Ubuntu On Pandora?
- Thread starter Ian324
- Start date
http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/29/ubuntu-up-and-running-on-pandora/
willrandship
Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2010
- Messages
- 155
Netbook Remix would probably be perfect, rather than the full desktop
Prometheus
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 9,472
You would need to use an ARM port, as demonstrated in DragonAX's link, there, but it is possible.
That said, is there a pressing reason that you require Ubuntu? Most tasks would likely be better suited to the in-built operating system, which (at least the last time I checked) also offers the Ubuntu Netbook Remix launcher as an option.
That said, is there a pressing reason that you require Ubuntu? Most tasks would likely be better suited to the in-built operating system, which (at least the last time I checked) also offers the Ubuntu Netbook Remix launcher as an option.
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2010
- Messages
- 11,418
Truthfully Angstrom the Linux distro that Pandora OS is built on, is just a capable if not better than Ubuntu would be since it's been optimized for the hardware.. Linux is Linux, just have to know the nuances of the different distributions. Personally I prefer Red Hat's Fedora solutions over Ubuntu.. but I've never tried it on an ARM platform before. I've got to try it out on the Beagleboard at sometime.
second exodous
Advanced Member
The last two releases of Ubuntu I thought there was going to be a major push to get Ubuntu on ARM but it's not really happening. Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, said they were going to push ARM but never did. It runs on but not as well as Canonical made it sound.
Hopefully this community will be big enough to get whatever you need off of Ubuntu running on the Pandora. I use Ubuntu on my desktop but that is because it's the easiest Linux I can find for the Desktop. The OP team is working hard to get Ångström running on the Pandora so I'll just stick to that for the time being. If Ubuntu starts running on ARM well I might switch but it will be Ångström for me for the foreseeable future.
Gentoo would be something I'd switch to if someone gets it running well. I tried and tried Linux and it never worked for me. Then Gentoo came out and it showed me that Linux runs and runs extremely well. I still have all the steps memorized to install from stage 1. That would be purely for fun though, not productivity of any sort, it would be nostalgic for me to return to my Linux roots.
Hopefully this community will be big enough to get whatever you need off of Ubuntu running on the Pandora. I use Ubuntu on my desktop but that is because it's the easiest Linux I can find for the Desktop. The OP team is working hard to get Ångström running on the Pandora so I'll just stick to that for the time being. If Ubuntu starts running on ARM well I might switch but it will be Ångström for me for the foreseeable future.
Gentoo would be something I'd switch to if someone gets it running well. I tried and tried Linux and it never worked for me. Then Gentoo came out and it showed me that Linux runs and runs extremely well. I still have all the steps memorized to install from stage 1. That would be purely for fun though, not productivity of any sort, it would be nostalgic for me to return to my Linux roots.
lulzfish
Pandora Defense Squad
Remember that if you're thinking of something like WINE, that requires an x86 CPU to use, so Ubuntu for ARM will not be able to use it, but any x86 distro (Arch, Ubuntu, Puppy, Gentoo) can use it.
Angstrom is the same kind of Linux as Ubuntu, it will still have a friendly GUI and everything.
Angstrom is the same kind of Linux as Ubuntu, it will still have a friendly GUI and everything.
kingoddball
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2009
- Messages
- 1,686
SOOOOOOOO MANY of these previously answered topics coming up now!
The mods need to add another section to this thread for all of these types of questions.
We need a few people to be 'greeters'(idea by Mali) or something to help field these questions.
The mods need to add another section to this thread for all of these types of questions.
We need a few people to be 'greeters'(idea by Mali) or something to help field these questions.
torpor
hack hack hack, the little machines fight back
Ubuntu-ARM will run on the Pandora, no problems whatsoever. We can take the kernel from the official Angstrom distro for the Pandora, and use it to boot a full-blown Ubuntu ARM system, no sweat. No hassle, no fuss. This has already been demo'ed on the Touchbook, which shares the same hardware (and kernel) as the Pandora.
The question is whether or not the advantages of running Ubuntu ARM are going to be feasible on the Angstrom OS that will be shipped from the factory - namely, *a fully working software repository* for updates to the OS? In Ubuntu, you can get used to seeing updates on a consistent basis, and they generally do not interrupt the operational capability of your device - generally.
However, with Angstrom, too many OS distributors just build a custom Angstrom release for their devices, and forget about the repo stage, meaning that if you do updates to the installed base, you typically only get to use the 'official Angstrom repo', which contains safe stuff and nothing at all optimized for the hardware in front of you - in fact, depending on the 'official Angstrom repo' for OS updates is dangerous and not recommended, because things break, and break hard, when there is no repo geared for the decisions made about the Angstrom you are building. Such things as ARM v5 versus ARM v7 compatibility is an issue, for example, and different libs for different platforms being mixed up and jumbled about.
So, in short, yes Ubuntu ARM is going to be possible, and there are good reasons to use it .. if OP Inc are not going to be responsible for their own Angstrom build repo, and are just going to be lazy and incompetent and say "use the official Angstrom repo for updates", then it won't be long until it becomes a messy tragedy. To avoid that, use Ubuntu ARM, *OR* demand that the official Angstrom OS release comes with a properly configured and set up repo for us all to be pulling base OS updates from .. alas, all indications are that OP Inc have no desire to do this, and will just have to suffer from the consequences of a few hundred users doing updates from the 'official' (broken) Angstrom OS repo and getting everything all screwed up ..
DISCLAIMER: my point of view comes from years of experience with completely borked releases of Angstrom/OpenEmbedded distributions for multiple devices. There is only one way to keep the Pandora OS functional: total responsibility in the form of a properly configured and maintained/updated release OS repository, coming from an authoritative source. If this doesn't come from OP Inc, we in the community need to be prepared to deliver it, Open2X style ..
The question is whether or not the advantages of running Ubuntu ARM are going to be feasible on the Angstrom OS that will be shipped from the factory - namely, *a fully working software repository* for updates to the OS? In Ubuntu, you can get used to seeing updates on a consistent basis, and they generally do not interrupt the operational capability of your device - generally.
However, with Angstrom, too many OS distributors just build a custom Angstrom release for their devices, and forget about the repo stage, meaning that if you do updates to the installed base, you typically only get to use the 'official Angstrom repo', which contains safe stuff and nothing at all optimized for the hardware in front of you - in fact, depending on the 'official Angstrom repo' for OS updates is dangerous and not recommended, because things break, and break hard, when there is no repo geared for the decisions made about the Angstrom you are building. Such things as ARM v5 versus ARM v7 compatibility is an issue, for example, and different libs for different platforms being mixed up and jumbled about.
So, in short, yes Ubuntu ARM is going to be possible, and there are good reasons to use it .. if OP Inc are not going to be responsible for their own Angstrom build repo, and are just going to be lazy and incompetent and say "use the official Angstrom repo for updates", then it won't be long until it becomes a messy tragedy. To avoid that, use Ubuntu ARM, *OR* demand that the official Angstrom OS release comes with a properly configured and set up repo for us all to be pulling base OS updates from .. alas, all indications are that OP Inc have no desire to do this, and will just have to suffer from the consequences of a few hundred users doing updates from the 'official' (broken) Angstrom OS repo and getting everything all screwed up ..
DISCLAIMER: my point of view comes from years of experience with completely borked releases of Angstrom/OpenEmbedded distributions for multiple devices. There is only one way to keep the Pandora OS functional: total responsibility in the form of a properly configured and maintained/updated release OS repository, coming from an authoritative source. If this doesn't come from OP Inc, we in the community need to be prepared to deliver it, Open2X style ..
viridior
Member
The Always Innovating Touchbook already had Ubuntu for it. Hardware-wise it is almost identical to the Pandora, OMAP3530, touchscreen, usb, sdhc, wireless, etc, etc. This should not be an issue for the Pandora to use it short of switching out the kernel and a few low level fixes.
http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/wiki/index.php/Ubuntu
http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/wiki/index.php/Ubuntu
Tempel
Active Member
torpor: there were actually brief mentions of this some time ago by ED, saying that DJWillis (or maybe notaz, can't recall perfectly) had something in mind. Exactly what they had in mind wasn't stated clearly, but everyone figured that they were setting up their own repo holding just the packages that the Pandora needs. However, it was made clear that the Angstrom repos could be enabled if you wanted to, but would not be available by default so you can't accidentally break your OS.
Sphinxter
Says What?
And still absolutely no point outside of zealotry.
paddy
Active Member
I am a ubuntu linux user and fan ,i don't like other distros as much and i find ubuntu more of a full package and aimed at simplicity ,but i would also agree that angstrom will do everything ubuntu can do only much less resource hungry and streamlined for the Pandora hardware ,i still dream of the day we might see compiz fusion desktop effects running on the Pandora tho.
torpor
hack hack hack, the little machines fight back
Of course there is a point .. how can we developers be sure there will be a working OS+/libs system on the end-user Pandora's if there isn't some sort of standardized way to get an update to the base OS? We do not want to only have Pandoras in the hands of people who serve their own bitbake masters .. for the average user, my family members, it would be *necessary* that the Pandora be able to update its own OS, from a known trusted source, over time.
This ties in with the App page and all that, but I'm talking about what happens when "opkg update && opkg upgrade" is run on the Pandora, perhaps through a configured cron entry or whatever, to do a system update.. please guys, don't just "point it at the angstrom repo" and be done with it. Much can be done to optimize things exclusively for the Pandora hardware - this work would be greatly assisted if it were done through a repo to the end-user public.
