[devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related issue.)

[cole2kb]

In the very small amount of fooling with my phone I've done, the whole process is pretty exciting. I'd like to start learning the ins and outs of ROM building, even though the OV needs no more devs, it's just for my own learning, and I want to do it right. My PC is a dinosaur, 2.8ghz P4 with 1.5GB of RAM. I know things will be slow, I'm okay with that, but is it even possible to set up a build environment? If not, no need to read the second paragraph, but if it's possible, feel free to read on, I'd appreciate it.

Right now, ANY linux distro I install gives me problems. Right now, I'm trying Puppy Linux because it isn't slow as molasses, but I can't get my video card to work right. Max res on default drivers is 1024x768, I have a widescreen LCD so that's no good. Installed NVidia drivers, now max res is 640x480. and just borked the whole thing editing my xorg.conf. It's an NVidia Geforce 5200. I have never, on any distro, gotten everything to work right. Ubuntu-based is my best bet as it's what is recommended, and it's the only one I can get my Wi-Fi dongle working in, because my motherboard is faulty and the ethernet is broken....blah blah blah. Trying not to ramble.

Any thoughts? Is this a lost cause on such old hardware? I tried just following the Building your own ROM thread but the links it references just 404 all over the place.

 

[daffy_duck_nj]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

If you're going the Ubuntu route, I'd use Xubuntu or Lubuntu for your dev PC. These two distros don't put much of a load on the CPU, thanks to the desktop environments they both use. Lubuntu would probably work out well for you. It isn't considered an official build by Ubuntu (yet), but it is fairly stable.

I can't speak much for actual ROM building myself, as I'm primarily a laptop user atm. I'm thinking of getting a custom built desktop again after several years, as I want to learn audio recording, circuit building, and do more intensive post-processing work with photos and video.

 

[LeslieAnn]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

Hardware on Linux is tricky sometimes. If it's supported, great, if it's not, you may be in for one hell of a fight, and each Linux distribution is different when it comes to drivers. One may be better with printers, another will be better with wireless. Linux users love to say "It just works", well yeah, when it works.

Try using a virtual machine (Virtualbox), it will be slower, but might be a bit easier to deal with in terms of hardware compatibility and you can keep using Windows.


Since your system is slow, there is another alternative. Ask around, watch Craigslist, etc... for cheap computers. They are everywhere. Even if it's slower than yours, it doesn't matter as it's not your main system you can let it build while you keep using your computer. If you have a network, you just need to box really, use your keyboard, mouse and monitor to set it up, and put VNC and SSH on it, that way you can control it with a simple program on Windows. Again, speed is less of an issue when it's not tying up your main desktop. This is how the community server is setup and works quite well.

 

[thewraith420]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

In the very small amount of fooling with my phone I've done, the whole process is pretty exciting. I'd like to start learning the ins and outs of ROM building, even though the OV needs no more devs, it's just for my own learning, and I want to do it right. My PC is a dinosaur, 2.8ghz P4 with 1.5GB of RAM. I know things will be slow, I'm okay with that, but is it even possible to set up a build environment? If not, no need to read the second paragraph, but if it's possible, feel free to read on, I'd appreciate it.

Right now, ANY linux distro I install gives me problems. Right now, I'm trying Puppy Linux because it isn't slow as molasses, but I can't get my video card to work right. Max res on default drivers is 1024x768, I have a widescreen LCD so that's no good. Installed NVidia drivers, now max res is 640x480. and just borked the whole thing editing my xorg.conf. It's an NVidia Geforce 5200. I have never, on any distro, gotten everything to work right. Ubuntu-based is my best bet as it's what is recommended, and it's the only one I can get my Wi-Fi dongle working in, because my motherboard is faulty and the ethernet is broken....blah blah blah. Trying not to ramble.

Any thoughts? Is this a lost cause on such old hardware? I tried just following the Building your own ROM thread but the links it references just 404 all over the place.

i think i read you need to have a 64 bit processor to build. i could be wrong tho but i'm sure someone else will chime in

 

[tvall]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

the machine i started building my optimus v roms on was about that spec, i used debian on it and it hasnt given me any issues (but i run that box without a monitor connecting via ssh). if you can get a basic install done all you need it to install what it says on source.android.com and you can do everything dev related via the command line (i do so without issues). if you can get an install done and set up ssh, i can help you set up the dev environment. i have no idea where to start with the graphics tho..

or, if you don want to set that up, you could try to get a login on the build server. or id give you a login on the box i mentioned earlier in this post. its sitting here doing nothing...

 

[cole2kb]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

i think i read you need to have a 64 bit processor to build. i could be wrong tho but i'm sure someone else will chime in

Yeah, this one is a 32-bit for sure. Any input on this from anyone else is appreciated before I bother to fight with it any longer.

 

[exProphecy]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

Puppy Linux! My favorite Linux distro! I always keep it on a flash drive or SD card with me so I can boot it on everyone's computer xD They're always so confused.

Anyways, which release of Puppy Linux are you using? Racy 5.3 or Wary 5.3? Racy has Xorg 7.6 and kernel 3.0.25, while Wary 5.3 has 2.6.32.59 of the LTS kernel

 

[tvall]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

Yeah, this one is a 32-bit for sure. Any input on this from anyone else is appreciated before I bother to fight with it any longer.

32 bit works for both iho and cm9, trust me

 

[cole2kb]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

Puppy Linux! My favorite Linux distro! I always keep it on a flash drive or SD card with me so I can boot it on everyone's computer xD They're always so confused.

Anyways, which release of Puppy Linux are you using? Racy 5.3 or Wary 5.3? Racy has Xorg 7.6 and kernel 3.0.25, while Wary 5.3 has 2.6.32.59 of the LTS kernel

I'm an idiot. I -WAS- on Puppy, but I was getting frusturated with all the errors I was encountering (couldn't even extract a ZIP archive...or get my Wi-Fi to work.) I'm running Lubuntu right now...in glorious 640 x 480. lol

32 bit works for both iho and cm9, trust me

Thanks, tvall. Also, I appreciate the offer for use of the build server, but I certainly don't want to be messing around with anyone else's equipment until I can handle things on my own, and yes, I know how dirty that sounds. O

 

[LeslieAnn]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

Sorry, I wasn't offering the use of the build server, I was just explaining that was how it works.

Get some experience and then you are welcome to it, it's to easy for someone who is learning to tie it up for hours on end trying to get something to work. It's kind of like handing your Ferrari keys to your 16 year old son who just got his learners permit, probably not a good idea. LOL

 

[cole2kb]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

Sorry, I wasn't offering the use of the build server, I was just explaining that was how it works.

Get some experience and then you are welcome to it, it's to easy for someone who is learning to tie it up for hours on end trying to get something to work. It's kind of like handing your Ferrari keys to your 16 year old son who just got his learners permit, probably not a good idea. LOL

tvall mentioned a box he was willing to let me use, not yours. Like I said though, I wouldn't dream of using anyone else's until I can get situated on my own. Still fighting trying to set my resolution higher than 640x480. Using xrandr to add the new mode but getting stuck here "xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default"

 

[EarthnFire78]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

Try installing Cygwin it is a Virtual Linux Terminal for Windows that as hundreds of packages. I'm putting together a build setup that works inside Cygwin and well have the bata version up in about 6 days.

It well be a total of 3 downloads totaling about 230MB and once installed well be setting around 1GB with ROM-TOOL installed, and includes all the packages required.

 

[tvall]

Sorry, I wasn't offering the use of the build server, I was just explaining that was how it works.

Get some experience and then you are welcome to it, it's to easy for someone who is learning to tie it up for hours on end trying to get something to work. It's kind of like handing your Ferrari keys to your 16 year old son who just got his learners permit, probably not a good idea. LOL

Sorry if that caused confusion. I have a box I'm not using that I was offering him. (My gf's dad asks a lot of questions when I have computers set up yet not being used, so I just leave it running)

Thanks, tvall. Also, I appreciate the offer for use of the build server, but I certainly don't want to be messing around with anyone else's equipment until I can handle things on my own, and yes, I know how dirty that sounds. O

You can mess with my equipment, I doubt you'll break it. And I'm not really using that one for much

 

[LeslieAnn]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

Ahh, I missed that part.

I wouldn't know anything about computers sitting around unused.. Nope, not one bit.

 

[cole2kb]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

Got it. Removed the NVidia drivers and just let the default ones go, and was able to change my resolution no problem. Now, my only problem is the Building Your Own ROM thread. It says the thread has been depreciated by the wiki, but when I click to go through the wiki and start learning the magic, it just gives me a 404 error. Is there an updated link?

 

[tvall]

Got it. Removed the NVidia drivers and just let the default ones go, and was able to change my resolution no problem. Now, my only problem is the Building Your Own ROM thread. It says the thread has been depreciated by the wiki, but when I click to go through the wiki and start learning the magic, it just gives me a 404 error. Is there an updated link?

Where it says thunderc in the link, it should be thunderc_common

 

[anthonycr]

Got it. Removed the NVidia drivers and just let the default ones go, and was able to change my resolution no problem. Now, my only problem is the Building Your Own ROM thread. It says the thread has been depreciated by the wiki, but when I click to go through the wiki and start learning the magic, it just gives me a 404 error. Is there an updated link?

The third post in that thread by jerry has all the stuff you need.

Sent from my VM670 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cole2kb]

Re: [devs?] I hate Linux(help with a basically non-OV related iss

This is fun. I made my Linux partition too small though I think, lol. Whooops. Thanks everybody.