I was about to PM you with instructions on how to set it up, but I realized it would be better to have this on public domain than having it lost in someone's private inbox.
So, first things first: Gemian
SUCKS. It is an unsupported, old version of a Debian variant that Planet Computers left for the "community" to fix. I still have it installed in dual boot on my Gemini, but I found so many issues in it that I barely use it. To make good use of Linux on your device, I found that the best way to it is to actually run Linux chrooted on top of Android. For this to work you will need to root your device. Planet Computers provide nice guides on how to do that depending on which model you have
(Gemini, Gemini 3G, Cosmo, etc
). Particularly for the Cosmo, I found this guide but I never tried it:
https://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Rooted_Android_For_Cosmo
Although you can follow these steps using just your device, it is highly recommended that you use an SD Card, otherwise you will be limited to Linux partitions of only 4GB due to the FAT32 nature of the Android filesystem. If you use an SD Card, you can use the entire card for Linux
(that's what I do
) and therefore have a lot more space to install and run your programs
Once you have your rooted Android working you will have to install a few apps. Here is my list:
- Linux Deploy: Main app used to install Linux on top of your rooted Android.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.meefik.linuxdeploy
- Immersive: Hides Android's status bar and buttons bar allowing you to enjoy a full screen Linux experience
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.draco.immersive
- Remote Desktop Manager: VNC-like app to connect to your virtual Linux display. Optionally you can also use VNC Viewer, but I found that RDM works much better on the Gemini as it gives support to direct touch mode
(mouse presses on the position of your touch
) and trackpad mode
(touchscreen becomes a mouse trackpad
). Also, RDM was the only VNC app that I found that supported Gemini's Fn button to use characters like {, }, +, etc. You will need to press Fn + Shift for it to work.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devolutions.remote...
- Screen Shift: Optional - This app allows you to change your display resolution. This is useful when you have your device connected to external displays.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sagar.screenshift2
For the installation part you will be using Linux Deploy the whole time. Open Linux Deploy and create a new profile
(under sandwich menu on the left -> Profiles -> +
. Now configure your distribution clicking on the configure button on the top
(the button right after STOP
). Here is my particular configuration. You can choose a different setting if you like. Whatever I don't mention in here, leave it the default option.
Distribution: Ubuntu
Architecture: arm64
Suite: bionic
Installation type: partition
(This is important. Pick this option if you want to install Linux on your SD card. Otherwise, pick File
)
Installation path: /dev/block/mmcblk1p1
(this is where my SD card is located on my Gemini. I believe this should be pretty much standard
)
File system: ext4
User name & password: pick yours
SSH: Enable SSH server
GUI: Enable
Graphics subsystem: VNC
GUI Settings -> DPI: 96 / Width: 2160 / Height: 1080 / VNC options: -localhost
(make sure you don't forget the dash '-' before localhost. This makes your VNC connection available only on your device and avoid other people sniffing on your Linux desktop
)
Desktop environment: MATE
(this is the best one for the Gemini as it has native support for HiDPI displays
)
Now that you have everything configured it is time to start installing Linux. Hold tight as this may take a loooong time
(hours maybe
). To install, get back to the main Linux Deploy screen, tap on the three dot menu on the right and select 'Install'. You will see the installation script running on the screen. It will download everything straight from Ubuntu
(or whatever other distro you selected
) and install on your SD Card. Wait until the installation process is completed. It should give you a message at the end informing you that it has finished. It is also advisable for you to disable auto sleep on Android during the installation process to avoid it getting interrupted.
Once Linux is installed you will now need to configure it. Tap on the three dot menu on the right and select 'Configure'. The script will run a few more commands to adjust everything according to your configuration. This step shouldn't take too long. Once it is done, you're ready to roll! Just press the START button on the top bar and Linux Deploy will initialize your chrooted Linux environment. It takes only a few seconds to do that. Make sure that all steps completed successfully on the START process
(desktop/dbus, extra/ssh, graphics/vnc
). If any of them fail, click on STOP and START again. Sometimes for whatever reason one of them fails and you need to try again, but this is usually very rare.
Now that your Linux is running on the background it is time to connect to it. Open Remote Desktop Manager and follow the guide for the first usage. It will ask you to setup a password among other things. Once you're ready click on the green + sign to create a new connection. From the list select 'VNC' with the following settings:
Name: Linux
Folder: Leave it blank
Credentials: Custom
Host: Custom
VNC application: UltraVNC
(or default
)
Host: 127.0.0.1
Port: 5900
Save it and then tap on the three dots in front of your Linux entry and select 'Open'. Insert your VNC password if asked
(you should have configured the password during the Linux configure phase
) and let it save the password so that you don't need to type it again. Done! You're in Ubuntu Mate Linux. For the best experience, tap on the three dot menu and select 'Enter Full Screen'.
Configuring Ubuntu Mate
You will notice that everything on the screen will appear pretty small. That's because the default configuration uses the normal DPI scaling. To enable HiDPI scaling you will have to install MATE Tweak. Open terminal and type:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install mate-tweak
Let it install everything and then open Menu
(on the taskbar
) -> System -> Control Center.
Under Look and Feel select 'MATE Tweak'. On MATE Tweak select 'Windows' and under HiDPI change from 'Regular' to 'HiDPI'.
That's it! Now you can enjoy a beautiful Linux on your nice Cosmo device.
PS: Another good tip... remember you can always hold the 'Alt' key + mouse drag to move windows around that are too big for the screen
Edited by ntware 2021-08-20 5:46 PM
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