[LAU] OT: android for the linux user ...was: legacy equipment for a user who does not "program"

[Patrick Shirkey]

On Tue, March 18, 2014 12:48 pm, Simon Wise wrote:
> On 18/03/14 02:41, Patrick Shirkey wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, March 18, 2014 2:12 am, Rob wrote:
>>> On 03/17/2014 10:44 AM, Simon Wise wrote:
>>>> Any hints appreciated ... an app called juiceSSH has given me a
>>>> command
>>>> line locally, and ssh access to my other machines with a clean
>>>> interface
>>>> and good keyboard support.
>>>
>>> I use Connectbot, which is FOSS and offers port forwarding without an
>>> in-app purchase, and VNC to control my machines remotely over ssh
>>> tunnels.
>>> I haven't tried JuiceSSH, but as soon as I see in-app purchases I get
>>> concerned about an app.
>>>
>>> I also have an SSH server installed. I used to use sshdroid, but at
>>> some
>>> point they got overzealous about detecting ad blockers (any change to
>>> your
>>> hosts file is treated as an ad blocker and the service will fail to
>>> start)
>>> so I've switched to SSHelper, which is FOSS. However, my current phone
>>> (Galaxy S4 on Sprint) seems to only do IPv6 on the cell network, if
>>> there's
>>> an option to disable that I haven't been able to find it, and I can't
>>> get
>>> inbound connections to work with either. But for mounting stuff over
>>> sftp,
>>> it works reasonably well on wifi.
>>>
>>> Haven't tried XSDL yet because VNC (x11vnc on the machine being
>>> controlled)
>>> is so much faster than forwarding X clients in my experience, but I
>>> also
>>> haven't tried getting a debian chroot -- my old phone couldn't handle
>>> it,
>>> I
>>> only got my current phone a few months ago and haven't had time to root
>>> it
>>> yet or put on a different ROM, and I thought all the debian chroot
>>> methods
>>> required root.
>>>
>>>> Haven't yet added an admin account, first I am seeing what is possible
>>>> without it. But the command line isn't much use, even man is in /sbin
>>>> it
>>>> seems.
>>>
>>> It is very frustrating that even ping requires root, and that devices
>>> we
>>> paid for require security exploits to even get root. The excuses even
>>> prominent Android bloggers give (can't damage your device if you don't
>>> have
>>> full control of it) are ridiculous, along the lines of advocating
>>> welded-shut car hoods just in case the user gets it in his head to open
>>> it
>>> up and put windshield washer fluid in the oil pan, though it wouldn't
>>> surprise me to hear that argument soon in the age of mandatory GPS
>>> tracker
>>> legislation.
>>>
>>> You can install bash without a full debian chroot, but it's still
>>> fairly
>>> limited without the other GNU software, and of course, you're still
>>> limited
>>> to doing whatever the phone allows you to.
>>>
>>> My phone is actually more powerful than the laptop I bought a month
>>> after
>>> I
>>> got it, so I've thought about Ubuntu for Android or something similar,
>>> something with a bit of effort put into making it usable without a
>>> bluetooth keyboard and mouse (I do have a keyboard case for my phone,
>>> but
>>> when I use VNC I always have to zoom in to operate menus and the like,
>>> and
>>> right- or middle-clicking is tedious) but the next thing I do will be
>>> to
>>> root it and possibly get a better ROM on there, if there is one without
>>> too
>>> much functionality missing.
>>>
>>> Android still strikes the best balance between functionality and
>>> freedom
>>> for me, but it's nowhere near as open as even Ubuntu, and Google has
>>> been
>>> making more and more pieces of it proprietary of late, letting the
>>> original
>>> FOSS components languish unchanged in the AOSP repositories.
>>>
>>
>> What you'll find is that after a while the locked down filesystem which
>> usually requires a proprietary windows only application to make updates
>> or
>> complex contortion to interact with in Linux is a real pita. Don't even
>> think about using external hardware that requires a custom driver to be
>> installed.
>>
>> When forced to work with Android devices I prefer to use adb to interact
>> with them.
>>
>> ./adb shell
>>
>> You can also use adb wirelessly if your device supports the wireless
>> flag
>> which is pretty handy.
>>
>> setprop service.adb.tcp.port 5555&  stop adbd&  start adbd
>>
>> Depending on your distro you can get access to adb as a package or if
>> that
>> is not possible for you might have to install it via the android sdk.
>>
>> Then you can use your desktop to work at the system level while still
>> retaining access to the touch interface for other things...
>
> ok, adb was next on the list to try ... I'm treating the android somewhat
> as a
> remote extension of my desktop, and I'm quite happy doing any setup or
> installations via the desktop, I'll want to keep the whole samsung/android
> set
> of drives and interface, that seems to be done quite nicely, but also want
> to
> explore the development side for my own potential uses, so adb is a must.
>
> Patrick .. you're in Sydney I think? I've just moved back here after doing
> a
> degree in Perth ... I'm based in Ultimo, want to catch up sometime?
>

I would love to but I'm not in Sydney at the moment ;-)




--
Patrick Shirkey
Boost Hardware Ltd