Operating systems to use smartphones as computers?

[ajr-dev]

Why aren't there any operating systems yet that let you use two user interfaces, the typical android interface and your linux flavor of choice? Phones should already be able to multitask well enough to let them be used as both phones and computers at the same time.

My phone for example is supposed to perform better than an i3-5157u, and similar to Intel UHD Graphics 600. That processor has better performance than the one I had in my previous laptop (Asus X554LA-XX371H). My phone also has 2 more GB of RAM, although I don't know the frequency. The only reason I upgraded my laptop was because the battery died, so really my phone's processor would be more than enough for me.

[pidd]

This thought struck me as well when a bluetooth keyboard unexpectedly worked perfectly with my Iphone.

[Heater]

You can run Linux on your phone:
https://linuxhint.com/run_linux_on_android_devices/
https://www.lifewire.com/run-linux-on-android-4586926

Maybe natively:
https://many.tuxphones.com/

[ajr-dev]

What I had in mind already exists: https://maruos.com/
And that's not the only one, it seems there multiple attempts at doing this.

[Imperf3kt]

You can run Linux on your phone:
https://linuxhint.com/run_linux_on_android_devices/
https://www.lifewire.com/run-linux-on-android-4586926

Maybe natively:
https://many.tuxphones.com/

If you have an Android phone, you're already running Linux.

Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_( ... ng_system)

My main computer has been an Android phone for several years now, but I'm not sure what that has to do with raspberry Pis.

[Heater]

If you have an Android phone, you're already running Linux.

Yeah, yeah, we know. "Linux" is an operating system kernel. Android is an operating system that uses the Linux kernel, da, da, da.

Have you ever noticed that ever since Linux was created people have been saying "linux" in a casual way to refer operating systems like Debian, Ubuntu, Redhat, Slackware, Suse and thousands of others? Otherwise know as "linux distributions".

Heck, Microsoft even has the "Linux Subsystem for Windows" that does not even include a Linux kernel at all. But it does allow one to run many of those Linux distributions user land software.

Android certainly is not that.

My main computer has been an Android phone for several years now...

I'd be interested to know how you do that. Are you running X Windows on your phone and all the typical programs that come in Linux distribution packages? Are you writing and building software on your Android phone? Are you building Android apps on Android phones?

...but I'm not sure what that has to do with raspberry Pis.

Nothing much I guess. Except the Pi runs Linux and it might be nice to have a similar Linux on mobile devices.

[Imperf3kt]

I'd be interested to know how you do that. Are you running X Windows on your phone and all the typical programs that come in Linux distribution packages? Are you writing and building software on your Android phone? Are you building Android apps on Android phones?

Please note I stated "main", not "only".
It is mostly used to browse the internet, pay bills, consume media, read books, edit documents, write and debug code, etc. All by simply using the standard Android 9 OS i have. I dont even have root access.

I occasionally use GIMP (with a mouse plugged in) and I even have a couple of games I play occasionally.

As to building android apps, no, I do that on a windows PC, but I do use the dev tools included to test my apps and optimise / debug / improve them. Its for this exact reason that i keep a variety of old phones with varying capabilities around.

[Heater]

It is mostly used to browse the internet, pay bills, consume media, read books, edit documents, write and debug code, etc.

I'm curious, what are you using to develop code on a phone itself?

[Imperf3kt]

It is mostly used to browse the internet, pay bills, consume media, read books, edit documents, write and debug code, etc.

I'm curious, what are you using to develop code on a phone itself?

Its mostly just writing the code, not really developing it - I still need to transfer it off the phone (usually via a cloud based technology) for proper testing and debugging.

That said, to make it easier, ive installed Dcoder as my default editing application, or i plug in a keyboard / use a bluetooth keyboard.

[Heater]

Its mostly just writing the code, not really developing it - I still need to transfer it off the phone (usually via a cloud based technology) for proper testing and debugging.

Ah right.

That's the thing, my "main" computer has to be able to allow for writing code in all kind of languages and for all kind of targets. I guess Android is not going to make a "main" computer for me.

Which is sad because given the power of modern phones they could do it, if it were possible to install and use Linux easily.

[ajr-dev]

I'm not sure what that has to do with raspberry Pis.

I was thinking of installing an emulation software on the rpi3b+ and then I saw that if I wanted to emulate ps2 I had to use at least an overclocked rpi4. And then I thought probably my phone had more processing power than the overclocked rpi4 but as I can't just change the operating system in the phone by swapping a micro SD card like in the raspberry I would need an OS that would let me install an emulation software. That way I would have an emulation system even more portable than the raspberry.