Ultimate guide to get Ubuntu and Busybox on your samsung galaxy tab 10.1

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llewelyn12

Member
Dec 3, 2011
16
5
Pretoria
this is an easy pease guide to install Ubuntu with working Busybox on your samsung galaxy Tab 10.1


Requirements:
A rooted device (there are lots op threads on xda on how to root your 10.1)
after rooting download Ubuntu installer Free
the second app you need to download is busybox installer
and third you will need to download and install android-vnc you will need this to view the ubuntu after instalation
and then last but not least you can download a overclocking kernel to make things work smoother. there is a thread in xda about this.
and then download the setcpu.apk file. search it on google.


If you have any trouble finding the correct apps and kernels please post in your reply and I will give you the links to the kernels I am using uploaded by myself for you to download

Okay so lets get this party started

okay so after rooting your device install the Ubuntu Installer Free and follow the promts. it is an easy to use app which guides you to 3 downloads. the first download is the ubuntu.sh file. and then there are two links to download the ubuntu image. If you want a light (not good looking) version of ubuntu download the smaller image (the second option of the downloads).
If you want the gnome (sexy looking ubuntu) download the third option.

while you are downloading the files GO AHEAD and install the BusyBox installer app. then choose the 1.18.4 version and install it into you system/bin directory. it will give you the directory in a list to choose. once thats done install the same version again but in the system/xbin directory.

while you wait for ubuntu installer to download the images for you go ahead and search for that nifty overclock kernel. make sure IT IS NOT the one from zedomax because then you will have no screen rotate ability. look for an overclock kernel that has ov_oa in its description. once again post in this thread if you are having troubles and i will upload my kernel.


So after ubuntu installer has downloaded files go ahead and extract them into the /sdcard/ubuntu folder (you will have to create the folder)

after you have extracted the files into /sdcard/ubuntu folder (this directory is in the root of your tab. you do not have to create a folder in the root saying /sdcard/ubuntu. you can just make a folder named Ubuntu and drop the files in there.

so after plainc the files into the Ubuntu folder go to you terminal on your device. if you dont have a terminal you can download it from the market for free. its called android terminal.
in the terminal tipe the following

su
cd /sdcard/ubuntu
sh ubuntu.sh

if you have correct busybox installed you will get a prompt that asks you for the screen size. make the screen size 1280x800

then IF it gives you a choise between lightlinux or Gnome. select option 2. gnome

after that done open android vnc and set the following
name: ubi
password: ubuntu
adress: localhost
port: 5900

and then select connect.

and congratulations. everything was perfect. if not. pm me or reply in this thread for support.
 

llewelyn12

Member
Dec 3, 2011
16
5
Pretoria
Hi. it will work on the galaxy Tab 8.9. just follow the same steps and make sure your device is rooted. as for the overclocking on the 8.9 I am not sure what the steps are
 

nightmarebadger

Senior Member
Jan 31, 2010
268
50
Ljubljana
www.natan.termitnjak.net
Was just wondering how much space does an installation like that take up? And will an Ubuntu install like that actually support everything that "normal" Ubuntu does (for instance compiling python, c, etc. on the device?). What about programs that work with Ubuntu on a PC, will they work on the Tab as well?
 

llewelyn12

Member
Dec 3, 2011
16
5
Pretoria
it takes up to 4gig of your storage. the ubuntu for the tab is ubuntu 10 Gnome. so everything works as normal ubuntu 10 would work. python and all those compiling programs will work. if you connect a mouse and keyboard to you tab it would work the same way as it would on a pc.
 
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nightmarebadger

Senior Member
Jan 31, 2010
268
50
Ljubljana
www.natan.termitnjak.net
it takes up to 4gig of your storage. the ubuntu for the tab is ubuntu 10 Gnome. so everything works as normal ubuntu 10 would work. python and all those compiling programs will work. if you connect a mouse and keyboard to you tab it would work the same way as it would on a pc.

Nice, will give it a try to see if I can get some of my pygame projects to work (just for the kicks of it) :D.

I'm guessing you can't use the virtual keyboard with it though right? You need a hardware one? Or maybe, you could download a virtual keyboard for Ubuntu and see if that works ... hmm ... testing time! ^_^

PS: Do you know which desktop environment is used in the light version? Since I have the 16GB tab and I'd mostly use linux through the command prompt to program some basic stuff etc. I wouldn't really need a good desktop interface, just enough to run some graphic stuff when needed. Plus a lightweight DE would run faster ;)
 
Last edited:

llewelyn12

Member
Dec 3, 2011
16
5
Pretoria
there is an awesome virtual keyboard you can download its called florence. it look ssexy and works good for me.but i stil prefer the manual keyboard.
 

llewelyn12

Member
Dec 3, 2011
16
5
Pretoria
Check out this pic. It gives an on screen keyboard
Sent from my GT-P7500 using XDA
 

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nightmarebadger

Senior Member
Jan 31, 2010
268
50
Ljubljana
www.natan.termitnjak.net
Okay, after a bit of testing I thought I'd share my findings.

The installation was really simple, even though I had problems at first due to a wrong Busybox version - but I downgraded to 1.18.4 and it worked just fine.

I've tried both the "full" install and the "small" one. Both installed without problems, but the "full" one noticeably slower, even when running LXDE desktop environment. Guess that's one of the prices you have to pay for a system with way more applications. Apart from being kinda slow, mostly everything worked fine, the only problem I found was that if you wanted to change the background color of the terminal (the transparent thing wasn't doing it for me) it crashed. Otherwise I've tried out firefox, thunderbird etc. and it all worked fine.

On the "small" install, things seemed faster, CPU/memory was definitely stressed much less then in the full version. But, I ran into a quite big problem - terminals inside the GUI don't work at all. Everytime I run the lxterminal (tried installing some other terminals too, same problem) it starts up, but doesn't do anything. It doesn't even show the usual prompt (for instance "root@localhost>" or something like that). That means you can't run any terminal commands or apps (like top) through the GUI. You CAN however, run apt-get install through the terminal emulator you used to start the whole thing up.
So I worked around the problem by installing stuff from the terminal emulator, then trying it out in the GUI. It works, but it's definitely a real setback, since you can't even do simple stuff like "python test.py" etc. (well, you can through the terminal emulator in android, but then you're limited to text stuff, can't start up tkinter or pygame for instance).
I've managed to run a simple game made in pygame, and it actually had around 20 fps, but since you're looking at it through android-vnc, there's no way for stuff like that to be playable. Felt nice to see your python work on android, especially if you're not on good terms with Java :p.

I'd also recommend setting the resolution to something smaller, since you have to take the status bar into account - if you don't do that, you'll have to "scroll" up and down to see the whole screen - I've settled on 1280x720, seems to work fine for me.
Another problem I've noticed is that the Esc, F1, F2, ..., F12 keys didn't work inside linux (I'm using an Apple Wireless keyboard). Also, I couldn't play any music files (wanted to see if voice was working).

I'll definitely play around with this a bit more, and I can see myself using this (probably directly through the android terminal emulator, since it detects all my keyboard keys and has auto-completion etc.) for some non graphical programming in Python and C on the move, even without a hardware keyboard it's manageable.

What about anyone else? Did you try it out and what did you think? Anyone has any solutions to my terminal and special keys problem? :)


PS: Touchscreen doesn't have any problems, you have a few different input modes that you can play around, I haven't found one that would suit me perfectly though (the one I like best can't right click it seems). Ah well, nothing's perfect :)
 
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llewelyn12

Member
Dec 3, 2011
16
5
Pretoria
Wow man, thanks for your feedback and support! there is a keyboard you can download inside software centre that gives you all the cool keys you would need. but seeing that you cannot use the lxterminal it pretty useless. ill see what I can find out about that but in the meantime thanks a lot for the feedback
 

stubborn_d0nkey

Senior Member
Dec 12, 2010
720
111
Mostar
Nice, will give it a try to see if I can get some of my pygame projects to work (just for the kicks of it) :D.

I'm guessing you can't use the virtual keyboard with it though right? You need a hardware one? Or maybe, you could download a virtual keyboard for Ubuntu and see if that works ... hmm ... testing time! ^_^

PS: Do you know which desktop environment is used in the light version? Since I have the 16GB tab and I'd mostly use linux through the command prompt to program some basic stuff etc. I wouldn't really need a good desktop interface, just enough to run some graphic stuff when needed. Plus a lightweight DE would run faster ;)

I don't have the tablet (yet-hopefully gonna get one soon) but I'd suggest trying e17 (enlightenment) as your desktop environment. It is lightweight (at least compared to GNOME and KDE), IMO it looks nicer than other lightweight DE's (though the default mouse navigation style is not typical) and it has a touchscreen option/version/interface (don't exactly know what to call it). I have never tried the touchscreen version, but I have seen some screenshots and when I tried it out on a regular computer it asked if I want the touchscreen UI or the normal one. AFAIK it has its own onscreen keyboard (haven't tried it). I'm pretty sure gnome has one as well (somewhere in accessibility)
 

ghostboa

Senior Member
Oct 1, 2007
55
10
Okay, after a bit of testing I thought I'd share my findings.

The installation was really simple, even though I had problems at first due to a wrong Busybox version - but I downgraded to 1.18.4 and it worked just fine....

Badger, thanks for the mention of downgrading to 1.18.4. Thanks sent to you and the OP :)
I got it to run fine on my E4GT phone using 1.19.4 but it did not want to work on the Tab. I found that the following apps worked best on my Tab:

1. BusyBox (by Stephen Stericson) - just run this and even if you have 1.19.4 just use the drop down to select 1.18.4 and it will copy over it for you.
(Do not use the uninstall option as it is not needed and can cause problems)

2. Android Terminal Emulator (by Jack Palevich)

3. android-vnc-viewer (by androidVNC team + antlersoft)

Other apps may work but I have found the combination of these 3 to get ubuntu running on my Tab10 just fine.

btw Badger... I am with you 100% on not being on good terms with java :)
 
Last edited:

jveale

New member
Jun 6, 2012
1
0
Graphics problem

I've installed this on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9. I seem to have it operating OK but the graphics seem to not be working. The icons on the left are a black and white blur. I have changed the colour format to all of the different settings and no luck - any ideas? Thanks.
 
May 21, 2012
6
0
Permission Denied

When trying to bootubuntu I keep getting permission denied. I was skipping the su step, as I was following someone elses instructions, and I am now getting farther, but still permission denied at bootunbuntu. I haven't tried a linux flavor since red hat almost 10 years ago, and I was no guru then, so I'm sure whatever I'm missing will be rediculous...
 

sriabhi

Member
Sep 26, 2012
15
57
banglore
www.galatrix.webscom
wat kernel

this is an easy pease guide to install Ubuntu with working Busybox on your samsung galaxy Tab 10.1


Requirements:
A rooted device (there are lots op threads on xda on how to root your 10.1)
after rooting download Ubuntu installer Free
the second app you need to download is busybox installer
and third you will need to download and install android-vnc you will need this to view the ubuntu after instalation
and then last but not least you can download a overclocking kernel to make things work smoother. there is a thread in xda about this.
and then download the setcpu.apk file. search it on google.


If you have any trouble finding the correct apps and kernels please post in your reply and I will give you the links to the kernels I am using uploaded by myself for you to download

Okay so lets get this party started

okay so after rooting your device install the Ubuntu Installer Free and follow the promts. it is an easy to use app which guides you to 3 downloads. the first download is the ubuntu.sh file. and then there are two links to download the ubuntu image. If you want a light (not good looking) version of ubuntu download the smaller image (the second option of the downloads).
If you want the gnome (sexy looking ubuntu) download the third option.

while you are downloading the files GO AHEAD and install the BusyBox installer app. then choose the 1.18.4 version and install it into you system/bin directory. it will give you the directory in a list to choose. once thats done install the same version again but in the system/xbin directory.

while you wait for ubuntu installer to download the images for you go ahead and search for that nifty overclock kernel. make sure IT IS NOT the one from zedomax because then you will have no screen rotate ability. look for an overclock kernel that has ov_oa in its description. once again post in this thread if you are having troubles and i will upload my kernel.


So after ubuntu installer has downloaded files go ahead and extract them into the /sdcard/ubuntu folder (you will have to create the folder)

after you have extracted the files into /sdcard/ubuntu folder (this directory is in the root of your tab. you do not have to create a folder in the root saying /sdcard/ubuntu. you can just make a folder named Ubuntu and drop the files in there.

so after plainc the files into the Ubuntu folder go to you terminal on your device. if you dont have a terminal you can download it from the market for free. its called android terminal.
in the terminal tipe the following

su
cd /sdcard/ubuntu
sh ubuntu.sh

if you have correct busybox installed you will get a prompt that asks you for the screen size. make the screen size 1280x800

then IF it gives you a choise between lightlinux or Gnome. select option 2. gnome

after that done open android vnc and set the following
name: ubi
password: ubuntu
adress: localhost
port: 5900

and then select connect.

and congratulations. everything was perfect. if not. pm me or reply in this thread for support.


Im having problem, terminal emulator say loop missing.

So plz provide me kernel link and name os version on wich tat kernal need to b flashed
model: samsung galaxy tab 10.1 3g (gt-p7500).
 
Last edited:

sriabhi

Member
Sep 26, 2012
15
57
banglore
www.galatrix.webscom
help me for loop supporte kernal

Im having problem, terminal emulator say loop missing.

So plz provide me kernel link and name os version on wich tat kernal need to b flashed
model: samsung galaxy tab 10.1 3g (gt-p7500).
Hello sir,
I need a kernal for loop support on samsung galaxy tab 10.1 3g
(model: gt-p7500).
Plz send me link for kernal and tell me on what rom that kernal
has to be flashed.
 

komorka

Member
Jan 17, 2011
48
4
can you please direct me to the Ubuntu Installer Free? Can't seem to find it on Play market.
 

Scyrus

New member
Mar 24, 2019
1
0
this is an easy pease guide to install Ubuntu with working Busybox on your samsung galaxy Tab 10.1


Requirements:
A rooted device (there are lots op threads on xda on how to root your 10.1)
after rooting download Ubuntu installer Free
the second app you need to download is busybox installer
and third you will need to download and install android-vnc you will need this to view the ubuntu after instalation
and then last but not least you can download a overclocking kernel to make things work smoother. there is a thread in xda about this.
and then download the setcpu.apk file. search it on google.


If you have any trouble finding the correct apps and kernels please post in your reply and I will give you the links to the kernels I am using uploaded by myself for you to download

Okay so lets get this party started

okay so after rooting your device install the Ubuntu Installer Free and follow the promts. it is an easy to use app which guides you to 3 downloads. the first download is the ubuntu.sh file. and then there are two links to download the ubuntu image. If you want a light (not good looking) version of ubuntu download the smaller image (the second option of the downloads).
If you want the gnome (sexy looking ubuntu) download the third option.

while you are downloading the files GO AHEAD and install the BusyBox installer app. then choose the 1.18.4 version and install it into you system/bin directory. it will give you the directory in a list to choose. once thats done install the same version again but in the system/xbin directory.

while you wait for ubuntu installer to download the images for you go ahead and search for that nifty overclock kernel. make sure IT IS NOT the one from zedomax because then you will have no screen rotate ability. look for an overclock kernel that has ov_oa in its description. once again post in this thread if you are having troubles and i will upload my kernel.


So after ubuntu installer has downloaded files go ahead and extract them into the /sdcard/ubuntu folder (you will have to create the folder)

after you have extracted the files into /sdcard/ubuntu folder (this directory is in the root of your tab. you do not have to create a folder in the root saying /sdcard/ubuntu. you can just make a folder named Ubuntu and drop the files in there.

so after plainc the files into the Ubuntu folder go to you terminal on your device. if you dont have a terminal you can download it from the market for free. its called android terminal.
in the terminal tipe the following

su
cd /sdcard/ubuntu
sh ubuntu.sh

if you have correct busybox installed you will get a prompt that asks you for the screen size. make the screen size 1280x800

then IF it gives you a choise between lightlinux or Gnome. select option 2. gnome

after that done open android vnc and set the following
name: ubi
password: ubuntu
adress: localhost
port: 5900

and then select connect.

and congratulations. everything was perfect. if not. pm me or reply in this thread for support.
I need the download files to run ubuntu on my galalaxy tab 3 10.1. thanks.
 

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    this is an easy pease guide to install Ubuntu with working Busybox on your samsung galaxy Tab 10.1


    Requirements:
    A rooted device (there are lots op threads on xda on how to root your 10.1)
    after rooting download Ubuntu installer Free
    the second app you need to download is busybox installer
    and third you will need to download and install android-vnc you will need this to view the ubuntu after instalation
    and then last but not least you can download a overclocking kernel to make things work smoother. there is a thread in xda about this.
    and then download the setcpu.apk file. search it on google.


    If you have any trouble finding the correct apps and kernels please post in your reply and I will give you the links to the kernels I am using uploaded by myself for you to download

    Okay so lets get this party started

    okay so after rooting your device install the Ubuntu Installer Free and follow the promts. it is an easy to use app which guides you to 3 downloads. the first download is the ubuntu.sh file. and then there are two links to download the ubuntu image. If you want a light (not good looking) version of ubuntu download the smaller image (the second option of the downloads).
    If you want the gnome (sexy looking ubuntu) download the third option.

    while you are downloading the files GO AHEAD and install the BusyBox installer app. then choose the 1.18.4 version and install it into you system/bin directory. it will give you the directory in a list to choose. once thats done install the same version again but in the system/xbin directory.

    while you wait for ubuntu installer to download the images for you go ahead and search for that nifty overclock kernel. make sure IT IS NOT the one from zedomax because then you will have no screen rotate ability. look for an overclock kernel that has ov_oa in its description. once again post in this thread if you are having troubles and i will upload my kernel.


    So after ubuntu installer has downloaded files go ahead and extract them into the /sdcard/ubuntu folder (you will have to create the folder)

    after you have extracted the files into /sdcard/ubuntu folder (this directory is in the root of your tab. you do not have to create a folder in the root saying /sdcard/ubuntu. you can just make a folder named Ubuntu and drop the files in there.

    so after plainc the files into the Ubuntu folder go to you terminal on your device. if you dont have a terminal you can download it from the market for free. its called android terminal.
    in the terminal tipe the following

    su
    cd /sdcard/ubuntu
    sh ubuntu.sh

    if you have correct busybox installed you will get a prompt that asks you for the screen size. make the screen size 1280x800

    then IF it gives you a choise between lightlinux or Gnome. select option 2. gnome

    after that done open android vnc and set the following
    name: ubi
    password: ubuntu
    adress: localhost
    port: 5900

    and then select connect.

    and congratulations. everything was perfect. if not. pm me or reply in this thread for support.
    2
    Okay, after a bit of testing I thought I'd share my findings.

    The installation was really simple, even though I had problems at first due to a wrong Busybox version - but I downgraded to 1.18.4 and it worked just fine.

    I've tried both the "full" install and the "small" one. Both installed without problems, but the "full" one noticeably slower, even when running LXDE desktop environment. Guess that's one of the prices you have to pay for a system with way more applications. Apart from being kinda slow, mostly everything worked fine, the only problem I found was that if you wanted to change the background color of the terminal (the transparent thing wasn't doing it for me) it crashed. Otherwise I've tried out firefox, thunderbird etc. and it all worked fine.

    On the "small" install, things seemed faster, CPU/memory was definitely stressed much less then in the full version. But, I ran into a quite big problem - terminals inside the GUI don't work at all. Everytime I run the lxterminal (tried installing some other terminals too, same problem) it starts up, but doesn't do anything. It doesn't even show the usual prompt (for instance "root@localhost>" or something like that). That means you can't run any terminal commands or apps (like top) through the GUI. You CAN however, run apt-get install through the terminal emulator you used to start the whole thing up.
    So I worked around the problem by installing stuff from the terminal emulator, then trying it out in the GUI. It works, but it's definitely a real setback, since you can't even do simple stuff like "python test.py" etc. (well, you can through the terminal emulator in android, but then you're limited to text stuff, can't start up tkinter or pygame for instance).
    I've managed to run a simple game made in pygame, and it actually had around 20 fps, but since you're looking at it through android-vnc, there's no way for stuff like that to be playable. Felt nice to see your python work on android, especially if you're not on good terms with Java :p.

    I'd also recommend setting the resolution to something smaller, since you have to take the status bar into account - if you don't do that, you'll have to "scroll" up and down to see the whole screen - I've settled on 1280x720, seems to work fine for me.
    Another problem I've noticed is that the Esc, F1, F2, ..., F12 keys didn't work inside linux (I'm using an Apple Wireless keyboard). Also, I couldn't play any music files (wanted to see if voice was working).

    I'll definitely play around with this a bit more, and I can see myself using this (probably directly through the android terminal emulator, since it detects all my keyboard keys and has auto-completion etc.) for some non graphical programming in Python and C on the move, even without a hardware keyboard it's manageable.

    What about anyone else? Did you try it out and what did you think? Anyone has any solutions to my terminal and special keys problem? :)


    PS: Touchscreen doesn't have any problems, you have a few different input modes that you can play around, I haven't found one that would suit me perfectly though (the one I like best can't right click it seems). Ah well, nothing's perfect :)
    1
    it takes up to 4gig of your storage. the ubuntu for the tab is ubuntu 10 Gnome. so everything works as normal ubuntu 10 would work. python and all those compiling programs will work. if you connect a mouse and keyboard to you tab it would work the same way as it would on a pc.