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Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

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Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#241

Post by microcolonel »

swiley wrote: post #96
byterollingbits wrote: post #4

No thanks! I'm not buying a phone that won't get updated with security updates. My trash box is littered with Korean Android phones that have no upgrade path or ability to clean with a fresh install. I'm opting for a Pixel 2 and an iPhone X for work and personal. They're expensive at first, but way cheaper and far more convenient in the long run. They always have immediate security updates, and they update their OS f…

It doesn't matter who the OEM is. All Android phones are now wrappers around the Qualcomm snapdragon SOCs if they're sold in the US. They all have the update problem because Qualcomm has refused to work with other organizations or maintain their kernel forks.

It's been getting better recently as third parties have taken on the work of maintaining drivers for Qualcomm chipsets, there are now a lot of their chipsets which can run on upstream kernels, and if Android kernels were closer to upstream, AOSP kernels could probably be built to function on some Qualcomm chipsets today.

Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#242

Post by evilDagmar »

JorgeGT wrote: post #10

It's quite interesting that with the power of today's mobile devices (multicore 1GHz+ CPUs, GPUs, 2Gb+ RAM) we still don't have a standardized interface to plug them into desktop peripherals and launch a desktop OS/GUI. One would thing that such an universal interface would quickly become a standard offering in airports, hotels, libraries, conferences, etc.

Actually, on many if not most devices you can just 'cast' the entire display to a Chromecast, which is inexpensive enough that it's unlikely anyone's going to bother developing a replacement mechanism. The nearest thing to that is MHL, which is apparently encumbered by licencing issues and requires use of the USB port (which means that an OTG adapter for attaching mouse/keyboard is now out of the question).

Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#243

Post by dpark »

rsync wrote: post #226
dpark wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t understand the desire for this. In this model, you’re still carrying a laptop. It’s just utterly useless without the phone.

The use-case is in the opposite direction: when I only have my phone, I have my entire computer with me - including the storage and the files and keys and so on. No syncing required. You only have a single computer. That's a big win, I think ...

If you care about the stuff on that computer, you really want it synced somewhere anyway.

I don't personally see the utility in having my phone be my computer. I don't need Visual Studio or Photoshop on my phone. If I don't have my laptop/desktop, I'm not going to work on the things I typically do with a full-power computer. The phone is just not the right form factor, so it doesn't help for that stuff to be on my phone.

Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#244

Post by stephenr »

nolok wrote: post #119
stephenr wrote: post #94

This has exactly the same problem as Microsoft's WSL: they're conflating Linux with "distribution built around GNU userland". I'm not a gnu zealot. I think rms has many faults. But a major company saying "now you can run Linux on android" or "now you can run Linux on Windows subsystem for Linux" is beyond stupid. In the case of Samsung it's Like saying you can make a sandwich out of a sandwich. In the case of Microso…

And now you've just understood why the gnu zealots (whom I'm not a part of either) insisted on the proper GNU/Linux naming, because they saw it coming and now all of it got mixed up in the single name "linux" which can mean anything and everything. The number of things I've spent decades thinking "wow, rms/they're borderline crazy" only to end up with "oh okay, they had a point" is kind of humbling. DRM, encryption,…

I always kind of got their point, but if I say "I used to run Debian Linux in a virtual machine, now I can just run Debian under Windows subsystem for Linux" there is no ambiguity, no one should be confused.

Nobody just runs Linux + the gnu environment compiled from source themselves. People use a distribution, which has a name.

Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#245

Post by stephenr »

nolok wrote: post #120
stephenr wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is what it is - it's a compatibility layer to provide (a subset of) Linux kernel system calls on Windows, allowing the user to run ELF binaries as-is. The problem is Microsoft's phrasing. They're calling the distros (eg ubuntu or suse) that can run on WSL sans Linux (as they use the NT kernel w/WSL) "Linux". https://twitter.com/TechBandCamp/status/920733089948504064 It's like saying "for our lactose intolerant c…

That's because they need the public and marketing name to be understood not by the tech deciders who understands what it is and how it works, but by their boss. Said boss have very little idea what "kernel compatibility layer" or "running ELF binary as-is" means, but they do get "running linux".

The announcement that includes the name change (from bash on Windows of all things) is pages long.

They could have said "run a Linux Distribution" or "run Debian/RedHat/Centos".

This is aimed at technical people, who should either know or be able to understand that Linux is the name of the kernel and is explicitly not part of this - WSL is (claimed to be) free of any Linux source.

Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#246

Post by stephenr »

wvenable wrote: post #216
stephenr wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is what it is - it's a compatibility layer to provide (a subset of) Linux kernel system calls on Windows, allowing the user to run ELF binaries as-is. The problem is Microsoft's phrasing. They're calling the distros (eg ubuntu or suse) that can run on WSL sans Linux (as they use the NT kernel w/WSL) "Linux". https://twitter.com/TechBandCamp/status/920733089948504064 It's like saying "for our lactose intolerant c…

Microsoft is offering a Linux -compatible kernel. Calling any distribution "Linux" has a long history that pre-dates anything Microsoft has done.

But they are usually called Linux Distributions - and then more specifically by their distro name.

Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#247

Post by rmuratov »

nickcw wrote: post #12

I think termux ( https://termux.com/ ) does most of what I need when I need a bit of emergency Linux on my phone. Termux provides a recompiled debian distro which runs as a android App. It doesn't chroot or need root and it works amazingly well. No desktop apps though.

With it can I access camera or send SMS through command line?

Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#248

Post by 5h »

exhilaration wrote: post #174
5h wrote: post #20

I've been using termux and a fold out bluetooth keyboard for django development & code review for quite a while on my pixel XL. I absolutely love having my dev work on my phone, being able to hack away or do code review for 5 minutes wherever is incredible. At home using a chrome-cast and have it on a big screen. It would be nice to have a window manager I suppose - but i'll probably end up in a full screen terminal…

Can you share what bluetooth keyboard you use? I've been looking for one to take faster notes without needing a full laptop.

Sure - I've been using this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pocket-Folding-Bluetooth-Tablet-Key...

It's cheap enough so that when it inevitably breaks I won't be too concerned. It fits in the back pocket of my jeans too which is handy.

Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#249

Post by Kipters »

JorgeGT wrote: post #10

It's quite interesting that with the power of today's mobile devices (multicore 1GHz+ CPUs, GPUs, 2Gb+ RAM) we still don't have a standardized interface to plug them into desktop peripherals and launch a desktop OS/GUI. One would thing that such an universal interface would quickly become a standard offering in airports, hotels, libraries, conferences, etc.

There is one: USB Type-C

Re: Linux on Samsung Galaxy smartphones

#250

Post by tmzt »

tmzt wrote: post #234
rsync wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"One would thing that such an universal interface would quickly become a standard offering in airports, hotels, libraries, conferences, etc." My favorite computing peripheral form factor has always been the PCMCIA card. It seems to me that you could fit a minimum viable phone inside a PCMCIA card and then insert that PCMCIA card into a normal sized laptop when you choose. The laptop would have no CPU/RAM - it's just…

The REXX? I think it was made by Rolodex or something.

This is what I was referring to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REX_5000
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