[Q] Possible to create android rom that functions like a desktop environment - General Questions and Answers

Hello XDA,
I'm in the process of creating a custom rom, which is a brand new experience for me, but I don't quite know the limitations of Android yet. I am aware of Xposed modules providing a similar experience to a desktop, but I'm curious if it is possible to develop an Android rom where these features are provided natively (IE windows, persistent launcher, etc)
My goal is to create an android look and function more like Ubuntu, without having to use a chroot method, install modules, or install Ubuntu touch. Would it be possible to completely redesign Androids interface to achieve something like this?

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[Q] Hardware programming in Android

Hi,
It was not until I started the adventure with Android, but right now I would like to learn a few issues. Suppose that some Chinese have a tablet. Does the official library for Android (Java), there is a possibility of getting into the hardware and GPIO lines suppose to control whether the PWM? If not, you could ask for a sketch of the problem, how to write a library yourself suitable for such things? How do I know, the kernel of Android is simply Linux. Is the structure of the Android file system is similar to classical linux distribution? If so, you can access through the Android API again, to all the common files in the / dev, / sys or / proc? I know there's NDK, which sooner this would be suitable, but unfortunately, terribly lame documentation. Due to the fact that even a little the market is functioning Android application developers write programs mostly in Java, so I thought that such issues are already in library. Thanks for help

Android as an OS for non-phone devices

Hello,
First off, apologies if I have posted this in the incorrect forum.
The company I work for is looking to update one of it's product lines and has been toying with the idea of using Android as a development platform. Up until now the philosophy has always been to develop simple, bespoke embedded software that provides only the functionality that is needed at the time. The device itself will be a medical device, and as such will have no telephony requirements (and associated things like contacts, calander and the large majority of the pre-installed Android apps).
I have read, and understand it is possible to re-compile Android from source and remove all of these non-required functionality. My question is really if that is worth doing? i.e. stripping out all un-needed applications that get build into a stock ROM. Or would it be a more efficient to use some form of OTS embedded Linux platform?
Something in Android 4.0 that does seem to be useful is the support for Bluetooth HDP.
Kind Regards,
Simon
Well there are other devices that aren't phones that use Android. Take the motoactv for example. It's a fitness watch that runs a stripped version of Android, but it's still Android and applications can still be programmed and installed to it.

Creating a linux 'distro' for an android device?

Hi there, not sure if I'm on the right forum, but this seemed like the safest place to ask.
I have this project in my head that I would like to try, but I have no idea if it is even possible.
I'm currently doing a bachelors in computer science and as a way to learn, I would like to take on a big project.
As will soon become clear, I am a linux noob and know nothing about android development, but that's what I'm trying to change here.
Some time ago I bought a Chinese ereader (rebranded BOOX C67ML - using a rockchip rk3026 SoC, don't know how important that is -) and it's decent but it also kind of sucks. It runs android which overkill for a device like this if you ask me. When I look at the kindle or kobo ereaders, they have their proprietary os that is also Linux based, but much more streamlined without unnecessary features. This device doesn't even have wifi, so what am I going to do with full android on an e-ink screen? It only drains my battery more than it has to.
My question is, how feasible is it to create my own 'OS' for this device that is also Linux based and lightweight? I know that android devices can run gnu/linux in a sort of vm on top, but is it also possible to install this directly on the device? Wipe android and install a custom linux distro as you would a custom ROM.
Is this possible? Where do I begin? Any information on how the linux kernel underneath android functions and differs from a standard linux kernel would be great. I'm not asking for an easy solution served on a platter, I just want to know if it is possible and why or why not? Where do I go to learn about how to do this, point me in the right direction?
In searching around I came across postmarketOS, from what I understand they are trying to do something similar, only completely open source. No proprietary drivers for anything. For this project that is not a goal for me. If I can reuse parts of the android rom that it is running right now, I have no problem with that. Updating and keeping it up to date are not really a priority, I just need this to run a single application that works. Could also be that I completely don't understand what they are trying to do and I'm way off, but if so, please tell me what I don't understand and where I go to learn.
TLDR: Lightweight 'desktop' linux instead of android on an ereader, is it possible? Where do I start? Point me in the right direction please.
PS: If there is a better solution for this problem entirely, please do explain.
For anyone interested or with a similar idea, I'll just post what extra information I find here.
I stumbled upon Halium and Libhybris today. From what I understand, libhybris provides a compatibility layer between the android kernel and posix compatible applications. Halium uses libhybris and tries to create a common base that can be used to develop a non-android os for an android device. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Guide&Review] Installing Linux using UserLAnd on DEX

As LinuxOnDex won’t run on my faithful S8, I just tried an alternative solution with the UserLAnd app. I thought I’ll share my experiences.
TL;DR: Userland is a good alternative to have a basic Linux desktop experience on a Galaxy phone and it completes well the Dex desktop for more complex apps than you can get on Android. However you shouldn’t expect miracles in terms of performance from a phone and UserLAnd isn’t a replacement for a full Linux desktop.
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Installation
UserLAnd is easy to install, doesn’t require any special permissions (like root). It proposes several distros (Debian, Ubuntu, Arch) and some apps that can be automatically installed. I selected Debian and VNC connection. It downloaded a minimal Debian image (the latest,
kernel rom info pls my phone sm-g950f hades kernel hardes rom app crash userland closing..

Lenovo ThinkPad TB00028AA in 2022 ????

It’s a great tablet, but seems way too outdated. Google play store won’t even open. I really would like to update/upgrade it. I was thinking of installing Linux on it. I watched some videos on installing Linux on android tablets but the people say you need certain Apps to do it. And like I mentioned I can’t even open the play store.
Does anyone know any other ways to install Linux without having apps to do it? Is there any other options of other ways for me to update this tablet?
Thank you
Converting an Android device to a Linux device in principle is possible. It can be done in several ways. But some of the manufacturers may have some hardware oddities that aren't documented, which makes it more difficult to install something else on Android device: Usually the firmware bit is extremely difficult to get working with anything else than the original system. you will therefore end up missing lots of hardware features!
If you are a kernel and firmware expert, then yes, it is possible.
See also here:
Convert an Android Device to Linux » Linux Magazine
If you want to install Linux on an Android device, you have several options. We examine some of the possibilities.
www.linux-magazine.com

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