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Beta Linux Distribution Operating Systems

userHead furui 2020-07-21 11:47:56 2622 Views2 Replies
Hello, fellow Panda owners!

I have some exciting news, as I believe there may be a solution to the age-old problem of trying to install official Linux distribution operating systems onto devices carrying the small-yet-powerful Intel processors, like the Atom or Apollo or the many Intel processor names that end in "Lake." Given that the LattePanda SBC also uses these processors, this solution should also help us install these great operating systems onto the LattePanda SBCs (even the 1st Generation)!

Introducing Linuxium, which is a website offering Linux code tools to modify Linux operating system ISO disc image files and a couple of example ISO files that have been pre-tested and prepared for download and installation. This means that you can either try your hand at "respinning" your favorite Linux distribution operating system ISO file in order to modify it for installation on your device, or you can download and install the right operating system for your device if it is already made available on the "ISO" page. Either way, you will need to know the processor that your LattePanda carries:

LattePanda 1st Generation: Intel Atom Z8350 Quad Core Processor
LattePanda Delta: Intel Celeron N4100 Processor (Gemini Lake)
LattePanda Alpha: Intel 8th Gen Core m3-8100y Processor (Amber Lake)

This way, you can respin your ISO correctly or download and install the correct ISO file for your device, and voila! Now you have a fully functioning official Linux operating system!

I have tried this myself by installing Ubuntu 20.04 on my LattePanda 1st Generation SBC, and have found only 1 problem so far:

HDMI Cable: Since the LattePanda's Ubuntu OS first tries to detect a display via the MIPI-DSI port, this means that any display via the HDMI cable becomes the "second display." For me, this meant that I had a little bit of a scare when I booted up Ubuntu 20.04 for the first time just to see a purple screen (and nothing I could do...). While you may be able to go into the pre-installed Windows OS BIOS and turn off the "Force Lid Status" (which should disable the use of the MIPI-DSI port as the primary port used for displays), I found it easy enough to fix by adding the word "nomodeset" in front of the words "quiet splash" in the GRUB file of the Ubuntu OS.

I hope this helps, and I will keep updating as I learn new things about these cool Linuxium operating systems!