Originally Posted by Ken-Young

I realize that "f*ck google" is one of the tags for this thread, but I'm going to risk having my head bitten off, and being drummed out of this community. I am going to claim that the best handheld gnu/linux machine for 2017 and the foreseeable future is an Android phone running Termux. Termux allows you to run gnu/linux applications, on an unrooted Android phone, compiled for 64 bit arm. Termux is open source, with an active community. I can run Python 3.6, iPython, sympy, numpy, scipy and astropy. I run it on recent hardware (a Pixel XL), and when that machine is obsolete, it'll be trivial to get newer hardware. If I cared about Google's collection of my data (which I don't), I could just create a throw-away gmail account for it under a phony (no pun intended!) name, and leave it in airplane mode all the time. If I cared about a hardware keyboard, I could run it on a Blackberry phone, or some other Android phone with a keyboard. What currently available handheld gnu/linux machine is better than this?

Originally Posted by mscion

I wouldn't call it the best gnu/Linux machine.. More the best gnu/Linux emulator app for Android phone.

Originally Posted by Ken-Young

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The only unusual thing from a gnu/Linux point of view is the hybris and bionic layers, but that can all be thought of as a very bizarre glibc implementation.
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Originally Posted by Ken-Young

I am going to claim that the best handheld gnu/linux machine for 2017 and the foreseeable future is an Android phone running Termux.

Originally Posted by mscion

Any significant advantage of termux over gnu root debian or linux on android. Both work as a linux terminal. Also both can make a desk top environment. Just askin'

Originally Posted by Ken-Young

Sadly, Android version 8 (Oreo) broke gnuroot Debian (see https://github.com/corbinlc/GNURootDebian/issues/206). It looks like the issue may be "seccomp filtering" which was added in Oreo. This problem was noticed immediately upon the initial release of Oreo, a couple of months ago, and it has not been fixed yet. I get the feeling that gnuroot Debian has fewer people working on it than Termux does.

I've used both, and gnuroot Debian seemed to give a more "fully gnu/linux" feeling than Termux does. It felt like a regular changeroot environment. gnuroot Debian has an integrated X11 server, which Termux does not.

However, gnuroot Debian is a 32 bit Arm environment, and Termux is 64 bit. Even if you disabled wakelock and wifilock on gnuroot Debian, it still occasionally drained significant battery power even when you weren't running any code with it. Termux doesn't do that. Also, Termux supports setting up scripts that are run whenever the handset is booted, and also can be integrated with Tasker.

Termux only supports passwordless ssh logins to the handset; there is no concept of a user account, so you have to copy your public ssh keys onto the handset if you want to allow logins via sshd, and since there's no password then, it's a bit less secure than logging in using sshd under gnuroot Debian.

Originally Posted by immi.shk

Currently by the end of 2017, there are a few Linux/win machines which are pretty nice and compact.
and
"which really exist"

1 GPD Win

64 GB internal
4GB Ram
full qwerty + gaming keys which acts as mouse
1 usb 3.0
1 full hdmi
1 micro sd
full windows 10
Ubuntu working

2 Gole1

64 GB internal
4GB Ram
1 usb 3.0
2 usb 2.0
1 full hdmi
1 micro sd
full windows 10
Ubuntu working

3 Linux Deploy / Bochs / Limbo for Android

depends on your device configuration

4 Nano Pi2 UMPC (a DIY project and my favorite)
Attachment 39689

from
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2514014
i feel we should support this guy its a really nice DIY project.

there are a few more like
Pyra
Gemini PDA(which is really pretty ergonomic if really produced)
Pandora
but they are still in kick-starter


i am considering to get GPD win, as it is really easy to handle with joystick so no mouse or touchscreen needed for input(although it has a capacitive touchscreen), and Linux ready..