The "Linux questions (and other stuff)" thread

[MoodyBlues]

Last night, as I was taking off my Never trust an OS you don't have sources for baseball jersey


something popped into my head.

The slogan obviously refers to Linux, and just as obviously is a knock against Micro$oft.

But what about Android? Are we privy to its source code? And can this slogan serve the dual purpose of also taking a jab at Apple?

(Yes, OF COURSE I could Google this, but then I'd have nothing to post right now, nor could I show off one of my favorite designs. )

 

[bcrichster]

Last night, as I was taking off my Never trust an OS you don't have sources for baseball jersey,

View attachment 139026
something popped into my head.

The slogan obviously refers to Linux, and just as obviously is a knock against Micro$oft.

But what about Android? Are we privy to its source code? And can this slogan serve the dual purpose of also taking a jab at Apple?

(Yes, OF COURSE I could Google this, but then I'd have nothing to post right now, nor could I show off one of my favorite designs.

)

Android is OpenSource for now, hence all our ROM building here in AF & XDA

 

[mikedt]

Yeh, Android itself is open source, AOSP (Android Open Source Project). And of course it runs on the Linux kernel. However GMS (Google Mobile Services), which is Play Store, Gmail, YouTube, etc. are not. Also manufacturers may put their own stuff in, make their own changes etc, and that may be proprietary as well. Like their own launchers, system apps, etc.

There's open source apps as well, that can be found in repos like F-Droid. Never trust the apps you don't have sources for!

If you didn't want to useanything GMS, e.g. Play Store, and had a custom ROM on your phone or tablet, and only use apps from repos like F-Droid, yeh you can be completely open source with it.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Today I got to witness a rare sight: a Linux computer booting up!

This is the 10+ year old desktop running an ancient version of Kubuntu.

Though she denies it, I believe that Joy Noelle is the culprit. The 'computer' switch on the surge protector had mysteriously been turned off. Of course, since she's not supposed to get up on that desk, it couldn't have been her.

I don't know what its uptime was, but it definitely hadn't been rebooted intentionally for a long time. You know, unlike that OTHER operating system.

 

[Dngrsone]

Looks like you could use a little cable management there, Moody

 

[MoodyBlues]

Looks like you could use a little cable management there, Moody

Bwaaaah! If you only knew the full extent of it.

 

[Deleted User]

Today I got to witness a rare sight: a Linux computer booting up!

This is the 10+ year old desktop running an ancient version of Kubuntu.

Though she denies it, I believe that Joy Noelle is the culprit. The 'computer' switch on the surge protector had mysteriously been turned off. Of course, since she's not supposed to get up on that desk, it couldn't have been her.

I don't know what its uptime was, but it definitely hadn't been rebooted intentionally for a long time. You know, unlike that OTHER operating system.

Although let's be fair and say that Linux systems do need to reboot when things like kernel updates are pushed out. Your old system probably doesn't receive major updates any more. But hey, if it ain't broke..

 

[MoodyBlues]

Although let's be fair and say that Linux systems do need to reboot when things like kernel updates are pushed out.

True, kernel updates and installing hardware.

Your old system probably doesn't receive major updates any more. But hey, if it ain't broke..

I have all my computers set not to auto-update anything, so the last time I updated it was...awhile ago. Of course I could upgrade its Kubuntu version, though its hardware may not be up to the more recent versions.

But--as you said--if it ain't broke! And it isn't. Its only use now is via other computers on my network: accessing files, printing, etc. So my plans for it are to let it die a natural death and then not replace it. *gasp* I just simply no longer need a computer, or in this case, two, in every room.

 

[Deleted User]

On a different subject, I'm trying to resurrect my Lego Mindstorms kit for my daughter, but it's so old (RCX v2 brick) that the programming application only runs on Windows XP. You'd think Microsoft would be giving that away now. But I'd still need a license key.
Lego never released a Linux version of RCX code, so I'm a bit stuck. Yeah, I could run XP in VirtualBox, but there's still the license key requirement, which I don't have.

 

[bcrichster]

On a different subject, I'm trying to resurrect my Lego Mindstorms kit for my daughter, but it's so old (RCX v2 brick) that the programming application only runs on Windows XP. You'd think Microsoft would be giving that away now. But I'd still need a license key.
Lego never released a Linux version of RCX code, so I'm a bit stuck. Yeah, I could run XP in VirtualBox, but there's still the license key requirement, which I don't have.

Is it old enough to maybe use Mint 15 + Wine? I wouldn't try any Mints older than 15 or you'll have excessive MTP issue.. Min17.3 may even be better but I always had issues getting anything to work on Wine, especially when it required them dang drivers..

 

[Deleted User]

Is it old enough to maybe use Mint 15 + Wine? I wouldn't try any Mints older than 15 or you'll have excessive MTP issue.. Min17.3 may even be better but I always had issues getting anything to work on Wine, especially when it required them dang drivers..

Yeah thanks for the suggestion, it's worth a try. But you're right, from previous experience Wine has been a bit patchy, and if driver issues come into play, which I expect they will since this thing uses an IR transmitter, it might not be too successful.

 

[Dngrsone]

I have had only limited success with wine. One of the reasons why I multiboot with at least one version of Win in the wings.

 

[bcrichster]

I have had only limited success with wine. One of the reasons why I multiboot with at least one version of Win in the wings.

Similar reason here

 

[GameTheory]

I must say, Android Forums looks very nice in a dark theme and matches my arc dark theme well.

 

[Dngrsone]

I must say, Android Forums looks very nice in a dark theme and matches my arc dark theme well.

How did you get?

 

[kate]

How did you get?

We don't have a dark theme, but you can use a browser extension that changes websites to a dark mode.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/search/dark theme?_category=extensions

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search/?q=dark theme&type=extension

 

[GameTheory]

How did you get?

This is the one I'm using on chrome, but also available for firefox.
Dark Reader:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-reader/eimadpbcbfnmbkopoojfekhnkhdbieeh?hl=en-US

 

[MoodyBlues]

You know that pic I posted of one of my PCs booting up? I didn't remember which version of Kubuntu it was running, but I knew that the computer was 10+ years old, and that I hadn't updated it in a long time. So I checked...

Just for shits and giggles, I thought I'd post its version: 9.10, Karmic Koala.

BTW, my first version of Ubuntu was 5.04, Hoary Hedgehog. Seems like yesterday, but also like a million years ago, if that makes any sense.

 

[Deleted User]

You know that pic I posted of one of my PCs booting up? I didn't remember which version of Kubuntu it was running, but I knew that the computer was 10+ years old, and that I hadn't updated it in a long time. So I checked...

Just for shits and giggles, I thought I'd post its version: 9.10, Karmic Koala.

BTW, my first version of Ubuntu was 5.04, Hoary Hedgehog. Seems like yesterday, but also like a million years ago, if that makes any sense.

That's ancient in computing terms. My history with Linux goes back years too. I dabbled with Red Hat in the 1990's (which was the only distro at the time!). I then had a long period away from the O/S. When I returned to the world of Linux in around 2010, with Ubuntu 11.10 (I think), I could not believe the difference. The ease of install was amazing. So much more user friendly. It's just gone on improving from there really. People get nervous about the command line, but actually there's not much necessity to use it these days, if you really don't want to.

 

[Dngrsone]

My first Ubuntu was 8.4, though I had already dipped my pinkie toe in with a Debian-related firewall and a painful install of Slackware...

 

[svim]

Painful? My experience is completely opposite, Slackware caught my eye back in 2001 or so (I believe that would have been Slackware 7.1?) while doing a lot of distro-hopping and it's been my primary desktop and laptop OS since 2003.

 

[Dngrsone]

Painful in that it took me more than four hours to install because I went with the verbose manual install. Which, incidentally, taught me much of the internal workings of Linux (the point of the exercise), but also resulted in me having a CLI with no GUI, and this old guy was not content with running pure CLI for the first time in a decade.

 

[MoodyBlues]

That's ancient in computing terms.

Although I haven't actually seen it in years, somewhere in my garage exists a 3.5" diskette containing Linux release 0.1 (*if* memory serves me) from 1991.

My history with Linux goes back years too. I dabbled with Red Hat in the 1990's (which was the only distro at the time!). I then had a long period away from the O/S. When I returned to the world of Linux in around 2010, with Ubuntu 11.10 (I think), I could not believe the difference. The ease of install was amazing. So much more user friendly. It's just gone on improving from there really. People get nervous about the command line, but actually there's not much necessity to use it these days, if you really don't want to.

I was using the UNIX clone, Coherent, before Linux entered the picture. Over the years I've tried many Linux distros, and found each had its pros and cons.

I was using Caldera before ultimately settling on Kubuntu as my default OS. I was still dabbling with other distros until my most recent long illness. As I recall now, I liked Mint and Slackware, and had resurrected an old HP laptop with Bodhi. I still have a Red Hat book and an install CD sitting around here.

As for the command line: I think today's Linux distros have made things SO EASY--from installation to configuring hardware automatically--that no one ever needs to see the CLI unless they want to. So your average window$ user--like my late mother--can transition to Linux and never even see anything but its GUI. Me? I LOVE the command line! I still do all my real work there.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Painful in that it took me more than four hours to install because I went with the verbose manual install. Which, incidentally, taught me much of the internal workings of Linux (the point of the exercise), but also resulted in me having a CLI with no GUI, and this old guy was not content with running pure CLI for the first time in a decade.

Hmmm... The last time I installed Slackware--and I ALWAYS install manually--it took nowhere near four hours (more like 30(?) minutes), and was fully functioning, including its GUI. Did you run into problems? Or, as you mentioned, simply learning about Linux as you moved through its installation?

And I haven't seen a CLI-only Linux in decades! What on earth were you using 10 years earlier?!

 

[mikedt]

Painful? My experience is completely opposite, Slackware caught my eye back in 2001 or so (I believe that would have been Slackware 7.1?) while doing a lot of distro-hopping and it's been my primary desktop and laptop OS since 2003.

I'm reminded of a rather thick book and bundled CD-ROM I bought back in the day...

And I never did get it "Unleashed".