Good Morning from my Robotics Lab! This is Shadow_8472 with a side project of the week. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mobile computers are decades to years behind desktops, and usable free (as in freedom) and open source experiences lag behind accordingly. Android may be branded as open source, but Google did not build their Play Store into the platform\u2019s primary draw by allowing a \u201cfree\u201d experience. OEM\u2019s (Original Equipment Manufacturers) making Android devices must play by the search giant\u2019s rules or be prepared to start from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That iron grip on Android \u2013tight as it may be\u2013 still affords room for hobbyist level projects. LineageOS will get compatible devices booted to Android without the need to compile AOSP (Android Open Source Project) yourself. Another project, the difficult-to-search-for \/e\/, takes the concept farther by removing many of the lingering hooks back to Google infrastructure and making an attempt at a cohesive end-user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A while back, I installed an unofficial build of LineageOS on my Raspberry Pi 400 as a precursor to installing a custom AOSP ROM on a phone. This first attempt was accidentally AndroidTV edition, leading to confusion and sadness. I re-installed it for last week\u2019s blog, but even seeing it ask more phone\/tablet-type questions than before didn\u2019t feel like enough to base even a short blog on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hesitated when sideloading the F-Droid appstore last week. I couldn\u2019t find their GPG keys to verify the download against, but I learned something in the process. Additional research this week still hasn\u2019t yielded their keys, but I\u2019ve learned that it might involve adding a key repository \u2013 sort of like how I couldn\u2019t just start downloading images when I installed Podman on my laptop. However, I want to end up with \/e\/ instead, so I don\u2019t feel the need to be as careful learning how to add a trusted key repository. Instead, I\u2019ll just keep it offline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About the only large challenge I solved was getting F-Droid\u2019s install file onto LineageOS. Normally, I would just mount it and drop a file where it needs to go. That wasn\u2019t an option here because I didn\u2019t know where it belonged and the directories above it had locked down permissions. The simplest solution was to just move it over with a USB drive. It installed cleanly from there, and I ran out of time from working on long-term projects and shorter projects bloating beyond this week\u2019s scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you ever hit a road block learning to a safety measure, listen to it. Take reasonable alternate actions to remain safe and try to learn a bit about how to pass it correctly each time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What subjects have you had to conquer a chip at a time?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Good Morning from my Robotics Lab! This is Shadow_8472 with a side project of the week. Let\u2019s get started! Free, but not Free Mobile computers are decades to years behind desktops, and usable free (as in freedom) and open source experiences lag behind accordingly. Android may be branded as open source, but Google did not … <\/p>\n