A long time....

[anticpated]

ago I was discussing the prospects of putting together a guide for alternative operating systems other than Mac OS X and Windows Vista/7/8/8.1 which is the main stay of many developers. So the plan was to compile a guide based on findings for using your Android with Linux based operating systems such as Ubuntu.

The trickiest bit seems to be making your handset a permanent setting under Linux. Then using it as a disk device within the OS (mounting the drive). I like to dabble in Linux as it needs no antivirus, the firewall is part of the whole setup and it's a lot harder to screw things up by pressing the wrong button.

When I set up my computer again, I will be dual-booting Windows 7 with Ubuntu 14 or OpenSuse depending on what I feel like doing. Of course, there will be difficulties along the way like the different distrubtions of operating system.

I will be aiming this at somebody with a similar understanding as myself. So it won't be too complex and it will be comprehensive to most people. Although a basic grounding in Linux GNU terminal will be advantageous. It is mostly desktop now though.

[Cleoriff]

I look forward to that @anticpated  It may make me rethink what i use at the moment...

[Anonymous]

Could be interesting providing alternatives to the usual windows or Mac systems

[Anonymous]

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@anticpated wrote:

ago I was discussing the prospects of putting together a guide for alternative operating systems other than Mac OS X and Windows Vista/7/8/8.1 which is the main stay of many developers. So the plan was to compile a guide based on findings for using your Android with Linux based operating systems such as Ubuntu.

The trickiest bit seems to be making your handset a permanent setting under Linux. Then using it as a disk device within the OS (mounting the drive). I like to dabble in Linux as it needs no antivirus, the firewall is part of the whole setup and it's a lot harder to screw things up by pressing the wrong button.

When I set up my computer again, I will be dual-booting Windows 7 with Ubuntu 14 or OpenSuse depending on what I feel like doing. Of course, there will be difficulties along the way like the different distrubtions of operating system.

I will be aiming this at somebody with a similar understanding as myself. So it won't be too complex and it will be comprehensive to most people. Although a basic grounding in Linux GNU terminal will be advantageous. It is mostly desktop now though.

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If you're in to these things, please do give OpenBSD a spin and see how you get on.

[Cairdeas]

anything other than windows 8 is a bonus for me. good luck @anticpated  x

[anticpated]

@Anonymous I'm just reading the install procedure on the OpenBSD page and it isn't presented in a clear manner. FreeBSD 10.1 seems lke an easier option from my point of view. I really don'r have the time or patience to go through an install procedure where I'm not 100% sure what is going on.

I can try it within a Virtual Box I suppose although judging from the website, it doesn't seem very much like it has been updated in a while.

[sheepdog]

Goodness, I haven't seen that kind of install procedure for over a decade! I've personally found Fedora nice and easy to install: download iso, boot from cd and click the defaults when asked then tick the activate network card icon to get to the internet. Sorted. Dual boot I have no idea as I run linux either on a physical box or via VirtualBox/VMware. 

Tried Ubuntu but the installation of rpm's frustrated in comparison to Fedora though in fairness, I'm more used to Red Hat than Ubuntu so it ended up being more annoying when using the command line. 

[anticpated]

RPM files are the domain of Redhat operating systems such a Fedora, Redhat or Opensuse.

Ubuntu, Backtrack and other Canonical variations are based on Debian operating system.

So whilst the differences are small such as the install procedures and the security protocols are slightly more enterprise related in Redhat distributions, I feel there is not much between them other than the methods for retrieving and installing packages.

Yum is essentially replaced by Sudo install/remove commands. Although you can use sudo or su in either version of Linux as far as I am aware. 

Anyway back to the normal stuff.trala la le la!

P.S. This is general information for anybody who is unaware what we are talking about.

[Toby]

It'll be nice to see what you come up with @anticpated .

What made you want to create these guides out of interest?

[anticpated]

I wanted to create these alternative guides because some people in general are scared of with things that they are not being spoon-fed to them. Also because when you have set-up and established a Linux workstation it is  a cost effective solution for people on a budget, security conscious and also is a brilliant platform for anybody interested in networking, web development and it does take serious skills to break into a secured Linux box.

Not to say Windows is bad however versions before WIndows 2000 were full of backdoors allowing any capable hacker to fully exploit your system. Once DOS was removed, it become much harder to exploit. However by disabling un-needed network services you can effectively make system penetration much harder (no pun honest).

For the general consumer, Linux offers all of the above benefits a good GUI (desktop) interface, a low CPU usage and graphic acceleration for gaming and more popular vendors jumping on board. Nvidia and AMD are big supporters of the operating system and it can run Windows in a virtual box or Mac for that matter (if you have the correct hardware).

Is it geeky? Yes and No.

You can use the command line to install programs or you can use built-in search applications.

Is it ideal for everyone? No

It will have a learning curve for some, as propriety drivers aren't always straightforward to install as a typical extract and install.

Fedora and Opensuse use RPM (Redhat Package Manager) which are like self-extracting ZIP installers which are useful. Whereas Ubuntu uses Deb files which are similar which can be run using a package manager.

Also there is lots of documentation to go with these operating systems. 

Another benefit is that they can be dual-boot meaning you have the best of both worlds.