So I am basically trying to figure out the pro/con of either method. I have no background in linux but am trying to get my new lapdock ready as a lightweight netbook. Basic browsing, email, watch movies, use openoffice, etc etc.
What is the "best" method? Do they accomplish different end goals? Is one easier/harder to implement and maintain?
Like I said, no background in linux (yet) so I am just getting into the game here and trying to feel my way around.
Thanks
the best is Webtop2SD with Webtop scripts and XFCE4 (or Gnome) cause it's real Ubuntu.
Honestly, if you have no experience in Linux, you will probably have nothing but headaches. Linux itself isn't too bad to learn on a PC, but throw in broken dependencies and other oddities of running it on a mobile platform...it's like trial by fire.
Your best bet is like ovitz says...go with webtop2SD, follow instructions. Personally I've given up on all the other fancy window managers...I simply installed gnome-panel (disabling awn, of course) and go with a mini-gnome setup that way.
Play around after you get it set up and want to learn, but I would suggest you familiarize yourself with Linux on a PC first...or not because it may be a let down to see how poorly it performs on the phone compared to a PC.
Having said that, I've been able to use the modified webtop as a decent laptop replacement for the work I do, since most of my work is on remote servers. Putty has been very nice to me.
thanks for the input, luckily I'm about 80% of the way to function webtop2sd I think.
I don't mind the technical difficulties, the journey of getting it setup and learning that is half the fun usually.
And like said, I only really want it for basic stuff, nothing too heavy. I have the big work laptop for that.
Webtop2sd takes the existing Moto product, "unlocks it" [fixes all the .deb junk and gives it some disk space].
"Full Debian" lets you chroot out of the Moto prison into a standard Linux.
The first choice is better if you just want to add some apps to what Moto provides. The second is best if you want to play God with your system.
If you are not a serious Linux user, the 2SD approach is best.
If you like to build your own Linux system, then the latter is the way to go.
exwannabe said:
Webtop2sd takes the existing Moto product, "unlocks it" [fixes all the .deb junk and gives it some disk space].
"Full Debian" lets you chroot out of the Moto prison into a standard Linux.
The first choice is better if you just want to add some apps to what Moto provides. The second is best if you want to play God with your system.
If you are not a serious Linux user, the 2SD approach is best.
If you like to build your own Linux system, then the latter is the way to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the explanation, that was basically what I was looking for.
Is it possible to run the "full debian" method within/alongside the webtop2sd variant? To try out both worlds?
Having not ever used chroot, as I understand it, I would basically be running a "full" version of linux within the moto environment, like opening a citrix window and getting into a complete windows setup (roughly speaking)?
Related
Hey guys, what are some of the advantages of installing Ubuntu Linux on the HP touchpad?
ubuntu is a desktop OS. so you have a lot of stuff you can install (or compile yourself and install)
i.e. full office suite via LibreOffice. full photo editing suite via Gimp
(of course using them might be more difficult on the touchscreen, since you're supposed to use keyboard+mouse)
ubuntu is a beginner friendly distribution.
with unity as wm it is more optimized for touchscreen devices than the old gnome2 for example. and there is an arm build
Ok thanks, so it's only needed for like more of a person who is business orientated or someone who is looking to edit photos. I don't need office on it at this time nor do I edit photos. So is it better off not taking a chance installing it and messing something up that I might not use? Would you still be able to run WebOS?
right now, unless you don't follow the instructions properly, ubuntu is set up as chroot (meaning it opens INSIDE webos in a card). if you close ubuntu, you just discard the card (like a regular webos app)
if you don't want-to-mess/know-how-to-use linux/ubuntu, dont touch it
i use linux/ubuntu enough, and know my way around it, and like the extended stuff it provides
webos has few apps. ubuntu programs can run(so long you compile/find an ARM .deb)
you surely should first sort out what you do there by installing sth.
actually ubuntu runs in a chroot on the touchpad. so its not like you flash a new rom and have ubuntu running (natively) its more like in a virtual machine.
and if you have no clue at all, dont fiddle with things!
before I attempt this.. Can you install gnome desktop or another distro like Linux Mint which I use on my notebook? Or is chroot the only version you can use?
OK, This is a question for the devs: Is it possible to legitimately disable mobile view?
Apparently I installed/upgraded a few packages and broke it. I get the error "Could not acquire name on session bus" when i start webtop. I was thinking this is actually a blessing in disguise because that damn thing uses precious resources, and having the option to disable/enable it would make webtop all the more useful.
i can see why webtop dev isn't a high priority given the fact that it's a jaunty distro and you really can't do much with it.
you could try a dirty hack by looking in the /osh partition and deleting stuff
not sure which package broke the thing i wish i knew tho. seems like it broke after i installed libgdk-pixbuf while trying to install an aurora gtk engine deb
I'm pretty sure it gets called in the start-oshwt-1.sh script in /osh/usr/local/bin. I forget the name of the binary, but if you comment it out there it shouldn't open the mobile view.
I don't know what it would save you in resources though, my guess is not much since it seems like just a VNC viewer.
Caveat Emptor: edit those scripts at your own risk.
https://www.box.net/shared/tuj7vkxmeizv6j9ak4b4
Push to /osh/usr/local/bin
Warning this is not tested and may break web top. (Pull the original or rename)
sent from my AL60R!THM Atrix
I was just wondering. I know that Eclipse is the way to go, at least per the Android SDK website. But, I was curious what OS do most of you use? Windows or Linux? I'm currently setting up a Linux box and was going to use that to start learning Android development. I'm getting bored of doing .NET development at work and want to learn Android programming in my spare time (of what I have) and possibly to start developing apps.
What are some of the pros and cons of developing between the two OSes?
Thanks!
I stopped using Winblows when i randomly lost the ability to SBF with it.
Go Linux and never look back.
besides, virtualbox runs windows under linux better than windows runs by itself.
I used windows because it was my main OS and I used Ubuntu studio for audio recording. Windows has a lot of good tools available..like 5:1 with Linux.... Linux is good because you can Dev from source better/easier.
Now I main Ubuntu because I can play wow on it now...
Tapin' the Talk on the xSquared
Cheapxj said:
I stopped using Winblows when i randomly lost the ability to SBF with it.
Go Linux and never look back.
besides, virtualbox runs windows under linux better than windows runs by itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to run Linux all the time, then when my kids got older and wanted to play various educational games from the library, I had to go to Winblows.
I do like Win 7 and now, with the kids tapped into technology at school, it's almost a given that I have to have Windows at home.
But, on my other machine (it's a p4 2ghz - ouch), I'm installing Linux and wanting to do some work on that machine so I don't have to dual-boot between Windows and Linux. Plus, I have WAY too many games (like Skyrim, Fallout, etc) on my Windows PC that I can't run Windows in a virtual machine, even though that machine is a quad-core with 8gbs of RAM and a high-end video card.
Anyways, as long as I can also SBF from Linux (which I googled and found out I can), it sounds like I'm going in the right direction in regards to using Linux for my programming Android apps.
Arch Linux, though I don't really do Android development, mostly because of the webapps I'm working on.
Gentoo/Funtoo are quite nice as well.
Sent from my MB870 using Tapatalk
I've been doing everything with Linux since I first installed Red Hat 5.2 back in '98. Today, I run either Ubuntu, for whom I developed and bug tracked, and Debian, because I'm still a purist at heart..
Sent from my Motorola Android Device using Tapatalk.
Anyone try out the Ubuntu Installer on the Play Store with the TFP( link below ) I wanna give it a go but was wondering what other peoples experience with it is first. I saw there is a way to run Ubuntu nativly on our device, but it seems like it may be a bit 'new' ( as in driver support etc... ) which I'd be ok with, but the dual boot process seems like a pain to have to change the boot image everytime you want to use it...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...ubuntuinstallpaid&feature=more_from_developer
RubenRybnik said:
Anyone try out the Ubuntu Installer on the Play Store with the TFP( link below ) I wanna give it a go but was wondering what other peoples experience with it is first. I saw there is a way to run Ubuntu nativly on our device, but it seems like it may be a bit 'new' ( as in driver support etc... ) which I'd be ok with, but the dual boot process seems like a pain to have to change the boot image everytime you want to use it...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...ubuntuinstallpaid&feature=more_from_developer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
Yes, I have been messing wth it since I got my Prime a few months ago (running Linux on it was the reason I bought in the first place). Like you, the native stuff seems a little too "fresh" and the risk of a brick a bit too much.
Anyway, the Linux Installers Zac is doing can work well on the Prime. There is an issue with the Ubuntu 12.04 Unity at present which I have not been able to figure out as I can't deal with Unity for longer than bout 60 seconds before reaching for Xfce anyway.
I have had good results using the Ubuntu 12.04 image and installing Xfce. The VNC client you choose makes a huge difference. I have found Jump Desktop by far the best (middle and right mouse buttons, scroll wheel, dock keyboard all work great) and it is quite close to using it natively.
The real downer with the chroot methods is there does not appear to be any way to do it except by running the GUI/X as root while in Ubuntu. Not really a workable option for any long term use. This is down to how Android handles permissions and the use of TCP/UDP ports. If you try to run the VNC server as anything other than root you just get a permission failure. I have not been able to figure out a way around this yet.
Worth the download to try it out.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2
I'd like to ask a serious question here.. and I'm not trying to put down Ubuntu or anything - if you're into Linux, it's a good choice...
But..
*Why* would someone want to take an Android tablet and install an OS that's not really tablet friendly on it? What's the benefits?
Unless you plan to keep it in the dock all the time - then why not just buy a netbook?
What am I missing here?
You don't have to take two devices with you if you have Ubuntu installed on Transformer. If you had a tablet AND a netbook the weight would be doubled... Netbooks also have poor screens and probably less battery life.
TheWerewolf said:
I'd like to ask a serious question here.. and I'm not trying to put down Ubuntu or anything - if you're into Linux, it's a good choice...
But..
*Why* would someone want to take an Android tablet and install an OS that's not really tablet friendly on it? What's the benefits?
Unless you plan to keep it in the dock all the time - then why not just buy a netbook?
What am I missing here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Versatility, choice, and because we can
Android is great for some things but a lot of what I do would be much better done in a Linux environment. The Prime has replaced my laptop, and having a dual boot option would make it pretty much the perfect piece of kit for me.
I didnt realise this was available !
I will be giving it a go as soon as i get home!!
Would prefer a native install, but this looks pretty easy and quick to do, so i'll give it a shot.
And another nice thing we are not able to use because of missing root rights
I really hope somebody finds and publishes a new way to gain root. (without unlocking)
Running Linux on it was also a reason for my to chose the Prime.
Great comments all... Personally I want Linux on the Prime for some of the reasons above ( portability, not having to carry two machines, "because we can" lol ) however I mostly want it because it should offer a much better development environment on the Prime which would be great. Still haven't gotten it up and running yet, but bought everything I need, should be able to play today
will installing ubuntu thru this app break future ota updates? I do have root, but i only use it for a working ipsec vpn right now
Anyone having problems unzipping the beta Ubuntu 12.04 Full V1 download to get the image file? I've tried various unzip tools, and multiple download attempts, and it always comes up corrupt. The 12.04 small works fairly well.
nonpaq said:
Anyone having problems unzipping the beta Ubuntu 12.04 Full V1 download to get the image file? I've tried various unzip tools, and multiple download attempts, and it always comes up corrupt. The 12.04 small works fairly well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't tried that one yet, gonna start with 10.10 large, then move to 12.04 after...
Do you have to unlock prime to use this? I have root, but it says something about needing kernel or something on the app.
justPorter said:
will installing ubuntu thru this app break future ota updates? I do have root, but i only use it for a working ipsec vpn right now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it shouldn't have any affect. It does not touch anything outside of /data/local (or wherever you install the ubuntu.img file - could be your sdcard) - no system files are changed.
---------- Post added at 04:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:21 PM ----------
nonpaq said:
Anyone having problems unzipping the beta Ubuntu 12.04 Full V1 download to get the image file? I've tried various unzip tools, and multiple download attempts, and it always comes up corrupt. The 12.04 small works fairly well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there was an issue with the Full V1 file. The dev re-uploaded today so you might try it again. However, the default Unity interface on Full does not seem to work on the Prime for whatever reason (Tegra 3 differences it has been said) so it might not be worth the effort until that is fixed. Firefox also does not work (I have never got Firefox of Chrome to work on any of these builds)
The older Ubuntu version (10.10 was it?) works fine, except Firefox just crashes, and Midori is the only currently working browser
---------- Post added at 04:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:24 PM ----------
kidio007 said:
Do you have to unlock prime to use this? I have root, but it says something about needing kernel or something on the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your kernel needs to support the loop device which is the way that the ubuntu.img file gets "mounted" on the system. I dont recall if the stock kernel supports this but I would be surprised if it doesn't
Stock kernel apparently has the loop device, as I have been able to run Ubuntu on stock (rooted of course).
Thanks for info on new upload of 12.04 full. Didnt you say you installed Xfce and 12.04 worked well?
nonpaq said:
Stock kernel apparently has the loop device, as I have been able to run Ubuntu on stock (rooted of course).
Thanks for info on new upload of 12.04 full. Didnt you say you installed Xfce and 12.04 worked well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, Xfce I find works well. Just did not know how much effort you might be willing to put into it
Bit of advice - don't use "apt-get install xubuntu-desktop" to change to Xfce. That wants to install a ton of stuff that is not needed. Just try installing the the meta package "xfce4" and then add the other bits you want. I then removed the Unity desktop and it booted straight in to Xfce.
Edit: Actually, in this 12.04 image doing "apt-get install xubuntu-desktop" does not appear to be as bad. A previous image wanted to download 750Mb of stuff!
Edit2: Oh, and to get xfce loading instead of Unity, you need to edit /root/.vnx/xstartup and change the last line:
/etc/X11/Xsession
to be
startxfce4
..then restart the linux chroot by typing exit
barryflanagan said:
Yes, Xfce I find works well. Just did not know how much effort you might be willing to put into it
Bit of advice - don't use "apt-get install xubuntu-desktop" to change to Xfce. That wants to install a ton of stuff that is not needed. Just try installing the the meta package "xfce4" and then add the other bits you want. I then removed the Unity desktop and it booted straight in to Xfce.
Edit: Actually, in this 12.04 image doing "apt-get install xubuntu-desktop" does not appear to be as bad. A previous image wanted to download 750Mb of stuff!
Edit2: Oh, and to get xfce loading instead of Unity, you need to edit /root/.vnx/xstartup and change the last line:
/etc/X11/Xsession
to be
startxfce4
..then restart the linux chroot by typing exit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info I have the 10.10 full image up and running and Firefox does seem to be working fine for me "out of the box". Think I'm going to try the 12 image and Xfce next.
Anyone have any optimization tips and tricks to get this running as fast as possible? I'm trying the Jump VNC client, seems pretty nice, just need to get some kind of gesture to hide the tablets nav bar as it covers the screen.
Hey Barryflanagan, I'm playing with Zac's images and I am wondering if you got ubuntu to read any external storage media plugged into the dock : like sdcard or usb external drive. I don't know if it's because of the dock proper, or ubuntu, or chroot, but I got the prime on ubuntu to read microsd on the prime proper but nothing routing through the dock..
As to why I'd want both linux and android, most of the time I'm fine with android, sometimes with the dock sometimes without. I don't have a laptop anymore and 2 weeks ago I happened to get to my first need that android couldn't handle: I have to trim and clean 10 000+ files of music library with many copies and variations by file names, lengths, quality, and tags, and to pick the good tracks manually, and nothing on the android's ecosystem is as good or useful as mediamonkey. I've had to borrow a laptop from somebody to get the job done. I'm pretty sure in linux I could have found a working application-- if the usb hard drive for those 70gigs could have been recognized through the dock. Anyway -- also, some more intensive work like the occasional flyer or poster I design for friends.
By the way, have anyone tried to get Wine working on the chroot ubuntu? Maybe with kernel overclocked to 1.8 it might work?
Sent from my LG-P500 using my Dog
Is it possible to run Ubuntu offline, like without VNC, or do you need internet to use it? I followed the instructions on the app and connected with vnc. I would rather use splashtop and connect to my desktop if ubuntu cant be run offline.
kidio007 said:
Is it possible to run Ubuntu offline, like without VNC, or do you need internet to use it? I followed the instructions on the app and connected with vnc. I would rather use splashtop and connect to my desktop if ubuntu cant be run offline.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm confused as to what you're asking. Technically, Ubuntu is running offline. You're only connecting to the GUI over VNC. You do not need internet.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA
Parastie said:
I'm confused as to what you're asking. Technically, Ubuntu is running offline. You're only connecting to the GUI over VNC. You do not need internet.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I see. But what use has ubuntu without the GUI? I'm obviously new to this, but I assumed that you could use the ubuntu OS offline. Like open and use programs like open office. How would you be using ubuntu if you were at a place without internet?
Hello XDA Developers!
tl;dr I need either a solid, light OS replacement for Android 2.3 on my Atrix, or I need a video streaming and virtualization app with no lag that works between android devices and either windows or linux desktop.
First I'd like to say how impressed I am with you folks. Massive amounts of work most be done on a regular basis, and so I tip my hat to you in thanks for looking at my potential problem/question.
I've got two devices that I'd like to make some serious software changes to, one of them my Atrix (the other is a Flytouch Tablet ARM11 with Android 2.3, but that's for a different forum). Let me start by saying that I like to think of myself as very technically literate, but when it comes to linux I just don't have nearly as much experience as I do with windows/mac, and it is about to really show.
What I want to do is load a light Linux OS on these devices. Normally, if I was going to install a new windows kernel on a machine I would copy an ISO to a USB thumb drive and make the drive bootable (using the MS program Windows 7 USB/DVD maker), then startup the PC and either through the BIOS or by hitting the proper button during the startup sequence I would ask the PC to boot into the drive and begin the installation.
Questions:
What is the image file type for mobile OS's?
How would one choose the right type of linux OS for an Atrix?
What is the difference between flashing a ROM and installing and OS?
Why is it when I updated my phone recently that it became unrooted?
(and) Is there any way to revert this process to make rooting easier?
Is there any way to capture a video output (like a stream) and broadcast it to these mobile devices so I can avoid changing their software alltogether?
(and) Could I just remotely control another PC from the mobile device, letting it do all the actual computing?
Can I use the Webtop Dock as a monitor for my desktop if I can find the proper HDMI cable to connect it to the HDMI output on my desktop video card?
(and) Can I also connect the Micro USB and use the keyboard/mouse (hooked into my desktop motherboard) on it as well?
(and finally) Can I use my Atrix as a prototype omni-tool by docking it in a docking station, attaching various tools that work with a linux operating system (wide-spectrum ultrasound imaging, temperature monitors, vital monitors, electronic laser saw (USB) (with separate power attachment of course) and extendable, movable USB cameras?) and then strapping it onto my wrist with a cool leather bracer design?
My end-goal is to have all three of these devices on the same network, with the ability to seamlessly access my data between them. For example, if I'm working on a document, I'd like to be able to access the document in a document editing program across all the platforms (imagine google docs with multiple users) however with one MAJOR stipulation: I'll be on a local network with NO INTERNET ACCESS!
Briefly (to better help you understand just what I'm trying to do) I am a freelance archaeologist/deep sea explorer/ROV tinkerer about to do a series of surveys mostly by myself in some VERY remote locations. I'll have a Wi-Fi network to link all of my devices together running out of my boat, but it's only for data sharing between each other, and since Satellite Internet is a joke, I can't think of any way to get data out there, and I've decided to live without it while I'm away.
I have a webtop dock for my Atrix, and the environment developed by Motorola is far too restrictive. I've tried countless fixes to try and get the webtop2SD to work, but I must be doing something wrong (Maybe the latest update screwed it?). I think since I'd like to use some linux applications while on the mobile devices, I would rather install a custom OS for both.
OR (preffered)
Even more simply, I'd like to stream the video feed and remotely control my desktop PC (located on the boat) on the mobile devices, but with yet another stipulation: I can't have FPS lag (I usually get 1-2 FPS with all the virtualization and remote control apps I've tried). This would in some senses be the preferred option, since I really don't want to spend oodles of hours trying to get some program to work in a difficult, restricted environment like these mobile device's current OS's. Is there a good, non-lagging version of desktop virtualization for Android OS?
About that webdock: I can't seem to find a female-to-female micro HDMI cable anywhere on the internet, thought I did find one Micro HDMI extension cable, and bought it promptly. I could buy another, but cut the male ends off and splice the female parts together (**** just got kinky). But if I could, would this work?
Phew that was a lot! Again thanks so much for thinking for me!
I've personally never found any kind of remote desktop software that works without lag, but it might be possible to find some. Someone else might know what to tell you there.
After doing some basic searching, the only collaborative document solution that I've found has been Etherpad Lite. You could set up a desktop or laptop running linux as the server, and all the other devices on your small network could (theoretically) run a browser based client similar (but far less advanced) than Google Docs. This way, everything on your LAN/WLAN could access the application, if it's stout enough to support your needs.
https://github.com/Pita/etherpad-lite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collab...Real-time_collaborative_text_editing_software
Everything you're looking for just seems to be limited for Android, I wish you the best of luck.
I have always found Teamviewer great for remote PC control from my Atrix. They have a nice app and free license for home/personal use. I get minimal lag controlling my PC at home when at work, but that's over WiFi. Not very fast and pretty laggy if I am on data with my Atrix.
BTW............I can work on documents, transfer files to and from PC's and laptops, print documents on my wireless printer, etc. across my home network from my Atrix, all routed through a Netgear WNR3500L running stock firmware (dd-wrt actually slowed my network down and reduced WiFi range considerably, so I reverted to stock).
First, there is no "magic" within the lapdock device. It is a nice HDMI screen, a couple crappy input devices on the USB side, and a battery. The standard Moto software does recognise the usb device and do some software magic, but certainly you could use the dock on it's own w/o the phone.
As to completely replacing the /osh webtop OS that Motorola provides, that is challanging.
There are 2 basic ways to open it up though. Go to the developers subforum and look for webtop2sd and "full Debian".
Somebody did post recently with an attempt to fully replace the webtop OS. he was using gentoo, so look for that and you should find it. But I suspect it is early, and likely to be a significant WP.
As to learning all this ****. If you do some Linux developement or heavy hacking (which it kind of sounds like) you should set up a full full blown 'droid dev platform and start playing. It is big and bulky, but you will learn faster that way than just searbhing around.
EDIT: just reread your post that you are light on Linux. if you want to do anything more than just follow along, it might be a good idea to setup something like an Ubuntu and get familiar there. 'Droid is way different looking (it really basterdises things around) but yoiu need to know both if you want to play with webtop hacks.
Thanks all. I'll look around again to see if I can find the threads you mentioned. I've tried Webtop2SD but to no success so far.
Thanks again.