FAQ

This project is no longer maintained. You might be interested in Ubuntu Touch though.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please Note that this is an old list and most likely outdated. Refer to Ask Ubuntu for the latest FAQ and Frequently asked questions

Contents

  1. Frequently Asked Questions
    1. General
      1. How do you reset the device when it locks up?
      2. Do you plan to support dual booting Ubuntu and Android?
      3. Are there plans to move off the android kernel?
      4. Is everything included in main/universe archives?
      5. Will my Nexus 7 receive updates through apt?
      6. Will this image work on the Nexus 10?
      7. Were there modifications to udev?
      8. Are there any plans to support Gnome-Shell/Cinnamon/LXDE/etc?
      9. The installer doesn't look like anything is happening. Is it stuck?
      10. Does the image have whoopsie on it?
      11. Will android apps run on this device?
      12. Does putting Ubuntu on the Nexus 7 void the warranty?
      13. Can we remove the Google Logo from the bootloader?
      14. Why is the screen black during boot? There is no Ubuntu logo
      15. Is suspend supported?
      16. How is the battery life compared to Android?
      17. How do I change the kernel command line?
      18. Why are -updates and -proposed disabled?
    2. Contributing
      1. Where do we find bugs to fix?
      2. How can I participate as a community member?
      3. How can I write a C/C++/Java app that can run on both Ubuntu and Android?
      4. Where can I log bugs against this project?
      5. I have a patch to fix a program, but I don't have upload rights
      6. I can reproduce a bug, can you fix it?
    3. UI & Handling
      1. Can we change the UI to make it more touch friendly?
      2. How do I right click?
      3. How can I use the escape key?
      4. Can the screen be rotated?
      5. Is unity compiled against GL ES?
      6. Will there be a screenshot capability similar to android?
    4. Hardware
      1. Is bluetooth currently supported? Will my bluetooth keyboard work?
      2. The ambient light sensor/camera is not currently supported. Are there plans to support it?
      3. Can I plug in a hub with a keyboard and mouse?
      4. Will we be able to charge over OTG cable?
      5. Are there plans to enable the 3G on the 32GB device?
      6. Does the Nexus 7 running Ubuntu charge when plugged into a computer?
      7. If the device is plugged into a computer, how is it shown?

General

How do you reset the device when it locks up?

To do a hard reset, press and hold the volume down button, and then press and hold the power button until the device is reset, showing the Google logo, indicating the bootloader is up.

Do you plan to support dual booting Ubuntu and Android?

There are currently no plans by Canonical or Ubuntu to support dual booting Ubuntu and Android, but there is a working solution for Ubuntu 13.04 on the XDA mobile developer forum. See also bug 1078391.

Are there plans to move off the android kernel?

Currently there are no plans to move off the Android Kernel, as the nvidia drivers are written against these specific kernel versions. There are however, plans to update to newer Android kernels as they are released for the device.

Is everything included in main/universe archives?

Not all packages are in main/universe yet, as there are some Nexus 7 specific packages. These packages are found in the nexus 7 ppa (ppa:ubuntu-nexus7/ppa). Note: This ppa is enabled by default.

Will my Nexus 7 receive updates through apt?

Yes, we will be pushing updates to the Nexus 7 specific packages through the Nexus 7 PPA, and other updates will be provided from main/universe as a normal system would.

Will this image work on the Nexus 10?

No, this image will not work. The Nexus 10 has a completely different SoC (Samsung exynos vs. nVidia tegra3).

Were there modifications to udev?

There are no patches to udev, but there are additional rules to modify the android partitions. These can be found in ./etc/udev/rules.d

Are there any plans to support Gnome-Shell/Cinnamon/LXDE/etc?

The focus of this project is on the core of the OS, so there are no plans to support shells at this time. Patches, however, are welcome.

The installer doesn't look like anything is happening. Is it stuck?

The installer has several steps that can take quite a long time (up to about 15 minutes). The installer may be working as expected in these cases. There are plans in the future to add a progress indicator to mitigate this.

Does the image have whoopsie on it?

Yes, whoopsie is running.

Will android apps run on this device?

There are no plans to support android apps running in Ubuntu.

Does putting Ubuntu on the Nexus 7 void the warranty?

According to Google, as long as Stock Android is running and the bootloader is re-locked, the warranty will still be valid. To return the device to stock android, please follow the directions on Installation. To re-lock the bootloader, place the device into fastboot mode, and run sudo fastboot oem lock

Can we remove the Google Logo from the bootloader?

There are no firm plans to try this, although it may be possible. Patches welcome!

Plymouth is disabled in the build due to bugs with plymouth specific to the tegra3 platform.

Is suspend supported?

Suspend is currently supported from the system indicator. However, it does not currently work from the power menu, as there is an upstream bug here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-session/+bug/1059955

How is the battery life compared to Android?

Preliminary testing has shown comparable battery life. There are plans for more rigorous testing in the near future.

How do I change the kernel command line?

Kernel command line can be changes with `sudo abootimg -u /dev/mmcblk0p2 -c cmdline ='foo bar baz'

Why are -updates and -proposed disabled?

These repos are disabled to ensure that the packages that we've modified for the Nexus 7 are not superseded by newer upstream versions before we have a chance to update the packages. If you want to upgrade, ensure you add the below to a new file called /etc/apt/preferences.d/ubuntu-nexus7-ppa:

 Package: *
 Pin: release o=LP-PPA-ubuntu-nexus7
 Pin-Priority: 600

Contributing

Where do we find bugs to fix?

Bugs are filed either in the ubuntu-nexus7 project, or upstream with the tags mobile or nexus7.

How can I participate as a community member?

You can log bugs to the bug list, help with battery/graphics benchmarking, help gather logs/data for already opened bugs, answer questions on AskUbuntu, or test the device!

How can I write a C/C++/Java app that can run on both Ubuntu and Android?

freedesktop waffle for opengl apps supports both Ubuntu and Android. Please talk to David Planella.

Where can I log bugs against this project?

http://launchpad.net/ubuntu-nexus7

I have a patch to fix a program, but I don't have upload rights

Send us a patch by logging a bug, and attaching the patch to the bug.

I can reproduce a bug, can you fix it?

File the bug on launchpad and it will be looked at. http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-nexus7/+filebug

UI & Handling

Can we change the UI to make it more touch friendly?

The main purpose of this project is to get the core of Ubuntu ready for mobile devices. This means using RAM and power more efficiently, etc. As of now, we can not change the UI to make it more touch friendly. We will however, happily accept patches.

How do I right click?

Currently, the multi-touch input for right click is not functional. You can however, right click with the aid of the Onboard keyboard. Simply open onboard, click the mouse pointer, and then the right leaning cursor, and the next click will be a right click.

How can I use the escape key?

You can use the escape key by using the full keyboard layout in Onboard. To switch to this layout, open Onboard settings, then go to Layout and select Full keyboard. The onscreen keyboard will now have the escape key.

Can the screen be rotated?

The screen can be rotated via software by running /usr/bin/xrotate. There are currently some issues with this method, but it is being worked on. There are future plans to tie this to the accelerometer, but this is not working quite yet.

Is unity compiled against GL ES?

Yes, unity is compiled against GL ES.

Will there be a screenshot capability similar to android?

There has been a bug filed for this functionality. In the meantime, gnome-screenshot is supported.

Hardware

Is bluetooth currently supported? Will my bluetooth keyboard work?

Currently, bluetooth is not yet fully supported, especially due to bug 1070770. While you may be able to see your devices in the bluetooth applet, you may not be able to pair/connect to them, especially keyboards do not work but mice do. Easiest, but not very portable is using a USB keyboard (plugged into a hub with the OTG cable) if you plan on doing a lot of typing on the device. You can also apply a workaround to stabilize the Bluetooth stack. Then Bluetooth keyboards (and probably other devices) will work, but Bluetooth printers still not (bug 1080507).

The ambient light sensor/camera is not currently supported. Are there plans to support it?

Yes, there are plans to support it. You can follow the specifications here: http://summit.ubuntu.com/uds-r/meeting/21334/desktop-r-arm-input-sensor-drivers/

Can I plug in a hub with a keyboard and mouse?

Yes, with the OTG cable, a hub with a keyboard and mouse is fully functional.

Will we be able to charge over OTG cable?

There are plans to enable charging over OTG. There is an updated kernel in a testing PPA which will be released upon further testing.

Are there plans to enable the 3G on the 32GB device?

There are currently no firm plans, but this may be enabled in the future.

Does the Nexus 7 running Ubuntu charge when plugged into a computer?

Yes, it charges very slowly though.

If the device is plugged into a computer, how is it shown?

When plugged in, the device is not currently mounted, so it won't automatically show up at all.

Nexus7/FAQ (last edited 2013-01-01 13:32:34 by p5DDBA83F)