Linux Inside a Tablet: How Curiosity Turned an Old Android into a Dev Machine
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.
Why Even Try This?
Today, learning Linux usually looks like:
Powerful laptops
Heavy IDEs
Desktop environments doing half the thinking
But real systems don’t work that way.
So I asked myself:
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:
A terminal
A package manager
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The Play Store version is outdated and broken.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
First Reality Check: Know Your System
Before installing random tools, I wanted to know what I was actually running.
So I asked the system:
uname -m
dpkg --print-architecture
uptime
What I discovered
Even though the hardware supports 64-bit,
Android runs a 32-bit userspace on this device.
Architecture came back as:
armv7l
armhf
This single detail explained everything that came later.
Why This Changed My Approach
Because now I knew:
❌ 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)
First things first:
pkg update && pkg upgrade
termux-setup-storage
Storage access matters more than you think.
Then the essentials:
pkg install git clang make python neofetch vim htop wget unzip tar
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:
echo $0
Depending on the version, it could be:
bash
zsh
or sh
Most scripts still work everywhere if you use a proper shebang:
!/bin/bash
Details like this save hours later.
When Linux Starts Talking to Android
After installing:
pkg install termux-api
Things got interesting.
Now Linux scripts could interact with Android hardware.
Examples:
termux-tts-speak "Hello from Linux"
termux-battery-status
termux-clipboard-set "Copied from Termux"
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:
- 🌍 Termux — The Outer World
Talks to Android
Handles UI, fonts, storage, APIs
Uses pkg
- 🐧 Linux — The Inner World
Real Linux behavior
Real tools
Real learning
Termux became the interface layer.
Why This Matters
This setup forced me to:
Read error messages
Respect architecture limits
Choose tools carefully
Understand Linux instead of memorizing commands
Low-end hardware didn’t slow learning.
It accelerated understanding.
💓 What’s Next?
This is only Part 1.
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~♾️.
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