[Sussex] A question of Android

[Steve "Dobbo" Dobson]

Hi Gavin

On 23/02/14 00:52, Gavin Stevens wrote:
> I've been doing a lot of thinking about the future of the monthly SLUG
> moots. In particular I've been looking at the modern landscape of where
> Linux is being widely used. I see that Linux is used on the Chromebook
> laptops & otherwise it seems to have a relatively small but stable user
> base on other laptops & desktop PCs. The area that is often overlooked
> is Android. As I have mentioned before at the moots, Android is a Linux
> distribution in all but name. It isn't included as a mainstream because
> it is customised, using a much modified kernel & Google have chosen to
> keep it separate at this time. That said, it still uses the same kernel
> version numbers as the standard kernel that you would see on your PC.
> Also, a quick look at the directory structure on an Android smartphone
> gives the game away completely.

Not sure how you would tell the difference from a highly customised *BSD
kernel.

> It seems to be next to impossible at present to install Android
> directly onto your smartphone without it being offered as an update by
> the 'phone manufacturer. I am looking forward, however, to getting my
> hands on "Ubuntu Touch" (Linux for smartphone) when it is a bit more
> developed (It is available now for developers - I don't want to risk
> "bricking" my spare 'phone!)

I don't agree.  The Android Play Store has a number of apps for doing
just this.  It does require you to "root" your phone or tablet, which
can be a little more involved if you don't have a Windows box but I've
rooted both my Nexus devices (4 & 7) and my Transformer without any real
issue.

None of them is rooted now.  As I now develop for Android I want stock
machines.  But if you're interested in installing installing a third
party ROM then check out:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager

I haven't use this app, but I have used the recovery appy from
ClockworkMod and it worked perfectly.

> Can I ask all members to think about how/if we can incorporate Android
> into the moots and/or the list? It seems to me that this could be a
> very good & relevant way to bring the Linux "message" to more people -
> all those people out there with "Linux in their pocket" - and they
> don't even know it... How many of them would install Linux on their PC
> or laptop if they understood more about the little device they carry
> around with them all the time?

I have to admit that I'm not sure Android should be included in a LUG.
I develop for Android, and I don't think of it as a Linux device, it's
an Android device.  Google could replace the Linux OS with a BSD derived
one (or even Windows Mobile) and, so long as the Android Java API
remained the same I wouldn't notice the difference.

One day I might get into programming the device at a lower level.  There
is a Native Developers Kit, but if I go there I will then have to worry
about hardware things - like what kind of processor has it got.  That's
a world of pain I wish to avoid where I can.

There us some fun hacking that you can do with your Android device.  If
you want to get your phone or tablet to talk to more hardware then check
out the Android IOIO board.  Your device will need to support OTG I
believe, but that is a world of fun that I am likely to get involved in.

But is that kind of hacking that should be the remit of a LUG?  I'm not
going to say that it shouldn't, but I do question it's relevance as
being a big part of it.  For me a LUG is about "using" Linux, what the
commands are, is nvi better than emacs (vim is an abortion), how to do
stuff and the like.  It isn't about using devices that have Linux
embedded within them.

If Linux is embedded in a device and you are a user of that device can
you really say that you're using Linux?  If they were to embed Linux in
a washing machine would you want owners of said washing machines to join
the LUG?

Embedded Linux is very popular[1], it has a huge chuck of the market
share, just under half of those developing embedded systems are
developing for Linux.  But developing for Linux was a small part of
SLUG's activity when I went regularly.  Has that really changed?
Embedding Linux could be included in a LUGs activities, but there is a
lot of cross over there with the Maker and electronic hacking
communities, and which one is likely to services a "user's" needs?

Just my thoughts on this Sunday morning.
Steve

[1]
http://e.ubmelectronics.com/2013EmbeddedStudy/index.html

-- 
Steve "Dobbo" Dobson