Linux Inside a Tablet: How Curiosity Turned an Old Android into a Dev Machine ## First Reality Check: Know Your System ## !/bin/bash ## 💓 What’s Next? I didn’t start this because I wanted a new setup. I started this because I had an old Android tablet lying around and a simple question in my head: “Can I actually use Linux properly on this?” The device was nothing special —
2GB RAM, 32GB storage, slow, forgotten, and mostly useless for modern apps. Most people would either sell it or let it collect dust. I decided to stress my curiosity instead of the hardware. Today, learning Linux usually looks like: Desktop environments doing half the thinking But real systems don’t work that way. If Linux can run servers and routers, why can’t I learn it on a low-end tablet? That thought led me to Termux. Discovering Termux (The Entry Point) Termux is not an emulator.
It’s not a VM. It’s a real Linux environment running directly on Android, without root. Once installed, you get: Compilers, interpreters, shells Access to Android APIs Suddenly, this “weak tablet” felt like a small Linux box. ⚠️ Important note
Termux must be installed from F-Droid, not the Play Store.
The Play Store version is outdated and broken. If you want to replicate this setup or explore it step by step, you can find everything here please Star it ⭐:
Termux-config Before installing random tools, I wanted to know what I was actually running. So I asked the system: Even though the hardware supports 64-bit,
Android runs a 32-bit userspace on this device. Architecture came back as: This single detail explained everything that came later. Why This Changed My Approach ❌ 64-bit binaries won’t work ✅ Only 32-bit tools are safe ✅ Lightweight software is mandatory Instead of fighting errors, I started working with the system, not against it. That mindset carried the entire project forward. Setting Up Termux (The Basics) Storage access matters more than you think. No bloat.
No GUI.
Just tools you’d expect on a minimal Linux machine. Understanding the Shell (Small but Important) I checked which shell I was using: Depending on the version, it could be:
bash
zsh
or sh Most scripts still work everywhere if you use a proper shebang: Details like this save hours later. When Linux Starts Talking to Android Things got interesting. Now Linux scripts could interact with Android hardware. This is where Termux stopped feeling like a terminal app
and started feeling like a bridge between Linux and Android. The Mental Model That Made Everything Clear I began thinking in two layers: Handles UI, fonts, storage, APIs Termux became the interface layer. This setup forced me to: Respect architecture limits Choose tools carefully Understand Linux instead of memorizing commands Low-end hardware didn’t slow learning. It accelerated understanding. In Part 2, I’ll cover: Running a full Linux distro inside Termux,Setting oh-my-posh,using Micro ide How it stays persistent Why it feels like carrying a tiny server in my hands Stay tuned for Part 2~♾️. Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use. Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse CODE_BLOCK:
uname -m
dpkg --print-architecture
uptime Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK:
uname -m
dpkg --print-architecture
uptime CODE_BLOCK:
uname -m
dpkg --print-architecture
uptime CODE_BLOCK:
pkg update && pkg upgrade
termux-setup-storage Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK:
pkg update && pkg upgrade
termux-setup-storage CODE_BLOCK:
pkg update && pkg upgrade
termux-setup-storage CODE_BLOCK:
pkg install git clang make python neofetch vim htop wget unzip tar Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK:
pkg install git clang make python neofetch vim htop wget unzip tar CODE_BLOCK:
pkg install git clang make python neofetch vim htop wget unzip tar CODE_BLOCK:
echo $0 Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK:
pkg install termux-api Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK:
pkg install termux-api CODE_BLOCK:
pkg install termux-api CODE_BLOCK:
termux-tts-speak "Hello from Linux"
termux-battery-status
termux-clipboard-set "Copied from Termux" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK:
termux-tts-speak "Hello from Linux"
termux-battery-status
termux-clipboard-set "Copied from Termux" CODE_BLOCK:
termux-tts-speak "Hello from Linux"
termux-battery-status
termux-clipboard-set "Copied from Termux" - 🌍 Termux — The Outer World - 🐧 Linux — The Inner World
