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Debian For Android Installer Released
dooberrymctavish writes "You can now download an installer and bootloader for getting Debian running on your Android (G1 at the moment) device; the whole install process will take you about 10 minutes, and leaves you with access to the full plethora of programs available in Debian and lets you continue using your phone as it was intended to be: as an Android device with all the capabilities thereof. Here's a look at it running.
That would be a reason to buy this phone....
Must resist purchase of new geek toy...
^The same sort of people who take things apart to see how they work, and tinker with things because they actually enjoy doing so.
Don't worry, your iPhone will not wink out of existance because somebody with different preferences buys a different phone, or prefers cars without the hoods welded shut.
Just shows Debian booting. What can you do with it?
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
Yeah...
Can I buy an unlocked iPhone for a reasonable price, yet? How about deals with networks other than AT&T?
Can I install custom software yet? Oh, I have to jailbreak it. That makes sens... Oh wait, you're asking me to crack my own phone.
Alright, I'll develop an iPhone app. I'll write it in Python, or maybe Erlang, download updates on the fly... Not allowed, you say? I wonder why? Only Apple knows...
Maybe I'll make it run in the background, so I can have something play music while users do something else... Nope, not allowed. When the user taps away from my app, I have to shut down, completely, so as not to drain the battery. That's not just a good best practice, it's actually enforced by Apple.
Yes, it's prettier. Yes, there are things it does better. But as long as Apple keeps such a stranglehold around what's available and what isn't, the iPhone will fall behind. There is no question of that -- there will be killer apps written for Android, even for Windows Mobile, which cannot be ported to the iPhone because of Apple's restrictions.
Why would you want a system so closed, inflexible, and proprietary that it makes Windows look good?
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
This video looks more like apt updating and installing than debian booting, so we don't know how long it takes to boot. On the other hand, if it takes this long to install packages using apt, installing programs is going to be really painful.
All the video shows is debootstrap being run in a terminal on, presumably, a G1 phone.
Since debootstrap is a shell script that builds a debian chroot and is designed to be run on any linux system, that is not a significant accomplishment, is it?
That's the "installer" portion. The "bootloader" portion would appear to consist of something like:
#!/bin/sh /debian
chroot
Anyway, it's nice to see interest in running Debian on these devices, I guess..
see shy jo
Hi Guys, the video is of Debian doing an 'apt-get update' the boot takes less than 3 seconds. I showed this particular video to show that it is debian running. The boot is only 3 secs.
Here is the actual code from the bootdeb script.
I particularly like how init is "started" before the kernel is "booted". The "automounter" is also a nice touch. It's also impressive how the kernel boots in exactly 1 second every time.
echo "Custom Linux Pseudo Bootstrapper V1.0 - by Mark Walker"
echo "WEB: http://www.androidfanatic.com/"
echo "EML: admin@androidfanatic.com"
echo " "
sleep 1
echo "Starting init process"
sleep 1
echo "INIT: Debian booting....."
sleep 1
echo "Running Linux Kernel"
sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=1
sleep 1
echo "AutoMounter started"
sleep 1
echo "Type EXIT to end session"
echo "Make sure you do a proper EXIT for a clean kill of Debian!"
echo " "
chroot $mnt /bin/bash
On the other hand, my prediction re debootstrap was wrong. Rather than just use the shell script as designed, the creator of this thing ships an entire pre-built debian system that's chrooted into. Amusingly, this includes a root/.bash_history showing every command he ran while setting it up. (It also includes 104 mb of cached debs in /var, etc.)
Anyway, very amusing.
see shy jo
Man you almost had it. Insightful +5, then you went and mentioned Windows Mobile.. ugg..
Bringing liberty to the masses. - http://freetalklive.com/
2009: The year of Terminal on the cell phone.
Take that iPhone!
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Article mentions Android is based on Debian, so basically what has happened is apt-get was installed (and all required software) which then gives access to the entire debain ARM library.
Is this correct?
It's sad the number of responses saying this is a boot screen... maybe if you don't actually look at it, and just go: 'oh pretty text!'
I think (ergo sum) that you really meant
Why Think? We think better! Let us do the thinking for you (for a 'small' fee)
--frank[at]unternet.org
Don't worry, your iPhone will not wink out of existance because somebody with different preferences buys a different phone, or prefers cars without the hoods welded shut.
hehe - indeed. I have a Mac laptop, a Linux workstation, and a Linux media center at home. Each is brilliant for its intended purpose. Viva La Difference!
Stop-Prism.org: Opt Out of Surveillance
I have the phone, but I am not so sure I am willing to do this...
"My immediate reaction is "WTF? What kind of moron doesn't make things 64-bit safe to begin with?" Linus
Except it's true.
Yes, Windows Mobile sucks. But, it does one thing Apple doesn't:
You are allowed, and encouraged, to develop and use third-party apps, which have no relationship to Microsoft.
You can download them from the Internet. You can install them via sync, or wifi. I don't actually know you can grab them with wifi, but that doesn't matter, because you could write a program that does that -- write your own package manager, even! -- and no one will stop you.
On the iPhone, you distribute them through Apple, through the App Store, and you buy them through the App Store. Anything else is likely to void your warranty, maybe even get you sued.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
The android standards were written so you wouldn't install package managers & run native programs. You're supposed to be running Java Xlets. What's wrong with you people?
Well, you boot Android, get Debian on it and the video we're treated to is... ... running apt-get to drag down packages.
Am I the only one who thinks this is totally pointless?
Why would you want a system so closed, inflexible, and proprietary that it makes Windows look good?
With all the thrashing /. has given Vista, we Microsoft fanbois will take what we can get. ;)
Boot Windows, Linux, and ESX over the network for free.
Aside from the cool geek factor, why load Debian? It's a distro optimized for servers.
Who told you that? My experience is that Debian's strength is in its versatility, rather than a focus on servers. Thats why it is seen in using for anything from the firmware-based Linksys NSLU2 to being the base of some of the most popular desktop distros of the past few years, suck as Knoppix and Ubuntu.
suck as Knoppix and Ubuntu.
Hey now, they're not so bad...
just to answer the "don't know if you can grab them with wifi" - absolutely. All but the most ancient of WM devices that have WiFi or a cellular chip will have an internet browser - typically IE, but newer models come with Opera. Just browse to the website that hosts the .CAB or .EXE (the former is the more common - the latter you have to make sure it's not a windows installer but e.g. a pocketpc installer.. yes, that's a bit of a hassle, yes, the App(le) Store prevents such hassles), save the file, and launch it.. whether you're doing so over a virtual network (via a USB cable, for example), wifi, cellular chip, bluetooth or heck - IRda modem.. it doesn't care.. once the file's on the machine (by any means), you can run it.
I'm pretty sure the supreme geek toy is still a greased up yoda doll.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Point is, you can work around the OS.
I'm not sure how easy it is on WM, but consider if it was desktop Windows vs the iPhone OS. Worst case, just replace explorer.exe with your own shell, use a layer like Cygwin or Services for Unix, and it's hard to tell it's actually Windows under there.
On the other hand, if you like the iPhone, it's great, but if you don't, or you want to change it in some interesting way, you're pretty much boned.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
For the record, this is just a shell script that runs the commands listed here: http://www.saurik.com/id/10. AndroidFanatics generally doesn't reference it's sources. At least this time they (arguably) provided some value in packaging, but that usually isn't the case. The Android Market Browser it has, for example, is just a republished download of http://www.cyrket.com/. It used to be an iframe, but when I told them I wasn't okay with that they decided to just wget the contents. They don't even have the intelligence/decency to reformat it at all, making the entire thing quite flagrant. Frown pants.
Oh, I have to jailbreak it. That makes sense... Oh wait, you're asking me to crack my own phone.
To be fair, TFA mentions that in order to run Debian on Android, you have to use modded firmware to gain root access (it was removed by default by an update a little while ago). Probably won't brick the device, but there are no guarantees.
Maybe I'll make it run in the background, so I can have something play music while users do something else... Nope, not allowed.
What I've read suggests that the iPhone will continue iPod playback in the background, but not other apps. Never used one, though.
I'm more than happy with my Android G1 in this respect, because I can run things like the StreamFurious Shoutcast client in the background while surfing or reading eBooks.
Information wants to be beer.
Try changing your threshold to zero or higher. Then you won't see the trolls.
If the govt becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law, it invites man to become his own law, it invites anarchy
I would have gone for "Think you're different? Think you're better? Don't think: buy Apple."
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."