Java and Linux on the Android - Almost the Perfect Match?

As this blogspot's subtitle states, you'll be reading more about Java and Linux here (aside from physics) than anything else, and I was hoping I'd have the opportunity to write a post that would talk about both of them under the same spotlight. Tonight, I was given that opportunity.

When browsing through the web lately, no one and I mean no one is spared from bumping into anything about G1, G-phone, Google Phone, Android, or whatever other name's attached to that thing. Thus, it wasn't entirely surprising that I ended up clicking on one of those articles that talked about this latest, hottest gizmo. Then link after link and click after click eventually brought me to the realization that what I had been dreaming of, that marriage of Linux and Java made in heaven had finally arrived! And of all chapels, they had to be wed under one that brought along so much fanfare, so much hype... the gphone/android/g1/etc. Apparently, applications that run on this phone are written in the Java programming language, on top of a Linux kernel.

Ah, but before all you java-linux fans start jumping up and down like I almost did, read on... as I also did. Well, here's what I discovered: while the apps will be written in Java, they won't be running as Java bytecodes. Rather, they'll be compiled into what are known as Dalvik bytecodes. They also won't be executed on a standard Java Virtual Machine. Rather,they will be running over the Dalvik virtual machine, a specialized VM designed specially for mobile devices.

So much for the marriage of the century. This has not totally dampened my enthusiasm though. In fact, expect to read more about that gizmo/phone here. Yes, yes, I know you've had enough of androids and iphones. Don't worry I'll be concentrating more on linux and java than the phone itself. For who knows? These two might end up in each other's arms in the end. Being in one little phone might just be too cozy for both of them to resist.

For those who are about to puke, i.e., if you're not the romantic type but are simply here for just java or linux, here are some information that you might find useful:

The android architecture makes use of Linux kernel version 2.6 to take care of core system services; including security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model.

It contains a set of C/C++ libraries that developers can have access to through the Android application framework

Well, if you want to know more about the Android architecture, you may check out Google's android site.

I will be talking more about Android applications, since they ARE written in Java, in my future posts. Besides, since they DO run on a Linux kernel, we just might end up talking about small Linux apps that can run on the phone as well. What do you think?

PCLinuxOS - Why would you want to try it out?

I've had PCLinuxOS as a dual-boot pair to Windows XP since it held the number one slot at Distrowatch more than a year ago. I was about to replace it with the distro that regained the top spot a few months after it was dislodged by PCLinuxOS - the immensely popular Ubuntu. But that was before last October 16.

That day was a milestone for this blog as it hit 60+ unique visits. I know that number is quite pathetic by many many other blogs' standards, but it was already a milestone for me, having been unable to hit beyond 5 unique visits on any day.

I know the sole catalyst for that feat was because a link to my article, "Windows XP - PCLinuxOS Dual Boot Saves the Day", was included in tuxmachine.org's Today's Leftovers section (Many thanks Susan!). But that made me wonder: Did the visitors simply click that link because it was in the list, or did they do it because of PCLOS? Well, I'm about to find out soon enough because in this post, I intend to talk solely about my personal experience with PCLinuxOS. Replacing my PCLinuxOS installation with Ubuntu will have to wait. Besides, Ubuntu 8.1 won't be released until after 12 days.

Ok, 'nuf on the intro.

First of all, I'm not a hard-core Linux user/expert, so my recommendations will focus on the common features; i.e., those that are mostly used by the average user. Anyway, here they go...

1. User interface. Easily one of the most Windows-looking distro GUI's out there. Let's face it, if you'd want the average computer user to shift to Linux, you'd have to introduce them to an alternative that doesn't radically deviate from what they're used to. In this case, they're absolutely used to Windows. I stayed with this distro longer than with any other. I've tried Red Hat (when it was still free), Fedora, Ubuntu, openSuse, and even Solaris (immediately when it became free). Only PCLinuxOS gave me the luxury of not having to re-adapt big-time everytime I shifted from Windows to Linux on my dual-boot system.
2. PCLinuxOS installation. Unlike other distros, PCLinuxOS 2007 came with only one CD. Thus, it didn't take a long time to finish the installation. And to think everything I needed was already there. Furthermore, the installation went smoothly and was very intuitive. Every hardware on my desktop was compatible with the installation, so I was able to enjoy everything that I enjoyed in Windows in terms of what my hardware could offer: USB, network cards, video cards, audio, etc.
3. Installation of additional applications. Since PCLinuxOS comes with the Synaptic package manager, adding more applications is very easy. Updating already-installed apps are also as easy as point-and-click especially if you have an Internet connection. Ever since, my experience with installing Java and Netbeans on other Linux distros was a very rigorous process. There was no way I could install them without going through the dreaded terminal. With Synaptic, you added programs without so much as having a glimpse of the terminal at all.
4. Harddisk partitions accessibility. The good thing about Linux is that you can easily edit your MS Office documents through OpenOffice. You can even save them back as .doc if you want. The problem usually sprouts from not being able to have access to them from the Linux environment (I'm talking about a dual-boot system). You'd have to mount them by going through that dreaded terminal again. With PCLOS, the windows partitions are automatically mounted, visible, and easily accessible. So you can edit your MS Office documents as if you were in the Windows environment.
5. Light on the resources. Perhaps it's just my imagination, but it appears that PCLinuxOS runs faster on the same PC compared to other distros that I've tried. I'm referring to the reaction time on clicks, moves, and resizes on icons and windows.
   

If you have doubts with what I've written here, I encourage you to try it out yourself. ;)

Windows XP - PCLinuxOS Dual Boot Saves the Day

I always make it a point to set up my workhorse PC or laptop as a Windows - Linux dual boot system. And I do this mainly for two reasons.

First, is economics. I love to try out various Linux distros, usually whatever holds the number one spot at Distrowatch, so I keep an extra partition to install whatever distro catches my fancy. By having a dual boot, I don't have to keep an extra computer to install Linux on.

Second, is for security. While I guess there are Linux viruses out there, I have yet to experience a serious attack from them. Most of my past headaches were caused by Windows-based viruses. And when they did, at least I had an immediate fall-back as I can easily access my Windows files from the Linux OS.

That's exactly what happened a couple of hours ago.

The deadline for the submission of grades is fast approaching, and it's understandable that I'm going at full speed with my checking and recording. Unfortunately, it is during these times that I also have this uncanny attraction to Murphy's Law. And this time, the law manifested in the form of a virus.

Now, I still have to find out what virus it was, but it really started messing up with my Excel spreadsheet. Whenever I filled a cell with data, they transformed into some cryptic text after a few seconds.

I didn't have time to do a virus scan. A quick look at the main directory via the command prompt showing a hidden autorun.inf containing suspicious entries confirmed that there was one lurking around. Sure, I was able to remove the autorun.inf file, but who knows what other files contained them. To continue working on my spreadsheet ASAP, I simply restarted the system, booted up on PCLinuxOS, and completed my work there.

Yes, yes. I know PCLinuxOS no longer holds the number one spot at Distrowatch. I aim to replace it with Ubuntu during the semestral break. And yes, you can read about that Windows XP - Ubuntu dual boot installation here when I'm through.