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1 • Review of UBports on a Nexus 5 (by Newby on 2019-07-29 00:50:06 GMT from Canada)
Appreciate the review. Have been looking for some sort of mobile solution that would work for me. Have tried iPods/iPads (which I personally dislike altogether) as well as various Android based devices, mostly from Samsung.
The problem I find with ALL the devices I've tried, is the touch screens simply don't respond properly for me. I think these are mostly capacitive-based sensing screens, rather than resistive nowadays, so things like dry skin shouldn't be an issue. I CAN get them to work using a stylus, but that just slows me down. Have come across a few other people with same issue, but we seem to be a minority. Don't know what the cause is, but beginning to think the answer (at least for me, those devices may work fine for you), is perhaps a Chromebook. They are becoming affordable, have a decent size screen, and a REAL keyboard and touchpad.
Since they are not Intel-based, maybe they can be "rooted" and something like Raspbian installed?
Anyone have any experience doing this, and if so, what Chromebooks worked well with Linux? Also, how does one handle phone calls with such a setup?
Thanks for any suggestions......
2 • Meizu Pro 5 Battery Replacement to keep it going (by FT on 2019-07-29 02:01:32 GMT from Singapore)
Personally I am not too familiar with Meizu phone. But I think you should be able to DIY battery replacement for your phone. Search in YouTube for procedure. Personally I manage to revive some of my completely battery dead China phone using NOHON battery. No regret at all. I am not promoting it, just sharing my experience. Cheers..
3 • UBports on a Nexus 5 (by zcatav on 2019-07-29 07:52:33 GMT from Turkey)
Hi,
Thanks for review, you also answered some potential questions. I have a different one.
Is there any possibilities to use a firewall or VPN (as no-root firewall) on UBports?
4 • Alternate phone OS's (by Paul on 2019-07-29 09:06:53 GMT from United States)
What about the https://e.foundation/ version of Android, which is stripped of all Google related attachments?
5 • more universal installation of mobile Linux (by Justinian on 2019-07-29 09:23:50 GMT from Philippines)
Having patiently tried the aborted FirefoxOS phone five years ago, maybe this time someone will come up with a similar mobile OS that can be installed by users to units with common SOCs like Mediatek P60 or A55 octacore Unisoc. But it's not as easy to do this for the fragmented smartphone ecosystem as it is for desktop Linux distros. Wish UBports can gift us this breakthrough.
6 • UBports on Nexus 5 (by Semiarticulate on 2019-07-29 09:28:18 GMT from United States)
Thanks for sharing your experience! This is most interesting to me. I was very excited about the Ubuntu Touch, but I am rarely an early adopter. I was most disappointed to see how quickly it was dropped.
Quite some time ago, my Nexus 5 was becoming very sluggish and battery life was starting to suuuuck. Believing it wasn't the hardware, I installed LineageOS. Well go figure, it ran like a new phone. Having said that, I would be much happier leaving behind Android entirely. I really didn't know how far down the road UBports would get, but seeing that it's still got some legs, I may have to give it a try. I'm also very hopeful for the Librem 5, and curious about the Pine Phone.
7 • Phone OS (by excollier on 2019-07-29 09:35:00 GMT from Ireland)
I don't plan to run GNU/Linux on my phone - I use an old Blackberry and it's sole purpose is as a phone/text (sms) device. "smart phones" hold no interest for me. I look around in public and all I see is heads down staring at phone screens
8 • GNU/Linux phones in 2019 (by Fungalnet on 2019-07-29 10:24:04 GMT from Greece)
There was no option for me (I suspect others too) who are unwilling to use a "smart-phone" hence the poll is reflective of dedicated smart-phone users. I do have a phone, just not a smart one, and I am a casual user of that one as well.
I suspect if there was some "free" architecture to install an open and free system on I would, but it wouldn't be ubuntu or anything with systemd on it. On the other hand there seems to be a notion of priceless freedom, an elite whose freedom costs much more than those who need it most can afford. It is a perversion of freedom that is based on extreme inequality.
The rest of us will have to make do with the over supply and refurbished tools the elites sweep away to make room for new gadgetry. But neither a phone or a smart one is a necessity for living on the planet.
9 • Phone (by JIm on 2019-07-29 10:41:16 GMT from United States)
I have a Moto G. I would love to run something other than Android, but what is out their will not work on my phone, and even if it did I doubt I have the technical expertise to install it. I will have to wait and see if any cell company actually offers something other than Android or Apple.
10 • GNU/Linux phone (by TuxRaider on 2019-07-29 10:46:01 GMT from United States)
yeah, i want one, i want one bad, i am a late comer to smartphones, i was a flipphone user for the longest time until i seen some of the apps on android and i thought having google maps when out on a road trip would come in handy and could be a life saver someday i jumped on the best android phone i could find at the time so i bought a new Samsung Galaxy S9+ and after owning it a while i notice some third party apps preloaded that can not be removed like Facebook is the biggest offender, i never use it, and would love to uninstall it but it only lets me disable it and is it really disabled or just hidden from the user? and as a regular reader of slashdot i see the bad press google and facebook gets for datamining and spying on people, so this will be my first and last android phone and i will either go back to a dumb flipphone or a GNU/Linux phone of some flavor that is 4G & GSM and unlocked so i can use it with any carrier, and there is OpenStreetMaps as a good alternative to google maps,
11 • UBPorts (by OstroL on 2019-07-29 10:47:35 GMT from Poland)
What Jesse wrote about UBPorts on N5 is quite true, for I have one. But, I'd like to have UBPorts on a N6, as N5 is too small. Maybe, they'd port it some day!
12 • PinePhone (by R. Cain on 2019-07-29 12:30:40 GMT from United States)
June 2019 News: PinePhone, Pinebook Pro and PineTab--
"...the battery will be the same capacity as the Samsung J7 SM-J700H/ BJ700BU (3000-3400 mAh), which can be had for under $10 from amazon and eBay. So in the event you need replacement or spare batteries, getting hold of them will be easy and affordable. We also settled on the number, and the implementation of, privacy switches on the phone – there will be 4 switches in total: for the i) BT/Wifi module, ii) the modem, iii) cameras (front/back) and iv) lastly for the microphone. They will be located on the PCB, under the back-cover, to prevent them from being toggled by accident, e.g. in your pocket or purse...
"...we also came up with a way to expose I2C [I²C] using 6 pogo pins. These pogo pins will be located directly on the PCB. The idea behind this implementation is that entire back-covers with add-on components can be created (even 3D-printed) with additional functionality to enrich the phone’s functionality. The implementation only requires that the custom back-cover with additional hardware has the same dimensions and position of plastic latches as the original – and obviously that the component in question uses I2C [I²C] (contact pads). I expect that a back-cover with a keyboard – perhaps one similar to that found on the Nokia N900 – will be something a considerable number of people may be interested in creating. To this end, we’ll make sure to have detailed documentation on this feature. I really hope that the hackers and tinkerers among you will embrace and make use of I2C [I²C] for new cool implementations..."
****************************
https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/
13 • @4 e.foundation (by zcatav on 2019-07-29 13:31:51 GMT from Turkey)
Is there diffences from LineageOS?
They said this: Highly recommended: it is recommended that you have an /e/ account (like: john.doe@e.email) if you want to benefit from /e/ account integration for all online services such as: email, drive, calendar, notes, tasks. Register for your free /e/ account.
This are very similar early phase of Google.
14 • UBPorts (by gplcoder on 2019-07-29 14:26:11 GMT from United States)
I initially started with UBPorts based on Ubuntu Touch 15 on a Nexus 5 but this phone had hardware issues and I purchased a One Plus One, put UBPorts based on Ubuntu Touch 16. This turned out well but it draws a lot of battery (leaving the phone alone and not doing anything will barely last a day). I did not really know how to answer the poll because I am a contributor to the Librem 5 phone. I ended up voting for the UBPorts option because this exists.
15 • UBports follow-up (by Jesse on 2019-07-29 15:12:44 GMT from Canada)
@2: "Personally I am not too familiar with Meizu phone. But I think you should be able to DIY battery replacement for your phone."
The battery isn't set up to be replaceable. Even it it were, that doesn't solve the upgrade/connection issues, only the battery life.
@3: "Is there any possibilities to use a firewall or VPN (as no-root firewall) on UBports?"
Yes, there is an easy to use VPN module in the settings panel of the phone. You can just put in your server IP and port to activate it.
16 • phones (by dogma on 2019-07-29 17:06:19 GMT from United States)
I was disappointed to see the other day that pinephone won’t be released until next year, as I will need something before then.
I very much hope I can avoid the librem 5, as all of purism’s communications are disgustingly marketingy. They’re so in love with themselves.
17 • No Replicant? (by Carney on 2019-07-29 18:09:19 GMT from United States)
Surprised Replicant is not mentioned.
18 • UBPorts (by Christian on 2019-07-29 18:47:36 GMT from Brazil)
I have a Nexus 4 running UBPorts. It was vey easy to install and it works fine (considering the age of the hardware). Battery life is much better than using Android (but that's no surprise).
My install came with Libertine working OOTB, however I haven't honestly tried it...
@17 totally agree. Replicant could have been mentioned. And I believe postmarket OS also deserves some attention.
For those who owns a Xperia device, you can also try Sailfish OS, although it looks like you have to pay for it (but there's support included) and the license is not GPL (or any similar free software license).
19 • Available Poll Choices (by Scott Dowdle on 2019-07-29 19:20:41 GMT from United States)
I would have selected, "I don't have a phone" if it had been available.
20 • Poll is messed up and not valid (by Style99 on 2019-07-29 21:52:00 GMT from United States)
Where is the "I don't care about smart phones" option? I strongly suspect that that option would have been in the huge majority.
21 • UBports FAQ suggestions (by IBwondering on 2019-07-29 21:55:00 GMT from United States)
Thinking of the things I frequently use my Android phone for, I wonder how well UBports could take its place.
How well does Google Maps work? The store had a webapp version but how well does it work? E.g. will navigation continue to function even when you lose wireless service, like the app does?
Can you order an Uber? Again there was some sort of web shim, does it work? Reliably?
Anyone know?
22 • Linux Phone (by Bob on 2019-07-29 22:42:13 GMT from Australia)
I would probably prefer Busybox over GNU on a phone. but being able to run Linux would be great
23 • Chromebooks and Linux (by mikef90000 on 2019-07-29 23:07:37 GMT from United States)
@1, my one attempt was not pleasant.
The BIOS is very locked down and difficult to upgrade; I attempted that with Mr. Chromebox after Chrome OS on my used laptop expired (so much for testing its benefits). The result was very inflexible due to limited NVRAM functionality; some video glitch would not let me see the boot manager menu.
I eventually bricked it by losing access to the boot manager and an apparent motherboard failure sealed its fate.
I know there are other options for running Linux on a Chromebook but I will stay the hell away!
24 • SailfishOS (by PRifici on 2019-07-29 23:48:01 GMT from Australia)
I have been running SailfishOS phones since the original Jolla phone was released. SailfishOS is fantastic and despite my misgivings about their proprietary UI layer, it's the only mobile OS I enjoy using. My current phone is an Xperia X running Sailfish 3.1 and I plan to upgrade to a Xperia XA2 by the end of this year.
For anyone looking for a Linux phone, please give SailfishOS some serious consideration.
25 • @1, Chrome and mobile. (by Angel on 2019-07-30 00:15:36 GMT from Philippines)
Are you seriously considering using a Chromebook as a mobile device? Seems inconvenient at the least. You'd need to carry a bag or "man-purse" always. Phone calls? Why not just get a plain dumb cellphone for that? They are cheap and fit in any pocket. Most Chromebooks I've seen are Intel, so if you want ARM, you must make sure. There are plenty of how-tos on running Linux on Chromebooks. Not ideal, but doable. On the other hand, there are plenty of compact or foldable keyboards/touchpads that can connect through Bluetooth or USB OTG to just about any Android phone or tablet. I can even use the keyboard and mouse from my desktop if I want. (I do sometimes on an old 10" tablet.) All the info needed is available by using the evil-but-efficient search engine, or even the saintly-but-inefficient ones.
26 • @23. chromebooks (way, way, WAY OT) (by Titus_Groan on 2019-07-30 00:41:58 GMT from New Zealand)
Have several ex Chromebooks - some with HDD and others with eMMC devices.
All run Seabios without difficulty, and all now have a mainstream Linux on them.
Just needed to be sure supported by Seabios.
Thanks Mr.Chromebox.
27 • Chromebooks (by Tim on 2019-07-30 01:15:56 GMT from United States)
I've had good luck with crouton, which lets you run various distros in a chroot under ChromeOS. It obviously doesn't replace Google stuff but it means zero compatibility issues
28 • Opinion Poll (by GreginNc on 2019-07-30 03:18:03 GMT from United States)
I guess whoever made the poll never considered anyone would not be a part of the "Smart Phone" craze.
Some simply have no interest in them, others like me see them as a cancer on the computing world in general and the internet in particular.
29 • Linux Phone (by zcatav on 2019-07-30 06:51:26 GMT from Turkey)
@22 • Linux Phone (by Bob..
Termux is great for this reason.
30 • EndlessOS (by Daniel on 2019-07-30 11:06:29 GMT from Brazil)
Interesting review, and probably the most different approach to Linux desktop among all distributions. It feels to me it is not a developer’s distro (99.999% of all Linux desktops) but with a real focus o the desktop usage by people who just want to use a computer in the same way _lots_ of people do with competing OSs like Windows or MacOS. In those two cases, updates are managed by the company behind the OS, as they have to guarantee the software will work (not the case with the “traditional” Linux distro scene). I am surprised how well the Endless Company was able to implement that approach with Linux and indeed happy to see it is possible. Not only that, but it is this kind of approach that has made the other OSs all the commercial success they are (fact) for the desktop. The world of Linux desktop is too restricted to “made for developers, by developers” and yet I still see people writing about the Linux desktop fiasco. All that said, it feels refreshing that a different approach is available and that it is professionally done, with attention to detail and good hardware compatibility. Even if I might not use Endless right now, I wish them luck and much success.
31 • PinePhone (by R. Cain on 2019-07-30 12:30:43 GMT from United States)
From the UBports PinePhone Forum:
"...We think that the best chance to have a significant adoption of the PinePhone (and exposure to Linux on a phone in general) is by making a solid device, that performs well, and is inexpensive. As it currently stands, even the majority of Linux enthusiasts do not consider Linux on a Phone as a replacement for their iOS or Android daily driver - this is the reality of things. There is, however, a good chance that the same people will be willing to pick up the PinePhone... even if its just out of curiosity. This in turn will lead to exposure to the Linux phone OS platform such as Ubuntu Touch and help it grow.
The more people interested, the bigger the market, the more reasonable it is to create a higher-end device 🙂 One thing at a time."
[...and a bootable SD card as standard feature, doesn't hurt, either...]
OS teams working on compatibility with the PinePhone include (in addition to Ubuntu Touch)--
Postmarket OS [microSD Boot]; UBPorts; KDE Plasma; Sailfish OS; Maemo Leste; NixOS; LuneOS; Nemo Mobile.
32 • Re Using Chromebook as an alternative to a smartphone (by Newby on 2019-07-30 12:43:19 GMT from Canada)
@25 Angel (Chrome and mobile)
Yes, seriously looking at Chromebook for that purpose. As explained in #1, touch screen simply doesn't work for me. Chromebooks at least are smaller and lighter than most laptops, and seem to have replaced "notepads" in the market. The screens are a good compromise between laptop (rather large to drag around) and most smartphones (waaay to small to do any extended reading without stretching the screen).
Your comment about using a portable keypad with something like a Samsung Galaxy is interesting. Would solve the touch screen issue, but I'd still be stuck with the Android OS rather than a real linux distro on the Samsung. Also, the only connector on the Samsung is a micro-hdmi for charging. Never had any luck transferring data over that connector on the Samsung. Are you suggesting maybe plugging in a foldup/rollup keyboard via a usb-to-micro-hdmi adaptor? If data doesn't transfer, wouldn't have expected that to work either?
And then there is the matter of making telephone calls. Not sure what replaces Skype in the linux world? May just end up getting a Chromebook to actually get some real work done "on the go", and keeping the flip phone just for phone calls.
BTW - tks also for clarifying that most Chromebooks have Intel rather than ARM processors.
@26 Titus_Groan
Thanks for confirming you can put Linux on a Chromebook. Never heard of Seabios and don't know who "Mr. Chromebox" is. Guess it's back to the search engine.....
@27 Tim
Thanks for mentioning crouton.
@23 mikef90000
Thanks for the warning. That's why I'm trying to make sure I know what I'm doing before spending money and finding out it's an ill conceived idea.
33 • @ 32 Real Linux... (by OstroL on 2019-07-30 14:30:58 GMT from Poland)
"Would solve the touch screen issue, but I'd still be stuck with the Android OS rather than a real linux distro on the Samsung. "
Android OS is also "a real Linux" distro, just like any other OS that uses the Linux kernel.
34 • Poll Choices (by ben on 2019-07-30 18:23:55 GMT from France)
The POLL: "We would like to know if you already OWN a mobile device running GNU/Linux, or if you plan to PURCHASE one..."
Because as you can read in @31 post: "The more people interested, the bigger the market, the more reasonable it is to create a higher-end device"
@7 "I don't plan to run GNU/Linux on my ... old Blackberry"
@8 "There was no option for me"
@19 "I don't have a phone"
@20 ""I don't care about smart phones" option would have been in the huge majority"
@20 "poll never considered anyone would not be a part of the "Smart Phone" craze"
Well guys, as somebody in same old movie says:
This is not the Poll you're looking for! Move along... Move along...
35 • On avoiding cellular communication (by Nathan Vance on 2019-07-30 18:35:04 GMT from United States)
I recently moved to completely internet-based communication: SIP for calls, and an XMPP/SMS bridge called jmp.chat for messaging. This setup works from LineageOS as well as the Linux desktop. When I need to travel I get a pre-paid data plan for the phone, but otherwise the only thing that makes my phone different from a laptop is the form factor. In my opinion, this kind of flexibility (read: freedom) is the important bit. The Linuxyness of the phone itself is secondary.
I do still plan to get one of those PureOS phones just to have "a real Linux" distro on a pocket-sized device (@33 OstroL: I'm aware that Android is "Linux", but the "real" part deals with freedom).
36 • @ 35 Freedom...? (by OstroL on 2019-07-30 18:49:39 GMT from Poland)
"I'm aware that Android is "Linux", but the "real" part deals with freedom)."
Real and freedom...well...if you can find a place on this planet Earth, where you can get "real" freedom, let us know.
Android, btw is free, ASOP. You can create your own distro, if you want, or can. TK!
37 • /e/ Phone (by Jay on 2019-07-30 19:50:15 GMT from United States)
Does anyone know how long /e/ phones are going to be supported? They have a note on their site about selling refurbished phones in the future. Basically, my issue with Android and iOS is that the system is set up to get you to buy new phones to keep up with security updates. I switched to Linux so that I'd always have a supported OS, and having that mobile would be great since I use only basic functionality anyway.
Also, /e/ is a pain to find information on. I read their piece about the name and the legal reasons behind it, but come on, it's almost impossible to search for information on it (unless The Google is also skewing the results).
38 • Freedom of Communication (by paranoiac on 2019-07-30 20:37:00 GMT from France)
Why every OS (even a micro one like Puppy) has (auto)location?
Why every web-browser has (auto)location?
Why nobody care?
Why should somebody care?
If you use a GNU/Linux phone, your provider can keep tabs on you?
How about the web-browser?
Is " internet-based communication" safer then "cellular communication"?
Darn, cave-men had it so good...
39 • @34, Poll Choices (by NotMe on 2019-07-30 23:31:46 GMT from United States)
The survey omitted my options too:
a) I never answer survey questions
b) I believe all computers are tools of the Devil and only borrowed my friend's so I could answer this survey.
40 • @32, Chromebooks (by Angel on 2019-07-31 01:05:05 GMT from Philippines)
I think you need to be clearer, and follow with due diligence. Chromebooks are not any lighter than similar Windows Laptops, although most are low price. Example: The Asus E200HA Windows netbook costs around $200 new in the US, weighs just over 2 lbs, and comes with WIndows 10. Linux should be an easy install. This is not a recommendation, just an example. There are more.
Android phones and tablets can transfer data, run keyboards and mice, and other things from the micro USB plug. If you don't know how to do it on yours, you need to do a bit of searching.
If all you want is calls over WiFi with Skype, Skype is available for Linux. Download as .deb or .rpm from Microsoft, or your favorite distro may have it. You need 64 bit. If you have no SIM, then you are not replacing a smartphone and will be limited to WiFi. On the other hand, some Android, Apple and Windows tablets and 2-in-1s can be purchased with SIM card slots, so they can be used as a phone, albeit an oversized one. Aside from the SIM, the one convenience of a smartphone which I won't trade is that it can fit in the pocket. You won't have that either.
There are tutorials online on how to do just about anything. This is not the place for step-by-step. You need to do your searches and choose your poison.
41 • Android OS … (by Kragle Schnitzelbank on 2019-07-31 02:31:46 GMT from United States)
Android is Freed Open-Source, mostly - except for the proprietary drivers, of course. And most hardware, of course.
From a global corporation with vast resources - good luck keeping up.
…
Isn't auto-location a convenience, the usual security trade-off?
…
Isn't OStree a "versioning system for OS binaries", like a RH-pwned Nix?
42 • PinePhone (by R. Cain on 2019-07-31 13:02:53 GMT from United States)
Phoronix--
The UBports community developers continuing to advance Ubuntu Touch have shared their latest work items and plans. OTA-10 is being developed while they are also working on ports for the PinePhone...
...Bringing up Ubuntu Touch on the PINE64 / Pine Phone is ongoing...
...UBports developers finally received two developer kits recently... and they are prioritizing PINE64 work over the Librem 5 at least for now.
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=UBports-OTA-10-July-Update
43 • smartphone "craze" (by Slink on 2019-07-31 14:47:37 GMT from United States)
ROFLOL at the ideas expressed in the comments that smartphones are just a craze that's going to go away or that anything close to a majority would say that they don't care about smartphones. Smartphone adoption has done nothing but grow year after year for the past decade and we're now at the point that these devices make up more than 80% of the mobile phone market.
44 • What's with nearly all phones this week? (by Call me, we'll do lunch. on 2019-07-31 20:01:16 GMT from United States)
It's not actually Linux. I join the several who don't care.
@43: You could say about Linux that it's just a craze and majority don't care.
45 • Endless and Smartphones (by Angel on 2019-07-31 21:51:10 GMT from Philippines)
An odd juxtaposition this week. There's Endless OS, yet another do-good effort to get Linux to the masses. Or is it? The reviewer speculates that the "full" version may be useful for those with little or no internet connection, but since it's a 10-16 gig download depending on language, just how do you accomplish that with little or no internet? Low priced laptops on credit for low income? Gnome desktop is an odd choice for low power, but then there's this: They come with kill switches if you can't pay. Really? Around here they have small lenders, usually from India, called "bumbays." They will lend to anyone, but once you borrow from the bumbay, you will always owe the bumbay. This PAYG scheme smells alike to me. I expect this kill switch is not in the OS itself, otherwise it seems counter to the idea of open-source, not to mention licenses. With that, I guess it's proper that they headquarter in San Francisco, one of the most expensive locations in the world.
As for smartphones, it would be interesting to know the average age of the people commenting, because some comments remind me of the saying about old dogs and new tricks. I'm probably an older dog than most here, but since I spent my early life without electricity, toilets, running water, and a lot of those newfangled modern crazes, and since I had to learn more than two languages to get along, I'm still up for new tricks, including smartphones.
Anyone remember "one laptop per child"? There have been so many efforts to get computers in the hands of the world's poor, with little success. Now, if you gifted an average Filipino with a laptop, he/she would probably sell it and buy a smartphone. Why? People here, as in most places, use computers for surfing, entertainment and communications. A laptop requires a physical connection or WiFi, which means extra expense or inconvenience, or both. A smartphone with a prepaid SIM can be used from home or anywhere there's a suitable signal. Mom and pop can sit at home in Mindanao and video call/chat on Facebook with daughter in Qatar, or set a conference with the other one in Manila. All for a few US cents. And they could not care less what Facebook does with the information it gathers. A local provider even allows Facebook messenger when you have no load at all. Yes, free. No kill switch. And that's just a small part of what can be done with smartphones.
46 • Chromebooks (by Newby on 2019-08-01 06:20:35 GMT from Canada)
@40 Angel
Thanks for your comments. Found online searches very time consuming as key specs are often missing (weight, cpu, etc). After meeting a friend in the business, confirmed your advice was correct - lightweight laptop rather than chromebook, best suits the apps I need to run, and to avoid ANYTHING with a touchscreen (at least for me; if a touchscreen works for you, great).
He also found that the cable used to connect the android device to a pc was a "charging cable" not a "charging and data" cable, so that's why the gadget would charge but not communicate. I had gone through all the correct setup menus, but would never have known about different cable specs. So while your advice about doing your research online is correct, sometimes that's not going to work. Also, for me, the last place I want to carry such a device is in my pocket. Just think about all those 3rd degree burns people have suffered from such things exploding in their pockets!
Anyway, thanks again for the suggestions. Would never have solved the cable conundrum if you hadn't mentioned the flexibility of that connection.
47 • Crouton (by Tim on 2019-08-01 11:07:53 GMT from United States)
@Newby
One more thing about crouton, for the two Chromebooks I set up it was somewhat random which distros worked. A 2013 Samsung arm liked Ubuntu 14.04 or a 2017 version of Debian testing, but not stretch or Ubuntu 16.04. An HP amd64 one likes Ubuntu 16.04. So if the first one doesn't work, try related distros. It's a bit of a pain to setup but it's rock solid once you get it because ChromeOS handles all driver and firmware issues.
48 • EndlessOS/OLPC (by Dave Postles on 2019-08-01 17:03:33 GMT from United Kingdom)
OLPC continues: http://one.laptop.org/about/countries
Its target is schools and learning to code.
EndlessOS.
It's simple. You buy a usb drive from OSDisc with the fully-featured OS and run it either as a live OS or install. In either case, you can easily modify as the USB version has persistence. The people at Endless are really helpful too. I wanted to install Firefox instead of Chrome and Google search and they developed a flatpak to install using the CLI. In addition, you can add the full Debian repository.
Number of Comments: 48
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Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
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| Archives |
| • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features |
| • Issue 1162 (2026-03-02): AerynOS 2026.01, anti-virus and firewall tools, Manjaro fixes website certificate, Ubuntu splits firmware package, jails for NetBSD, extended support for some Linux kernel releases, Murena creating a map app |
| • Issue 1161 (2026-02-23): The Guix package manager, quick Q&As, Gentoo migrating its mirrors, Fedora considers more informative kernel panic screens, GhostBSD testing alternative X11 implementation, Asahi makes progress with Apple M3, NetBSD userland ported, FreeBSD improves web-based system management |
| • Issue 1160 (2026-02-16): Noid and AgarimOS, command line tips, KDE Linux introduces delta updates, Redox OS hits development milestone, Linux Mint develops a desktop-neutral account manager, sudo developer seeks sponsorship |
| • Issue 1159 (2026-02-09): Sharing files on a network, isolating processes on Linux, LFS to focus on systemd, openSUSE polishes atomic updates, NetBSD not likely to adopt Rust code, COSMIC roadmap |
| • Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed |
| • Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only |
| • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options |
| • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland |
| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
| • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates |
| • Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack |
| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • Issue 1124 (2025-06-02): Picking up a Pico, tips for protecting privacy, Rhino tests Plasma desktop, Arch installer supports snapshots, new features from UBports, Ubuntu tests monthly snapshots |
| • Issue 1123 (2025-05-26): CRUX 3.8, preventing a laptop from sleeping, FreeBSD improves laptop support, Fedora confirms GNOME X11 session being dropped, HardenedBSD introduces Rust in userland build, KDE developing a virtual machine manager |
| • Issue 1122 (2025-05-19): GoboLinux 017.01, RHEL 10.0 and Debian 12 updates, openSUSE retires YaST, running X11 apps on Wayland |
| • Issue 1121 (2025-05-12): Bluefin 41, custom file manager actions, openSUSE joins End of 10 while dropping Deepin desktop, Fedora offers tips for building atomic distros, Ubuntu considers replacing sudo with sudo-rs |
| • Issue 1120 (2025-05-05): CachyOS 250330, what it means when a distro breaks, Kali updates repository key, Trinity receives an update, UBports tests directory encryption, Gentoo faces losing key infrastructure |
| • Issue 1119 (2025-04-28): Ubuntu MATE 25.04, what is missing from Linux, CachyOS ships OCCT, Debian enters soft freeze, Fedora discusses removing X11 session from GNOME, Murena plans business services, NetBSD on a Wii |
| • Issue 1118 (2025-04-21): Fedora 42, strange characters in Vim, Nitrux introduces new package tools, Fedora extends reproducibility efforts, PINE64 updates multiple devices running Debian |
| • Issue 1117 (2025-04-14): Shebang 25.0, EndeavourOS 2025.03.19, running applications from other distros on the desktop, Debian gets APT upgrade, Mint introduces OEM options for LMDE, postmarketOS packages GNOME 48 and COSMIC, Redox testing USB support |
| • Issue 1116 (2025-04-07): The Sense HAT, Android and mobile operating systems, FreeBSD improves on laptops, openSUSE publishes many new updates, Fedora appoints new Project Leader, UBports testing VoLTE |
| • Issue 1115 (2025-03-31): GrapheneOS 2025, the rise of portable package formats, MidnightBSD and openSUSE experiment with new package management features, Plank dock reborn, key infrastructure projects lose funding, postmarketOS to focus on reliability |
| • Issue 1114 (2025-03-24): Bazzite 41, checking which processes are writing to disk, Rocky unveils new Hardened branch, GNOME 48 released, generating images for the Raspberry Pi |
| • Issue 1113 (2025-03-17): MocaccinoOS 1.8.1, how to contribute to open source, Murena extends on-line installer, Garuda tests COSMIC edition, Ubuntu to replace coreutils with Rust alternatives, Chimera Linux drops RISC-V builds |
| • Issue 1112 (2025-03-10): Solus 4.7, distros which work with Secure Boot, UBports publishes bug fix, postmarketOS considers a new name, Debian running on Android |
| • Full list of all issues |
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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| Random Distribution | 
GNUstep Live CD
GNUstep live CD was a Debian-based Linux distribution containing GNUstep, network tools, multimedia software and games. GNUstep was an implementation of the OPENSTEP and Cocoa frameworks.
Status: Discontinued
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| TUXEDO |
TUXEDO Computers - Linux Hardware in a tailor made suite
Choose from a wide range of laptops and PCs in various sizes and shapes at TUXEDOComputers.com. Every machine comes pre-installed and ready-to-run with Linux. Full 24 months of warranty and lifetime support included!
Learn more about our full service package and all benefits from buying at TUXEDO.
|
| Star Labs |
Star Labs - Laptops built for Linux.
View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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