Related
This thread is for development discussion only. If you are not actively working on the project, please go to the discussion thread where your contribution will be more valuable. By keeping this thread clean, we can hope to get Android working on our devices much quicker.
Project Status:
We now have a 2.6.27 kernel which is capable of booting Angstrom and Android. Android looks good and is responsive, but most core functions are not there yet. Work is focused on kernel development to provide us with a stable base with working hardware. You can find test files in the second post.
We have a Wiki page where the project gets documented in some detail.
History
The development had a slow start while Orux worked out how to make the mdp talk to mddi to get a working display. We hope that progress will be faster now as there has been considerable work on the Diamond and Raphael hardware, which is quite similar to the Blackstone.
23Feb09
Screen problems fixed at last - many weeks work from Orux got the mdp talking to mddi and give us a working display.
03Mar09
Wow! So much progress in just a week! We now have working SD (some issues with brands of cards - under investigation), allowing booting direct from the SD card; working hardware buttons, and some GSM functionality (the network connects and reports of sending SMS successfully). Credit to Orux, Pichurri, Cybersalsero, Jonlar (and have I missed anyone out - not me, I have been spectating!). Pichurri has posted a full install package on teh wiki, go try it and give feedback in the testing thread.
(to be continued!)
Current tasks
Debugging SD card problems many ppl having
Getting our own version of Android (currently using builds optimised for Raph/Diam
More GSM functions - who will be first to make a call???
What can I do?
You tell us! First thing would be to get yourself set up with a development environment. You need Linux on your PC - either installed as the main OS or if you use Windows, in a virtual machine (eg Virtualbox). Then follow the instructions on the wiki to get the sources and latest diff.
Reserved for files
Here you will find the up to date files related to the project.
Pichurri's full 2.6.27 install package is on the wiki here
You should correct the posts: 2.6.26 and 2.6.27 is the kernels used. More info: www.kernel.org
brumbrum said:
You should correct the posts: 2.6.26 and 2.6.27 is the kernels used. More info: www.kernel.org
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are using 2 kernels:
2.6.25 --> htc-msm-2.6.25 branch in git.linuxtogo.org. This is the kernel that we are testing in our machines these days.
2.6.27 --> htc-msm-2.6.27 branch in git.linuxtogo.org. Where we will stay in a few days. Better kernel, more improvements. Here is where people from other projects are working now.
orux said:
We are using 2 kernels:
2.6.25 --> htc-msm-2.6.25 branch in git.linuxtogo.org. This is the kernel that we are testing in our machines these days.
2.6.27 --> htc-msm-2.6.27 branch in git.linuxtogo.org. Where we will stay in a few days. Better kernel, more improvements. Here is where people from other projects are working now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, my mistake. Typed the message above late in the night.
But in the first and second post in this thread it says 2.2.65 and 2.2.67.
Thanks, was posted in a rush, just pm me if you see more errors. We use the odd numbered dev kernels, they will always have the most recent stuff.
A challenge for someone who likes graphic drivers:
I think linux is using ~10% of epson controller capabilities.
We have a lot of information about this controller, and open source code from epson.
Perhaps someone would like to work with this stuff.
orux said:
A challenge for someone who likes graphic drivers:
I think linux is using ~10% of epson controller capabilities.
We have a lot of information about this controller, and open source code from epson.
Perhaps someone would like to work with this stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean things like picture-in-picture? Would be good later on in the gui - multiple desktops, that kind of thing. Also I noticed the Epson controller handles TV-out. Do we know if the out-connection exists for this, or have they just not connected it up?
Another thing to consider maybe USB on-the-go - the MSM72xx supports it; if (big if) the usb port has the right connections, it would be possible to mount external storage.
But I think it's more for later on - core functionality would be about making calls, sms, GPRS/3G. Let's see what we get from the latest kernel. Orux have you talked to the RAPH/DIAM guys on irc about merging?
orux said:
A challenge for someone who likes graphic drivers:
I think linux is using ~10% of epson controller capabilities.
We have a lot of information about this controller, and open source code from epson.
Perhaps someone would like to work with this stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what makes you believe that?
whatever makes you believe it, share it!
if you have anything like docs,etc to share or point to lets have it !
Blackstone has got 2 graphic processors:
--->mdp, inside the chip. We have drivers in the kernel (mdp.c, mdp_ppp.c ...) I am not sure what capabilities are being used in current kernel. There are not good docs about mdp processor (I haven't got any useful).
--->epson controller. It can do:
• Picture in Picture, Transparency, Alpha Blending
• Image Rotation (90°, 180°, 270°) and Mirroring
• Scroll Assist
• AME (Auto Movie Enhancement)
• Supports up to three layers
• Image Doubling
• Bi-Cubic Scaling (1/2x ~ 8x)
• Over/Down Sampling Scaling (1/8x ~ 8x)
• Edge Enhancement
We don't have driver support in current kernel, but we have docs and source code from epson (link posted in discussion thread).
Htc Touch Pro has a tvout usb cable adapter, and seems to work in linux! I don't know if this cable works with our device.
USB on-the-go: interesting TODO.
patp said:
Orux have you talked to the RAPH/DIAM guys on irc about merging?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet; perhaps your (or pichurri, ...) task when we have a good .27 diff. I have too much language limitations for an on-line discussion
p3ngwin said:
what makes you believe that?
whatever makes you believe it, share it!
if you have anything like docs,etc to share or point to lets have it !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, OK! These things take time - we all have other jobs I guess. We plan to get any open source docs online in a systematic way, we just need to figure out a reliable way - ie not RS etc. And we have to be careful of proprietry materials - we don't want copyright lawyers after us...
If anyone wants to offer us some rock solid webspace, that would be awesome.
TODO: Investigate instability of screen
I think that problems with screen are caused by onscreen keyboard. This keyboard is an excellent hack, but it is not 100% integrated with android.
We need to test a kernel without it.
orux said:
I think that problems with screen are caused by onscreen keyboard. This keyboard is an excellent hack, but it is not 100% integrated with android.
We need to test a kernel without it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or use the cup cake version with the keyboard in android it self.
Full doc of the epson controler : http://vdc.epson.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=278&Itemid=40
Link is at the bottom of the wiki, add yours
I don't think we need to put all the docs at the same place, just add links at the bottom of the wiki, either hosted or link to website.
I can provide hosting if you need, just pm me.
repository
what do you guys think about creating some kind of repository(git or svn) to upload and share our blackstone kernel? i think it would make development much easier if you could see changes of other people immediately. we could use github or sourceforge.
I also think the On-Screen Keyboard is a problem.
Earlyer today I was goofing around in Android and every time I moved the keyboard, the graphics started acting very weird.(scrolling, not updating etc.)
When I hit F5 on the OSK, it would refresh Android and go back to the home page and the screen would be normal again.
Maybe route the OSK to a pip on the epson?
It's git for kernel dev, anyways svn sucks (inc troll)
If we set up a git, we'll need a guy working as a maintainer and pulling from everyone. This may become usefull when people start working in many different areas of the kernel, but for now diffs are better as they can be easily shared, and there's a howto in the wiki.
patp said:
OK, OK! These things take time - we all have other jobs I guess. We plan to get any open source docs online in a systematic way, we just need to figure out a reliable way - ie not RS etc. And we have to be careful of proprietry materials - we don't want copyright lawyers after us...
If anyone wants to offer us some rock solid webspace, that would be awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey i have a servage account that i hardly use which has massive space and bandwidth i could give you a ftp account to and any sql servers you may need. let me know
Rewpparo said:
Full doc of the epson controler : http://vdc.epson.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=278&Itemid=40
Link is at the bottom of the wiki, add yours
I don't think we need to put all the docs at the same place, just add links at the bottom of the wiki, either hosted or link to website.
I can provide hosting if you need, just pm me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, the wiki is the best place for this. Would you be happy for me to mention your hosting offer on the front page (which will quite soon need a better structure I'm sure).
JanSchotsmans said:
I also think the On-Screen Keyboard is a problem.
Earlyer today I was goofing around in Android and every time I moved the keyboard, the graphics started acting very weird.(scrolling, not updating etc.)
When I hit F5 on the OSK, it would refresh Android and go back to the home page and the screen would be normal again.
Maybe route the OSK to a pip on the epson?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that my friend, is a stunning idea (if it can be done simply). How does it relate to the Android OSK mentioned by xmoo? I guess the linux one is low level whereas the Android one is basically an app in the gui. Advantages to both, but if it works out of the box, the android one would mean we could essentially get rid of the linux one. We have ssh if we want to type in a console (or maybe android terminal app?).
Here we go:
I use a number of Microsoft Access Databases for my work, and each one is intensely coded and designed and basically run like actual programs. What I am looking for is to be able to take these databases with me. Now understanding that Microsoft and Android are two completely different beasts, what I really am looking for is the ability to take the tables (I use all Back-end database so all my tables are in a completely separate file then all my forms, queries, and reports) and the data with me and be able to run them in a program on Android that keeps the relationships and fields and all of that sort of stuff.
Now what would be great is the ability to use forms (even if special forms for android need to be made), run queries, and even be able to run reports and print as PDFs.
now I know how to code in VBA, hence the extensive coding I have done in Access, so anybody willing to WORK WITH in creating an Android Program to basically be an extension of Microsoft Access please contact me. Please not I use the words WORK WITH loosely, while I am trying to learn how to Program for Android, I currently do not have a computer that I can use to develop programs for android on, and well I would be only able to create the "Hello World" starter program and this project seems a slight bit more complicated. But what I can bring to the table is real world experience in testing and using the program day in and day out, a number of already existing Microsoft Access Databases ranging from Complex to Simple that I use every day. Really a program that can run Microsoft Access Tables on Android would be really useful to me and I am willing to do anything to help make this happen.
kronos82 said:
Here we go:
I use a number of Microsoft Access Databases for my work, and each one is intensely coded and designed and basically run like actual programs. What I am looking for is to be able to take these databases with me. Now understanding that Microsoft and Android are two completely different beasts, what I really am looking for is the ability to take the tables (I use all Back-end database so all my tables are in a completely separate file then all my forms, queries, and reports) and the data with me and be able to run them in a program on Android that keeps the relationships and fields and all of that sort of stuff.
Now what would be great is the ability to use forms (even if special forms for android need to be made), run queries, and even be able to run reports and print as PDFs.
now I know how to code in VBA, hence the extensive coding I have done in Access, so anybody willing to WORK WITH in creating an Android Program to basically be an extension of Microsoft Access please contact me. Please not I use the words WORK WITH loosely, while I am trying to learn how to Program for Android, I currently do not have a computer that I can use to develop programs for android on, and well I would be only able to create the "Hello World" starter program and this project seems a slight bit more complicated. But what I can bring to the table is real world experience in testing and using the program day in and day out, a number of already existing Microsoft Access Databases ranging from Complex to Simple that I use every day. Really a program that can run Microsoft Access Tables on Android would be really useful to me and I am willing to do anything to help make this happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we must have the same job
Android utilizes an sqlite database engine and it looks like sqlite already offers a conversion utility HERE. The real question would be how to get the data in and out of the phone. Regarding forms, they definitely would need to be custom built.
Thanks this is deffenetly a start, From what I can tell this This Looks to be the most promising, It looks like all you would have to do is put a MS Access Database file on your SD CARD and have a program access it. That way you copy it back and forth. Unfortunately it doesn't support Access 2003, but I can save down. I also got a lot of learning to do in programing Java programs.
Forms would be as simply as making a program, this is great thanks much
kronos82 said:
Here we go:
I use a number of Microsoft Access Databases for my work, and each one is intensely coded and designed and basically run like actual programs. What I am looking for is to be able to take these databases with me....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to say, "yes, please!" to this idea. I currently use Smart List to Go (the descendant of ThinkDB) on my Palm TX. The TX is dying, and I've been shopping for a replacement. HanDBase exists for the iPhone, but I don't want an iPhone. So I've been focused on WinMo - not by choice as much as by necessity.
And android option would be very welcome around my computers.
benmyers2941 said:
I think we must have the same job
Android utilizes an sqlite database engine and it looks like sqlite already offers a conversion utility HERE. The real question would be how to get the data in and out of the phone. Regarding forms, they definitely would need to be custom built.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
androids sqlite its for applications to access and store data using java code.
try the pocket office app
Freedomcaller said:
androids sqlite its for applications to access and store data using java code.
try the pocket office app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly and we're talking about creating an app that would enable manipulation of an sqlite database. Essentially all that would be needed would be to create a ui framework wrapper for the existing api in android. Not the least monumental task I've heard of an individual taking on but not the most either.
The versions of pocket office that I've seen for android do not currently support Access databases as far as I'm aware. If I'm wrong could you post a link and save everyone some trouble?
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
kronos82 said:
Thanks this is deffenetly a start, From what I can tell this looks to be the most promising, It looks like all you would have to do is put a MS Access Database file on your SD CARD and have a program access it. That way you copy it back and forth. Unfortunately it doesn't support Access 2003, but I can save down. I also got a lot of learning to do in programing Java programs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jackcess library is now patched to support android (will be in 1.2.2 release). Also seems to support 2000, 2003 and 2007 formats now.
Works great for me.
View jackcess site. Couldn't find anything on support for android. I'm using htc desire and would really like to find program to view ms access file. Can you tell me how you do it?
As I remember reading worked as on PC, while writing had some problems.
This forum prevents me from linking directly, but if you click tracker/patches on Jackcess project, check Android Compatibility Fix - ID: 3101578
The changes are in trunk and will be in the 1.2.2 release. I've added some
notes which will eventually make it to the FAQ page on the website
detailing the compatibility steps:
- Set the system property "com.healthmarketscience.jackcess.broken
Nio=true"
- Set the system property "com.healthmarketscience.jackcess.resour
cePath=res/raw/"
- Copy the *.txt, *.mdb, and *.accdb files from the
"com/healthmarketscience/jackcess/" directory in the Jackcess jar to the
"/res/raw" Android application directory.
- Before executing any Jackcess code, set the current Thread's context
classloader, e.g.
"Thread.currentThread().setContextClassLoader(Database.class.getClassLoader())".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Until this version (1.2.2) is released you need to build lib yourself.
You also need commons-lang and commons-logging from apache commons.
Before you use Jackcess in Android code, you set
Thread.currentThread().setContextClassLoader(
getClass().getClassLoader());
System.setProperty(
"com.healthmarketscience.jackcess.brokenNio",
"true");
System.setProperty(
"com.healthmarketscience.jackcess.resourcePath",
"res/raw/");
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and copy those resource files to res/raw
Then you can work as on PC, for example open /sdcard/yourprogram/file.mdb
Jackcess has no GUI, it's a library to read/write access files.
Getting an Access file into Android
I keep a lot of information on a Psion Revo, which has just turned its face to the wall and is giving up the ghost, and have always backed the information up on to my pc as an Access file. It looks easier to get this into a format acceptable to Android by converting the Access .mbx file into an Excel .xls file. This can be searched readily by Column and Values. Maybe this deals with too simple a need for most enquirers to the forum, but if it helps somebody then so much the better.
hi all i have beenlooking for something the same for some time now and just the other day i came accross this site cellica.com
the android app is free and the desktop application has a 5 day trial period or its $50 to buy it works great the only thing you can not do is create a report from the phone
i have emailed support team and they said they will be adding it on in the future.
Any Updates???
I currently build and use databases in MS Access and was wondering if there are any updates on this topic now that Tablets are in use now. Looking to get the Motorola Xoom (2nd version) in the future, but would love to be able to use a program that I would be able to access my MS Access databases while "on-the-go".
Anyone? This would be huge (I believe), since we now have tablets.
Thanks a bunch,
~Kilch~
Access to MS Access by Android
Hi,
I'm also looking to get on-the-go access to my Access databases on my Android HTC Tattoo.
The file is on it, I just need a tool to access it in read-only / search mode, but judging from the previous comments, there doesn't seem to be an oversupply in applications.
The "convert to Excel format" may be OK for me. I want to use a 3 language Access DB (dictionary) on my phone, so I'll try the Excel solution.
It would be nice if we had an ACCESS reader though...
John
Panacea Database
I know XDA frowns upon excessively hawking your own products here, but I do seem to be directly answering more than one of the reply questions, it just happens that the answer is an application my company released.
The Panacea Database application can handle Access from Access 2000 to Access 2007. It has also worked so far on every Access 2010 database we've tested, and we've received no complaints in that department yet. We release updates from time to time as we improve its functionality and features, often guided in our priorities by user e-mail and market comments. Our next update will be focused on improving screen layout for a variety of Android devices - from small QVGA smartphones, to large WXGA tablets. After that we may move onto other functionality.
In the interest of fairness, I'll point out arafa1209's post. He mentions Celicca Database, which is the only other application that I know of that deals with Access databases on Android. It has features Panacea does not have (yet) - ability to work with forms, ability to create and modify databases, ability to connect to your PC etc. Like us, they also send out updates improving their app regularly. So you can compare the apps, and use which one fits your needs better (or use both). If anyone knows of any others they can post here as well, but these are the only two I know of currently.
Just tried Panacea. Although it is more basic and annoyingly doesn't remember the last files you'be opened necessitating finding the file each time you open the app I prefer it for the simple reason you don't have to convert the Access database to another format.
amwebby said:
doesn't remember the last files you'be opened necessitating finding the file each time you open the app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you update the app, this should be fixed, the last version should have this feature.
Got the update last week. Certainly goes a long way to making it more user-friendly. Keep up the great work!
Since the last update it seems to be broken. Although it remembers the last database I cannot open a table within any database.
Edit: It appears the file was corrupted. Loaded a new file and all working again.
Any news in this topic.
I tried panacea Database, works fine. But not very effective. Searching data is a must for me however I didnt manage to find a search option. When I search for tables, it cant even locate the tables by names.
Hello, i want to ask if there is any program availiable for android phones like notepad++ for pc where i can write code for programming languages. Compiling them i know it's not possible but i want an app for writing the code while i am away from my pc.
Even though I don't agree with notepad++ (I am a linux user, but I always thought it was terrible) I would like this too.
I have spent some time looking and have yet to find anything that will do this, so I have to ssh into our development server and then use nano. It works for small fixes, which is the only thing you would really want to do on your android.
yeah i also would really like to see this so i can be programming while at work and school when i'm on the go. I've recently started learning to develop for android maybe this would make a good project.
i believe some roms have gedit or nano included so you could use that
Check out our touchqode source code editor for Android at touchqode dot com (forum does not allow us to post link)
It features syntax highlighting, code suggestions (autocomplete) and incremental search. We support Java (most mature), Python, C++, C# and Ruby (partial support).
We are eager to hear some feedback.
We just release Codeanywhere for Android, try it out I think this my be to your linking.
Just search Codeanywhere in the Android Market!
Let us know what you think
Just to let you know... Codeanywhere works but stops showing code at line 52 (consistently, doesn't depend on file type) on my Asus Eee Pad Transformer (16GB) w/ dock.
You can also try DroidEdit: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.aor.droidedit
I haven't really done anything on the programming side of things since VB6.0. Learned a bit of C once upon a time, but never really got anywhere.
Can any of you fine Devs here point me in the right directions to begin learning how to program for Android? Remember, please, that I will likely have to unlearn some things, and that I have ZERO JAVA experience. I would love to be able to make some apps to fill gaps that I see in the market.
I am running on a dual boot lappy with Win Vista and Linux Mint 10(Ubuntu derivative). Links or pointers to what I need for both sides will be welcomed and appreciated.
im reading hello android v3 and its great so far.. ive also been going thru android source.. download the android sdk and eclipse for linux and or windows.. i prefer linux as does most devs. ive also registered for night time java classes at the local community college for 13 bucks a semester. anyways goodluck!
This might be helpful for basic syntax stuff.
Start with fattire's link and pick up the Java basics. To read Android examples, you'll need to understand how Classes and Interfaces work as well as how to extend and implement them, respectively. You'll also want to understand inner classes and anonymous inner classes. Understand variable scoping in classes.
Learn how threads work. Understand the implications of multithreading and reentrance. Experiment a lot in simple, stand-alone samples.
Once you've gotten started with Java, you can download Eclipse and the Android SDK. Here's the Android "Hello World" tutorial, which is a reasonable place to start. It has pointers to everything you'll need.
http://developer.android.com/guide/tutorials/hello-world.html
Android Applications are pretty straightforward once you understand the basics... AppWidgets and Services are less so. The trick is to understand the lifecycle of each -- where and when it's appropriate to do what sorts of work and how to communicate results between different components. It will be rough going in the beginning with a fair amount of crashing as you discover you're taking too long to do something that really should be offloaded to a different part of the lifecycle or a whole new thread -- or when you discover you can't do something you want, directly, because you lack the parts and have to send a message to something that does have all the parts.
My first project was a simple button on the home screen that, in effect, runs a few commands. It took me more than a week to make it work properly, and I was already familiar with Java.
Also understand that some of the examples floating around -- even those from Google employees -- are old and that Android has had some growing pains. Double check the approach suggested by anything that's older than a year. The SDK contains sample programs that make for decent cookbook code.
thanks to all of you...as well as the mod who moved the thread to the correct spot...wasn't sure if this was the correct one.
Hello android (as mentioned above) is awesome! Another good one is Beginning Android 2. Both found here:]
Hello Android
Beginning Android
Hey ThinkPadders,
So I found myself needing to do some programming on the road this weekend but dont have access to a laptop. So I'm plugging in a bunch of peripherals to my TPT and hoping to work off it. (UPDATE: It worked great! Just ran out of space in my pre-allocated image, see update #2 below) Forgive me if the outcome is a bit rough or this exists elsewhere, I'm in a bit of a rush but thought I'd throw this quickly out to anyone who may find it usefull (or is nice enough to complete it).
There's just a small modification from the Ubuntu on android instructions on AndroLinux. Sorry I cant post links as a crappy member X_x, but I think you know what to do with this:
www.androlinux.com/android-ubuntu-development/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-android/
Change the mount calls in each of the scripts from:
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
to:
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 /system
That's about it. I've installed build essentials just with apt-get and got simple STL c++ to compile, so things seem good so far.
Here are pics of the TPT running vnc and ssh to localhost. I attached modified scripts if you dont want to do it yourself. All credit should go to Max Lee at AndroLinux and Charan Singh.
(And a hurrah for getting our kernel source!!)
UPDATE #1 (2-27-2012):
Terminal/ssh usages are great, but experiences with the stock ubuntu GUI are a little slow (probably due to the lack of tegra drivers on tested distributions). You can improve this GREATLY by using a lighter weight windows manager (lxde, xfce, unity 2d, etc).
UPDATE #2 (2-28-2012):
Also, you can skip using an image entirely. Since then I've partitioned a 32GB sdcard into 10GB fat32 + 22GB ext2 partitions and just directly copied a preinstalled/debootstrap'ed ubuntu and mounted it. This way you don't have to pre-allocate space with an image and can use both partitions for general storage (the fat32 is just for windows specific access). You could probably use space on the internal sdcard if you like. But I have a 16GB model so I went straight for an external solution.
I can extend this guide or create a one-click windows script to handle the entire setup/installation if there's interest.
This is really cool, thanks for sharing this info with the rest of us.
Thanks! I run Ubuntu on all my computers, now I can run it on my TPT!
Cool stuff anapmac.
I too have an ubuntu chroot on my thinkpad (actually just copied the loop file from my droid x and didn't even have to change any settings)
Just a tip: I highly recommend swapping out the default window manager for lxde.
lxde is much more lightwight and will run a lot faster.
Also, you may want to try pointing apt at the debian repositories, debian seems to have more complete ARM repositories than ubuntu does.
How about libre office. Could it run in an usable speed on ubuntu on android, or would it do it if ubuntu only could get installed?
Hey,
could anyone help me...i managed to do all and it finally worked.
but i don't think it is quite useable, so what d0 I have to do to make all steps undone?
thanks for your help.
dan
thanks for posting the changes required to get this working. I got it working with the ubuntu.img from the guide at androlinux.com
I've used the instructions there also to build an image of from ubuntu 11.10. I simply replaced the ubuntu.img with my own and all is working ok. I'm currently installing unity to see how slow it will be. or if it works at all.
hidd3n_bit said:
Cool stuff anapmac.
I too have an ubuntu chroot on my thinkpad (actually just copied the loop file from my droid x and didn't even have to change any settings)
Just a tip: I highly recommend swapping out the default window manager for lxde.
lxde is much more lightwight and will run a lot faster.
Also, you may want to try pointing apt at the debian repositories, debian seems to have more complete ARM repositories than ubuntu does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip. I did find loading firefox somewhat slow when I took the screenshots. This past weekend though I was only accessing the distribution through a terminal emulator (just ran the bootubuntu script to setup the chroot). After working with it, I'm very satisfied with this setup I'm planning to buy an external SD to use host a large ubuntu image (or anything else that's ARM compatible?). Maybe I'll look into the GUI if I get a chance.
There's also a native ubuntu setup on some android devices. That would be interesting to see how well the GUI performs when android isn't running next to it. Luckily for me, the terminal is perfect since I use vim
danjac said:
Hey,
could anyone help me...i managed to do all and it finally worked.
but i don't think it is quite useable, so what d0 I have to do to make all steps undone?
thanks for your help.
dan
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Hey danjac,
when you exit out of the shell that bootubuntu launches, it unmounts the required loopback and folders for you. The setup script, ubuntu.sh, simply copies a few files into known locations (deleting any existing files from previous runs). These files are:
/system/bin/fsrw
/system/bin/bootubuntu
/system/bin/unionfs
/system/bin/mountonly
You can just delete these by hand. Otherwise, I've attached a shortened version of the setup script (now only contains the clean-up and not the file copies) that does just this. Besides those files you just need to delete your ubuntu image file. Also, I dont believe the mounts (calls to losetup and mount) persist through reboots. Someone please correct me on that if I'm wrong. But if true, you wont have anything ubuntu related running if you've done a simple reboot lately. It is probably best to reboot before running this script. FYI, the script is run from the TPT's terminal (either using a terminal app or adb).
baser5nature said:
thanks for posting the changes required to get this working. I got it working with the ubuntu.img from the guide at androlinux.com
I've used the instructions there also to build an image of from ubuntu 11.10. I simply replaced the ubuntu.img with my own and all is working ok. I'm currently installing unity to see how slow it will be. or if it works at all.
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Click to collapse
Cool. Let me know how it goes. I'm curious how well we can get an ubuntu GUI to run under chroot. I really like the integration it gives. Though we're probably running on software rendering no matter what UI we use. Nvidia released linux tegra drivers for hardware acceleration:
(H)ttp://developer.nvidia.com/linux-tegra
(curse you linking!!! still too forum newb for this)
hopefully I (or anyone ) can get time to mess around with this.
Hey danjac,
when you exit out of the shell that bootubuntu launches, it unmounts the required loopback and folders for you. The setup script, ubuntu.sh, simply copies a few files into known locations (deleting any existing files from previous runs). These files are:
/system/bin/fsrw
/system/bin/bootubuntu
/system/bin/unionfs
/system/bin/mountonly
You can just delete these by hand. Otherwise, I've attached a shortened version of the setup script (now only contains the clean-up and not the file copies) that does just this. Besides those files you just need to delete your ubuntu image file. Also, I dont believe the mounts (calls to losetup and mount) persist through reboots. Someone please correct me on that if I'm wrong. But if true, you wont have anything ubuntu related running if you've done a simple reboot lately. It is probably best to reboot before running this script. FYI, the script is run from the TPT's terminal (either using a terminal app or adb).
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Click to collapse
Hey Anapmac,
thank you very much for the information/script.
You are right, it does not survive a reboot.
Once again, thanks for your help.
I'm going to give this a go, looks really cool.
Canonical have just announced Ubuntu for Android which looks pretty amazing.
Oh, yes.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscent...tu_android_addon_designed_to_replace_pcs.html
Cant wait until having really time to try it......
Yea, my dreams are coming true! I hope they're not picky about using the dock though. I'd still rather just open up a local terminal and work from there (for those of you who keep line widths in code, the character width can perfectly be 80 in portrait mode using android terminal emulator ). Should work anyway though, seems like a chroot solution with dock integration. Either way, that makes for an AWESOME thin client to access any workstations. Add that to having a mobile data plan, who needs to be in the office! Love being able to fiddle with these devices so much.
I wasn't able to get unity to work, I'm really not that strong in linux though. Based on things I've read around other linux forums, it's not likely to get it to work, but luckily canonical is taking care of that for us.
I tried gnome-classic and it worked ok, I wouldn't call it unusable, tried ubuntu-2d and 3d and they just don't work, finally settled with xfce after installing xubuntu-desktop via apt-get and then messing with the xstartup in /root/.vnc to start xfce with vnc.
vncserver -geometry 1280x752 fits perfectly in the screen space available without hiding the honeycomb status bar.
Although android vnc works quite well for free. I grabbed Jump Desktop back when it was on sale, and the mouse integration feels more like a native install.
I've been using Terminal Emulator in android to edit files and things with my folio keyboard, but there are a few annoying things with that. the vol-dwn button as Ctrl only works with onscreen keyboards, so I have to take the thinkpad out of the folio keyboard for certain keystrokes in apps like vi and nano. Funny enough the enter key on my onscreen keyboards, isn't accepted when saving a file with nano. I have to return to the folio keyboard to hit enter... wierd.
Anapmac said:
Cool. Let me know how it goes. I'm curious how well we can get an ubuntu GUI to run under chroot. I really like the integration it gives. Though we're probably running on software rendering no matter what UI we use. Nvidia released linux tegra drivers for hardware acceleration:
(H)ttp://developer.nvidia.com/linux-tegra
(curse you linking!!! still too forum newb for this)
hopefully I (or anyone ) can get time to mess around with this.
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Click to collapse
Sent from my ThinkPad Tablet using Tapatalk
Thanks for checking on that baser.
I've been plugging in a full keyboard whenever I wanted to code, so I'm not sure what issues come from using the folio. I did experience some funky keyboard (hardware) mappings when I was using the GUI though. I'd have to do some remappings of the keyboard keys to get it 100% working, I figure we could probably do the same for the folio. For instance, my caps lock key is normally mapped to ctrl. If the folio has one it may be a good solution (I've never really seen one and I'm assuming it doesnt have a ctrl or alt from your experiences).
As for the GUI responsiveness, I tried using a ubuntu image which was compiled with the nvidia tegra drivers (see Linux for Tegra for details, but dont try their test image). It FELT more responsive to me, but I didnt get a chance to run solid benchmarks on my different distributions though. My experience using the ubuntu GUI on the TPT is pretty slim, so I could be completely wrong on that visible speedup.
I got a hold of a nice big 32GB sd card over the weekend, so I plan to put a large ubuntu/debian distribution on it this weekend. I'll try to get some updates on the keyboard issues and tegra drivers around then.
Check it out, there are tegra drivers in the next ubuntu arm release
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/precise/armel/nvidia-tegra
It's to be released in april. I'm sure this has to do with canonical's android announcement. Sweet! I'm curious, so I may look into setting up a 12.04 distro this weekend to see if there's a noticeable speed up.
So, I definitely understand the desktop usage awesomeness. But I'm still not sure what android (mobile) gains from getting an ubuntu GUI. It seems all the added benefit comes from the command line tools, where android apps can cover any graphical needs. Thoughts?
One-click?
UPDATE #2 (2-28-2012):
Also, you can skip using an image entirely. Since then I've partitioned a 32GB sdcard into 10GB fat32 + 22GB ext2 partitions and just directly copied a preinstalled/debootstrap'ed ubuntu and mounted it. This way you don't have to pre-allocate space with an image and can use both partitions for general storage (the fat32 is just for windows specific access). You could probably use space on the internal sdcard if you like. But I have a 16GB model so I went straight for an external solution.
I can extend this guide or create a one-click windows script to handle the entire setup/installation if there's interest.
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A one-click script would be awesome! I know there's others who would appreciate it as well, I'm just gona take one for the n00b team and ask for it. No rush, if you have time it'd be great but either way thanks for your work!
tutorial
can anyone please guid me to a tutorial for this? if it's possible do with android terminal emulator.....l'm a noob ,just don't know how to do it
Hey guys!
Since the ubuntu touch preview came out yesterday, I thought I'll give this thread a bump. What do you guys think about it? Can we port this to our good old TPT? I just stumbled over the Porting howto: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Touch/Porting
I mean, thanks to Koshu, we have CM10 running, so porting should work? But I have to admit that I don't have a lot of experience with this kind of stuff
ChiefOHara said:
Hey guys!
Since the ubuntu touch preview came out yesterday, I thought I'll give this thread a bump. What do you guys think about it? Can we port this to our good old TPT? I just stumbled over the Porting howto:
I mean, thanks to Koshu, we have CM10 running, so porting should work? But I have to admit that I don't have a lot of experience with this kind of stuff
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Click to collapse
This would realy be very cool.