Google Introduces Debian Linux Terminal App For Android (zdnet.com)
- Reference: 0176647425
- News link: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/25/03/08/0158226/google-introduces-debian-linux-terminal-app-for-android
- Source link: https://www.zdnet.com/article/your-android-phone-will-run-debian-linux-soon-like-some-pixels-already-can/
> Today, Linux is only available on the latest Pixel devices running Android 15. When Android 16 arrives later this year, it's expected that all sufficiently robust Android phones will be able to run Linux. Besides a Linux terminal, beta tests have already shown that you should be able to run desktop Linux programs from your phone -- games like Doom, for example. The Linux Terminal runs on top of a Debian Linux virtual machine. This enables you to access a shell interface directly on your Android device. And that just scratches the surface of Google's Linux Terminal. It's actually a do-it-all app that enables you to download, configure, and run Debian. Underneath Terminal runs the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF). These are the APIs that enable Android devices to run other operating systems.
>
> To try the Linux Terminal app, you must activate Developer Mode by navigating to Settings - About Phone and tapping the build number seven times. I guess Google wants to make sure you want to do this. Once Developer Mode is enabled, the app can be activated via Settings - System - Developer options - Linux development environment. The initial setup may take a while because it needs to download Debian. Typically this is a 500MB download. Once in place, it allows you to adjust disk space allocation, set port controls for network communication, and recover the virtual machine's storage partition. However, it currently lacks support for graphical user interface (GUI) applications. For that, we'll need to wait for Android 16.
>
> According to [2]Android specialist Mishaal Rahman , 'Google wants to turn Android into a proper desktop operating system, and in order to do that, it has to make it work better with traditional PC input methods and display options. Therefore, Google is now testing new external display management tools in Android 16 that bring Android closer to other desktop OSes.'
[1] https://www.zdnet.com/article/your-android-phone-will-run-debian-linux-soon-like-some-pixels-already-can/
[2] https://www.androidauthority.com/android-16-external-display-management-3533257/
DOOM on a phone! (Score:2)
Imagine, DOOM on a phone... If nothing else, the Raspberry Pi has shown us the phone chip is suitable for general purpose use. It should be easier to attach a public monitor, keyboard, and mouse and use your phone resources as a Chromebook-like workstation.
Re: (Score:2)
Um... [1]already exists [google.com]?
[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bethsoft.DOOM&hl=en_US&pli=1
Alas, not on Pixel 7a (Score:2)
I've run Termux for quite a while on my Androids, but this appears to be a full Linux in a VM, rather than a user-mode shell running directly on Android. Too bad it didn't make it to the 7a.
DOOM = Hello World (Score:3)
Being able to run Doom on a phone is not impressive given that you can run Doom on your pregnancy test [1]https://www.popularmechanics.c... [popularmechanics.com]
You want to impress me, run Crysis.
[1] https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a33957256/this-programmer-figured-out-how-to-play-doom-on-a-pregnancy-test/
Re: (Score:2)
On a microcontroller stuffed into the shell of a pregnancy test.
> and to clarify what I'm doing here:
> This is a replacement display AND a replacement microcontroller. I'm not using any of the original tester other than the shell.
— foone (@Foone) September 6, 2020
[1]https://x.com/Foone/status/130... [x.com] (tweet since deleted, quote [2]easily found [google.com]
.
[1] https://x.com/Foone/status/1302453246536028160
[2] https://www.google.com/search?q=%22This+is+a+replacement+display+AND+a+replacement+microcontroller%22
Re: (Score:2)
Pregnancy tests have inspired a sense of doom for a very long time.
"Linux" (Score:2)
> "Today, Linux is only available on the latest Pixel devices running Android 15. When Android 16 arrives later this year, it's expected that all sufficiently robust Android phones will be able to run Linux."
Linux is a kernel (or a system/distro running the Linux kernel). Android is a Linux system and always has been. So no, Linux doesn't "arrive" with Android 16. Maybe an officially-supported terminal app/environment does. But there have been terminal apps for Android for a very long time (with inclu
Re: (Score:2)
This is all why RMS wasn't wrong when he asked people to use the term GNU/Linux to describe operating systems with a Linux kernel and GNU userland. But alas he continues to be ridiculed for it, long after Android became popular enough for it to be obvious that non-GNU-based Linux operating systems needed to be distinguished from GNU based ones.
I'm curious to know if they're doing this the same way Chromebooks do, with a VM, rather than with something lighter like cgroups (the engine behind LXC and Docker)?
Re: (Score:2)
I believe so, that they're downsizing the Chrome OS team to integrate the useful bits into Android
[1]https://tech.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]
[1] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/11/18/2131201/google-is-turning-chrome-os-into-android-to-compete-with-the-ipad
Termux (Score:3, Informative)
"Linux is only available on the latest Pixel devices running Android 15"
...or just sideload Termux on whatever phone you like and be done with google's nonsense.
Re: (Score:2)
That doesn't get you what this gets you, as they are putting it in a VM so it's segregated from your system. In some ways good, in some bad.
Also I like to mention Linux Deploy at these times. It lets you get a FULL userland from a real linux distribution on your phone, though AFAIK it does still require root. Still, it's a nice option in between these things.
Re: (Score:2)
I didn't even need to sideload, I could just install Termux normally.
I could get excited about this (Score:2)
I'd be happy if my phone was capable of running the programs I use on my laptop. It would be great to run the full-fat versions of Firefox, Thunderbird, and Thunar, as well as GIMP, OpenSCAD, and maybe even KiCad, on my phone. Of course, adding an HDMI output to the phone would be ideal.
Best case would be Linux itself , and ONLY Linux, on that phone. Screw the Linux VM on top of (already Linux-derived) Android. I'd rather avoid the spying and advertising that's baked into Android. I really don't want what is
Re: (Score:2)
Sounds like you need a Pine Phone. [1]https://pine64.org/devices/pin... [pine64.org]
[1] https://pine64.org/devices/pinephone/
So finally Android because a Linux distribution ? (Score:2)
Or are we gonna say Debian has the largest install base of any Linux distribution on mobile ?
Walled in Garden / Cesspool: Choose! (Score:2)
The bleak, icky world of cellphones.
Useless (Score:2)
As soon as you want sudo, all your important apps stop working. They just can't let you sniff out their secrets.
OK itâ(TM)s not quite the same, butâ (Score:2)
I couldnâ(TM)t help but be reminded of this page [1]http://www.thebestpageintheuni... [thebestpag...iverse.net]
Where a beautiful rant about how he can restart his apache webserver from his nokia. Ackshullyâ¦. Yes i know itâ(TM)s just a ssh terminal doesnâ(TM)t stop me being reminded about it though.
[1] http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone
Not on LineageOS (Score:2)
Anyone knows why it is not available on LineageOS 22.1-20250302?
Re: (Score:2)
Most likely because it's not AOSP, and only just became available. Same reason why DeX isn't on LineageOS.
20 years after.... (Score:4, Informative)
The Nokia 770 shipped with just a Debian-based install on it. Could even point the sources.list to the Debian stable ARM repo.
Granted it was just a tablet and not a phone, but still...
Re: 20 years after.... (Score:3)
Took until the N900 4 years after 770 before the "mobile Linux computer" line was bestowed with a cellular modem, not counting the WiMAX modem in the N810W.
I remember using a fairly standard claws email client on both N810 and N900 and having no issues with the UI elements despite the approximately 4" screen. Today phones have 7" screens, UI elements are humongous yet I keep hitting the wrong things all the time. I wonder what happened.
Re: (Score:2)
I loved my N900, especially the hardware keyboard. I was quite sad the day it died, though by then it was becoming difficult to use because the ancient web browser didn't work with a lot of sites due to not supporting the latest TLS version.