Hacking Ubuntu 18.04 on a Switch

[Ysle29]

If you're seeing a text prompt then for some reason you're not starting X (the graphical display). Did you build with my script?

Yes, I'm seeing a text prompt. I built the image with your script and then extracted it onto the second partition.

 

[Shadow LAG]

This is the bare bones so far. No WiFi (although there seems to be a general problem there anyway) and no HW acceleration. No bluetooth. Volume buttons work out of the box, the ambient light sensor works (annoyingly, it keeps massively over-reacting the screen brightness). It's almost unusuably slow, but I'm going to keep chipping away at it, and I'll post an image somewhere when it's at least vaguely usable.

Have you attempted to use the Jetson TX1 driver package yet? I'm thinking of giving this a shot when I get off work. The Switch TX1 may differ too far from Jetson to even work, but it's worth looking into.

https://developer.nvidia.com/embedded/dlc/l4t-jetson-tx1-driver-package-28-2-ga

 

[Justeego]

I didn't compare with/without, but I did include it when building the f0f toolchain I'm using.

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I started out with LXDE (so Lubuntu) and it's too bare bones and not as well suited to touch as Gnome IMO. Xubuntu might be worth trying, but really the hardware support is more important to get going I think.

I agree about Lubuntu and Xubuntu, they may not be cool or beauty but all my laptops get a great battery improvement (I also install tlp) and netbooks are usable, you can even install lxde and lxle on Ubuntu

 

[cmsj]

Have you attempted to use the Jetson TX1 driver package yet? I'm thinking of giving this a shot when I get off work. The Switch TX1 may differ too far from Jetson to even work, but it's worth looking into.

https://developer.nvidia.com/embedded/dlc/l4t-jetson-tx1-driver-package-28-2-ga

No, but it would be interesting to see if it works. My guess is it'll be tough to get it worknig.

 

[Pickle_Rick]

No, but it would be interesting to see if it works. My guess is it'll be tough to get it worknig.

Not tough per say. Just lots of configuring, compiling, and testing until you get it right.

 

[Centergaming]

No, but it would be interesting to see if it works. My guess is it'll be tough to get it worknig.

Could you please give a download of an already compiled Ubuntu for Switch, having a hard time compiling stuff (lots of errors) on my Ubuntu VM.

 

[Deleted User]

oh SHIT DUDE. This is fucking awesome! If people get Linux stable on switch, this could be HUGE! What versions does this work on?

 

[Baoulettes]

Could you please give a download of an already compiled Ubuntu for Switch, having a hard time compiling stuff (lots of errors) on my Ubuntu VM.

Ubuntu 18.04 on a Switch
Sometime reading past page would help you also prevent to ask things that have been done before.

 

[Centergaming]

Ubuntu 18.04 on a Switch
Sometime reading past page would help you also prevent to ask things that have been done before.

Sorry about that, looking through other posts, wasn't paying attention to this one specifically, thanks for the link!

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Ubuntu 18.04 on a Switch
Sometime reading past page would help you also prevent to ask things that have been done before.

Here's another Tutorial into getting Linux on the Switch, only (Arch Linux) if you want to check it out. https://gbatemp.net/threads/tutorial-how-to-dump-switch-nand-using-linux.502201/page-6

 

[Centergaming]

Ubuntu 18.04 on a Switch
Sometime reading past page would help you also prevent to ask things that have been done before.

Got everything booted up properly but my problem is when logging in. When I typed the password "switch", I clicked sign in and it did nothing.

 

[leon315]

let me know if you need help, I have a decent background in linux and ubuntu.

then you can 1st start to compile driver for wifi, graphic card and bluetooth.

 

[Baoulettes]

Got everything booted up properly but my problem is when logging in. When I typed the password "switch", I clicked sign in and it did nothing.

It should not ask for a password.
I mean it should log in automaticaly
Then be sure to enter switch, sometime virtual keyboard is a bit a pain you press a bit longer and it enter two letter in a blink of an eye.
else I have no idea it should just log in (it might probably take time depending of SD card speed)

 

[Centergaming]

It should not ask for a password.
I mean it should log in automaticaly
Then be sure to enter switch, sometime virtual keyboard is a bit a pain you press a bit longer and it enter two letter in a blink of an eye.
else I have no idea it should just log in (it might probably take time depending of SD card speed)

Yep, could be my sd card, it's an old Samsung. Thank you

 

[Centergaming]

It should not ask for a password.
I mean it should log in automaticaly
Then be sure to enter switch, sometime virtual keyboard is a bit a pain you press a bit longer and it enter two letter in a blink of an eye.
else I have no idea it should just log in (it might probably take time depending of SD card speed)

Nope, wasn't my sd card, just tested it on an sd card that I used for Arch Linux LXDE with automatic login before. Still, doesn't log in automatically ;(

 

[Baoulettes]

well then I do not know, it is the build from the page 2 part of code :X

 

[cmsj]

Should have done this a lot sooner, but I've updated the first post to contain more information and a download link for a pre-built image.

@Baoulettes and anyone else that's running this - any interest in helping me fix things up and generally reducing the friction of getting this going? I'd like to get to a point where people download a single tarball with the f0f stuff and the Ubuntu rootfs all pre-built and easy to run, as well as to a point where building all the things from scratch is super easy. And obviously also getting any improvements to hardware support as they are possible

File issues and pull requests on github

 

[Centergaming]

Should have done this a lot sooner, but I've updated the first post to contain more information and a download link for a pre-built image.

@Baoulettes and anyone else that's running this - any interest in helping me fix things up and generally reducing the friction of getting this going? I'd like to get to a point where people download a single tarball with the f0f stuff and the Ubuntu rootfs all pre-built and easy to run, as well as to a point where building all the things from scratch is super easy. And obviously also getting any improvements to hardware support as they are possible

File issues and pull requests on github

Thank you so much for creating this! You're truly the best!

 

[SanktyRG]

Should have done this a lot sooner, but I've updated the first post to contain more information and a download link for a pre-built image.

@Baoulettes and anyone else that's running this - any interest in helping me fix things up and generally reducing the friction of getting this going? I'd like to get to a point where people download a single tarball with the f0f stuff and the Ubuntu rootfs all pre-built and easy to run, as well as to a point where building all the things from scratch is super easy. And obviously also getting any improvements to hardware support as they are possible

File issues and pull requests on github

Man, this would be awesome, I wanted to thank you for all you've been doing, waiting patiently to have a full working Ubuntu on my Switch

 

[guily6669]

Also if anyone is making a custom Linux 4 the switch, can you verify its relation with battery problems?

Theres a few people reporting their battery got screwed after loading Ubuntu on their Switch.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/battery-problem-after.502213/

(He edited his posts but before he reported the problem started after loading Ubuntu and more users in that thread report the same).

 

[Technicmaster0]

@Baoulettes and anyone else that's running this - any interest in helping me fix things up and generally reducing the friction of getting this going? I'd like to get to a point where people download a single tarball with the f0f stuff and the Ubuntu rootfs all pre-built and easy to run, as well as to a point where building all the things from scratch is super easy. And obviously also getting any improvements to hardware support as they are possible

It's common in other areas (raspberry pi etc) to supply ready to use SD images as .img files. You can make a small one (2GB/4GB) that contains all important partitions. After that the user can expand the root partition on the switch itself to match the actual SD size, in case of the raspberry pi raspi-config has an option to do that.