593
Google is preparing to let you run Linux apps on Android, just like Chrome OS
(www.androidauthority.com)
this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
593 points (98.2% liked)
Linux
48182 readers
1941 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Termux doesn't run arbitrary software. There's a pretty large set that does but plenty doesn't. A VM would resolve that.
Through termux you can already install a full linux distro on android. It is a little slow, but full desktop environment. Not bad if you have a phone that supports display output
Do you mean via QEMU without hardware acceleration?
I didn't think to check how it worked, other than the graphics part is accessed via a VNC app. If you have a spare phone check out Anlinux on PlayStore or F-Droid
Anlinux
This application will allow you to run Linux on Android, by using https://f-droid.org/packages/com.termux and PRoot technology, you can even run SSH and Xfce4 Desktop Environment!!!
Features:
The problem with the desktops in termux is that the apps don't work reliably.
I found generally it was fine but some needing true root hardware access failed
Firefox doesn't work right and neither does chromium
I don't recall having issues with firefox. Was there anything specific?
Its been a few years but last time I tried sandboxing didn't work
So is termux a containerized Linux? (I haven't looked into it yet, just on my list). I had assumed it was a VM, guess I was incorrect.
My sense was that it's kinda like cygwin. Just natively compiled apps and a filesystem layout.
This is correct. There's no containerization like LXC/Docker.
Not even that, Android is enough of a Linux system they really just needed a repo of natively compiled apps.
...and a filesystem layout. They don't install things to the "root" linux so they have their own /var, /bin, /usr, etc.
I could remember wrong, but doesn't it just use symlinks?
I doubt it - it runs in an android sandbox. Why would they even bother? it's easier to just create a filesystem "chroot" and use that. That way you get full read/write and control of versions.
Ehh it kinda does considering you can get a pretty full compiler tool chain running via termux.