maemo.org - Talk - To amuse the community

Okay, so I finally got all setup on the phone. But the learning curve was long and hard.

First of all LineageOs is a new thing to me as well as android and adb tools. Have used tools only twice years ago. I installed on my debian adb-tools and fastboot and downloaded xda member build LineageOs 18.1 for moto g8 plus recovery.img from the member as well.

First I had to get the OEM unlocked. Searched and found instructions and got the code from Motorola and got the device unlocked.

Then I tried to flash Lineage. Not working and device boots to normal system. Read instructions more carefully. Need to have first flashed to stock rom.

Searched and found out there are different roms for my model. Found the right one with copy and paste scripts for flashing and tried. Device doesn't boot to system anymore at all. Why?

Maybe if I try with twrp recovery instead of recovery from the xda member? Nope. Doesn't work. TWRP needs that I have set a passcode on my system to which I am now not able to boot on (so I thought atleast).

So I try to install stock rom and lineage back and forth with recovery.img and twrp.img and from sdcard and adb sideload from linux untill my device ends up to a black screen with red text only and not even booting to bootloader.

So after almost giving up I start to search more, now just wanting to get even android on my device. I find another instruction scripts for installing stock rom which differ from the ones I first used. I add scripts from the new instructions but without success. Finally I notice that with the stock rom there is included an xml file which have the scripts for installing rom. In the scripts which I had used there was many system.something.im files but in this instruction they are labeled super.something.img. So I change the codes I have on my text file to match with this and got the device to boot!

So now I know how to get the device to work again so I continue trying to install Lineage with linux. Search more info and I have used adb tools from debian repo which are too old to work. Finally I switch to win 7 machine, download and install motorola drivers and try to install Lineage, and this time it doesn't anymore state "FAILED" in the last 5/5 with system.img. I sideload NickGapps and that installs too. I sideload Magisk and that installs also. I reboot, and see first time in my life LineageOs booting logo!!!

After getting that to install I can't rest yet. I wan't to use Maltego program and that needs linux on my device. So more searching and looking for options. Userland, Andronix, Linux deploy. All new stuff to me. I try userland but am able to only get a small terminal window to appear and don't at that moment know how to get things work. I know Maltego is included in Kali linux so I switch to see options. Nethunter Rootless edition sounds good because I do not wan't to mess up my system. But I have Magisk so my device is rooted. Well I can always try.

I download F-droid Nethunter appstore and install everything mentioned: Hacker's keyboard, Termux and Vnc viewer. I start the installation and everything seems to go okay but then there comes these questions: Do you wan't to install the package maintainer's version or stick with the default? How would I know? I choose to stick with default. I also do after installation update and full-upgrade and also install all kali stuff. Takes about 13 Gb of internal memory. Then I try to open kali in termux with commands given: nethunter kex &. No server. I try to connect with viewer. A big list of problems and nothing happens. I end up removing all the stuff from my device.

After couple of days I decide to try again. The installation process takes about 2 hours. This time I choose to install package maintainer's options. I end up the same situation. I don't know anything about vnc, servers or viewers so I start to search info, install servers and viewers, changing confs and trying everything. First I install stuff on termux instead of nethunter in termux so maybe I have messed up my system after all.

Finally after many mistakes I managed to start the server with tigervncserver -xstartup /usr/bin/share and I got the viewer to connect - to too small terminal window again. Tried to set up resolution on viewer settings without help, tried to add resolution to nethunter conf with geometry settings and start the server with them without success. And I have not been able to even start the desktop yet!

Finally found startxfce4 and I got into desktop, and in control panel I managed to set right resolution. After starting nethunter again I got a working kali system and desktop. I installed Maltego, the program I use only to check online sellers, which took the 13Gb from my system and it seems to work. It only took couple of weeks!

But then phone's case. I had normal black leather case and I searched online and found some pretty good looking toughcases which I thought to buy. But maybe I could pimp my black case? After some (many) days of work got my case ready. Had to drill and cut, I hadn't noticed my case works as a stand and put an unnecesary hinge on it, and painted which took some time. Here is a link to my project folder where the case images are named incognitostyle.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7czcyp7b8...nZQdfOwpa?dl=0