Okay, here are the actual facts about Debian support on the Cubieboard vs. the Raspberry Pi
Cubieboard actually has two versions of Debian. I am uncertain, but I believe the Cubian is actually the Sunxi Debian version, not the Mainline Debian version
One is the Mainline Debian that complies with official Debian standards and is acknoledged by Debian. But it uses generic Debian video support that degrades performance of the Sunxi video processor which is proprietary. Proprietary video processors seem to be everywhere with Arm SoCs that apparently desired to have Android as an OS. Linux seems to have only come in as popularity of Android HDMI didn't achieve overwhelming popularity.
The other is Sunxi Debian (unofficial) that supports the proprietary video.
There seems to be some overlap in what the office and unoffical repositories provide.
And with Raspberry Pi, they support Raspbian (unofficial) that actually seems to be based on ARMv6 source, even though it is an ARMv7 device. Officially Raspberry Pi supports an independent repository with a lot of the Debian packages. But it also admits that their package count overstates which are useful as they have yet to remove many that are redundant.
My Cubieboard-1 has 340 packages installed and roughly another 34000 claimed to be available if the reports provide by aptitude.
Yes, the Cubieboard is an ARMv7 and so is the Raspberry Pi, both might work well with ARMv6 repositories. So I am at a loss to why Raspbian when with the v6 source unless v7 is unstable. There are other Debian ARMv7 for the BeagleBoards, but I have not idea about subtle differences.
Raspberry Pi doesn't support Android installation, and that seems to be part of the reason for going with Broadcom chips that are willing to open-source their video drivers.
Draw your own conclusions about which is best. I am just pointing out the differences. My personal preference here is official Debian when possible.
It seems that Cubieboard 1, 2, and 3(aka Cubietruck) all provided the sata interface. but Cubieboard 4, and soon to come 5 do not. Though there is a progression in speed and power, I am a bit disappointed with the lack of sata on 4 and 5.
Another bit of remorse is wifi installation in Linux... never the easiest thing to do. I went out and purchased a second USB Wifi dongle to have an easier time installing wifi to the Cubieboard (note that all the other SoC boards that don't include wif may have similar problems. In my searches for answers, I see others stuggling all around).
The issue here is 'proprietary partnerships and their non-disclosure agreements'. So you get Windows bundled with your hardware and MS absolutely makes sure the wifi works. In fact, my guess is that MS spends more time making sure proprietary hardware has a Windows driver than it does on the actual core issues of the OS. That may just be why Windows in on everything - free or cheap driver help.
Anyway, I did get a USB wifi dongle that my Cubieboard recognizes. I can even do some low-level exploring and it actully sees the wifi it is suppose to connect with. But even with the right SSID and passkey phrase installed, it won't respond. Being pre-installed Windows would never do this to you. It has other ways to challenge you.
This may be hard, but it isn't all bad. I am acquiring a lot of understanding of Linux and wifi along the way. But it certainly is a slog. At least I didn't have to compile a driver from source and load it into Debian and then find out there were other problems. But I will probably want to do that compile stuff some day later, when I am more savy.
++++++++
Why I am willing to struggle so much with a little Linux installation?
It is easier to do this while waiting for the Propeller 2 than to try to sort out what is going on with that. I fear my contribution to testing the FPGA versions would be a huge distraction to some people that really know what they are attempting to do.
A.
It seems that my problems with Debian repositories were all due to my DSL line being down, not the software in Cubian or broken repository configuration.
This is a bit of a silly issue, like forgetting to plug in the computer and wondering why it isn't turning on and then looking for what's broken inside. But I am sure others might run into a similar fate.
B.
My USB wifi installation may require some special work with 'wpa-supplicant' to get up and running. The USB wifi dongle is up and running, it just can't get past the wpa security yet.
C.
Installing a Sata harddisk is a three step process at the command line.
1. Partition with 'fdisk' which is very similar to MS 'fdisk'
2. Format the partitions created with 'mkfs.ext4' and 'mkswap'
3. Mount the new partitions in 'fstab' to gain the use of them.
Mounting and unmounting are a step that many MS users may have never been aware of, but Linux is based on UNIX and it is necessary and very useful.
+++++++++
A lot of struggle and looking in different directions to solve problems right under my nose. But that really is what learning an OS is all about. I don't feel that I have not gained anything from looking into the wrong places to attempt to solve start-up problems.
To the good..
1. I have verified that my Cubieboard has two Debian kernels - the official plain vanilla Debian called Mainline and the unofficial Debian called Cubian. And there is a vast world out there of 'unofficial' Debian distributions. I suspect a lot of them are merely cosmetic creations of a slick desktop and not much else. But others are very purpose built and handy to provide a special tool kit. Knoppic is a general tool-kit version, but others are dedicated to exploring your security weaknesses, or to learning all about wifi.... true goodies that are free for you to use.
And it seems that for the most part, Cubian uses the Debian repositories. But there are still some surprises in what is not there. I can't seem to 'apt-get install lsusb'. It seems that Cubian omits this from its packages. It is an interesting puzzle to work out. Another item lacking in the Cubian configuration at start-up is the whole 'man' documentation files. Once I have the harddisk running, I can afford that added bloat, but it does make sense to not have it on a tiny Linux system.
2. I have learned how to verify an SoC board is supported by Debian Mainline in general or whether it has gone entirely the 'unofficial' route with its own special set-up.
3. I am getting deep into wifi and all the tools for its use.
WPA security support seems to have some specific installation requirements. It is likely to be far easier to first verify a USB wifi dongle that is configured to connect with an unprotected wifi spot. At least that way, you know for sure that the hardware is good and the problem likes in the configuration of the security log-in.
4. It is a very good thing to NOT have the GUI installed. It really pushes one to learn where things are and what is available. This is all more empowering.
I have previously mentioned 'aptitude' which is non-GUI package manager. I am finding it more efficient to use that 'synaptic', which is GUI and which I may have grown overly dependent upon.
If one is going to use these small SoC boards in headless configuration, 'aptitude' is central to not acquiring a lot of unnecessary bloat. It can tell you exactly what is installed and allow you to remove items that are un-used.
5. Exploring 'aptitude' really does two things.
A. It provides a very quick overview of what is installed, and what is available from your repository resouces.
B. It allows you to explore available resources in your repositories to find ones you may like to learn and didn't know about. For instance, I was aware of 'who' to find out others that are logged in, but now I another alternative called 'whowatch' that provides that gets you additional information about how they logged in real-time. If you thing someone is actually logging in remotely, it is a great way to catch them in the act.
'Aptitude' will confirm that someing is or isn't available in the repositories. If it isn't available, you may have to compile the wanted software from source for your specific architecture.
6. I have learn how Debian attempts to support the ARM SoC chips, and how the various (and there are a lot of variations) ARM SoC attempt to install and use Debian. There are varying degrees of effort.
++++++++++++++++++++
Finding and learning more powerful resources is a big part of the fun of Linux. And having tons for free software packages (that include core packages, utilities, applications, games, and so on) means a lot gets learned on a shoe-string budget.
So the real trick is how to get into the command line system as a novice and begin to enjoy all the resources available without becoming overwhelmed. It takes awhile to get the hang of things. I have no idea how kids overcome these obstacles without some very knowledgible mentoring.
I am getting very near to calling this project completed.
All the odd startup issues are almost resolved. The rest can be done with any HOWTO for Debian to create a file server and a music server.
There is one glitch that may be Debian Wheezy or ARMv7 architecture relation. "Aptitude has a bug that generates odd characters in Cubian. The bug was reputed to be caused by multiple processors on the Intel and AMD architectures - not sure if that is the case with ARMv7. But it does make some aspects of use 'aptitude' awkward. Also, the mouse doesn't work in the HDMI 'terminal'.
All this may go away by installing the complete Desktop Cubian rather than the limited Cubian I've been using. I've been too busy to swap out all the various options. But I am extremely enjoying using aptitude.
For instance, my Cubian installation has 340 packages installed, and I see several I might do without. The whole installation takes a bit less than 1Gbyte. In comparision, my old EEEpc used a beginning image of about 2Gbytes because it had the GUI and Desktop.
My current EEEpc uses a bit over 1700 packages. I feel the comparision of packages installed instead of file count is more informative. The 340 packages are group that has a much higher MUST have packages than the 1700. So I am see what I know and need to know. Just looking at file counts wouldn't be so helpful.
++++++
The only other item of interest at this point is installing the USB wifi dongle as it appears that a lot of people have had difficulty with doing it without a GUI.
There are two need to know items about using WPA or WPA2 security.
1. It seems the installer has to convert the ASCII passcode to a hexidecimal PSK. Linux has a utility that will do this at the command line, called wpa_passphrase. If that is not available, there are websites that will do the same task for you. I believe that one CANNOT just enter the ASCII passcode and expect to have the computer to automatically bring it up.
2. The WPA_Supplicant may require inclusion in the etc/network/interfaces file. It has to be started before the Wifi interface is brought up and shut down after wifi goes down. So there are a few lines of special configuration that apply entirely to the WPA_Supplicant.
There are a lot of tutorials on the internet that omit the need to resolve the WPA_Supplicant.
Comments
Cubieboard actually has two versions of Debian. I am uncertain, but I believe the Cubian is actually the Sunxi Debian version, not the Mainline Debian version
One is the Mainline Debian that complies with official Debian standards and is acknoledged by Debian. But it uses generic Debian video support that degrades performance of the Sunxi video processor which is proprietary. Proprietary video processors seem to be everywhere with Arm SoCs that apparently desired to have Android as an OS. Linux seems to have only come in as popularity of Android HDMI didn't achieve overwhelming popularity.
The other is Sunxi Debian (unofficial) that supports the proprietary video.
There seems to be some overlap in what the office and unoffical repositories provide.
And with Raspberry Pi, they support Raspbian (unofficial) that actually seems to be based on ARMv6 source, even though it is an ARMv7 device. Officially Raspberry Pi supports an independent repository with a lot of the Debian packages. But it also admits that their package count overstates which are useful as they have yet to remove many that are redundant.
My Cubieboard-1 has 340 packages installed and roughly another 34000 claimed to be available if the reports provide by aptitude.
Yes, the Cubieboard is an ARMv7 and so is the Raspberry Pi, both might work well with ARMv6 repositories. So I am at a loss to why Raspbian when with the v6 source unless v7 is unstable. There are other Debian ARMv7 for the BeagleBoards, but I have not idea about subtle differences.
Raspberry Pi doesn't support Android installation, and that seems to be part of the reason for going with Broadcom chips that are willing to open-source their video drivers.
Draw your own conclusions about which is best. I am just pointing out the differences. My personal preference here is official Debian when possible.
Another bit of remorse is wifi installation in Linux... never the easiest thing to do. I went out and purchased a second USB Wifi dongle to have an easier time installing wifi to the Cubieboard (note that all the other SoC boards that don't include wif may have similar problems. In my searches for answers, I see others stuggling all around).
The issue here is 'proprietary partnerships and their non-disclosure agreements'. So you get Windows bundled with your hardware and MS absolutely makes sure the wifi works. In fact, my guess is that MS spends more time making sure proprietary hardware has a Windows driver than it does on the actual core issues of the OS. That may just be why Windows in on everything - free or cheap driver help.
Anyway, I did get a USB wifi dongle that my Cubieboard recognizes. I can even do some low-level exploring and it actully sees the wifi it is suppose to connect with. But even with the right SSID and passkey phrase installed, it won't respond. Being pre-installed Windows would never do this to you. It has other ways to challenge you.
This may be hard, but it isn't all bad. I am acquiring a lot of understanding of Linux and wifi along the way. But it certainly is a slog. At least I didn't have to compile a driver from source and load it into Debian and then find out there were other problems. But I will probably want to do that compile stuff some day later, when I am more savy.
++++++++
Why I am willing to struggle so much with a little Linux installation?
It is easier to do this while waiting for the Propeller 2 than to try to sort out what is going on with that. I fear my contribution to testing the FPGA versions would be a huge distraction to some people that really know what they are attempting to do.
A.
It seems that my problems with Debian repositories were all due to my DSL line being down, not the software in Cubian or broken repository configuration.
This is a bit of a silly issue, like forgetting to plug in the computer and wondering why it isn't turning on and then looking for what's broken inside. But I am sure others might run into a similar fate.
B.
My USB wifi installation may require some special work with 'wpa-supplicant' to get up and running. The USB wifi dongle is up and running, it just can't get past the wpa security yet.
C.
Installing a Sata harddisk is a three step process at the command line.
1. Partition with 'fdisk' which is very similar to MS 'fdisk'
2. Format the partitions created with 'mkfs.ext4' and 'mkswap'
3. Mount the new partitions in 'fstab' to gain the use of them.
Mounting and unmounting are a step that many MS users may have never been aware of, but Linux is based on UNIX and it is necessary and very useful.
+++++++++
A lot of struggle and looking in different directions to solve problems right under my nose. But that really is what learning an OS is all about. I don't feel that I have not gained anything from looking into the wrong places to attempt to solve start-up problems.
To the good..
1. I have verified that my Cubieboard has two Debian kernels - the official plain vanilla Debian called Mainline and the unofficial Debian called Cubian. And there is a vast world out there of 'unofficial' Debian distributions. I suspect a lot of them are merely cosmetic creations of a slick desktop and not much else. But others are very purpose built and handy to provide a special tool kit. Knoppic is a general tool-kit version, but others are dedicated to exploring your security weaknesses, or to learning all about wifi.... true goodies that are free for you to use.
And it seems that for the most part, Cubian uses the Debian repositories. But there are still some surprises in what is not there. I can't seem to 'apt-get install lsusb'. It seems that Cubian omits this from its packages. It is an interesting puzzle to work out. Another item lacking in the Cubian configuration at start-up is the whole 'man' documentation files. Once I have the harddisk running, I can afford that added bloat, but it does make sense to not have it on a tiny Linux system.
2. I have learned how to verify an SoC board is supported by Debian Mainline in general or whether it has gone entirely the 'unofficial' route with its own special set-up.
3. I am getting deep into wifi and all the tools for its use.
WPA security support seems to have some specific installation requirements. It is likely to be far easier to first verify a USB wifi dongle that is configured to connect with an unprotected wifi spot. At least that way, you know for sure that the hardware is good and the problem likes in the configuration of the security log-in.
4. It is a very good thing to NOT have the GUI installed. It really pushes one to learn where things are and what is available. This is all more empowering.
I have previously mentioned 'aptitude' which is non-GUI package manager. I am finding it more efficient to use that 'synaptic', which is GUI and which I may have grown overly dependent upon.
If one is going to use these small SoC boards in headless configuration, 'aptitude' is central to not acquiring a lot of unnecessary bloat. It can tell you exactly what is installed and allow you to remove items that are un-used.
5. Exploring 'aptitude' really does two things.
A. It provides a very quick overview of what is installed, and what is available from your repository resouces.
B. It allows you to explore available resources in your repositories to find ones you may like to learn and didn't know about. For instance, I was aware of 'who' to find out others that are logged in, but now I another alternative called 'whowatch' that provides that gets you additional information about how they logged in real-time. If you thing someone is actually logging in remotely, it is a great way to catch them in the act.
'Aptitude' will confirm that someing is or isn't available in the repositories. If it isn't available, you may have to compile the wanted software from source for your specific architecture.
6. I have learn how Debian attempts to support the ARM SoC chips, and how the various (and there are a lot of variations) ARM SoC attempt to install and use Debian. There are varying degrees of effort.
++++++++++++++++++++
Finding and learning more powerful resources is a big part of the fun of Linux. And having tons for free software packages (that include core packages, utilities, applications, games, and so on) means a lot gets learned on a shoe-string budget.
So the real trick is how to get into the command line system as a novice and begin to enjoy all the resources available without becoming overwhelmed. It takes awhile to get the hang of things. I have no idea how kids overcome these obstacles without some very knowledgible mentoring.
All the odd startup issues are almost resolved. The rest can be done with any HOWTO for Debian to create a file server and a music server.
There is one glitch that may be Debian Wheezy or ARMv7 architecture relation. "Aptitude has a bug that generates odd characters in Cubian. The bug was reputed to be caused by multiple processors on the Intel and AMD architectures - not sure if that is the case with ARMv7. But it does make some aspects of use 'aptitude' awkward. Also, the mouse doesn't work in the HDMI 'terminal'.
All this may go away by installing the complete Desktop Cubian rather than the limited Cubian I've been using. I've been too busy to swap out all the various options. But I am extremely enjoying using aptitude.
For instance, my Cubian installation has 340 packages installed, and I see several I might do without. The whole installation takes a bit less than 1Gbyte. In comparision, my old EEEpc used a beginning image of about 2Gbytes because it had the GUI and Desktop.
My current EEEpc uses a bit over 1700 packages. I feel the comparision of packages installed instead of file count is more informative. The 340 packages are group that has a much higher MUST have packages than the 1700. So I am see what I know and need to know. Just looking at file counts wouldn't be so helpful.
++++++
The only other item of interest at this point is installing the USB wifi dongle as it appears that a lot of people have had difficulty with doing it without a GUI.
There are two need to know items about using WPA or WPA2 security.
1. It seems the installer has to convert the ASCII passcode to a hexidecimal PSK. Linux has a utility that will do this at the command line, called wpa_passphrase. If that is not available, there are websites that will do the same task for you. I believe that one CANNOT just enter the ASCII passcode and expect to have the computer to automatically bring it up.
2. The WPA_Supplicant may require inclusion in the etc/network/interfaces file. It has to be started before the Wifi interface is brought up and shut down after wifi goes down. So there are a few lines of special configuration that apply entirely to the WPA_Supplicant.
There are a lot of tutorials on the internet that omit the need to resolve the WPA_Supplicant.