

Ubuntu running on a Nexus One - mcantelon
http://hackaday.com/2010/07/07/nexus-one-gets-linux/

======
saurik
These instructions do credit mine (with an "even more thanks" at the bottom),
but I still feel like it is useful to point out that the only substantial
difference between these instructions and the ones I published over a year ago
for Debian on a G1 are that 1) some minimal changes were made for
Debian->Ubuntu and 2) it is explained how to setup the X11 portions (I assumed
people would know how to do that if they cared). How is this news, and why is
it the second most popular news item at that? ;P Doesn't everyone know how to
do this by now? (If you don't and need help, #android-root on Freenode has
been providing support to anyone doing this sort of thing for a long time.)

~~~
buro9
Plus it's link bait, two click-throughs to get to the actual
guide/instructions: [http://nexusonehacks.net/nexus-one-hacks/how-to-install-
ubun...](http://nexusonehacks.net/nexus-one-hacks/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-
your-nexus-oneandroid/)

~~~
pyre
The video itself convinced me no to go to his site. He opens his site in the
browser just to get hung up on the "Sign up for my newsletter" pop-up that
runs when the site loads.

    
    
      "Hey! Watch me demo this using my websight! Look at this
      annoying sign-up prompt that you get when you go to my 
      websight!"

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mseebach
It's cute, but I don't think the "why" section is very well thought out.

 _I also see many uses in college engineering classes when they are studying
Ubuntu/linux. Instead of heading to the lab or having dual-boot on their
computer, students will be able to use their Nexus One/Android phone as a test
device.

Even for web designers, their Android phone can become a portable test web
server to test out their new designs._

So instead of running a free VMware player or SSH'ing to a Linux host, running
Linux on their laptops in the first place, installing a simple webserver (for
the designers) or buying a cheap Linux-powered netbook they'd opt to render a
$500 phone useless for its intended purpose?

Let's just stick with "because I can", it's a perfectly good answer to "why".

~~~
jerf
Why do you say it's "useless for its intended purpose"? I see no reason that
thing won't take calls. It's running _under_ Android, not in place of it.

The given reasons are indeed stupid, IMHO, but there are non-stupid reasons to
be interested in a computer that is always with you, always connected to the
internet, and fully Linux. The only limit at that point is your imagination.

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apgwoz
I find it extremely funny that when he says, "Let's check out my site" he
types in "nexusonehacks" into the google search box, instead of typing
"nexusonehacks.net" in the address bar. I guess this problem isn't just
grandma's, it's spread to at least semi-informed engineers doing stuff like
putting Ubuntu on a Nexus One.

~~~
RyanMcGreal
Simple expedience. This way, he avoided having to thumb ".net", a non-trivial
reduction in aggravation.

~~~
apgwoz
And instead had to wait for his 3G network to make a bunch of round trips.
Typing .net on an android phone really isn't that bad, and if he typed
"nexusonehacks" with no problems, I don't see a problem with ".net"

------
10ren
Awesome to see an xterm on such a tiny device - all it needs is a bigger
screen and a keyboard, and I can replace my eee PC.

Where are the ARM-based 3G netbooks?

~~~
bitwize
They've been coming Any Day Now for the past year.

I don't think they're ever gonna show up. Face it: the value proposition when
compared to x86 Windows netbooks is negative.

~~~
10ren
x86 Pros: (all to do with windows I think. Are these what you were thinking?
Did I miss any?)

\- windows software

\- windows drivers (probably less important for a netbook, but I sure wish my
scanner and laser printer and wifi hotspots all worked with my eee PC's
xandros).

\- windows itself is familiar, and people know their way around it.

\- Microsoft sells windows for OEM notebooks really cheap (like $20 I think).
An astute move.

\- x86 also runs lots of linux binaries (and other OSes), but I don't think
this is a big factor since you can recompile (and eg ubuntu has done this for
ARM already), and it's not a selling point for the 95% of people who don't use
linux.

ARM Pros:

\- lower power consumption (but I believe the display is the main power drain
at this point)

\- cheaper (but Intel mobile CPUs are priced competitively)

\- to combat "windows software": webapps seem to be used more than native apps
these days (what % of your PC time is outside a browser? I myself am only
outside a browser for compilation and vim).

\- to combat "windows drivers": a netbook is primarily mobile; and if it has
3G, it doesn't even need wifi compatibility.

\- to combat "windows familiarity": the browser is already familiar. If that
works, the rest is of secondary importance

\- linux is cheaper than windows (though I'm not sure if that is true for
special distributions with higher usability, eg. I'm sure xandros for the eee
PC is sold for-profit).

Overall, it seems to be in flux: platform is shifting; price and power
consumption must be considered over all components not just CPU.

However, there's a larger trend at work here: netbooks are waning in
popularity. The eee PC is no longer available in the tiny 7 inch size, and the
most popular one is 10 inch - merging closely with 12 inch laptops. The "tiny
form-factor" space seems to be taken over by touchscreen smart phones (not
just the iPhone, but also android and so on. Incredibly, the whole market is
selling over 1,000,000 _per. day._ <http://trentwalton.com/2010/07/05/non-
hover/> I actually can't quite believe this). The phone invades from below;
the netbook retreats upmarket.

So... what I really want is not a netbook, but _a phone with keyboard and a
larger screen._ Some of them already do have (tiny) keyboards, and you can buy
them as addons.

------
IgorPartola
Firefox looks terribly hard to use this way. I also enjoyed how his popup on
his site blocked everything he was doing and he had to go and close that.

