[GUIDE] How to get Ubuntu on the TouchPad

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jul644

Senior Member
Jul 22, 2009
955
200
London Ontario
www.lmgtfy.com
First off this is completely from Rennat over at PreCentral

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TUTORIAL: How to get the UbuntuChroot up and running for your HP TouchPad

Intro:
UbuntuChroot is the raw Ubuntu terminal without the familiar GNOME graphical interface that all have come to think of Ubuntu. With this installed, you will be able to install ubuntu programs and launch them with in the terminal card.
To do this, the basic rundown will be making a new WebOS Doctor that has a separete partition of memory for Ubuntu to run with in. Then we will install it on your TouchPad and mount that partition so it will be able to be used after a reboot of the device. Lastly, we will install Xecutah, XServer, and UbuntuChroot from Preware and boot up Ubuntu on your TouchPad.
Both credit and Props go to WebOS Internals for making this possible and putting in all the hard work they have to make it as easy as it is.

Warnings:
I nor WebOS Internals take no responsibility over what may happen to your device. If you follow these instructions it 'should' work perfectly. If you do endup messing something up you 'should' be able to just doctor the device using the stock WebOS Doctor from HP.


Step Zero:
- I have provided 2 different ways to set your device up to install the UbuntuChroot onto your device; use the meta-doctor and create your own doctor (Step 1-A) or do as Step 1-B says and contact my army of monkeys for an easier alternitive that won't take forever.

##You my want to backup app data and the like using Save/Restore in Preware as you will lose all your data buy installing a WebOS Doctor. Please do so! And done hesitate to ask questions.



Step 1-A: Creating a WebOS Doctor
- We will be using the Meta Doctor to create a special WebOS Doctor that will create a 2GB (or more if you wish to do so) partition in /media/ext3fs/ were Ubuntu will be.
- Use the WebOS Internals Guide to installing and running the Meta Doctor. In Step 2 you will have to rename you downloaded webOS doctor to the name of the Bell Mobility doctor they have under Step 2'3 (webosdoctorp100ewwbellmo.jar) go ahead and add the webOS version after it like it advises.

- In Step 2'6, if you are using a Wifi Only TouchPad you will be using the last one which has touchpad for device and WiFi all for the carrier.

- Once the Meta Doctor is done, run the Web's Doctor it created under the 'builds' folder. And setup your device.


Step 1-B: Contacting My Army of Monkeys
- If you are having trouble with or are intimidated by Step 1-A go ahead and contact my army of monkeys at armys.of.monkeys@gmail.com. Simple.


Step 2: Mounting the new ext3fc partition on bootup
- Now before we continue we have to make sure we have the partition fully setup and mounted on bootup. To do this follow the below WebOS Internals instructions.

All of this is done on device either via novaterm or an SSH login. (simpler terms mean use WebOS Quick install by connecting you device, opening WebOSQuickInstall, and click Tools-Command Line.) If your device does NOT have a folder at /media/ext3fs then you will need to create it first. Use the following two commands:
Code:
mount -o remount,rw /
mkdir -p /media/ext3fs
it is important that you use /media/ext3fs as the location, otherwise some homebrew applications (such as Optware and the Ubuntu 11.04 Chroot) will not be able to find it and use it properly.
After you have created the mountpoint, we are going to edit the fstab file to set it up to mount at bootup.
Code:
mount -o remount,rw /
echo "/dev/mapper/store-ext3fs /media/ext3fs ext3  noatime,data=writeback  0  0" >> /etc/fstab
Now to get it mounted you have several options, the best one is the first command as it will use the data in /etc/fstab. If that works, then you have done this correctly and your ext3fs will mount at bootup.
Code:
mount -a
If you do not want it mounted at bootup, but you do need it mounted, you can use this command.
Code:
mount /dev/mapper/store-ext3fs /media/ext3fs

Step 3: Adding Testing Feeds
- Follow these WebOS Internals Instructions to add the Testing Feeds.
NOTE: These are edited slightly and will only work on a Wifi only TouchPad.
- Open Preware and wait for it to finish loading.
- Open the App Menu (tap "Preware" in the top left corner of the screen) and tap Manage feeds.
- Scroll to the bottom until you see the New Feed box.
- Type or paste a name (webos-testing-armv7) and URL (Right Click - Copy Address) sure the URL does *not* have a slash at the end.
- Make sure the IS COMPRESSED option is set to YES.
- Tap Add Feed and then tap Yes when the alert pops up.
- Gesture swipe back. Preware will alert you that you have added feeds and ask if you want to update them now. Choose YES.

Step 4: Installing UbuntuChroot, Xecutah, and XServer

- Open up Preware and tap List Of Everything.
- Search for and install the following: UbuntuChroot, Xecutah, and XServer
- Now opened Xecutah and tap XServer and a new card will come up.
- Go back to Xecutah and tap UbuntuChroot. Then swipe back to the new card that came up.
- Now you should have the Ubuntu terminal. Done. It should have a few 'mount' commands and then the @Touchpad:

Step 5: Installing Programs
- Now to have some fun after all that work you put in!
- Type the below and it will update the program lists.
Code:
apt-get update

- Now type the following to install what ever you wish!
Code:
/***type the below for AbiWord
apt-get install abiword

/***type the below for the Chromium Browser
apt-get install chromium-browser

/***type the below for GIMP
apt-get install gimp

/***type the below for Eclipse
apt-get install eclipse

/**type the below for LibreOffice
apt-get install LibreOffice

/***type the below for LXDE (a windows graphical interface) and then launch it by typing lxsession.
apt-get install lxde

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
agian from precentral enjoy guys
Mods please move to there thread i was in a rush (dead battery) and put it in the wrong forum
 
Last edited:

paperWastage

Senior Member
Mar 18, 2009
1,000
496
NJ
able to get ubuntu chroot working properly, with libreoffice

now, hunting for a Bluetooth Keyboard

any one going to test if BT Mouses work? (yeah, i know theres a touchscreen)
 
Last edited:

harsh3090416

Member
Jun 25, 2008
5
0
what version of libreoffice does it install the latest one? And if anyone has installed it the ubuntu laggy or is it normal.
 

paperWastage

Senior Member
Mar 18, 2009
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496
NJ
what version of libreoffice does it install the latest one? And if anyone has installed it the ubuntu laggy or is it normal.

a little laggy sometimes, but still usable most of the time without any problems

libreoffice 3.3.2... you should probably check the ubuntu ARM 11.04 repository to see what is there

top says 1gb ram, 0.90gb used.... not sure why......

EDIT: Tried pairing a BT Mouse... able to find the device via "BT->Search other", but unable to pair properly. Mouse said paired successful, but touchpad couldnt continue, kept searching for devices

Tried "BT->Search Keyboard", but couldnt find the mouse this way




 
Last edited:
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kevina90

Senior Member
Jul 14, 2010
533
73
maryland
Now they have Debian chroot. Works great as well. Both can coexist at once. All it is is a folder at /media/extfs

Btw, has anyone gotten gnome working? I keep getting segmentation faults.
 

samvillian

Senior Member
May 12, 2011
102
30
mount: mounting /dev/mapper/store-ext3fs on /media/ext3fs failed: No such file o
r directory


Why am i getting this error when trying to mount? It's really ticking me off as I haven't done anything different from the instructions.



I just spent an hour redoing the whole thing and guess what... i'm pissed off :D

same ****
 
Last edited:

paperWastage

Senior Member
Mar 18, 2009
1,000
496
NJ
mount: mounting /dev/mapper/store-ext3fs on /media/ext3fs failed: No such file o
r directory


Why am i getting this error when trying to mount? It's really ticking me off as I haven't done anything different from the instructions.



I just spent an hour redoing the whole thing and guess what... i'm pissed off :D

same ****
looks like you didn't do metadoctor properly,
or you didn't make the /media/ext3fs directory,
or "mount -o remount,rw" didn't execute properly

1st problem: your touchpad should have around 10GB free(out of 16GB, or do the math if you have a 32/64gb)
2nd problem: go back to cmd prompt and check that /media/ext3fs exists
3rd problem: reinstall via webos doctor and do it again
 

Komodo Rogue

Senior Member
Oct 30, 2010
336
100
DC
Now they have Debian chroot. Works great as well. Both can coexist at once. All it is is a folder at /media/extfs

Btw, has anyone gotten gnome working? I keep getting segmentation faults.

Sorry, this is off topic. I'm sure Android will get here, but I really want to use my Touchpad (I haven't done much because I figured everything would get wiped anyway this weekend), so I think I'm going to give Linux a go. My understanding of Linux is rather crap. I thought Linux was the OS, and Ubuntu and other things were just GUIs to make it easier for people unfamiliar with command line. How could Debian simultaneously coexist?

I know I could go to wikipedia and look around and try to understand it, but by chance does anyone know any website that kinda describes Linux to beginners? I don't just want to follow the directions step by step on the guide (although its brilliant, looks very easy)without having the slightest effin idea what everything is, you know? Its weird, Linux confuses me, I don't know why. I've used ubuntu a number of times but it's just browsing firefox, not exactly rocket science!

Thanks if you can easily give link and press send then thanks but don't go out of your way, I can find something eventually, but I don't want someone else mucking around for my sake. Its no emergency.
 

yareally

Senior Member
Feb 19, 2011
1,444
229
codingcreation.com
Sorry, this is off topic. I'm sure Android will get here, but I really want to use my Touchpad (I haven't done much because I figured everything would get wiped anyway this weekend), so I think I'm going to give Linux a go. My understanding of Linux is rather crap. I thought Linux was the OS, and Ubuntu and other things were just GUIs to make it easier for people unfamiliar with command line. How could Debian simultaneously coexist?

I know I could go to wikipedia and look around and try to understand it, but by chance does anyone know any website that kinda describes Linux to beginners? I don't just want to follow the directions step by step on the guide (although its brilliant, looks very easy)without having the slightest effin idea what everything is, you know? Its weird, Linux confuses me, I don't know why. I've used ubuntu a number of times but it's just browsing firefox, not exactly rocket science!

Thanks if you can easily give link and press send then thanks but don't go out of your way, I can find something eventually, but I don't want someone else mucking around for my sake. Its no emergency.

I would just find a book on amazon about linux with good reviews made in the past 1-2 years. I would look for one that is distribution neutral.

The reason you can have webos on there and another version of linux is because it's basically installed in another partition (not really, but that's the easiest way I can describe it to you). The actual details of how chroot works are different, but that should relate enough to you to get what it it is.
 

gunnyman

Senior Member
Apr 12, 2010
7,998
2,668
Greenville SC
Linux is the Kernel. Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and the rest are distributions of that kernel along with a GUI, and programs to make it a fully functional OS like Windows or OS X.
The Debian and Ubuntu on WebOS is minimal pared down distribution with no gui.
 

gunnyman

Senior Member
Apr 12, 2010
7,998
2,668
Greenville SC
I just went thru all the steps , contacting the army of monkeys, and installed all the preware stuff.

I get Service Error Unable to run command : /sbin/initctl start org.webinternals.debian-squeeze etc etc

Unknown job org.webosinternals.debian-squeeze-chroot.

I got this with the Ubuntu chroot too. any ideas?
 

samvillian

Senior Member
May 12, 2011
102
30
looks like you didn't do metadoctor properly,
or you didn't make the /media/ext3fs directory,
or "mount -o remount,rw" didn't execute properly

1st problem: your touchpad should have around 10GB free(out of 16GB, or do the math if you have a 32/64gb)
2nd problem: go back to cmd prompt and check that /media/ext3fs exists
3rd problem: reinstall via webos doctor and do it again

I've redone webos doctor like 4 times already.

How do I check if the directory exists? Plus i'm on a fresh 32gb, so its not that.

thanks


edit: i tested to see if the directories existed and i found a possible error.

i just cd to the folder to see if it exists, and media/ext3fs existed.
but the /dev/mapper/store-ext3fs doesn't exist apparently...
would that be the issue?
 
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    First off this is completely from Rennat over at PreCentral

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    TUTORIAL: How to get the UbuntuChroot up and running for your HP TouchPad

    Intro:
    UbuntuChroot is the raw Ubuntu terminal without the familiar GNOME graphical interface that all have come to think of Ubuntu. With this installed, you will be able to install ubuntu programs and launch them with in the terminal card.
    To do this, the basic rundown will be making a new WebOS Doctor that has a separete partition of memory for Ubuntu to run with in. Then we will install it on your TouchPad and mount that partition so it will be able to be used after a reboot of the device. Lastly, we will install Xecutah, XServer, and UbuntuChroot from Preware and boot up Ubuntu on your TouchPad.
    Both credit and Props go to WebOS Internals for making this possible and putting in all the hard work they have to make it as easy as it is.

    Warnings:
    I nor WebOS Internals take no responsibility over what may happen to your device. If you follow these instructions it 'should' work perfectly. If you do endup messing something up you 'should' be able to just doctor the device using the stock WebOS Doctor from HP.


    Step Zero:
    - I have provided 2 different ways to set your device up to install the UbuntuChroot onto your device; use the meta-doctor and create your own doctor (Step 1-A) or do as Step 1-B says and contact my army of monkeys for an easier alternitive that won't take forever.

    ##You my want to backup app data and the like using Save/Restore in Preware as you will lose all your data buy installing a WebOS Doctor. Please do so! And done hesitate to ask questions.



    Step 1-A: Creating a WebOS Doctor
    - We will be using the Meta Doctor to create a special WebOS Doctor that will create a 2GB (or more if you wish to do so) partition in /media/ext3fs/ were Ubuntu will be.
    - Use the WebOS Internals Guide to installing and running the Meta Doctor. In Step 2 you will have to rename you downloaded webOS doctor to the name of the Bell Mobility doctor they have under Step 2'3 (webosdoctorp100ewwbellmo.jar) go ahead and add the webOS version after it like it advises.

    - In Step 2'6, if you are using a Wifi Only TouchPad you will be using the last one which has touchpad for device and WiFi all for the carrier.

    - Once the Meta Doctor is done, run the Web's Doctor it created under the 'builds' folder. And setup your device.


    Step 1-B: Contacting My Army of Monkeys
    - If you are having trouble with or are intimidated by Step 1-A go ahead and contact my army of monkeys at armys.of.monkeys@gmail.com. Simple.


    Step 2: Mounting the new ext3fc partition on bootup
    - Now before we continue we have to make sure we have the partition fully setup and mounted on bootup. To do this follow the below WebOS Internals instructions.

    All of this is done on device either via novaterm or an SSH login. (simpler terms mean use WebOS Quick install by connecting you device, opening WebOSQuickInstall, and click Tools-Command Line.) If your device does NOT have a folder at /media/ext3fs then you will need to create it first. Use the following two commands:
    Code:
    mount -o remount,rw /
    mkdir -p /media/ext3fs
    it is important that you use /media/ext3fs as the location, otherwise some homebrew applications (such as Optware and the Ubuntu 11.04 Chroot) will not be able to find it and use it properly.
    After you have created the mountpoint, we are going to edit the fstab file to set it up to mount at bootup.
    Code:
    mount -o remount,rw /
    echo "/dev/mapper/store-ext3fs /media/ext3fs ext3  noatime,data=writeback  0  0" >> /etc/fstab
    Now to get it mounted you have several options, the best one is the first command as it will use the data in /etc/fstab. If that works, then you have done this correctly and your ext3fs will mount at bootup.
    Code:
    mount -a
    If you do not want it mounted at bootup, but you do need it mounted, you can use this command.
    Code:
    mount /dev/mapper/store-ext3fs /media/ext3fs

    Step 3: Adding Testing Feeds
    - Follow these WebOS Internals Instructions to add the Testing Feeds.
    NOTE: These are edited slightly and will only work on a Wifi only TouchPad.
    - Open Preware and wait for it to finish loading.
    - Open the App Menu (tap "Preware" in the top left corner of the screen) and tap Manage feeds.
    - Scroll to the bottom until you see the New Feed box.
    - Type or paste a name (webos-testing-armv7) and URL (Right Click - Copy Address) sure the URL does *not* have a slash at the end.
    - Make sure the IS COMPRESSED option is set to YES.
    - Tap Add Feed and then tap Yes when the alert pops up.
    - Gesture swipe back. Preware will alert you that you have added feeds and ask if you want to update them now. Choose YES.

    Step 4: Installing UbuntuChroot, Xecutah, and XServer

    - Open up Preware and tap List Of Everything.
    - Search for and install the following: UbuntuChroot, Xecutah, and XServer
    - Now opened Xecutah and tap XServer and a new card will come up.
    - Go back to Xecutah and tap UbuntuChroot. Then swipe back to the new card that came up.
    - Now you should have the Ubuntu terminal. Done. It should have a few 'mount' commands and then the @Touchpad:

    Step 5: Installing Programs
    - Now to have some fun after all that work you put in!
    - Type the below and it will update the program lists.
    Code:
    apt-get update

    - Now type the following to install what ever you wish!
    Code:
    /***type the below for AbiWord
    apt-get install abiword
    
    /***type the below for the Chromium Browser
    apt-get install chromium-browser
    
    /***type the below for GIMP
    apt-get install gimp
    
    /***type the below for Eclipse
    apt-get install eclipse
    
    /**type the below for LibreOffice
    apt-get install LibreOffice
    
    /***type the below for LXDE (a windows graphical interface) and then launch it by typing lxsession.
    apt-get install lxde

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    agian from precentral enjoy guys
    Mods please move to there thread i was in a rush (dead battery) and put it in the wrong forum
    3
    To create the ext3 partion without using the doctor use the following code in NovaTerm or Xterm on the TP;

    Code:
    lvm.static lvresize -L -2G /dev/store/media
    lvm.static lvcreate -L 2G -n ext3fs store
    mkfs.ext3 /dev/store/ext3fs

    Then proceed to Step 2 of this guide.
    2
    Thats on Ubuntu or Arch?

    Ubuntu. From what I read (real quickly) Xserver doesn't want to plug in to Arch ARM in the chroot environment yet (I could be wrong, I just looked quickly).

    Got it running in Ubuntu though, and everything seems pretty snappy. Here's basically how I did it:

    apt-get install libgtkstylus
    apt-get install xfce4

    Add this line to /root/.bashrc

    Code:
    alias startgui='export GTK_MODULE=libgtkstylus.so && startxfce4'

    You'll need to restart xserver and ubuntu chroot then when you want to start XFCE, just type startgui into the terminal and it should start up without a hitch, and long pressing will serve as right-clicking. There's also an addon for chromium called chrome-touch or something like that which allows you to treat it as a touchscreen as far as scrolling goes.

    I also changed the DPI setting in the Appearance app to 132 and adjusted the font size accordingly. Made fonts look more smooth and nice, since that's the actual DPI anyway.

    Let me know if I can be of any help.
    2
    After pairing with a Bluetooth keyboard I still get a black box on my xserver window where the onscreen keyboard should be. I assume this is because I installed it with the onscreen keyboard enabled? How can I fix this?

    Edit: Found the solution... download the "Tweaks" app from preware and set the keyboard to "off" for xserver. Nice...
    1
    Does anything else besides chromium, abiword, eclipse, libreoffice, lxde and gimp work?