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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
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Termux has been a thing for years.
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.