Linux Mint on Android through VNC and Jump

Today "Jump" was available for free on Amazon as the app of the day and since it's nearly 7 quids on google play store, I downloaded. For windows and Mac users they have a pretty straight forward set-up but as usual for Linux it means some work but in the end it leaves you with a set-up you can trust and feel secure about. There are three things that need to be set-up for this to work:

1. Linux Mint machine should be set-up for x11vnc and ssh servers
2. Router firewall should be configured to allow inbound traffic on specific ports.
3. Jump or equivalent vnc viewer should be configured on the android device.

Read on for detailed steps to achieve each of the above goals...

Python, ERIC RAD IDE and QT designer

Right, I have decided to play around a little with the most loved language of open source a. k. a.  Python.

How do we do that? By coding?

Aha and how do I code for Python and be productive given I am a semi-part-time-hobbyist kinda programmer...I am heavily inclined to use an IDE...and an IDE that actually has some GUI editor...so began my search to find out what are my options in the exciting open source world.

Conky on my desktop - step by step

My new friend Damjan recently mentioned that he liked the Conky on my desktop and asked for details as have few others so I figured a post on the topic will be useful.

Many who have been playing with conky seem to believe it's real easy stuff but I feel there are too many options and very little explanation which means it can be lot of messing around with different options and can take a while to get to a point where you have what you want.

To make this conky appear exactly the way it is on my screen on your desktop follow steps 1 to 4 below and for changing time-zone settings it will be step 5:

Root Nexus 4 on Linux Mint 13 and access all files on computer

Having a rooted phone and then going to one that does not have root access is like getting used to driving a luxury car but then being forced to drive a tractor. So with arrival of my shining new nexus 4 once the novelty worn of in 8 hours or so, I sat down and rooted the device. Now there are plenty of guides out there but not many specific to Linux just yet. One reason might just be the fact the Linux Users are really smart and know how to figure it out but what about users who are new ...well at least for them I am sure this post will be useful and while we are at it, I felt I will install the touch version of CWM...

Prepare Linux Mint 13 for Android development

Few weeks back I updated to the latest Linux Mint offering "Maya" a.k.a Linux Mint 13. Now this is a LTS (Long Term Support) version and I wanted to be in a position to install everything right just so I can keep it for a longer duration and hence have been taking my time configuring stuff.

Last time when I had set up system for Android Development I remember messing up a lot and ending up installing too many things here and there and in the process did learn how to do it properly. I did not document that as a blog as it was too fragmented an experience at that time but this time round I did it properly and everything (well, okay, almost everything) was perfect.

There is lot of material on the web but again that is what led to a less than perfect install last time as it is all disjointed, making the sequence go wrong, using one way for one thing another way for second and ending us with a not so nice experience distracting you from what you want to do, start developing something on android platform or perhaps just get the adb set-up to flash your nexus phone.

So presented below is a guide that will help you prepare your Linux Mint 13 or equivalent distro for you to start android development.

You will notice that these notes do not require downloading "android sdk" separately and that is to save time and effort, trust me.

So the high level steps are: