14 ms·

Also, if your Android phone is a Pixel, you can run the recently added Terminal app, which runs a plain vanilla Debian distribution within a VM. So you then hav

Also, if your Android phone is a Pixel, you can run the recently added Terminal app, which runs a plain vanilla Debian distribution within a VM. So you then have a pocketable Linux machine to develop code on. Not only does Python run on it, you can install the entire Anaconda Python suite.

cess11 9mo ago
Why would that be preferable to Termux?
- PopePompus 9mo ago
  Because, wonderful as Termux is, it has a very nonstandard filesystem layout, so installation scripts for something like Anaconda will not run without extensive modifications. And Termux has no access to /proc, /dev etc., so lots of utilities fail. Since Terminal provides a full Linux VM, all programs that will run on Linux just work as expected.
  - RavSS 9mo ago
    Termux can access the full file system if you have root access, which is how I play around with it; however, running a VM is a safer and easier route, especially as smartphone manufacturers are making it tougher to root the device you own.
  - cess11 9mo ago
    I haven't noticed anything like that. Some more obscure tools have trouble with the file system but that happens in ordinary Linux too. Though I have no experience with Anaconda specifically so you likely know better whether it'll need adaptations to work under Termux. I run htop just fine on my handhelds and I'm pretty sure it sources directly from /proc, /sys or something.
    - PopePompus 9mo ago
      On my unrooted Pixel, I get "Permission denied" errors if I ls /sys, /dev, /proc and / within Termux. And /usr and /var don't exist.
gloxkiqcza 9mo ago
Wow, that’s cool! I wonder whether one day Apple is going to allow something like this with headless “macOS” VM on iPadOS to make it a viable local development platform.
- fuzzer371 9mo ago
  I would venture a guess some time between: "The heat death of the universe" and "Never".
manx 9mo ago
Also, you can have NixOS instead of debian: https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-avf https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-avf
interloxia 9mo ago
I tried this a while back with. NET and Blazor. With split screen I was able to add some code and preview live in the browser and build and 'install' a simple pwa. Presumably with an external monitor and the desktop mode it would be better. Code from tiny llms such as Gemma are a waste of time but it "worked". It was neat to generate a working app completely offline. The main problem was that the VM crashed on my pixel fairly frequently. Might be better by now.
- PopePompus 9mo ago
  I don't think it's actually the VM crashing, it's the Android OS killing what it thinks is an idle app.
phrotoma 9mo ago
Got a direct link to the app? The play store search is just offering me the Tom Hanks movie about a dude stuck in an airport ... Edit: found it using these instructions. https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-avf?tab=readme-ov-file#enabling-the-terminal-app https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-avf?tab=readme-ov-fil...

cess11 9mo ago

Why would that be preferable to Termux?

PopePompus 9mo ago
Because, wonderful as Termux is, it has a very nonstandard filesystem layout, so installation scripts for something like Anaconda will not run without extensive modifications. And Termux has no access to /proc, /dev etc., so lots of utilities fail. Since Terminal provides a full Linux VM, all programs that will run on Linux just work as expected.
- RavSS 9mo ago
  Termux can access the full file system if you have root access, which is how I play around with it; however, running a VM is a safer and easier route, especially as smartphone manufacturers are making it tougher to root the device you own.
- cess11 9mo ago
  I haven't noticed anything like that. Some more obscure tools have trouble with the file system but that happens in ordinary Linux too. Though I have no experience with Anaconda specifically so you likely know better whether it'll need adaptations to work under Termux. I run htop just fine on my handhelds and I'm pretty sure it sources directly from /proc, /sys or something.
  - PopePompus 9mo ago
    On my unrooted Pixel, I get "Permission denied" errors if I ls /sys, /dev, /proc and / within Termux. And /usr and /var don't exist.

gloxkiqcza 9mo ago

Wow, that’s cool! I wonder whether one day Apple is going to allow something like this with headless “macOS” VM on iPadOS to make it a viable local development platform.

fuzzer371 9mo ago
I would venture a guess some time between: "The heat death of the universe" and "Never".

manx 9mo ago

Also, you can have NixOS instead of debian: https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-avf https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-avf

interloxia 9mo ago

I tried this a while back with. NET and Blazor. With split screen I was able to add some code and preview live in the browser and build and 'install' a simple pwa. Presumably with an external monitor and the desktop mode it would be better. Code from tiny llms such as Gemma are a waste of time but it "worked". It was neat to generate a working app completely offline. The main problem was that the VM crashed on my pixel fairly frequently. Might be better by now.

PopePompus 9mo ago
I don't think it's actually the VM crashing, it's the Android OS killing what it thinks is an idle app.

phrotoma 9mo ago

Got a direct link to the app? The play store search is just offering me the Tom Hanks movie about a dude stuck in an airport ... Edit: found it using these instructions. https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-avf?tab=readme-ov-file#enabling-the-terminal-app https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-avf?tab=readme-ov-fil...