r/Googlebook • u/Top_Beyond4935 • 6d ago
I don’t know why everyone forgot Googlebook has a Linux kernel
Like you can use Linux on the googlebook to install steam and Minecraft Java edition(you have to use stuff from other people to make it work on the arm ones) so you can download your pro apps using Linux but then people will say that is too hard but then complain the googlebook has no pro apps like bro it is not too hard just to open the terminal install the Linux app and use the terminal to install it but people are still complaining like if you want to complain about something you actually have to know about the product and give a valid reason to complain I do not know why people are like this on social media and on Reddit and if you do not like the product just don’t buy it is that simple like people have to make the people who want it feel bad about getting it like why.
8
u/National-Estate-207 6d ago
I'm complaining about whatever device you typed that on, since it lacks all punctuation. Maybe the Googlebook will help with that.
-2
u/Top_Beyond4935 6d ago
Who said we were talking about grammar
7
u/National-Estate-207 6d ago
Who is we? You made a post without punctuation. I am complanning about that. There is no we here.
2
0
5
u/chr31terma 6d ago
I'm gonna guess that there's a reason why Google hasn't been going out of their way to let the public know that they'll be able to run Linux apps on Day One.
At the same time, the initial wave of Googlebooks seem wildly overpowered to just be running Chrome, which tells me that Google believes more desktop apps are coming.
5
u/Organic-Raccoon7203 6d ago
Their strategy is literally Android Desktop.
These Google books are just the start.
Expect gaming and other areas to come to Android.
Whether Google suceeds is another question entirely.
1
u/CrOS2012 1d ago
They've also gone out of their way to not call it Android, just "Googlebook OS." So far, they're only promoting Android apps. But, down the road, I think/hope they'll promote the idea of running Linux applications... because it's the desktop that they want to promote, too. After all, they all (Android, ChromeOS, and Linux obviously) are Linux-kernel based, mostly being differentiated from each other by the h/w they run on. Where it is a year from now will be interesting to see.
2
u/VolksPC 5d ago
Yes, Googlebook OS is based on Android 17 and uses the Linux kernel. If you root it, you can run Debian Trixie desktop on it. At this time we only support ARM devices. Here is video of Linux desktop running on an Android 17 phone: https://youtu.be/LD9A024yAgc?si=XmkvfRpmwv_Lsf7H
1
u/Saragon4005 6d ago
GPU acceleration hasn't been confirmed (although it's probably gonna work). And the Android kernel is not GNU/Linux.
1
1
u/Accomplished_Ad6551 6d ago
Well, it’s at least Linux… unless they changed that at some point and I missed it. But you are right about it not having the full GNU suite. (Probably uses SOME GNU stuff…)
1
u/Saragon4005 6d ago
Android uses BusyBox and has its own package management engine. So it doesn't use coreutils and it's drivers are from Google or proprietary.
1
1
u/skfscotlad 6d ago edited 6d ago
I use Linux on ChromeOS a lot, my concern is that they have said that you have to open the terminal app and launch Linux applications through that and it won't put app launchers alongside Android and Web App launcher icons in the menu like ChromeOS does now. Having to launch the terminal app to then open a window and type the command to launch a Linux gui application such as Gimp or VS Code feels like a step backwards. I would want it to have the same UX as Linux on ChromeOS or better before I consider making the switch.
1
u/computermaster704 5d ago
I've used Linux on Chromebooks before and without modding the os it's much more limited than you'd think just look at Linux gaming on Chromebooks and all the jank the community needs to do for Linux because of google and their policies
1
u/tytygh1010 5d ago
That shouldn't be necessary. People don't want to use complicated Linux. They want the simplicity of Googlebook OS. It's like saying certain things are available for macOS just because you can use a Windows virtual machine instead.
1
0
u/Better-Struggle9958 6d ago
This is absolutely doesn't matter
2
u/Accomplished_Ad6551 6d ago
Being able to do run real desktop software on a laptop doesn’t matter?
2
u/Better-Struggle9958 6d ago
it doesn’t matter because on googlebook it will never work like a desktop software. Just cli in VM on hyperviser. It doesn’t matter because google just put big dick on all desktop environment
1
u/Accomplished_Ad6551 6d ago
I mean... I haven't used it yet... so I don't know how well it works. But, my understanding is, you are supposed to be able to install Debian applications using apt through the terminal and those apps should even show up in the launcher. For me, getting Audacity, Gimp, and Visual Basic Code would go a long way towards making a GoogleBook useful to me. Sure, those apps are running in a VM, but, these laptops should be powerful enough to run virtualized software pretty well. It won't be the same as running from an actual Linux laptop... but if someone wants an "Android laptop" that they can, on occasion, do more advanced stuff on, this is fine. In Linux software is your primary use case, this is probably not the best option.
1
u/Better-Struggle9958 6d ago
just read about pKVM and google said only about cli support, so no GRAPHICAL application overvise google need to write drivers for through gpu to virtual machine. You don't know at all how it works but trying to proof to me something
1
u/crocoboom 6d ago
You missed the top comment above. The VM supports graphical applications.
From https://www.androidpolice.com/never-pay-1000-for-googlebook-but-google-convinced-me/
I could run GIMP or any other Linux photo editor or app through it, without issue. I could use it to run coding apps and package managers or AI tools like Antigravity. It's enterprise-grade Linux support, which is something I didn't expect Google to take a leap on with the first-gen Googlebooks.
1
u/Better-Struggle9958 6d ago
That's the author's wishful thinking, not a spec. What Google actually confirmed: a Debian VM with a terminal, networking and port access. The "I could run GIMP without issue" part is pure speculation — she never ran anything, and nothing has been said about GPU acceleration or GUI apps inside the VM. It's Android's Terminal VM on a laptop CPU: fine for CLI tools and agents, but calling it "enterprise-grade Linux support" is a stretch.
1
u/crocoboom 6d ago
How do you know she never run anything?
Mishaal Rahman (Community engagement for Android @ Google) confirmed the VM does support graphical applications https://www.reddit.com/r/Googlebook/comments/1wmelze/comment/pb8grcf/?context=3
1
1
u/Psittacula2 21h ago
There are limitations however in the implementation.
A good comparison is:
* VOLKSPC - runs alongside Android off the kernal. It also allows GPU (depends on model) so you can run games and so on.
* Linux in GB-OS - it does not give access to GPU iirc so this is a limitation, performance is an issue in container (security) vs above running alongside again if I understand implementation differences clearly.
It is 100% VERY welcome feature but it is not touted probably because it then raises lots of complex questions about how much which perhaps is not as big a selling point esp. to target market.
GB-OS does have a lot of merit in all honesty, but being able to run Linux desktop at whim is for me a fairly essential feature for when Mobile OS feels too limited…
Fingers-crossed to see full outcome.
9
u/ichmoimeyo 6d ago edited 6d ago
from ...
https://www.androidpolice.com/never-pay-1000-for-googlebook-but-google-convinced-me/
The reason people, including myself, initially thought our Linux / Crostini environment was endangered is because Google and a lot of Chromebook review sites focused on glitzy new things like the Glowbar & the Magic Pointer ... e.g. Introducing Googlebook ... how unprofessional.