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[Q] Are we depended on Viewsonic or Android?

New to Android. But long time user of Linux/RH/Fedora. Are there “distro's” on Android? Can users easily add/remove software with a RPM type management system? In Linux if you don't like TnT you would just uninstall it. Viewsonic g tablet seems to be ok if you manually change a few things. I'm assuming that this is generally a temporary problem due to Viewsonic being behind in their updates. But what I would like to know is there going to be any long term “distro” type leadership going forward? When the new Android Tablet OS is released will it work with most hardware (Viewsonic) like a Linux distro or are we depended on Viewsonic. If Viewsonic let us down can we divorce them and go directly to Android or someone else for automatic updates? Thinking about buying. Can wait for Flash update hopefully in December. Don't see screen as a problem, basically the same as most laptops/netbooks. Can add market manually till it become official with new OS.
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Android is not like normal distros.
Being primarily an OS aimed at mobile devices (IE phones) with limited memory and proprietary layouts and internal set-ups, all drivers can not be provided in one overall install. Confliction between drivers would be an issue as well. Also look at many phones (like the nexus one) the Firmware controlling the cellular radio also controls the camera and encoding of videos and images. There is some common ground, but one ROM will not work on all devices without tweaking for the perticular device. CyanogenMOD ROM is a good example, it works on many devices but you must install the proper version for the device you have.
Also remember that we do not have Root on these devices out of the box, 99% of the time we must find an exploit to gain full access to the device. The Nexus one and the G tablet are the only devices I know of off hand without locked down bootloaders. Cellular carriers want the devices looked down so the users can not use the device in ways that the carriers do not want. (like free tethering)
We are dependant on the manufacturer often times to release source code for the device so Devs can rip out the proper drivers and framework for the device. Often times drivers cross over between android versions making updating easier for the ROM devs.
If you want a device that you can truly tinker with, stick to devices that Google has as Developer models. The old G1 the Nexus One and the upcoming Nexus S. Maybe they will release a Dev tablet as well.
The N900 is more open in that regard as far as being like a true Linux, though the future of that branch seems uncertain. It will defiantly be more niche.

Thanks for the reply. I guess I was thinking Android was Linux lite. Not sure where I stand on a tablet now. Think I want a Linux pc in a tablet form. Fedora on a tablet would be fine for me. Like you say tablets with MeeGo (Intel/Nokia/Linux Foundation) may or may not appear any time soon. Have to wait and see what happens.

tktim said:
Thanks for the reply. I guess I was thinking Android was Linux lite. Not sure where I stand on a tablet now. Think I want a Linux pc in a tablet form. Fedora on a tablet would be fine for me. Like you say tablets with MeeGo (Intel/Nokia/Linux Foundation) may or may not appear any time soon. Have to wait and see what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android is running on top of Linux, and given programs compiled for ARM you can install about anything, but there's no X... Framebuffer stuff could potentially work..
But no, if you're looking for a typical Linux desktop environment, this isn't the place to look. Although some of the dual boot Windows/Android tablets makes me wonder how difficult it would be to get it Linux/Android.

Thanks for the additional information.

Is there a way to manipulate an Android Phone with broken touchscreen?

Hello folks,
I have few different Android phones with broken touch screens
one was sit on;
another was liquid damaged, but the rest works;
and the third one is Nexus 4, ha!
I don’t want just to throw them away, and nobody will ever buy them even for parts, those are pretty obsolete.
Can I manipulate the phones somehow?
Say, adb interface.
or a kind of SSH, if that’s possible.
or bluetooth keyboard or trackpad; I have those from Apple, I tried at least keyboard with Android 7 and 8, and it works wonderfully.
or maybe another Android phone.
The phones are on stock firmwares, but I can try to reflash any different, if that’s possible with no touch screen working. Android 2.3, Android 4.4, Android 7.1.2, if that makes a difference.
Of course, I don’t need to use them on my daily basis. Maybe I’ll find them some other ways of serving, since Android has Linux kernel. E.g. make a FTP on one of the phones (it has a lot of free space), or playing with a web server there, or anything else.

BasilSkrnk said:
Hello folks,
I have few different Android phones with broken touch screens
one was sit on;
another was liquid damaged, but the rest works;
and the third one is Nexus 4, ha!
I don’t want just to throw them away, and nobody will ever buy them even for parts, those are pretty obsolete.
Can I manipulate the phones somehow?
Say, adb interface.
or a kind of SSH, if that’s possible.
or bluetooth keyboard or trackpad; I have those from Apple, I tried at least keyboard with Android 7 and 8, and it works wonderfully.
or maybe another Android phone.
The phones are on stock firmwares, but I can try to reflash any different, if that’s possible with no touch screen working. Android 2.3, Android 4.4, Android 7.1.2, if that makes a difference.
Of course, I don’t need to use them on my daily basis. Maybe I’ll find them some other ways of serving, since Android has Linux kernel. E.g. make a FTP on one of the phones (it has a lot of free space), or playing with a web server there, or anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to linux you can.You can do two things
1-buy a mouse and use it full time
2-Install Halium or Ubuntu or linux natively on it and run it like however you want ssh telnet you name it.Works well with an external keyboard and a mouse.Even a Bluetooth mouse.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Atifbaig786 said:
Thanks to linux you can.You can do two things
1-buy a mouse and use it full time
2-Install Halium or Ubuntu or linux natively on it and run it like however you want ssh telnet you name it.Works well with an external keyboard and a mouse.Even a Bluetooth mouse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you help me to come to this point? I don't understand how to do that: what should I start with? Halium documentation first?
According to their First steps section:
While 1GB of RAM is sufficient to start the OS, it is recommended to have greater than 2GB to have a good end user experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of my devices (Nexus 4 is an exception) have 512 MB of RAM. Maybe there is a way of using them as they are, with the Android they have, manipulating with bluetooth mouse and keyboard?

BasilSkrnk said:
Can you help me to come to this point? I don't understand how to do that: what should I start with? Halium documentation first?
According to their First steps section:
Most of my devices (Nexus 4 is an exception) have 512 MB of RAM. Maybe there is a way of using them as they are, with the Android they have, manipulating with bluetooth mouse and keyboard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can see if your device is listed.If it isn't well then go for it.Also you can search "install debian natively on android" and the search hits you with a linux installation natively on android.That I have tried on A Note 3 and worked without touching recovery or other partitions.Halium is just Ljnux with KDE plasma on top(A ****ty one)
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Atifbaig786 said:
You can see if your device is listed.If it isn't well then go for it.Also you can search "install debian natively on android" and the search hits you with a linux installation natively on android.That I have tried on A Note 3 and worked without touching recovery or other partitions.Halium is just Ljnux with KDE plasma on top(A ****ty one)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I'll search through it. But I think it's worth it only with Nexus 4, as it's still kicking in some forms.
Other phones are useless for that, and all I'm looking for them either there's a way of making them useful, or they’d better to go to a trash.

BasilSkrnk said:
Thanks! I'll search through it. But I think it's worth it only with Nexus 4, as it's still kicking in some forms.
Other phones are useless for that, and all I'm looking for them either there's a way of making them useful, or they’d better to go to a trash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And to just clarify that.I still use the Note 3 for things.Like a paperweight and ....Other things like keeping my papers from flying I think the installation worked.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

My phone may stop working next year

Hello,
I have a LG L90 D415 that I bought back in 2014 and is working perfectly. I was using it with the last official update sent by the manufacturer (Andorid 5.1.1 Lollipop), but one single APP stop working and when I check for that APP, for it to work I needed to have Android 6 Marshmallow. Problem was that the manufacturer stop supporting the unit and they decided not to provide any other update beyond 5.1.1. Luckily I found that there was version 7 Nougat for my unit as an AOSP with Linange OS. Me, being an ignorant of android configuration, had a hard time installing it but finally was able to make it work. If not for that APP that stop working I would never change the OS but at the end I was happy, it was like having a new phone. I was able to install the APP and make it work. Then few days ago I read this article:
Devices may stop working next year: Here's why
The article is talking about devices that won't be able to work due to outdated security certificates. Specifically about andorid devices using Android version 7 Nougat (the one that I recently install on the phone), the article says:
The most vulnerable devices
Helme said users of Windows computers won't need to worry, as Microsoft has built in constant updating of certificates. Web browsers on most platforms get certificate updates regularly. And because iPhones get system updates so frequently, "I wouldn't be too concerned about this problem if I was an iOS user (I am)."
"But it looks like Android users might have some concerns in the not too distant future," Helme added.
That's because as of April 2020, nearly 40% of all Android devices visible to Google were using now-unsupported Android versions such as Nougat or earlier. (These statistics don't include Amazon Fire tablets, Xiaomi Mi phones or other devices that run non-Google versions of Android.) Many of those older devices may soon lose the ability to connect to most app servers and websites.​
Since I have an old unit it seems that there is no interest from the LinageOS people to build at least version 8 of Android for the LG L90. So I need to ask, What are my options? Is there a way to find updated security certificates?
Please advise.

3d1l said:
Hello,
I have a LG L90 D415 that I bought back in 2014 and is working perfectly. I was using it with the last official update sent by the manufacturer (Andorid 5.1.1 Lollipop), but one single APP stop working and when I check for that APP, for it to work I needed to have Android 6 Marshmallow. Problem was that the manufacturer stop supporting the unit and they decided not to provide any other update beyond 5.1.1. Luckily I found that there was version 7 Nougat for my unit as an AOSP with Linange OS. Me, being an ignorant of android configuration, had a hard time installing it but finally was able to make it work. If not for that APP that stop working I would never change the OS but at the end I was happy, it was like having a new phone. I was able to install the APP and make it work. Then few days ago I read this article:
Devices may stop working next year: Here's why
The article is talking about devices that won't be able to work due to outdated security certificates. Specifically about andorid devices using Android version 7 Nougat (the one that I recently install on the phone), the article says:
The most vulnerable devices
Helme said users of Windows computers won't need to worry, as Microsoft has built in constant updating of certificates. Web browsers on most platforms get certificate updates regularly. And because iPhones get system updates so frequently, "I wouldn't be too concerned about this problem if I was an iOS user (I am)."
"But it looks like Android users might have some concerns in the not too distant future," Helme added.
That's because as of April 2020, nearly 40% of all Android devices visible to Google were using now-unsupported Android versions such as Nougat or earlier. (These statistics don't include Amazon Fire tablets, Xiaomi Mi phones or other devices that run non-Google versions of Android.) Many of those older devices may soon lose the ability to connect to most app servers and websites.​
Since I have an old unit it seems that there is no interest from the LinageOS people to build at least version 8 of Android for the LG L90. So I need to ask, What are my options? Is there a way to find updated security certificates?
Please advise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the manufacturer stops supports a device and if the device is no longer supported by custom development in the android user community and if security updates are no longer supported by the manufacturer or by custom android developers, the only other options are to support the software development yourself, if possible, or get a new device. You obviously won't be able to do the software/security support yourself so that leaves you only the option of getting a new device.
By the way, whoever wrote that article is an idiot iOS user. Yes, Apple will continue to release security updates, but, not for all Apple devices, they don't offer updates/support on their older devices. Apple doesn't want its users to use Apple devices more than a year or two, for this reason, they discontinue support on those older devices to force its users to buy newer devices.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

Droidriven said:
If the manufacturer stops supports a device and if the device is no longer supported by custom development in the android user community and if security updates are no longer supported by the manufacturer or by custom android developers, the only other options are to support the software development yourself, if possible, or get a new device. You obviously won't be able to do the software/security support yourself so that leaves you only the option of getting a new device.
By the way, whoever wrote that article is an idiot iOS user. Yes, Apple will continue to release security updates, but, not for all Apple devices, they don't offer updates/support on their older devices. Apple doesn't want its users to use Apple devices more than a year or two, for this reason, they discontinue support on those older devices to force its users to buy newer devices.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks,
I definitively won't be able to built my own, I'm just a dumb ignorant normal user, I don't even know how I was able to pull it out, I'm talking about rooting with magisk and installing the Linage version 14 ROM. I read and read, ask a lot of questions that were never answered (nobody seems to be interested). It was like my android lifetime achievement and something that you are able to do only once in your life.
I was checking the phone status and it says that the last uptade that I have installed is Linage OS 14.1 (Andorid 7.1.2), with android security patch level 2019-01-05. I hope that that helps somehow. I also found that there is another ROM of Linage OS using Android 8 (Oreo), for the LG L90 but it says that it is unofficial, so I feel uneasy installing it. It's a shame, the phone is working so fine, it is my first and only smartphone and has been with me... well... more than seven years.

Android One

Hello everyone,
I was searching for Android One topics here and unfortunately found nothing ( probably because of the confusing name)
So can someone explain what's up with this Android One software overlay.
I read some info on wiki but still have some questions:
Is it like normal firmware that only comes with certain smartphones, or you can flash it yourself?
It's a near stock android but, which version is it based on,
does it come out every time new android version rolls out, or it just gets updated to the new one.
and lastly let's say I have android one phone, and after three years they stopped regular updates,
it's still android one compatible phone right, so I can update to the new version myself?
Thank you.

avoup said:
Hello everyone,
I was searching for Android One topics here and unfortunately found nothing ( probably because of the confusing name)
...
and lastly let's say I have android one phone, and after three years they stopped regular updates,
it's still android one compatible phone right, so I can update to the new version myself?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Android One are phones that run a lite weight version of Android for budget phones with small specs (under 2Go of RAM, entry level processor,...) called Android Go. It's supposed to give a fluid experience to phones with limited capacity. Each Android Go version (for each Android One device) is in consequences very specific to the device, in order to use efficiently all of what the different specs has to offer.
You can still build ROMs/TWRP for those devices, and use it as a normal device, but the experience will be much slower. So to answer your 3 questions:
1)It's firmware that only comes with certain phones, it's build to use perfectly the SoC and memory, so it's very specific (not generic like GSI)
2) Android One are phones, Android Go is the Android version. Your phone may or may not receive an update to the Next Android version, on that side it's the same as other phones. If it receives an update, you'll run (for example) Android 10 Go Version. So update exists for Android One phones, they won't stay for ever at the same Android version they had at the beginning.
3) when your phone won't be supported anymore, you won't be able to update your phone to another version of Android Go. You'll still be able to flash ROMs or stuff like that, but since Android Go builds are very specific to each devices, you can't flash them "cross devices".
PS: at the moment I've not heard of Android 10 Go Edition, it's still at Android 9 if I'm correct. But it will be updated, the goal of Android one is to support cheap and often not long lasting phone over time.
Read more here : https://www.android.com/versions/go-edition/

Since we've had Linux boot on the Surface RT, will Android at some point?

Yeah most stuff doesn't work on Linux at the moment but maybe?

Today successfully booted up windows 10 arm on my surface rt.
I am so hasppy android ports are coming to this tablet

pedrofssf94 said:
Today successfully booted up windows 10 arm on my surface rt.
I am so hasppy android ports are coming to this tablet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well dang

FoxyDrew said:
Who told you android ports are coming to this tablet? lol glad your optimistic though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually yes, Android 5.1 is coming to this tablet.
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pguarache said:
Actually yes, Android 5.1 is coming to this tablet.
Discord - A New Way to Chat with Friends & Communities
Discord is the easiest way to communicate over voice, video, and text. Chat, hang out, and stay close with your friends and communities.
discord.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do know no one can see that because you would need to be in the discord server that we dont have an invite to lol

In theory It would work...
Older versions supported ARM32 pretty well and since Linux is already working It would not be harder to port Android to The surface RT and 2.
The problem is that these devices are almost 10 years old and few people care about them anymore.
Even with Android installed running apps with 2gb of very aged memory would prove to be a pretty bad experience...

Nicknackpaddywack101 said:
In theory It would work...
Older versions supported ARM32 pretty well and since Linux is already working It would not be harder to port Android to The surface RT and 2.
The problem is that these devices are almost 10 years old and few people care about them anymore.
Even with Android installed running apps with 2gb of very aged memory would prove to be a pretty bad experience...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh, I've run worse. I have a moto E LTE running android 9 (RR Custom Rom based on a GO version of android) and it runs fine (1gb of ram and a worse cpu than the RT) sure it would be nice to have more ram but it works.

WinDVD said:
Eh, I've run worse. I have a moto E LTE running android 9 (RR Custom Rom based on a GO version of android) and it runs fine (1gb of ram and a worse cpu than the RT) sure it would be nice to have more ram but it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I understand your point. But the fact is that it had Android to start with, with the surface RT you have to use loopholes and bugs to get Linux working in a inefficient way and even the currently working(sort of ) Raspbian based Linux system has a bunch of bugs and missing drivers etc. Power control lacks behind Windows RT (mentiond here:https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/porting-chromium-to-windows-rt.2095686/post-87719273. The sad fact that this device is already 10years old means that it is unlikely people would pay attention to it and use it to develop Android, and even with Android installed the experience would be very limited due to the ram. support would be almost non-existent similar to what happened to the windows phones that got unofficial CM versions. Developers are already moving away from ARM32 to newer ARM64 and a few years later most apps would have a minimum api equivalent to android 6.
There is still a silver lining though. RT devices are dirt cheap since they are almost or practically useless now and Android still has excellent backward compatibility. Anyone who really has interest and the time could pick up the pieces of the Linux project and move on with doing it, but it still would not be easy.
Maybe a crowdfunding project could give devs some incentive?

But for now you could try to run a vm in linux or simply run their linux equivalents. Chromium, firefox, WPS office etc. Raspbian is compatible wih the snap store too, so you could use it just like ubuntu.
I am not trying to pour cold water on your idea, and I really look forward to this project taking off. However, there ultimately is a reason why Windows RT and their RT devices failed to take off.

working with the progress made with opensurface-rt, we managed to get android 7.0 booting on the surface RT using the 3.4 kernel, got wifi working, but minor gpu bugs that make it an unstable setup. had a play about with 4.4 and 5.1 too. android 7.1.1 and above have critical gpu bugs which make it completely unusable. and probably unfixable. development into getting other devices such as sound, camera, bluetooth etc has yet to be done. so far we have, screen, touch screen, type/touch keyboard, 2d/3d gpu working. recorded a quick video of it running
maybe it would be possible to get all things sorted but it's quite the task.

jethro tarw said:
working with the progress made with opensurface-rt, we managed to get android 7.0 booting on the surface RT using the 3.4 kernel, got wifi working, but minor gpu bugs that make it an unstable setup. had a play about with 4.4 and 5.1 too. android 7.1.1 and above have critical gpu bugs which make it completely unusable. and probably unfixable. development into getting other devices such as sound, camera, bluetooth etc has yet to be done. so far we have, screen, touch screen, type/touch keyboard, 2d/3d gpu working. recorded a quick video of it running
maybe it would be possible to get all things sorted but it's quite the task.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! Nice work! Would be interested to know the team behind this marvelous project. (since you mentioned 'we')
Also probably should embed the boot screen with your team's name...