ubuntu

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on MiQi Dual Boot Android & Ubuntu Development Board Crowdfunding Campaign Has Launched

MiQi Dual Boot Android & Ubuntu Development Board Crowdfunding Campaign Has Launched

MiQi is a development board using a form factor similar to Raspberry Pi boards, but based on a more powerful Rockchip RK3288 Cortex A17 processor combined with 1 or 2 GB. I had the change to test an early sample pre-loaded with a dual boot image with Android 5.1 and Lubuntu 14.04, and found it to be one the fastest sub $100 development board in Linux, behind Hardkernel ODROID-XU4, as well as better CPU & GPU performance compared to recent Android TV boxes based on Amlogic S905, Rockchip RK3368, and so on. MQMaker has now launched a flexible funding crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds for mass production. Let’s remind us of MiQi hardware specifications first: SoC – Rockchip 3288 quad core ARM Cortex A17 up to 1.8 GHz with Mali-T764 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 /3.0, and OpenCL 1.1 System Memory – 1 or 2G DDR3 depending on model Storage – 8 or 32 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 31 Comments on How to Run Ubuntu 16.04 Aarch64 (64-bit ARM) Cloud Images on Your Intel/AMD Linux Computer with QEMU

How to Run Ubuntu 16.04 Aarch64 (64-bit ARM) Cloud Images on Your Intel/AMD Linux Computer with QEMU

With the recent launch of several low cost Cortex A53 development boards, 64-bit ARM hardware is now pretty common and inexpensive, but if you want to run 64-bit ARM code on your x86 Linux computer, Riku Voipio, a software engineer working for Linaro, wrote some instructions to run Ubuntu 16.04 Aarch64 Cloud image in QEMU. Ubuntu cloud images are “the official Ubuntu images and are pre-installed disk images that have been customized by Ubuntu engineering to run on public clouds that provide Ubuntu Certified Images, Openstack, LXD, and more. ”  So the instructions are also useful if you want to easily try such packages on 64-bit ARM platform. I’ve tried those instructions myself on my Ubuntu 14.04 machine with and AMD FX8350 processor, and they worked pretty well, and the only things I had to find out by myself was to install a recent version of qemu. First, we’ll need […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Num Lock, Caps Lock and Scroll Lock Keyboard Indicator for Ubuntu

Num Lock, Caps Lock and Scroll Lock Keyboard Indicator for Ubuntu

My old USB keyboard recently started to miss keypresses, and some keys were even barely working, and cleaning up would not do, so I decided to buy a wireless keyboard and mouse combo with decent reviews namely Logitech MK270. It’s working well, but for some reasons, Logitech decided it was a good idea to make a keyboard without Num Lock indicator, and all I get is a Caps Lock indicator. I find this really annoying, as I never know in which mode the keypad is. I don’t have an hardware hack for this, but I discovered that you could install a Numlock, Caplocks and Scroll Lock indicator in Ubuntu:

When you press capslock, numlock or scroll lock, you’ll get a notification of the change on the upper right corner of the desktop. You can also get a permanent indicator on the top bar for one of the keys: Caps […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Fix for Ubuntu 16.04 “1024×768 Resolution” Problem in VirtualBox

Fix for Ubuntu 16.04 “1024×768 Resolution” Problem in VirtualBox

My main computer is running Ubuntu 14.04.4 LTS, and I’m currently waiting for the Ubuntu 16.04.1 before upgrading to the latest version, which should happen in July. In the meantime, I have upgraded one of my VirtualBox image from Ubuntu 14.04 to Ubuntu 16.04, but I had only two options to set the resolution: 1024×768 or 800×600. This is quite a common problem, and usually the solution is to install VirtualBox additions, but this would not do for me. After trying several solutions, including disabling 3D graphics support, without success, I decided to check Additional Drivers, and I noticed only VirtualBox Graphics Adapter driver was enabled. So I also enabled Innotek Systemberatubg GmbH: VirtualBox Guest Service, and Processor microcode firmware for AMD CPUs, and this fixed the issues most likely thanks to the former. I’m running VirtualBox 5.0.18 installed from the ppa. Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments on Setup Guide & Mini Review of BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition Tablet from a Developer’s Perspective

Setup Guide & Mini Review of BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition Tablet from a Developer’s Perspective

BQ Aquaris M10 UBuntu Edition is the first officially supported Ubuntu tablet on the market. Blu, a frequent commenter on this blog, has purchased the Full HD version, and in the guest post below, shares his experience setting up the device for development purpose, before shortly providing his overall impressions about the tablet itself. Quick introduction Ever since I had to retire my trusty-but-ancient ARM notebook (a Genesi Efika iMX51) I’ve been looking for a new ARM notebook or perhaps a 2-in-1 device, that I could use for development on the go. The basic requirements are long battery life, passive cooling and reasonable price. Also, Just Enough Power™ for running vim, a couple of toolchains (gcc/clang with gold) and, well, enough grunt to run my coding experiments. Naturally, BQ M10 Ubuntu Edition immediately got my attention to the extent of me placing an order, which got delivered this past week. […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments on NanoPC-T3 Octa-core Cortex A53 Single Board Computer Sells for $60

NanoPC-T3 Octa-core Cortex A53 Single Board Computer Sells for $60

FriendlyARM launched NanoPC-T2 single board computer based on Samsung 5P4418 quad core Cortex A9 processor about 3 months ago, and the company has now an update based on Samsung S5P6818 Octa-Core A53 processor with the exact same interfaces and features including Gigabit Ethernet, WiFI, and Bluetooth, HDMI 1.4a, 30-pin expansion headers, etc… NanoPC-T3 specifications: SoC – Samsung S5P6818 octa core Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.4GHz with Mali-400MP GPU System Memory – 1 or 2GB 32bit DDR3 RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, and 1x SD card slot Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet (RTL8211E), 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth LE 4.0 (Ampak AP6212) with on-board chip antenna and IPX antenna connector Video Output / Display I/F- 1x HDMI 1.4a, LVDS, MIPI DSI, parallel RGB LCD Audio I/O – HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack, on-board microphone Camera – 1x DVP interface, 1x MIPI CSI interface USB – 2x USB 2.0 type A host […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments on LimeSDR Open Source Hardware Software Defined Radio Goes for $199 and Up (Crowdfunding)

LimeSDR Open Source Hardware Software Defined Radio Goes for $199 and Up (Crowdfunding)

Canonical and Lime Micro showcased SoDeRa software defined radio (SDR) a couple of months ago, with a promise to launch a crowdfunding campaign later this year. They’ve fulfill their promise, and launched the open source SDR, renamed to LimeSDR, on Crowdsupply. LimeSDR board specifications: FPGA – Altera Cyclone IV EP4CE40F23 Altera FPGA compatible with EP4CE30F23 System Memory – 256 MB DDR2 SDRAM RF Lime Microsystems LMS7002M RF transceiver with continuous coverage of the frequency range between 100 kHz and 3.8 GHz; 61.44 MHz bandwidth 4 x TxOut and 6 x RxIn U.FL connectors Power Output (CW): up to 10 dBm Wi-Fi, GSM, UMTS, LTE, LoRa, Bluetooth, Zigbee, RFID, Digital Broadcasting, configurable through apps. USB – 1x micro USB3 via CYUSB3014-BZXC Cypress Microcontroller  for control, data transfer and power Misc – Status LEDs, RGB LEDs, 4x switches Power – USB or external power supply Dimensions –  100 mm x 60 mm The board […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Inforce 6601 micro SoM Snapdragon 820 System-on-Module Embeds WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS

Inforce 6601 micro SoM Snapdragon 820 System-on-Module Embeds WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS

We’ve already seem Intrinsyc’s Snapdragon 820 development board and module, but there’s now an alternative thanks to Inforce Computing 6601 micro SoM  which is pin-to-pin compatible to the company’s earlier Inforce 6401 and Inforce 6501 Micro SOMs, also based on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, and works with the same SYS6501 carrier board. Inforce Computing 6601 Micro SoM specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (APQ8096) quad core ARMv8 processor with two “Gold” cores up to 2.2 GHz, two “Silver” cores up to 1.6 GHz, Adreno 530 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0, and Vulkan, as well as  Hexagon 680 DSP  up to 825 MHz System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 @ 1866 MHz Storage – 64GB UFS 2.0 gear 3 flash up to 5.83Gbps, 1x micro SD card 3.0 interface for support for to HS400,  optional eMMC 5.1 flash. Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.1 & 2×2 dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi […]