a Android view in a window. They also demo'ed a special program in Ubuntu to where you can send/receive text messages in a interface designed for Unity. They accomplished this by using a server application in Android, more commonly known as Motorola Phone Portal, that can relay information from the phone to applets inside of Webtop/Ubuntu on Android using a web interface API on localhost:8080 or on a remote computer on the same network. Like I said before, not really necessary but another cool function to have.
All and all, this pretty much sums up all the different parts for a project like this to take place. I am in no way a seasoned developer, just a person throwing out concepts that I have learned and done myself on the Bionic Webtop phone which hopefully some skilled individuals can run with as I am no Linux expert by any means. Anywho, let me know what you guys think about this and what can be improved.
Ubuntu on arm.
I've been looking into the development of something like this and have found a few resources that may prove beneficial:
Linux 4 Tegra (nVidia)
System Requirements
Host PC running Ubuntu Linux version 9.04 or higher.
Tegra Linux Driver Package providing a kernel image, bootloader, NVIDIA drivers, and flashing utilities. For more information, see the Release Notes.
Sample filesystem (example provided derived from Ubuntu 12.04)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please note that nVidia currently provides driver packages for each model of the Tegra (Tegra 2 and 3).
As well as:
Ubuntu on Smartphones
Now. I've been playing with both an Ubuntu and Debian chroot and have ran into the issues you speak about (in a chroot with only vnc support is very limited, no sound, no camera, etc.) and would like the ability to dual boot at least.
[Q&A] Ubuntu on the Transformer (eMMC install) (xda-developers)
Basically, the creator of this thread is working from another dev's work to get ubuntu running on an Asus eeePad.

[Q] Native Linux on phones

What phones can boot into and run a desktop ARM Linux distro (such as Arch, Slackware, Ubuntu or Debian) natively, with call and messaging support?
Ubuntu Edge.
linuxphone said:
What phones can boot into and run a desktop ARM Linux distro (such as Arch, Slackware, Ubuntu or Debian)
natively, with call and messaging support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The closet you can get is with Ubuntu Edge but it is still under development and will not be available for a some time.
I am sorry I can not post the links yet in the post but you can google for the "Ubuntu Edge" and you will get enough reading material about the project.
There are also some solutions with VNC and a VM in which you run a desktop Linux. Might not be what you want, but you would have a Linux running on your phone.
The main problem is going to be drivers, which is why a ARM Linux can't just be booted. Someone would need to be merging device specific drivers into the linux, test it, debug it and so on, which doesn't make sense if there are so few people really wanting it. And as you can see with Ubuntus try on that: It is a lot of development needed.
It's possible to dual boot Maemo (to use it for phone features) and Ubuntu (desktop) on Nokia N900.
It's also possible to dual boot Windows Mobile (for phone features) and Ubuntu (desktop) on HTC HD2.
On the other hand, these Indian tablets boot and run Linux:
w w w .youtube.com/watch?v=n1tC8uSR0og
And have phone features:
w w w .techulator.com/resources/9492-Datawind-UbiSlate-7C-Edge-tablet-Full-specifications-features-online.aspx
If anyone tested Linux with phone calls on those devices, please tell.
A long time ago I installed Gentoo Linux on an ARM based hx4700 iPaq; it worked but ran so slowly it wasn't much use. The specialised Linux distros Familiar and Angstrom ran much better, as they were specifically designed for handheld devices. Granted phone specs are way improved now, but is there any real advantage running a full-blown Linux on a phone.... surely Android is basically a Linux distro optimised for phone specs (and chargeable apps, etc...). Would it be less work to port apps you need to run on Android instead - if that's your aim? Although it may be worth doing just for the sake of it....
Full-blown Linux offers the advantage of being in control of the operating system. You choose the tools you need. Android is less secure (backdoors, apps reading your data) and mobile apps generally feel like crippled desktop apps. For example, apt-get is much more comfortable to use, you just type the packages you need and it downloads them, no need for searching inside categories of app market (and all of them are free with full functionality with no ads). You can use the same scripts you wrote for your PC. It can be tweaked to run really fast (low resource usage apps written in C vs Android's Java), and you choose your desktop environment (e. g. a tiling window manager with the right apps literally flies on an old machine, RAM used on system start with Xorg running equals 20 MBs). Also, there's full filesystem encryption.
Mobile hardware is more or less the equivalent of a Pentium 2 / 3 / 4 desktop PC, which is enough for full desktop app experience.
Im glad i found this topic.
Thats not new to me...
I think the questions to add are:
- How to fully remove Android to Install Linux
- Can i install all the Drivers needed?
So that i can use: Modem(phone); WiFi & GPS under Linux.
-Is it possible to revert to Android?
- Minimum Requirements to Run Linux and What Distro?
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