Well I played with my first android device for a while now (Nook Color of course) and I really like the device but to be honest am not too impressed with android. I tried a rooted stock rom and more recently cyanogenmod7 but I am not that impressed. I guess I was not really sure what to expect with the android experience.
What I would like to do is get something more like a "real" gnu/linux distro installed (with a touch screen interface of course). Is this possible at all? I know debian has an Arm port that supports this kind of CPU but what about drivers for the screen and other components?
It seems to me that getting a booting os should be as simple as installing U-boot or something and just compiling the kernel to fit the hardware..
Thanks!
/mrintegrity
In my opinion, the Nook Color isn't the greatest example of android, most of the roms available aren't so stable and none of them run a "real" honeycomb, which is how android is supposed to be on tablets (Ever used a Xoom? The Honeycomb GUI coupled with great hardware is much, much smoother and user-friendly than the Nook's "phone" GUI scaled up.) Also, the hardware in the Nook Color is somewhat lacking even compared to some mid-range android phones;things just aren't as smooth as they should be and the user experience is seriously degraded as a result. Don't let this very hacky device turn you off from android entirely.
I don't know much about Linux distros, but this seems relevant to your interests. These developers seem to be pretty far in their work on Ubuntu. Looking at the screenshots, it looks great! However, this linked thread is old;you may want to find a more up to date place but this will hopefully point you in the right direction. (Hopefully work didn't cease!)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=899037
Unfortunately the Ubuntu on NC project appears to be long dead.
I'd also love to see someone getting a working linux distro on this device, and I'd love to help, but I don't have near enough knowledge on the subject to do it myself.
I am going to give it a shot getting a debian kernel up and running.. I wonder if the display works with a straight VESA driver?
/m
Just out of curiosity, what is it about Android you don't like?
Good question.. it just doesn't feel like unix (because it really isnt). I was probably a bit missguided in my beleifes.. that if it was a "linux box" (the hardware) you could more or less install any distro on it you want. I'm seriously considering trying to put u-boot on it and load up a debian arm kernel and gnu userspace.. no idea how it will work though if there are missing drivers etc.
/mr
Ubuntu on the Nook Color is a cool trick, and a testament to the power of open source software. That said, its basically a tech demo.
In my opinion Ubuntu is at least a revision away from having it so that the entire interface can be driven by touch. The extensions needed to do that are in heavy development. Even if Ubuntu was ready 100% for touch screens, the Nook lacks the power to take advantage of that. A Nook Color only has 512mb of RAM (any Netbook has more), and out-of-order 1.1GHz CPU (aka Celeron would eat it for breakfast), and a lacking set of hardware drivers.
If you want to actually USE the Nook Color, Android is the only option. You should try the soon-to-be-released final release of CM7 with tablet tweaks before giving up, I find it makes the Nook Color a much better device.
poofyhairguy said:
If you want to actually USE the Nook Color, Android is the only option. You should try the soon-to-be-released final release of CM7 with tablet tweaks before giving up, I find it makes the Nook Color a much better device.
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Lets be fair - tablet tweaks adds some buttons, but it certainly doesn't change much of the experience. it nice, but the system works the same.
That said, i would love a linux build running on the nook, simply for the sheer neatness of it. I will also say that for a lightweight linux build, 512MB of ram is more than enough, though yes, the CPU may be perhaps lacking a bit. Still would be fun to try...
Related
What's up everyone?
(Mods, not sure if this goes in Rom Development or Software... I thought software... I could be wrong!)
Well I was looking at the massive development that has been made on porting Android to the Kaiser, and I started thinking, if HARet is a linux bootloader, would there be a way to use it to load a bootable copy of backtrack or the like?
Sorry if this is a ridiculous question... I'm not a computer engineer, nor a marginally intelligent monkey for that matter, so I thought someone with some knowledge could shed some light?
Well, you'd think it'd be possible if you somehow used a version made for ARM processor, but there are so many practical reasons that it wouldn't work well if at all. There's a reason that we're not all running Debian with gnome as our standard OS's, the hardware specs are simply too high, and so much work would need to be done to add drivers and get it booting. Even knoppix probably wouldn't work well. Plus, you can't really run a full desktop distro on a QVGA screen that's 2-3 inches across. In addition, Backtrack's whole purpose is for security and network penetration testing, and neither of those would work on a phone. You couldn't even get the WiFi chipset into monitor mode, let alone crack a network or inject packets. Even things like firefox would crawl at best. When you read this, you'll understand why the developers only port Linux distros optimized for embedded systems, like Maemo and Android; other ones simply aren't practical for use, and would be a waste of time to port. However, your question was a perfectly reasonable one (and you put it in the right section!)
If any developer would like to add further to this, they are more than welcome to.
I can't find a dev thread that has been updated for a while.. I know cm7 still gets worked on, but with such stable builds of gingerbread and so many people with a nook color, I would think there would be some sort of custom roms still in development.
I know plenty of other devices that don't have anything but gingerbread, and they still have plenty of customized roms kernels and tweaks coming out. Have the devs moved on to newer, bigger, better devices?
I want a new phone, some phones coming out offer features I think will make them worth the investment, but no tablet that is out offers enough where I would dump my nook.. but part of what I want in any device is to squeeze out everything you can. The og Droid is still being pushed to limits, and I see this device in the same category. Worthy of being pushed far beyond anything before it.
I read at article about the nook color 2 coming out this month, whether it is true or not isn't the issue.. I'm just trying to figure out if people have given up on this one. Since I doubt that the NC2 will allow customization like this one has, I hope people here will again decide the device is worth pushing..
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
Cm7 is updated nightly. Gingerbread is as far as we can go because google will not release the source code. Once ICS is released we will get a port of that.
Sent from my LG Optimus V using Tapatalk
Silentbtdeadly said:
I can't find a dev thread that has been updated for a while.. I know cm7 still gets worked on, but with such stable builds of gingerbread and so many people with a nook color, I would think there would be some sort of custom roms still in development.
I know plenty of other devices that don't have anything but gingerbread, and they still have plenty of customized roms kernels and tweaks coming out. Have the devs moved on to newer, bigger, better devices?
I want a new phone, some phones coming out offer features I think will make them worth the investment, but no tablet that is out offers enough where I would dump my nook.. but part of what I want in any device is to squeeze out everything you can. The og Droid is still being pushed to limits, and I see this device in the same category. Worthy of being pushed far beyond anything before it.
I read at article about the nook color 2 coming out this month, whether it is true or not isn't the issue.. I'm just trying to figure out if people have given up on this one. Since I doubt that the NC2 will allow customization like this one has, I hope people here will again decide the device is worth pushing..
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
The NC was so easy to root and so ultimately capable that the Devs are basically "done" with it. I mean honestly what more do you think they can do? It already does everything that the device is capable of. Anything left is just minor stuff, the tablet itself is simply perfect(or as perfect as it can be with the hardware it has). I feel like that, more than anything, is probably why there are fewer updates now.
Landara said:
The NC was so easy to root and so ultimately capable that the Devs are basically "done" with it. I mean honestly what more do you think they can do? It already does everything that the device is capable of. Anything left is just minor stuff, the tablet itself is simply perfect(or as perfect as it can be with the hardware it has). I feel like that, more than anything, is probably why there are fewer updates now.
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I'm already perfectly satisfied with mine but I'm still holding out hope that they might be able to eek out better video performance somehow.
I hope Nook Color 2 will be lighter in weight than the current version. I wish BNN can bump the hardware specs without adjusting the price for the next version
henhowc said:
I'm already perfectly satisfied with mine but I'm still holding out hope that they might be able to eek out better video performance somehow.
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We are limited to the capabilities of the hardware. Any other development must be in software. We already reached the near limits on both.
I'm sure that people are hard at work getting CM7 etc on other platforms (HP Touchpad) at the moment. When Ice Cream Sandwich is released, I'm sure that the NC will be in the loop for CM8.
Landara said:
The NC was so easy to root and so ultimately capable that the Devs are basically "done" with it. I mean honestly what more do you think they can do? It already does everything that the device is capable of. Anything left is just minor stuff, the tablet itself is simply perfect(or as perfect as it can be with the hardware it has). I feel like that, more than anything, is probably why there are fewer updates now.
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Click to collapse
Most other devices are in a similar place, where they have gingerbread working as fully as possible, but that doesn't mean there isn't more they could do to make it awesome. Custom apps, different tweaks, changing the default ui in some way.. I don't see these other devices getting totally abandoned as if there is nothing more they could do. Cm7 is far from the best custom experience, it is simply the latest stable os.
Miui, with all of its flaws IMO(I like everything but the iPhone ish launcher), is certainly a better platform in some ways, but cm7 also has its own perks. If I saw a ron that combined the best features of both then I would say there isn't much left to do besides customize it..
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
I am still holding out hope for movement on running non-Android OS natively, such as Ubuntu or Meebo. Still a pretty wide open pasture on that front.
With the impending release of ics
I would imagine people's enthusiasm for gingerbread has waned.
Also dedicated tablets are cheap and more functional. I only use my Nc as a dedicated reader and use my tablet for web surfing and such.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
8 GB is a little in the low end to run most Linux distros these days.
Also I think you can make a Meego micro sd card.
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
SCrid2000 said:
8 GB is a little in the low end to run most Linux distros these days.
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Oh? My Kubuntu setup fits neatly within 5 GiB. Debian would use even less space.
inportb said:
Oh? My Kubuntu setup fits neatly within 5 GiB. Debian would use even less space.
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I didn't say it wouldn't fit, I said it's a little on the low end.
BTW, for Kubuntu:
Required Recommended
Processor 1 GHz (x86) Better than 1 GHz (x86)
Memory 384 MB 1 GB
Hard drive capacity 4 GB[33] 10 GB[33]
Video card VGA @ 640x480 VGA @ 1024x768
And Fedora:
Minimum system requirements
6GB free disk space
2GB of RAM.
And Ubuntu:
1 GHz x86 processor (Pentium 4 or better)
512 MiB of system memory (RAM)
5 GB of hard-drive space
Graphics card and monitor capable of 800x600
Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port (or both)
So yeah, it'll fit, but it's still on the low end if you want a graphical interface.
I'd like a little feedback from those who have both a Linux distro and a ICS Android version booting on the TP as to browsing and overall "feel". Is there any signifcant difference? I've used Linux for years and so I'd be happy if I could use the apps I'm with which I'm most familiar but not if I'm going to cursing all the time about how slow everything is!
lewmur said:
I'd like a little feedback from those who have both a Linux distro and a ICS Android version booting on the TP as to browsing and overall "feel". Is there any signifcant difference? I've used Linux for years and so I'd be happy if I could use the apps I'm with which I'm most familiar but not if I'm going to cursing all the time about how slow everything is!
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Click to collapse
For now I'd stick with android if you mainly use your TP for browsing. In the future, after more development, that opinion may change. I should note that browsing on Linux, Ubuntu specifically, isn't a terrible experience with a couple browser extensions. The main downfalls are "pinch to zoom", and the fact that a lot of the icons are made for a cursor and otherwise difficult to tap with a finger. You'll find yourself hitting Ctrl+T and Ctrl+W a lot. However if you don't mind using 4gb for the partition, I say go for it anyway. Because hey, it's just super cool.
I've used CM7 for a while now. I've got the AOKP build of ICS on my NC now. But, given the various limitations the nook has hardware wise (no camera, no mic, limited CPU/memory, no actual location services), what advantage do ICS or JB even give to the nook color? I mean, yeah, it's the latest and greatest. But, after using ICS for a bit, I'm not sure I understand what the true benefit is to running it (or even JB) vs just using cm7.
Now, as I eagerly await CM10, I just thought I'd throw this out. It's not a hater thing - I'm honestly curious...
doncaruana said:
I've used CM7 for a while now. I've got the AOKP build of ICS on my NC now. But, given the various limitations the nook has hardware wise (no camera, no mic, limited CPU/memory, no actual location services), what advantage do ICS or JB even give to the nook color? I mean, yeah, it's the latest and greatest. But, after using ICS for a bit, I'm not sure I understand what the true benefit is to running it (or even JB) vs just using cm7.
No, as I eagerly await CM10, I just thought I'd throw this out. It's not a hater thing - I'm honestly curious...
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For most people, other than having the latest and greatest, it is for the tablet interface and ability to run apps in tablet mode.
leapinlar said:
For most people, other than having the latest and greatest, it is for the tablet interface and ability to run apps in tablet mode.
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Click to collapse
So...um...what exactly does that do for me? (sorry to be dumb about this...)
Edit: Never mind...google is my friend
I just wish ICS on the NC was more responsive than it is.
leapinlar said:
For most people, other than having the latest and greatest, it is for the tablet interface and ability to run apps in tablet mode.
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Click to collapse
Hmmm. Examples of apps not playing in tablet mode before?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2
doncaruana said:
So...um...what exactly does that do for me? (sorry to be dumb about this...)
Edit: Never mind...google is my friend
I just wish ICS on the NC was more responsive than it is.
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Click to collapse
Yes, we all hope that at least JB will be more faster/smoother than GB. But i doubt it will be faster, as for now the CM9 (ICS in development) is much slower than GB (CM7).
Chrome.
RASTAVIPER said:
Hmmm. Examples of apps not playing in tablet mode before?
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
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Kindle, YouTube.
leapinlar said:
Kindle, YouTube.
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Click to collapse
I am using them without problem at Krylon's Rom.
What more offers the tablet mode?
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I'm content with CM7. Thanks to mrg666 for his KANG build. I use the NC for e-reading, light web surf, and some casual games.
I would like to see CM10 on the NC--thanks to devs who are still here. Still, I'm disappointed that two years on in a fast-moving market, that the only substantive improvement mentioned here is "tablet mode" which only impacts a few apps. Sure, JB has more incremental improvements, but no must-have feature. Where's multi-user acct? Built-in networking?
Instead, in Nexus 7 we're treated to basically a better Kindle Fire clone. It's less of a tablet computer and more of a handheld kiosk to Google wares. A pure consumption device.
I'm actually looking forward to the next Nook. Microsoft has invested $300+ mil into B&N's "NewCo" and the ostensible offspring may well be a Windows RT tablet. I hope that it comes into fruition this year, and that it can be hacked into a full-blown WinRT device. Sad as it is to say, at this point I have more hopes for WinRT of being a full-fledged OS than Android.
RASTAVIPER said:
I am using them without problem at Krylon's Rom.
What more offers the tablet mode?
Powered by my IceCold DHD
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Click to collapse
I didn't say anything about problems. What I was saying was that those apps can run in phone mode or tablet mode depending on what device or device settings they run on. And that is what some people like about CM9 in tablet GUI, the ability to have some apps display in tablet mode.
For instance, the Kindle app displays in tablet mode if the ics system is in tablet GUI. If I switch the ics system to phone GUI, Kindle switches to phone mode. You can tell the difference by how the Kindle displays. In landscape in tablet mode, it has multiple window panes. One is stationary and one is scrollable. In phone mode, it is just one big scrollable window.
And for YouTube, the biggest difference is in tablet mode it tries to play HD videos in true HD and fails because of our lack of video HW acceleration. If you switch the system to phone GUI, YouTube switches to phone mode and plays HD videos in HQ successfully. In this case running it in tablet mode is a disadvantage.
This last case is why ParanoidAndroid is nice. You can have the ics system in tablet GUI and tell YouTube to run in phone mode and you can watch HD videos in HQ successfully.
After a few mods, my nook is almost butter smooth. ;P Here's the things I did:
Installed latest opengl cm9 build by eyeballer.
Overclocked processor to 1.2ghz with ondemand governor for general use.
Made voltage tweak of 1 tick higher than stock on the highest processor stepping using nook tweaks.
Set highest stepping to 1.325ghz using nook tweaks.
Made high performance profile in setcpu that would only activate the 1.325 ghz when certain 3d games were opened using governor performance.
Blocked certain system apps/processes that would not be used by the nook such as the calling one to free up system ram using Gemini app manager.
Ran the v6 supercharger script to optimize system set to the max performance setting for 512hp.
Ran and turned on all other performance tweaks in the supercharger script.
Made a widget using script manager to autorun fastengineflush.sh from v6 supercharger that cleans clutter and fees up ram.
Switched launcher to adwlauncher ex to remove scroll lag between home screens.
And that is how you can have a buttery smooth experience on the nook. ;P
Best of luck,
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk 2
e.mote said:
I'm content with CM7. Thanks to mrg666 for his KANG build. I use the NC for e-reading, light web surf, and some casual games.
I would like to see CM10 on the NC--thanks to devs who are still here. Still, I'm disappointed that two years on in a fast-moving market, that the only substantive improvement mentioned here is "tablet mode" which only impacts a few apps. Sure, JB has more incremental improvements, but no must-have feature. Where's multi-user acct? Built-in networking?
Instead, in Nexus 7 we're treated to basically a better Kindle Fire clone. It's less of a tablet computer and more of a handheld kiosk to Google wares. A pure consumption device.
I'm actually looking forward to the next Nook. Microsoft has invested $300+ mil into B&N's "NewCo" and the ostensible offspring may well be a Windows RT tablet. I hope that it comes into fruition this year, and that it can be hacked into a full-blown WinRT device. Sad as it is to say, at this point I have more hopes for WinRT of being a full-fledged OS than Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly, Microsoft has locked the bootloader on their Windows 8 tablets so you can't modify the system because of their secure boot uefi that oem manufacturers are not allowed to remove. That means that all apps must be signed by Microsoft and that the only place to get software from would be the Windows 8 store. That also means that there would be no "hacks" to alter the os unless a dev. could find an exploit in the uefi before Microsoft patches it.
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk 2
I don't really see the benefits from ICS and JB for NC. That will just slow down NC. The most important thing is we don't know when ICS or JB will be stable on NC.
>Sadly, Microsoft has locked the bootloader on their Windows 8 tablets
Yes, that's the reported MS policy for WinRT devices, but policies can change. Everything is in flux at this point. Nobody knows what WinRT devices will be like. That, and the hoped-for "Nook RT" (if it happens) won't be a WinRT device proper, but one that has to make the $200 price point.
Just as Google decided to compete with KF at $200 price point, MS can do the same with B&N's Nook RT. Both MS and B&N can benefit by working together, as MS needs B&N's breadth of e-books, and B&N needs MS' content for everything else. Neither has the ecosystem to compete with Amazon/Apple/Google alone.
>I don't really see the benefits from ICS and JB for NC. That will just slow down NC.
I agree. The NC is not a fast device, and speed (and free RAM) matters most. CM7 UI is responsive enough on the NC. JB's other main appeal, Google Now, doesn't benefit NC since it has no mic.
It depends on how long Android 2.x continues to be supported. Until apps are developed solely for 4.x, I don't see a real benefit to jumping on CM10 (other than for eye-candy, which matters for some).
I doubt 2.x support to go away any time soon. By the time it does, the NC will already be a ripe old age. Even then, it will still work for its original purpose, which is an e-reader.
I keep thinking, we'll have convergence on the Bionic. On stock, it already had convergence, but with hardware acceleration and a stable build, we could get performance similar to that of a Chromebook in a Phone. In addition, we can dual boot, so we have Android AND Ubuntu. Is anyone else excited about it, or is it just me who's a fan of convergence?
Convergence could be very cool
I would love to see Ubuntu on any phone. The Ubuntu Edge idea looks awesome, but I think having the ability to use my Android phone and then run Ubuntu by connecting to a tv or monitor would make my phone even more useful.
Someone smarter than me should make it happen!
ifly85 said:
having the ability to use my Android phone and then run Ubuntu by connecting to a tv or monitor would make my phone even more useful.
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Click to collapse
Gingerbread on the Bionic did this, with webtop (2.0?). The original/stock build was quite clunky and slow, but a very cool idea. Some people even stripped the build down, added in the rest of the arm build of Ubuntu, set up swap partitions, and ended up with amazing and ideal setups.
I would love to see this idea come back around in android devices. Alas, chroot with vnc is the closest to that dream at the moment.
sent from a Bionic