Linux on Atom based devices

[xjesus]

I am trying with XJubuntu and kernel 4.4.4 on my Teclast X98 Plus.

I’ve tried a lot of different kernels and this is the one with best support so far, it supports Bluetooth, TouchScreen, rotation, etc. by default and I only miss WiFi support for the moment, but I can use it with a USB to GigaEthernet.

I’m working on a custom distro to ease the tablet usage on Ubuntu/Xubuntu. XJubuntu is a mixture of the two where you can choose to login on Unity or XFCE. Unity is better for tablet/touch mode but XFCE performs way better for desktop usage with mouse/keyboard.

 

 

[Guillaume]

Perfect!

Could you host the different files and link to it ? i could try it on the vi8 plus and attempt to get the wifi working. I had also thought about putting Unity instead, very good idea. And i was thinking, imagine Beryl/Compiz on it,with something that uses the accelerometer to turn the cube, like, turn a bit on the left and you get to see the desktop on the left side of the cube,. This is only a thought i’ve had for years, maybe totally useless, but very cool i’m sure.

Thanks,

Guillaume

[xjesus]

Sure. I’ve just uploaded it here

https://sourceforge.net/projects/xjubuntu/files/Tablets%20Intel/

I’ll upload a couple of releases tonight one with Ubuntu 14.04 and kernel 4.4.4 and the other with Ubuntu 16.04 and kernel 4.4.0

Please try them out and let me know how this works for you.

You can customize them and make other versions as well thanks to PinguyBuilder included. It makes UEFI enabled distros with 32/64 bits so there is no problem with our Cherry Trail tablets 🙂

My main problem now is that my Teclast X98 Plus tablet has a faulty partition table that doesn’t let me install Linux on the internal MMC and the external SD card doesn’t show up. So I can only try to install Linux on external USB drives for the moment…

Has somebody got access to the SD slot from some Linux distro?

 

Thanks!!

[Aleksandr Maksimovic]

xjesus wrote:

Sure. I’ve just uploaded it here https://sourceforge.net/projects/xjubuntu/files/Tablets%20Intel/ I’ll upload a couple of releases tonight one with Ubuntu 14.04 and kernel 4.4.4 and the other with Ubuntu 16.04 and kernel 4.4.0 Please try them out and let me know how this works for you. You can customize them and make other versions as well thanks to PinguyBuilder included. It makes UEFI enabled distros with 32/64 bits so there is no problem with our Cherry Trail tablets <noscript></noscript>My main problem now is that my Teclast X98 Plus tablet has a faulty partition table that doesn’t let me install Linux on the internal MMC and the external SD card doesn’t show up. So I can only try to install Linux on external USB drives for the moment… Has somebody got access to the SD slot from some Linux distro? Thanks!!

OMG, trying this one ASAP!!! EDIT Worked on ACER Iconia w4-820, unluckly – no wifi support. p.s got access to sd card 🙂

 

[xjesus]

Thanks for your feedback. I’m not sure I was applying the patches correctly. I’ve uploaded new releases with new kernels. Please try them out and let me know your experiences. Ubuntu 16.04 is running (on Virtualbox) perfectly stable already with only very few glitches.

• https://sourceforge.net/projects/xjubuntu/files/Tablets%20Intel/ – Ubuntu 14.04 based with Kernel 4.2 and Realtek 8723BS patches
• https://sourceforge.net/projects/xjubuntu/files/16.04%2064%20bits%20-%20Very%20stable%20Beta/ – Ubuntu 16.04 based with Kernel 4.4.6 and Realtek 8723BS patches

[xjesus]

Ups! I just realized the 16.04 ISO is wrong… I’ll upload it tonight…

And the 14.04 is missing the installer. I’m fixing them both and will upload them tonight.

[denghongcai]

saved my a lot of time!!!

is XJ-16.04-2016.03.18b-dist.iso the newest iso ?

[Anonymous]

Wow xjesus, thanks for your work brother. I have been waiting for a linux port for the x98 Plus.

I am going to post a link to this thread in my x98 Plus A5c6 thread, I hope that is ok?

That should get the feedback on it rolling!

I am going to make up a new flash drive and try a live peek at your distro.

What do you suggest I use to make the drive? I am going try the Remix 2.0 efi creation tool for starters.

Thanks again,

Max

 

[Anonymous]

I tried the iso with Rufus, live option. It seemed to boot fine and I got a splash screen, but at the end it flashed a couple of errors, which I didn’t catch, and all I had was a grey screen with the mouse pointer and the wifi icon. Locked up. Do I have to add the kernel??

Could you post a short how-to with rufus setting for linux idiots like me!

Ok, it booted on the second try, screen rotation is not working for me. Boy this looks sweet! It is in Spanish but maybe you could cook us an English iso?

My Dlink usb wifi worked right away.

Max

[Daniél Lecoq]

¡Awesome! Gonna test this ASAP(probably tomorrow).

¡Muchos gracias xjesus!

[xjesus]

I just finished uploading the last releases. Please tell me what release are you trying when you give feedback or ask questions.

In the README I’ve updated the last comments as well:

 

I need some help with the EFI 32 that I’ve seen some other people in other tablets/distros got to solve it manually…

And also need help solving the other things I comment on not booting some kernels or not compiling the patches…

But I need time or someone pointing me in the right directions.
This is my experience so far on a Teclast X98 Plus:
– with Linux kernel 4.4.4 I can’t get to compile+install the patches for Realtek 8723BS. But it boots to the graphical interface.
– with Linux kernel 4.2.X I can compile+install the patches for Realtek 8723BS, BS_BT, etc. But it doesn’t boot the graphical interface.
– I am also trying the beta 16.04 and it can compile the patches with 4.4.4 kernel but then I can’t boot to the graphical interface…
– Kernel 4.4.6 doesn’t boot the graphical interface on 14.04 or 16.04 🙁

**  What works on 4.4.4 kernel and XJubuntu 14.04:
– USB Gigaethernet/WiFi card
– USB keyboard/mouse
– USB pendrives/hard disks/card readers
– HDMI out and tablet screen at the same time (extended display or mirror)
– internal Bluetooth
– Touchscreen

** What works but needs improvements:
– You can rotate the screen but the touchscreen doesn’t rotate accordingly, it needs manual adjustements…
– Access to eMMC internal flash but the Android partitions are giving me some errors when I try to modify them from gparted, etc.
– You can install the distro on intenal eMMC and/or external USB drives. The problem comes when it finishes the install, it gives this error message:
“The ‘grub-efi-amd64-signed’ package failed to install into /target/ . Without the GRUB boot loader, the installed system will not boot.” Probably it needs to install the 32 bits EFI. I am looking for some workaround for this.

** What doesn’t work on 4.4.4:
– internal WiFi
– microSD card slot access (I’ve only tried a 128GB Samsung Evo Plus) and BIOS from 15/01/2016. Maybe other cards or upgrading BIOS…
The XJubuntu distro has UEFI enabled 32 / 64 bits and you can remaster your own customized copy thanks to Pinguy Builder. So the liveCD/pendrive will boot with no problems on UEFI 32/64 systems. The problem is when you try to install GRUB later on…

Please try installing it on your tablets and let me know what works and what doesn’t, or what would you change. Or change it yourself and make it work for your tablets. And then publish your new distro!
You can download it here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/xjubuntu/files/Tablets%20Intel/

 

or the Beta 16.04 in another folder in https://sourceforge.net/projects/xjubuntu/files/

 

[xjesus]

Thanks MadMax and others for your support.

The last and new releases will be on English by default. But you will still need to change the keyboard layout which will be Spanish by default.

When I find the time I’ll translate the web http://xjubuntu.xjesus.net and create the new XJubunTAB section for this tablet specific distro. But I would like to have the internal WiFi working and other things a little more tested.

 

Thanks again for your feedback, and please tell me your exact hardware and release you are trying.

[Anonymous]

Thanks again xjesus. I linked to this thread in my X98 Plus thread here:

http://techtablets.com/forum/topic/the-x98-plus-a5c6-tips-resource-thread/page/2/

Last night I tried the XJ-16.04 18b iso and as I said, it did not boot on the first try (Live), but it DID boot gui on the second try.

Cheers, great work, downloading as I type 🙂

Max

[Daniél Lecoq]

xjesus wrote:

** What doesn’t work on 4.4.4: microSD card slot access (I’ve only tried a 128GB Samsung Evo Plus) and BIOS from 15/01/2016. Maybe other cards or upgrading BIOS…

This might be the current problem with SD cards on the X98+ and not related to Linux.

¿Does the card work in Android/Windows on the X98+?

I’ll try to test ASAP, but only on a USB stick, since I’m still working on some other Android/Windows problems on my X98+.

[xjesus]

Yes, the card works on Android. I haven’t tried on Windows yet because I removed my partition. But other people said it works on Windows.

 

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