Dogs and Puppies on Android Devices

[mikeslr]

Hi All,

Wiak has begun exploring android apps and the possibility of porting DebianDogs, and perhaps Puppies --or at least the concepts underlying them-- to android devices. He has already discovered methods by which applications, created as pets, could be employed.

Currently, his posts have appeared on three threads:

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 304#986304

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 328#986328 with a follow up about two posts down.

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 303#986303

The last thread provides the most information about techniques used and potential areas for exploration.

This is an exciting area; perhaps a new platform onto which those who are interested may continue to build upon the strengths of Puppies and 'Dogs'.

So, rather than have bits and pieces scattered all over the Forum, I thought it appropriate to create a thread where those interested can discuss their efforts, and the challenges they encounter.

Hope Wiak will forgive me if I've 'jumped the gun'.

mikesLr

[wiak]

Hi mikesLr,

Good to have a more general possible projects discussion thread. I'll continue to post to my current main 'misc' thread about GNURoot Debian and possibly start a main project thread for that in this Projects area if I expand the work later. I will also put quick links in this discussion to any new things I add, be they tips, software, or associated screenshots.

It is certainly fun working in Linux on android, and powerful since with GNURoot Debian method main android system also still running (rather than separate dual-boot arrangement). Since gtkdialog binary from FatDog arm worked under GNURoot Debian, I expect most of the binaries from there could also be utilised, or even most of that system booted via proot (userland kind of chroot) GNURoot Debian frontend. Having said that, it is nice to have the full dpkg/apt package management system of Debian.

I'm currently installing pcmanfm and Synaptic gui package manager on this wee android tab; my old android phone is running out of internal install space since only 4GB internal and more than half of that seems to be used by the phone's system ROM.

Some nice programming tutorial software available on android, and for general programming (for example, from Sololearn: python, java, HTML etc); and not just for android systems. That's really what got me into looking at all this.

wiak

[mikeslr]

Hi Wiak,

Technically, you were probably correct to post initially in the Miscellaneous Section. It's just not somewhere I, and perhaps others, habitually look. Now I will.

mikesLr

[wiak]

Mainly trying GNURoot Debian out on the bigger android tablet now, so plenty of room. Main difference to procedure is that I have the android connected directly to my XenialDog64 laptop for copying files via usb Media Transfer Protocol. Makes things a bit easier.

Installing new app takes quite a long while since slow to unpack, but the currently installed apps all run fine once installed. I won't be installing a browser since the host android has that anyway. Similarly the android itself has good media play/record facility so don't plan on installing any of that to the Linux install.

Basically, some things android is good at, some things better on Linux, so the combination gives the best of both worlds, and android hardware nice and portable when out and about...:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 416#986416

wiak

[wiak]

Have successfully replaced twm with jwm on GNURoot Debian X session:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 472#986472

[EDIT] Screenshot:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 480#986480

EDIT:
Not a Puppy, but using JWM window manager (and having rox filemanager too) certainly makes it a bit like a traditional Puppy, and being able to use bash/gtkdialog puppy apps too - so becoming more like a Puppy in the sense that FatDog or, more so, DebianDog is. Can definitely be easily set up to provide some puppy-like utilties/functionality but not a frugal install and not set up to use sfs squashfs files - however there are other ways to mount programs only when required if, for some unknown-to-me reason, that facility would be useful here.

Being arm-cpu, can't use pre-created x86 programs anyway, hence nice that FatDog gtkdialog was usable straight away. I don't have a raspberry pi but do expect there might be some compatibility with programs compiled for that too.

wiak