TL;DR

  • Google has added a tabbed interface to the Terminal app in Android 16 Beta 3.
  • The Terminal app lets you run Linux apps in a virtual machine on your Android device.
  • Adding tabs makes it easier to multitask, as you can issue commands without having to wait for a process to complete.
  • Avid Amoeba
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    2 days ago

    RDPing from Android into the VM after installing a desktop environment:

    • Ulrich
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      32 days ago

      How’s it run? Have you done any performance tests?

      • Avid Amoeba
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        42 days ago

        No benchmarks. It works, not very fast in the guy but usable.

      • @lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        13 hours ago

        That’s fine, but there is a big difference between the two. Termux is a terminal emulator for the host operating system, while this is a VM running a completely separate guest operating system - Debian 12, in this case. ARM version, but still Debian.

  • Avid Amoeba
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    183 days ago

    So I tried this just now, and it works. It looks pretty good at first glance. Proper Debian VM, can listen on ports, can access files under Downloads. It just takes 10-20 seconds to start and a few to stop.

      • @TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        It’s a debian VM, much better than messing with the android system. All I want now is bridged mode for the network adapters

        • Avid Amoeba
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          12 days ago

          It appears to be running behind NAT but it’s already have an easy port forwarding feature where I was able to connect to a server running on the VM by connecting to localhost in Termux.

            • Avid Amoeba
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              1 day ago

              I didn’t try because I assume I can’t. 😂 Cause that would require root on Android, or special capability.

              E: Yeah it doesn’t seem to work.

                • Avid Amoeba
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                  11 day ago

                  Right but think about it. Any ports open on the host are opened by processes running on the host. If a process on the host wants to open 443, the host OS would ask for root. Now think about the VM from the point of view of the host. It’s just another running process. If it tries to open 443 - it’s gotta have root or it will fail. It doesn’t matter what permissions the process inside the VM has. In fact the host doesn’t even know about that process. To the host, the VM process wants to open protected port.

      • Avid Amoeba
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        32 days ago

        For things that don’t work on Termux. The only advantage of Termux is that it starts way faster and it consumes significantly less resources. Other than that, the VM would be superior. So if I had to connect via SSH to a machine, I’d probably use Termux.

    • biscuit
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      62 days ago

      can access files under Downloads

      Wait, you can access local files on your phone’s storage in the VM now? Is that a new addition? On the Android 15 version of this, you don’t have any local access at all.

      • Avid Amoeba
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        32 days ago

        I’m on the standard Android 15 on 8 Pro. The shared storage is mounted at /mnt/shared

  • Ulrich
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    32 days ago

    What do we think is Google’s motivation for adding this?

    • @testman@lemmy.ml
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      102 days ago

      Supposedly Google would have better time taking care of just one consumer OS instead of two, so Android is getting some PC features so that it will be able to replace ChromeOS in the future.

      • Ulrich
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        22 days ago

        Shoulda done that a long time ago. Do we think it will be released with accompanying hardware? Something similar to a NexDock or Razer’s Linda hardware?

        • Avid Amoeba
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          2 days ago

          It’s part of AOSP so whoever ships Android probably could expose it to the user.

  • AItoothbrush
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    62 days ago

    This is like giving a bandaid to someone who just broke their fucking femur. I want actual linux and open source on my phone not a container that runs debian.

    • Avid Amoeba
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      82 days ago

      It’s a real VM, not a container. Chances are you can run containers on top of the VM. Haven’t tried.

      • NSRXN
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        2 days ago

        I had the n810 and always coveted the n900

        • @01011@monero.town
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          2 days ago

          Physical keyboard. Debian Linux for mobile. It’s still my favorite smartphone ever.

          • NSRXN
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            2 days ago

            u had one!??

            the best smart phone I ever had was the BlackBerry q10

            • @01011@monero.town
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              2 days ago

              I did indeed. Kept using it for as long as I could until I was compelled to switch to Android/iOS. I dislike them both but Android is the lesser of two evils.

      • AItoothbrush
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        02 days ago

        Because it works on like 1% of phones? Im good with tech but not at the point where i could port something like that.

        • @space_iio@sopuli.xyz
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          120 hours ago

          Okay so you want “actual linux and open source” AND it also needs to work on more than 1% of the phones?

          It’s like the people who complain about phones not having a SD card but they never buy the phones that actually do support them

          There are phones you can buy that run Linux in our open source check out the pinephone

          • AItoothbrush
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            120 hours ago

            “Okay so you want “actual linux and open source” AND it also needs to work on more than 1% of the phones?” Is this ironic or did you actually just tell me an argument that ive first seen in a meme? Why cant you have a modern phone that also has linux - because of the stupid corporations. Also same with sd cards. If you want a modern, high end phone with an sd card it just doesnt exist. You shouldnt have to compromise but capitalism forces you because at this point there are like 5 companies that make phones and all of them benefit from you suffering. If qualcomm offered proper support, phones could have linux support but they dont.

    • @Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
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      -12 days ago

      Isn’t Android open source? I like Linux, but I alternate being amazed by Linux and frustrated by how buggy the experience is. Everything on my Android phone / tablet just works effortlessly. But with Linux, it is a crap shoot. My Linux audio drivers kept popping my speakers and it took me hours to figure out the bug. Then when I run wine for a game it randomly thinks it doesn’t have enough storage space. Or how Chrome was having memory leaks. Or all the times I have had to use special bash commands or directly edit configuration files

      • Possibly linux
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        42 days ago

        AOSP is

        Lineage OS is

        Google Android is mostly proprietary. The reason is they need to gather all the data they can for marketing.

      • AItoothbrush
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        02 days ago

        Android does the bare minimum to be called source available which isnt the same as open source and also its only the core of android that is. Its literally like taking linux, slapping on a bunch of propeitery stuff onto it and then telling people that you cant contribute to it and youre only gonna use an old, highly modified version of linux actually. Also the whole application ecosystem that you have on it needs your stupid spyware to run properly. As for linux i dont think desktop linux is buggy. Its way more usable than windows for example which literally falls to pieces if you look wrong at it. I have 3 old classmates who switched because windows just kept breaking. Your problems with audio means you probably used a non standard setup which i admit can cause breakages theres no doubt in that. And finally chrome having a memory leak; how is that related to linux?

        • Avid Amoeba
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          2 days ago

          Sure but this can do things that Termux can’t. E.g. running a desktop, Docker or whatever else a full Debian OS can run. Plus you can do tabs in Byobu or whatever.

            • Avid Amoeba
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              2 days ago

              Sure but according to the AnLinux project docs you can’t really run everything Debian can. For example it says it can’t run some DEs. For me this isn’t about whether Termux can do things a Debian VM can. I know it can. It’s about can Termux do everything a Debian VM can and as far as I know, it cannot.

              And then there’s the work the Termux team has to do to get programs to work on Android. With a Debian VM, there’s no additional work needed. Whatever the Debian team packages would just work.