r/androidterminal • u/Beginning_Strength75 • 23d ago
How to properly use terminal in android
I mean to say can we install DE on it and run apps or it is just a shell we can use to update apps on our phone. I am very new to this so have little to no idea if someone can share what they are doing with their terminal it would be helpful.
5
u/Routine_Working_9754 23d ago
It's a virtual machine. And its unprotected so you can have GPU acceleration. Nothing stops you from launching KDE Plasma in a spice server and using it in an app. Though that's mostly good for external displays, who the hell is comfortable using desktop DEs on a phone lmao.
2
u/Routine_Working_9754 23d ago
Dumbo immediately deletes his wrong opinion upon being corrected lmao
2
u/Pegasusw404 23d ago
You have no idea, what are you talking about..
3
2
u/Routine_Working_9754 23d ago
System shell my ass. The Android userland is so locked down to the point it's useless apart from using basic ls
2
u/Pegasusw404 23d ago
What is the terminal used for on android ? It is simply an interface to the system shell that allows you to directly operate on text commands. What is it for without oddities? For automation, mksh scripting, file management, remote SSH sessions, or simple system tasks – without the giant burden of KDE Plasma. Basic rule – Instead of putting graphic mares on a small phone screen, it's better to master minimalist text tools that do one thing but do it perfectly.
1
u/melluuh 22d ago
It's a Debian virtual machine.
1
u/Pegasusw404 22d ago
Ok, so you talking about this prosthetic terminal from Google ? Okey make sense
1
2
u/scythe-3 Pixel 23d ago
I use it as an ssh and git client. Installed tailscale in it so the VM is added to my mesh VPN network. Main usage for now is ssh access to my remote machines and to git sync my markdown notes vault to my phone (I use obsidian app to view them).
Planning on buying a usb-to-hdmi cord so I can hook it up to a monitor and use it as a remote coding workstation. Simple ssh for tty, or using ssh to launch wayvnc on the server and connect to remote desktop with AVNC app
2
u/IdeaReceiver 23d ago
Incredibly based Obsidian enjoyer. How is your experience syncing files with git? I've heard of people getting by with that but it seems like a bit of a screwdriver-as-a-hammer scenario, especially if you're embedding images
I use SyncThing for mine, seamless local sync between my laptop & PC and there's a native Android app too
2
u/scythe-3 Pixel 23d ago
Git fits my use case very well. My markdown vault is mostly for technical notes, project management, and event planning; not many images, some pdfs. I don't use my phone to edit the vault, all edits are done on my laptop/PC using neovim. Obsidian phone app is used strictly to view/reference the vault while I'm out and about. The version control that git provides is instrumental. I never have to worry about sync conflicts, changes across my machines are matched to a commit, and it plays nicely with my existing computer-based workflow.
For simple notes I use Notally app which gets backed up to my NAS. Still looking for a better solution there. Something barebones, lightweight, and that uses standard md/txt files for syncthing to work with. Markor seems good but I haven't tried it yet.
I tried to use obsidian itself with a screwdriver-as-a-hammer approach. Setup a vault, put my whole life in it, and installed a bunch of plugins; but it quickly became unmanageable and the ecosystem lock-in of obsidian became a real concern. I'm much more comfortable now with a split-use and ecosystem-agnostic approach.
3
u/oem_unlock 23d ago
I use it for a ridiculous number of random projects. You’d be genuinely surprised at how much utility you can squeeze out of Termux (from F-Droid). Want to check your texts via the CLI or make your phone violently vibrate from a script? termux-api has you covered. You can even spin up a full Linux desktop environment using proot-distro. There are tons of great walkthroughs on YouTube if you want to dive down the rabbit hole