Mobian

Last updated
Mobian
Mobian logo black text.svg
Obsidian5.png
Launcher, showing all applications
Developer Mobian community,
Debian community
OS family Linux
Source model Open-source
Marketing targetSmartphones, tablets, mobile devices
Available in Multilingual
Update methodgraphical update manager, image-based updates, apt-get
Package manager apt
Platforms ARM
Kernel type Linux kernel
Default
user interface 		Graphical (Native and Web applications)
License Mainly the GPL and various other open source licenses
Official website https://mobian.org, https://wiki.mobian.org/

Mobian is a project to port the Debian GNU/Linux distribution running the mainline Linux kernel to smartphones and tablets. [2] The project was announced in 2020. [3] It is available for the PinePhone, PineTab, Librem 5, OnePlus 6/6T and Pocophone F1. [4] Droidian is a version of Mobian which runs top of Android's variant of the Linux kernel and the Libhybris and Halium adaptation layer, and works with devices which are supported by Ubuntu Touch. It can be installed using UBports installer.

Contents

Organization

Mobian is maintained by two teams, Mobian, and DebianOnMobile. DebianOnMobile maintains upstreamed parts. [5]

Software stack

As software stack Mobian uses the Phosh (Phone shell) graphical system developed by Purism, which is based on GTK. [6] It aims to integrate Phosh with Debian, to the extent that the need for Mobian's customizations will be minimized. [7] While all Debian apps can be installed on a mobile running Mobian, some will not work usably on the small-form-factor screen. [8] [9] There is a set of apps that have been adapted to work on a small touch screen, [8] and which provide basic functionality. Many are GNOME-based. [10] The project maintains a list of apps that work well on its wiki. [9]

Initially Mobian based on Debian stable, in August 2021 Mobian switched to being based on the Debian testing distribution. [11] However in 2023, the first Mobian stable version was released, based on Debian stable again. [12]

Supported hardware

Initially Mobian was developed for the Librem 5 and the Pinephone which were designed to support Linux. [13] In May 2020, Pine64 announced availability of Mobian for PinePhone. [14] On 18 January 2021, the Mobian "Community Edition" Pinephone was released, an edition selling with Mobian pre-installed, and donating $10 US of the phone purchase cost to the Mobian developers. [6] [15] Later Mobian announced support for the PineTab, a tablet, and the Pinephone Pro. [16] Mobian also supports the OnePlus 6/6T and Pocophone F1 Android phones with the mainline Linux kernel. [16]

Juno computer released a x86-based tablet with Mobian preinstalled to preorder in October 2022. [17]

Reception

In June 2020, writing for Fossbytes, Sarvottam Kumar wrote about how Mobian aims to bring Debian 11 Bullseye to mobile ARM64 devices by creating custom images for installation. [2] Linuxnews said it had a broad variety of apps, but the battery life on a Pinephone, at 4–6 hours, was still too low. [8]

As of June 2020, Mobian is waitlisted for DistroWatch coverage. [18]

In July 2020, Jean-Luc Aufranc in CNX Software article called it "a work in progress" he said it was "interesting" that it uses Purism's Phosh interface, and while it includes many apps, several functions were broken or unreliable. [13] Marius Nestor of 9to5Linux wrote about availability of Mobian as an alternative to postmarketOS on PinePhone. He said there were many apps available, but also many were not optimized for mobile devices. [9]

In October 2020, Linuxnews described Mobian as better than Ubuntu Touch but not as up-to-date as Arch Linux on the Pinetab. [19]

In January 2021, Pine64 announced sales of PinePhones with "Mobian Community Edition" installed. [20] Niklas Dierking wrote in heise.de about Pine64's announcement of availability of PinePhones with Mobian in two different hardware configurations, based on Pine64's announcement. [6]

In January 2021 Matteo Gatti of Linux Freedom wrote a detailed review of Pinephone with Mobian OS. [21]

In August 2021, Jean-Luc Aufranc of CNX Software recommended Mobian as "most stable OS" for using PinePhone as a mobile hotspot, in a detailed review of software and hardware. [22]

In September 2021, in a detailed review of PinePhone for Hackaday, Bryan Cockfield wrote about experimenting with, and switching to Mobian, or "mobile Debian". He called the ability to SSH into it like any other computer and install software with apt "excellent features" which "worked surprisingly well" for the Kodi media player. [23]

As of March 2023, Droidian, a mobile operating system based on Mobian, is waitlisted for DistroWatch coverage. [24]

Related Research Articles

A mobile operating system is an operating system used for smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as typical/mobile laptops are "mobile", the operating systems used on them are generally not considered mobile, as they were originally designed for desktop computers that historically did not have or need specific mobile features. This line distinguishing mobile and other forms has become blurred in recent years, due to the fact that newer devices have become smaller and more mobile unlike hardware of the past. Key notabilities blurring this line are the introduction of tablet computers, light-weight laptops, and the hybridization of the two in 2-in-1 PCs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ubuntu Touch</span> Mobile interface for Ubuntu developed by Canonical Ltd.

Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system, being developed by the UBports community. Its user interface is written in Qt, and is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers, but the original goal of convergence was intended to bring Ubuntu Touch to laptops, desktops, IOT devices and TVs for a complete unified user experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manjaro</span> Linux distribution based on Arch Linux with rolling releases

Manjaro is a free and open-source Linux distribution based on the Arch Linux operating system that has a focus on user-friendliness and accessibility. It uses a rolling release update model and Pacman as its package manager. It is developed mainly in Austria, France and Germany.

Besides the Linux distributions designed for general-purpose use on desktops and servers, distributions may be specialized for different purposes including computer architecture support, embedded systems, stability, security, localization to a specific region or language, targeting of specific user groups, support for real-time applications, or commitment to a given desktop environment. Furthermore, some distributions deliberately include only free software. As of 2015, over four hundred Linux distributions are actively developed, with about a dozen distributions being most popular for general-purpose use.

Linux for mobile devices, sometimes referred to as mobile Linux, is the usage of Linux-based operating systems on portable devices, whose primary or only Human interface device (HID) is a touchscreen. It mainly comprises smartphones and tablet computers, but also some mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) portable media players that come with a touchscreen separately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Librem</span> Computer line by Purism featuring free software

Librem is a line of computers manufactured by Purism, SPC featuring free (libre) software. The laptop line is designed to protect privacy and freedom by providing no non-free (proprietary) software in the operating system or kernel, avoiding the Intel Active Management Technology, and gradually freeing and securing firmware. Librem laptops feature hardware kill switches for the microphone, webcam, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Pine Store Limited, known by its trade name Pine64, is a Hong Kong-based organization that designs, manufactures, and sells single-board computers, notebook computers, as well as smartwatch/smartphones. Its name was inspired by the mathematical constants pi and e with a reference to 64-bit computing power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purism (company)</span> Computer manufacturer focusing on software freedom

Purism, SPC is an American computer technology corporation based in San Francisco, California and registered in the state of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinebook</span> Notebook intended for open-source software

The Pinebook is a low-cost notebook developed by Hong Kong-based computer manufacturer Pine64. The Pinebook was announced in November 2016 and production started in April 2017. It is based on the platform of Pine64's existing Pine A64 single board computer, costing US$89 or US$99 for the 11.6" and 14" model respectively. Its appearance resembles the MacBook Air. The Pinebook is sold "at-cost" by Pine64 as a community service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PureOS</span> Linux distribution

PureOS is a Linux distribution focusing on privacy and security, using the GNOME or KDE Plasma desktop environment. It is maintained by Purism for use in the company's Librem laptop computers as well as the Librem 5 smartphone.

postmarketOS Free and open-source operating system for smartphones, based on Alpine Linux

postmarketOS is an operating system primarily for smartphones, based on the Alpine Linux distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phosh</span> Graphical interface for mobile devices

Phosh is a graphical user interface designed for mobile and touch-based devices and developed by Purism. It is the default shell used on several mobile Linux operating systems including PureOS, Mobian, and Fedora Phosh. It is also an option on postmarketOS, Manjaro, and openSUSE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UserLAnd Technologies</span> Compatibility layer mobile app

UserLAnd Technologies is a free and open-source compatibility layer mobile app that allows Linux distributions, computer programs, computer games and numerical computing programs to run on mobile devices without requiring a root account. UserLAnd also provides a program library of popular free and open-source Linux-based programs to which additional programs and different versions of programs can be added.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Librem 5</span> Linux based 2020 Smartphone

The Librem 5 is a smartphone manufactured by Purism that is part of their Librem line of products. The phone is designed with the goal of using free software whenever possible, and includes PureOS, a Linux operating system, by default. As of 2021, it is the only smartphone recommended by the Free Software Foundation. Like other Librem products, the Librem 5 focuses on privacy and freedom, and includes features like hardware kill switches, and easily-replaceable components. Its name, with a numerical "5", refers to its screen size, and not a release version. After an announcement on 24 August 2017, the distribution of developer kits and limited pre-release models occurred throughout 2019 and most of 2020. The first mass-production version of the Librem 5 was shipped on 18 November 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PinePhone</span> Smartphone with Linux-based mobile operating system

The PinePhone is a smartphone developed by Hong Kong-based computer manufacturer Pine64, intended to allow the user to have full control over the device. Measures to ensure this are: running mainline Linux-based mobile operating systems, assembling the phone with screws, and simplifying the disassembly for repairs and upgrades. LTE, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and both cameras can be physically switched off. The PinePhone ships with the Manjaro Linux operating system using the Plasma Mobile graphic interface, although other distributions can be installed by users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PineTab</span> Tablet intended for open-source software

The PineTab is a low-cost tablet developed by Hong Kong-based computer manufacturer Pine64. The PineTab was announced in May 2020, with shipping beginning in September 2020. It is based on the platform of the existing Pine A64 single board computer, with the platform being used in related devices, such as the Pinebook and PinePhone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PinePhone Pro</span> Smartphone with Linux-based mobile operating system

The PinePhone Pro is a smartphone developed by Hong Kong-based computer manufacturer Pine64. The phone is the successor to the PinePhone released in 2019. The default operating system is Sailfish OS. The device is a developer platform with open hardware specifications but with unfinished software. The target group of the device is free and open-source software developers who will develop the software. The device was first shipped to developers in December 2021, and in February 2022 devices were made available to consumers.

The JingPad A1 is a Linux based tablet developed by Jingling. The JingPad A1 was released in 2021. The tablet is using its own JingOS Linux distribution which is based on the Android hardware layer Halium and KDE Plasma mobile. Ubuntu Touch has been ported to the tablet. The device is using a Unisoc Tiger T510 SOC, has 8GB of RAM and a maximum of 256GB storage. It has a pencil and attachable keyboard accessories.

References

  1. "Mobian Team / mobian-logo". Debian Salsa .
  2. 1 2 "Mobian OS For PinePhone Aims To Bring Debian Linux To Mobile Devices". Fossbytes. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  3. ↑ "There was OS for smartphones based on Debian Linux". TAdviser.ru. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  4. ↑ "devices [Mobian Wiki]". wiki.mobian-project.org. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  5. ↑ "Mobian - Debian Wiki". wiki.debian.org. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  6. 1 2 3 online, heise (January 20, 2021). "Debian in der Hosentasche: PinePhone Community-Edition mit Mobian vorgestellt". heise online (in German). Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  7. ↑ "intro [Mobian Wiki]". wiki.mobian-project.org.
  8. 1 2 3 "Mobian auf dem PinePhone". LinuxNews (in German). 21 June 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 Nestor, Marius (2020-07-09). "Mobian Project Wants to Bring Debian GNU/Linux to Mobile Devices". 9to5Linux. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  10. ↑ Gatti, Matteo (21 June 2020). "Mobian OS sul PinePhone: Debian sbarca sugli smartphone". Linux Freedom (in Italian).
  11. ↑ "To Bullseye and beyond! // Mobian's Blog". blog.mobian.org.
  12. ↑ "A look back in the mirror... And a glimpse of the future!".
  13. 1 2 Aufranc (CNXSoft), Jean-Luc (2020-07-10). "Debian based Mobian Linux OS Brings Librem 5 Phosh Shell to Pinephone - CNX Software". CNX Software - Embedded Systems News. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  14. ↑ "May Update: PineTab pre-orders, PinePhone Qi charging & more!". PINE64. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  15. ↑ "What is Mobian? // Mobian's Blog". blog.mobian-project.org.
  16. 1 2 Kumar, Sarvottam (10 September 2020). "Mobian OS For PinePhone Now Available For Linux Tablet 'PineTab'". Fossbytes. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  17. ↑ Wallen, Jack. "Juno Computers Announces New Tablet for Preorder » Linux Magazine". Linux Magazine. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  18. ↑ "DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD". distrowatch.com. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  19. ↑ Thommes, Ferdinand (19 October 2020). "PineTab Linux-Tablet mit Mobian und Arch Linux ARM". LinuxNews (in German). Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  20. ↑ "Mobian Community Edition". PINE64. January 18, 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  21. ↑ Gatti, Matteo (2021-01-17). "Pine64, arriva la quinta edizione del PinePhone con Mobian OS". Linux Freedom (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  22. ↑ Aufranc (CNXSoft), Jean-Luc (2021-08-08). "How to use PinePhone as a mobile hotspot - CNX Software". CNX Software - Embedded Systems News. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  23. ↑ By (2021-09-02). "Pining For A De-Googled Smartphone". Hackaday. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  24. ↑ "DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD". distrowatch.com. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
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