I have a GT-i9300i / i9308i (Samsung Galaxy S3 Ace) been running an unofficial cyanogen rom (no official releases for i9300i / i9308i) thinking about trying out a linux rom.
What are the supported roms? What can I expect from them? App compatibility? Functionality?
How about a recovery? (currently using TWRP 2.8.something) and can I flash the boot-loader?
What I do with my phone:
-I don't use Gapps, I don't even install that shit.
-I only use a handful of apps. Apps like "File Manger" and "MyAndroidTools" are a must.
-I significantly under-clock my phone for longer battery life, custom cpu profile is a must.
Well, you are already technically running linux in the form of android. But I'm guessing you want to run gnu/linux. As far as I am aware, you can run a number of desktop distros on your phone, but I don't think those are all that useful. The only mobile distro that would come to my mind would be Ubuntu for Phones. I don't know if your phone is supported and in the past there were a lot of issues, even on supported devices. Also you are probably not going to find most android apps on ubuntu
There is Sailfish, Ubuntu Touch and Plasma as phone distros. You can run /GNULinux as a chroot with a rooted Android/Linux phone.
So anyway way you go you will have to root and unlock your phone. You probably want to install a custom recovery while you are at it.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Plasma isn't it's own OS. As far as I know it's based on Cyanogenmod
The kernel yeah but the userspace is GNU it uses Wayland like Sailfish.
Oh that's very interesting! Might try that out on my old nexus 5. Only problem for OP is that the nexus 5 and the oneplus one are the only supported devices
Yeah chroot is probably his best bet.
Ubuntu touch is adequate as a daily driver if you are happy to accept that specific apps and services will be missing. If you are the type of person that just must have the latest or most popular app like say snapchat then you are going to have a hard time. What you do have is a functional smartphone, email calls texts and web browser. The Camera will work just fine, navigation and a handful of simple games. There is a full terminal and plug in a larger screen, keyboard and mouse and you have a convergence device. Endless tinkering possibilities of an open operating system.
The issue the OP will have is having the right hardware to start with. There is a short list of official handsets, the community built images are suffering a bit from patchy support.
I use a Nexus 4, it's a bit slow but functional.
I don't use gapps either. I haven't logged into playstore since 2012. I believe the time is now to consider treating a carrier supplied mobile device, subsidized or not, as 'their' wireless modem. Google despite its "Do No Evil Mantra" is now shall we say - all grown up.
Due mostly to the binary blobs for gpu's, camera, and terristrial radio, I've given up trying to run a full GNU/* on mobile.
Also I don't know squat about Selinux. What I've read it on thus far is that if its enabled in the kernel and you don't know what you're doing you only want to see it set to 'enforcing.'
I run CM13 on a Z00A asus zenfone2. From Fdroid I've installed Termux terminal emulator. It uses .debs and the APT package tool. For me it's seems pretty good environment for practice at the cli.