BlackBerry + Linux Users

I don't come across such threads often and some that I have came across are a bit old.

How many current BlackBerry users out there use Linux as there Desktop OS? I'm sure there will be a good few that do but thought I'd ask.

I've also noticed that there lacks major support for Linux users. (No desktop manager and any BlackBerry to desktop apps I've seen have all been Windows Only or Windows and Mac.)

If anyone knows of Linux software for BlackBerry phones let me know. I'm aware of Barry, LinBerry but was wondering if anyone knew of others.

I myself use Arch Linux (64bit) + Gnome3. What distro do you all prefer or use at the moment?

Thanks!

(P.S. If anyone is interested in starting or pointing me in the direction of a BBM group for BlackBerry + Linux users that would be awesome)

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I'm an avid user of Ubuntu Linux 64 for my desktop, for the times when I have to break down and use windows (i.e. for compiling my themes and testing them in the simulators) I run winblows xp inside a KVM virtual machine.

Originally Posted by russnash

I'm an avid user of Ubuntu Linux 64 for my desktop, for the times when I have to break down and use windows (i.e. for compiling my themes and testing them in the simulators) I run winblows xp inside a KVM virtual machine.

I feel your pain there. I need to use Windows 7 (Dual Boot) to make BlackBerry apps. Luckily I've heard that RIM will be bringing out a Linux SDK for C/C++ development on the Playbook which should be good.

i have the same problem, linux is not bb freindly

Until Windows 7 I was on the road to being a 100% linux user in the home, Windows 7 recaptured me into being Windows based,

Unfortunately every Linux friend I still have has a single Windows machine for their blackberry's

Originally Posted by GeniusDev

I feel your pain there. I need to use Windows 7 (Dual Boot) to make BlackBerry apps. Luckily I've heard that RIM will be bringing out a Linux SDK for C/C++ development on the Playbook which should be good.

That would be cool, hopefully when QNX makes it onto the BlackBerry smartphones they will do the same!

I use the blackberry eclipse development environment, but haven't had time to get very deep into app dev for the BB's yet.

As for a BBLinux BBM group, why not go ahead and start one? I'm sure there would be some interest, I'm definitely game!

Russ.

Originally Posted by russnash

That would be cool, hopefully when QNX makes it onto the BlackBerry smartphones they will do the same!

I use the blackberry eclipse development environment, but haven't had time to get very deep into app dev for the BB's yet.

As for a BBLinux BBM group, why not go ahead and start one? I'm sure there would be some interest, I'm definitely game!

Russ.

Awesome! I've created the group and the image to the group barcode should be attached to this post.

I am hoping to remedy the lack of Linux support.

I'm starting by writing a Notifier app for BlackBerry -> Linux Desktop working over WiFi and over the internet. Going to add Bluetooth soon(ish).

After that I'm thinking of trying to make a Desktop Manager for it to work over WiFi, Internet and Bluetooth also. Something close to a Personal Information Manager rather than just a back up tool, so that you can manage Contacts, Memos, etc.

I like some of the tools that are out there already but I feel some of them are a tiny bit lacking in what they can do. Most likely I'll make the project Open Source once its properly planned and started.

I'm also a linux user, i use debian squeeze 64 and i develop applications for blackberry in linux with eclipse and compile using rapc with wine. I only use Windows for upgrade my bb and for backups.
I'll love to have emulators and tools with linux, Android have it. :)

I'm using linux debian since woody, and i have 2 years developing blackberry applications using only linux, at first i try emulators in windows but the are so slowly, and i also install the 8800 emulator in linux using wine. I'll love to have and sdk for linux.

Originally Posted by deRusett

Unfortunately every Linux friend I still have has a single Windows machine for their blackberry's

And every Linux friend I have has ditched their BlackBerry (if they ever had one) for an Android phone.

Personally, I use Linux as my main desktop whenever I can. However, for anything BlackBerry related (or games, or anything Adobe), I keep Windows around. Doing BlackBerry Java development has actually kept my laptop in Windows pretty much all the time. (Thankfully Windows Vista (on appropriate HW) and Windows 7 are far more bearable than Windows XP to me.)

Of course my build server for my app does run on Linux. :-)

I like to point out that the Windows dependency of the BlackBerry Java development tools is quite small. Actually, small enough to make you want to scream. It consists of:
1) The simulators (which only trick you into thinking they're usable in Wine), which RIM can't even get off their asses and port to MacOSX, let alone actually fix (without awkward workarounds) a bug that causes them to deadlock-on-close on 64-bit Windows.
2) The USB on-device-debugging DLL that's accessed via JNI from Eclipse
3) Hard-coded backslashes in older versions of rapc.jar and SignatureTool.jar

(Thankfully, #3 is the only one that gets in the way for Linux-based build servers, and it can be "fixed" using a Java class editor.)

I just posted a tutorial using GNU/Linux + Virtual Box + Windows 7 + DM. Search for the "Desktop Manager and Linux" thread.

After about 15 years I decided to take the plunge again. I've got the latest Ubuntu. Still trying to figure out how to install Linberry. I've forgotten a lot. :rolleyes: