Hey all. Ever since I learned about the ZF2 and it running on an Intel CPU/SoC vs a typical ARMv7 or ARMv9-based CPU/SoC this idea came to mind. Would it possible to develop a pure Linux (non-Android) based OS/ROM for this device? I run Funtoo Linux (a Gentoo derivative) on one of my desktops and now on a laptop I'm sharing with my brother, and it works great. Having this (or something Ubuntu-based to ease on pkg installs via binaries vs compiling from source for everything) on a phone this powerful would be awesome as well. Besides drivers for baseband / bootloader (of which I know is currently locked at the moment I'm posting this thread) how difficult would this be to accomplish? Does this device boot with EFI? I'd think compiling a kernel for it would be easier than a typical Android kernel since Intel spec is easier to compile for... I'm no developer, but that's my take on it.
Thoughts?
Related
How does I set up teh linux?
1- you dont know anything about linux. go ubuntu. we will tweak it after that. version 10.xxx (cant remember exactly).
2- you've used linux before and feel comfortable when thinking about it. go ubuntu/fedora.
3- no worries. you can troubleshoot alone when leenucks acts funny, you su everyday. go arch linux.
bottom line, it all comes to a few package versions.
make, python2, git, jdk, maybe a few others, need old versions. even in ubuntu, if you would like to start from a more updated base image, you'll need to downgrade. arch linux allows this with more freedom, since its more modular.
i havent used fedora for a few years now. used it back when red hat quit doing desktop images, didnt stay long and switched to slack.
i prefer archlinux because it's 300mb'ish iso, allows lvm, luks from live cd, doesnt have a text-based installer but install scripts, rolling release system (prebuilt packages/packages built from src using abs/aur, testing repo), customizable/modular, cli package manager (pacman ), systemd, grub2..
basically, if you like bleeding edge and power to yourself, try archlinux. read the wiki, begginer guide, install guide. first time i did it, i used another pc to help me go through all the steps.
sent from my i9250
When you're interested in Linux you can take a easy to use Distro like Ubuntu.
Packetmanagement resolves dependencies autocratically and nearly each software is available as a precompiled Packet
Also such Distros are running 32 and 64bit Programms out of the box.
If you want to learn linux in deep (and have enough time to solve issues) i recommend a Distro like Arch or Slackware.
I use Slackware64 and learned a lot about Linux and the packet and library dependencies.
Because the Packetmanagement does not resolve dependencies.
Even GUI Tools are rare on this Distro, you have to struggle with config files.
Slackware is a pure 32 or 64bit Linux (can be build to a Multilib Linux).
For Example the Android SDK mainly uses 32bit.
Maybe you should try some Distros and use that one you feel familiar with.
Also there are good Resources out in the net which you should read (Filesystem Hierarchy Standard, File Permissions, Basic Shell Tools)
Google and en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LPI_Linux_Certification would be a good starting point.
You could also try some Live-CDs, mess with it and when all went wrong only reboot.
Good Luck
Indeed, start Ubuntu, you can even stay with it if you like. But Arch and the install guide give you a good grasp on how Linux works.
Of course, you can develop apps in Windows or OSX, and OSX and Linux are the only two that allow you to build Android from source (basically ROM development). You also need to know Java to develop Android apps, less fun than screwing around with Ubuntu lol.
Good luck!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Thanks for all the replies guys! Wish me luck lol.
RoyJ said:
Thanks for all the replies guys! Wish me luck lol.
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Just to give one final thought, I think Slack would be a better learning experiencing, since it's even more close to Unix than Arch. With Arch you learn a lot, that's a fact, but with Slack you understand even how libraries and dependencies work, kinda the hard way, since you don't have a package manager to take care of it for you.
I think both might be a steep (maybe too steep) learning curve, and Ubuntu will be easier but, Ubuntu does things more their way. It's Linux, but things are different. Eventually, you'll know what i mean.
sent from my i9250
Thanks for the input. That's something to look into for sure. I am in no rush to just jump in and try it. I'd really like to learn everything on a basic level like that first.
I'm trying to get the research down before I start messing with the development.
Well this thread is dedicated about the possibilities of getting a port of ubuntu phone os. Recently displayed and would be launched around MWC 2013, Ubuntu OS will be launched for galaxy nexus! .
although there are short threads present about the topic, aim of this thread would be to provide Support/Bug-Report/F.A.Q if any port of ubuntu shows up for our phone from our great developers.
This is refreshingly new OS.
HERE IS THE LINK TO THREAD--> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2174544
I am damn sure some-one will take up this great job
Latest: Ubuntu Phone OS Porting Guide https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Touch/Porting
Some of Features of ubuntu phone:(taken from wikipedia)
OS family Unix-like
Working state Current
Source model Open source
Initial release February 2013; 30 days' time
Available language(s) Multilingual
Update method Ubuntu Software Center (+ APT, …)
Package manager dpkg
Supported platforms i386, ARM
Kernel type Monolithic (Linux kernel)
Userland GNU
Default user interface Unity shell
So what may be the hindrances:
What kernel version is it based on
will it require bootloader unlock ;-(
UBUNTU PHONE OS
since it is yet to be released this is an open discussion, if any developer takes this project for defy, this thread will be a F.A.Q/support/Bugreport thread (if ever it happens )
i'm here for tests.
i'm not a developer, but you guys can count with my defy+ for tests. I really would like to have ubuntu phone on my defy+.
I'd love to see Ubuntu Phone OS on Defy. First of all it's based on Android kernel so there wouldn't be much difficulty for it. The sources should be out next month. Also we'll need to find a method to dual boot with a custom kernel because it's less likely for someone to use it as a primary OS.
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Will be very nice to see ubuntu working natively on ours Defy but the specification for minimal resources is beyond the possibilities of defy. So it can be ported but will be very laggy IMHO.
swapnil360 said:
I'd love to see Ubuntu Phone OS on Defy. First of all it's based on Android kernel so there wouldn't be much difficulty for it. The sources should be out next month. Also we'll need to find a method to dual boot with a custom kernel because it's less likely for someone to use it as a primary OS.
Sent from my MB526 using xda premium
Click to expand...
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what is ubuntu's packaging method? i mean the OS image?
pgreed said:
Will be very nice to see ubuntu working natively on ours Defy but the specification for minimal resources is beyond the possibilities of defy. So it can be ported but will be very laggy IMHO.
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Not that beyond. Min specs (as stated here) only ask 4-8GB internal storage for an entry-level ubuntu phone, everything else (CPU clock, minimum RAM and multitouch capability) already cover our phone. Plus, as far as I remember (though I can easily be wrong on this, since I haven't touched an Ubuntu machine for months, now), this OS (specially considering it was specifically deployed for running on phones) doesn't take more than 2GB when installed. Again, I can be wrong, BUT... What about multiboot? A class 6 8GB card (or even a class 4, like the one included with our phones) may do the job, and we will still be able to boot CM10+ and ask silly questions to Google Now.
vedhasd said:
what is ubuntu's packaging method? i mean the OS image?
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Click to collapse
I may be wrong, but I think I read in more than one place it'll be available as a flashable zip. Since the folks there at Canonical were able to boot this little beauty in a Galaxy Nexus, and they intend to release the GNx version (without many workarounds needed to install) before the end of january, I think it's pretty safe to bet on a recovery-flashable zip file. Last, but not least, I think an install script (like the ones devs use in current Android flashable zips) may be slightly modified to install Ubuntu from a system image, specially if you consider Aroma-based installers are doing wonders in matter of personalizing Android installations. This not considering (and in this matter I have absolutely no idea) the possibility of the disk installer of linux distributions be already running scripts very similar to those used on Android flashable zips to install desktop OSs on computers. Devs will be better suited to tell about the latter.
P.S.: if anyone there tried Android-x86, you guys can see the installable image is very similar to an Ubuntu (or any other linux) installation zip. This might lead us in the opposite direction, looking at which modifications were made for the installer to work with Android, and reversing them for a Ubuntu installer to work in a flashable zip.
K3n H1mur4 said:
Not that beyond. Min specs (as stated here) only ask 4-8GB internal storage for an entry-level ubuntu phone, everything else (CPU clock, minimum RAM and multitouch capability) already cover our phone.
...
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Is nice that you are very optimistic with this. I wanna be so but ... the entry level processor is a Cortex9 ! which is more powerfull than ours and Ubuntu is based on 3.4x kernel and necesitate a bigger system ROM to install (ours is ~350MB). Anyhow will wait and see and ... speculate.
pgreed said:
Is nice that you are very optimistic with this. I wanna be so but ... the entry level processor is a Cortex9 ! which is more powerfull than ours and Ubuntu is based on 3.4x kernel and necesitate a bigger system ROM to install (ours is ~350MB). Anyhow will wait and see and ... speculate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may depend on how far our devs will be able to strip down the OS for our phone, I think we may not require full fledged running desktop compatibility but it still depends by what extent we can strip down the footprint!
Sent from my MB525 using xda premium
Ubuntu Phone OS Porting Guide https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Touch/Porting
red lens defy+ guinea pig
swapnil360 said:
I'd love to see Ubuntu Phone OS on Defy. First of all it's based on Android kernel so there wouldn't be much difficulty for it. The sources should be out next month. Also we'll need to find a method to dual boot with a custom kernel because it's less likely for someone to use it as a primary OS.
Sent from my MB526 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
'm not developer but my red lens defy+ is available as a guinea pig.
Then I can make rather a system as primary OS alpha and p500 use my day-to-day
sorry my english
It would be nice if we had more one option rom. Live freedom!
are there some news? i've founded this video, but I can't understand if this is related to the thread in android development...
in youtube: watch?v=hglLF3dM8Zk (i'm not allowed to post link ^^ )
Kayant had released an alpha preview.. but the ubuntu project will be helpful iff we some how boot up 3.0.x kernel with RIL
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Hello, I've been looking around and I'm asking this question:
Would it be possible to install a dual boot with a ROM (phone ROM, don't care if Sammy, AOSP, CM, PA...) and any linux flavour?
I think Note2 has a decent computing power to run some basic linux stuff, and would like to test it, but as far as I have found, there is a Dual boot project (that allows you to boot two different ROMs) and the Ubuntu Touch project (that I understand leaves your phone out of the android world.
Is there anything I can do to run any linux flavour in my Note2?
Thank you.
I just got my Nexus 5x in! I've never developed for Android before, so this is all a new experience for me. I managed to get a 6.0.1_r30 generic arm build compiled (forgot to `lunch` for bullhead), so I know my environment is finally sane. However, I'd like to get some clarification on the Snapdragon 808.
I know the Snapdragon 808 is based on the ARMv8-a architecture, which means that it should, in theory, be both arm and arm64 compatible. And, from the look of devices/lge/bullhead/BoardConfig.mk, it appears that the default kernel is dual-arch arm and arm64. However, the primary arch is arm64. I'd like to attempt to build a kernel that's arm (armv7-a-neon) only. You might ask, "Why would you want to do that?" Well, I would like to build Ubuntu Touch for the device. Ubuntu touch is using the KitKat dev tree, so is only 32-bit compatible. Attempts to expand the KitKat tree with an arm64 cross-compilation toolchain were fruitless after spending countless hours attempting it.
At this point, I don't even know if it's worth trying for a couple of reasons:
Hardware drivers are Lollipop, Ubuntu Touch is KitKat
I don't know if ARMv8-a will boot a 32-bit kernel out-right or it has to start in 64-bit mode and drop to 32-bit (if that's the case, would the kernel know to do that? Or does the CPU start in 32 bit mode and bump up to 64 bit mode)?
It's probably pretty unlikely that dropping in a pre-built Lollipop kernel into the Ubuntu Touch dev tree would work -- different ABI's (That's the ever-changing kernel/Android-specific API/syscalls, right?)
So, I'm looking for some help clarifying any of these issues. Is there anybody here really familiar with ARM that could answer these questions? Heck, if these are non-issues, I might even attempt a build.
I have a TX201LA tablet runs Android 4.2. Its a dual device 2 systems in 1. The tablet half is what i am focusing on. NOT the dock as I have windows 10 running fine on that half. The tablet is nearly useless as it is on android 4.2. I've been exploring a few options for getting an android update. My tablet runs an atom x86 cpu with 2GB of ram and is quad core cloevertrail CPU x2560. Plenty of power to run a newer android or even chromeOS, cloudready, or remixOS. I've explored those options but Bliss is the most straight forward as there are already x86 builds of Bliss. I think support should be relatively easy to add for my device.
There are a few caveats however I know ways to overcome them if I can get a rom to load.
1. I dont have a unlocked bootloader but I maybe able to unlock using zenfone 5 unlock method. Still no custom rom has ever been made for my tablet, only for similar devices like zenfone 5, galaxy tab 3 10.1, & dell venue 7.
2. Once I get it unlocked, I can load CWM or use flashfire. My tablet boots with Droidboot, which I can replace with CWN via again a zenfone 5 exploit that I have confirmed works with my tablet.
3. Would bliss load things like my LCD driver, touch screen etc? That is possibly the biggest issue. I have the kernel code here, UPDATED: http://support.asus.com.cn/Download....1LAF&p=3&s=587 OR here original: http://support.asus.com.cn/Download....01LA&p=3&s=587
3A. If the kernel code has all the HALS isnt it possible to build a Bliss rom that would be loaded via CWM/Flashfire and then boot-able?
3B. Could the Bliss team build a rom with the kernel code listed above, that I could then test? Or would the bliss team need to the device (I would think not, i hope). If a rom could be created I would GLADLY donate to BLISS.
Love to find out if this is possible. THANKS