Canonical, the main sponsor Ubuntu Linux, is developing an Android execution environment to allow android apps on Linux desktops. There’s still a lot of work to do to get this running smooth, but they do have a proof of concept functioning, as seen above. This could be very nice for those who have linux netbooks.
Wouldn’t worry about which distros will get it. Should just be able to compile from source for your flavor of distro.
But the whole reason why Linux is so bad for desktop (and laptop) (and netbook) use (for normal-ish people, or advanced-windows users who are trying to get their feet wet with linux) is because people tell them “oh, just recompile it for your distro–its so easy”
Until its possible to do without having to recompile ___ then there won’t be a large migration.
But it _IS_ easy! You only type three commands:
cd
make
sudo make install
and then you type in your admin password, hit enter, _AND THAT’S IT_!
Oh, next to “cd” it should say “[directory-of-files-to-be-compiled].”
@cyrozap
You left out the part about spending hours on Google looking up the cryptic error messages produced by one or all of the above steps. :P
Novel concept here. But why not just use the Android Dev. Env. created by android. Oh and if make/make install is too difficult. Might I suggest not trying to create programs in the first place.
I have no affiliation with Ubuntu, this is just my take on what they’re doing.
Ubuntu is a binary oriented GNU+Linux distro. They will have easy binary installs from menus but will also make the source available to tweakers once they’re satisfied that the quality is usable. It’s a more BSD-ish approach.
The idea is to be able to access all your phone data & apps in the most natural way on your big machine yet still be able to run Gnumeric, Open Office, or whatever heavyweight code you might want. These are the sorts of things that many biz people say keeps them on Windows & OSX.
So does running this make my battery life go to shit? :)
@ james
Pay attention please. It’s not about creating programs, it’s about installing programs. And the advice given was “Just recompile”. While it’s good that you can, it wouldn’t be good if you have to.
Case in point: Windows and MacOS X. If Linux could replicate the MacOS X app bundles, that’d be marvelous.
nebulous: they were talking about recompiling it in gentoo, not Ubuntu. If you can’t compile stuff in Gentoo you have the wrong distro.
As for Ubuntu, it’ll probably be just another package in Synaptic, one click away from installation.
Oh jeebus. Installing Ubuntu is 100 times easier than installing XP or Vista. All of you fanbois hem and haw yet ignore that all Windows users get it spoon fed already installed.
Also all of you ignore that ubuntu IS easier to use than windows. If a windows user can use a mac or switch to Vista, they can use Ubuntu.
Let’s discuss the cryptic bS messages from Windows.
@jeff little:
Im assuming you’re referring to the battery life on the G1 not being what you think it should be. I own a G1. Let me give you a tip. turn your brightness down. Let me say that again, turn your brightness down. If you spend most of your day in a building, theres no need to have your brightness up past a 1/4 unless you’re outside.
This one little trick will give you many extra hours of battery life.
Nice, I guess this could make the desktopphone data handling a lot more easy. Hope the source will be released soon.
This would be helpful for some, I’m hoping they release the source as well
You wouldn’t necessarily have to recompile, something this big someone would create the proper packages for other distros. This is like the “glorious” .app for mac. Linux just takes some time to get used to.
I’d want to use the source so I can practice some of my programming finally
@@@But the whole reason why Linux is so bad for desktop (and laptop) (and netbook) use (for normal-ish people, or advanced-windows users who are trying to get their feet wet with linux) is because people tell them “oh, just recompile it for your distro–its so easy”@@@
Andrew!
Unfortunately that sounds more like a reason why windows has so many malware to suffer from. Click-install-done! Great! Greatest OS!!! Eh?!
What did you click on? Was the product authentic? What ELSE installed? Dunno?
You do get a lot of errors under Win due to their obscure or not-existent permissions system on earlier versions but typical win user do not see them that often because (s)he runs everything as an admin! What a beautiful and advanced solution. I feel their pain, you try to be a non-privileged XP user and tell me how you feel!
Yet you are right somewhere – installation of binaries generate less errors than compiling it from source. That only means someone pre-compiled that binary for you and you are not aware of errors if they existed.
But this easiness would not be my number one concern in this scenario.
Ubuntu has a repository system that supply you with clean and signed binaries pre-compiled for YOUR system. The only one problem that linux suffers nowadays is some software makers do not wish to compile and test their product for linux. It is not the same as something doesn’t work, I hope you understand it.
Vlad.
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the most likely next move is for ubuntu to integrate this into the netbook remix version of ubuntu. the real question is if this will suddenly make ubuntu netbook remix an interesting netbook OS.
i’m personally wondering if gentoo will get this too :P