Booting different Linux flavours in MB220

[tokafondo]

Well, we know that for all these years many people have tried to get their (smart)phones run linux. iPaqs, Palms, and many others have been 'converted' to linux with more or less success.

The key for that were 2 things: proper drivers for all that phone hardware need, and replace or make the bootloader load the linux kernel, instead the original one.

But these android phones are made for booting linux. So we only need the drivers.

I don't know if someone has disassembled his/her android phone and took note of the chips inside, crucial step to start looking for hardware specs and that way start writing drivers for them.

With all of this, I mean that in theory there should be possible to replace the kernel and the files of any android phone to make it boot another custom or community linux kernel with another desktop flavour like opiae, familiar linux, debian...

Am I crazy??

[Kazan22]

Well, we know that for all these years many people have tried to get their (smart)phones run linux. iPaqs, Palms, and many others have been 'converted' to linux with more or less success.

The key for that were 2 things: proper drivers for all that phone hardware need, and replace or make the bootloader load the linux kernel, instead the original one.

But these android phones are made for booting linux. So we only need the drivers.

I don't know if someone has disassembled his/her android phone and took note of the chips inside, crucial step to start looking for hardware specs and that way start writing drivers for them.

With all of this, I mean that in theory there should be possible to replace the kernel and the files of any android phone to make it boot another custom or community linux kernel with another desktop flavour like opiae, familiar linux, debian...

Am I crazy??

Crazy = Genius. Soooooo maybe?
Either way, I like the idea. I just wish I knew how to do this

[edokassiah]

guess im crazy also would love to dual boot diff linux distros
did a few times with diff htc phones would to get this working on the cliq
im willing to help in any way

[alexdagreat1]

guess im crazy also would love to dual boot diff linux distros
did a few times with diff htc phones would to get this working on the cliq
im willing to help in any way

dude i dont know anything about this really but if anything could run linux smoothly it would be the nexus one with its 1ghz processor

[edokassiah]

dude i dont know anything about this really but if anything could run linux smoothly it would be the nexus one with its 1ghz processor

not really since some linux distros are not resource hogs
somewhat the same comcept when trying to run linux on a laptop
some distros dont use all your processor ram etc
the icrap has a 600 mhz processor(correct if im wrong) and its running custom ui based of unix

it should should run smoothly on the cliq or any other phones that allow to port android over to not a linux expert so i could be wrong but i have experimented with diff linux distros before

not really since some linux distros are not resource hogs
somewhat the same comcept when trying to run linux on a laptop
some distros dont use all your processor ram etc
the icrap has a 600 mhz processor(correct if im wrong) and its running custom ui based of unix

it should should run smoothly on the cliq or any other phones that allow to port android over to not a linux expert so i could be wrong but i have experimented with diff linux distros before

and like it was mentioned only thing the linux distro needs is the right drivers and some tweaking and we should be able to run another linux distro

[hadronc]

It would be pretty hard to do. Drivers are really hard to code and the fact that these are phone drivers, which are pretty different, would make it all the worse.

[edokassiah]

It would be pretty hard to do. Drivers are really hard to code and the fact that these are phone drivers, which are pretty different, would make it all the worse.

exactly !!!!! but it is doable just a matter of porting things over
but then again android does fine all by itself how many win mobile users and there htc devices are trying to port android to there phones hell even acer loaded android to there netbooks
so its a matter of making android the shiiiiiiiii

so in my opinion it wouldnt be worth trying to load other linux flavors why waste time on something that will not go to far when we can improve android so ICrap can go down in shame

[coldblooded79]

I think someone already booted devian but they said it ran slow as dirt... how about puppy Linux?

[jasex]

It uses a vnc server located on the phone itself, but it is quite alright, using LXDE, and fluxbox. I used it for a while actually. Just because it would make people crap themselves when I would show them.

[keenerb]

Is there an X11 driver for the on-board video?