# Gemini PDA vs Emacs Native Android

*Entered: in emacs on Gemini PDA*
*Date: 20230903*

## I wanted to be in love...

I was pretty stoked to find the native android build of
emacs on [fdroid][1]. Then I was more stoked after finding
the gnu nightly builds on [sourceforge][2] with additional
options compiled in.

[1]: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.gnu.emacs/
[2]: https://sourceforge.net/projects/android-ports-for-gnu-emacs/

However, there were deal breaking issues. The android
sandbox the app lives in is the main one. I was unable to
get files I wanted to edit into emacs to edit them. I could
make a new file and save it to
/storage/emulated/0/Downloads, for example, but if I created
the file in another app, like vim in termux, it would not
open it. Access denied. This device is rooted, so I even
created a new directory - /tmp - and chown'd to u0_a96 (the
android system generated user for my particular emacs
installation), chmod'ing /tmp/ 0777. No dice.

This came after I took the time to copy some nerd font TTFs
into /system/fonts and modify ~/.emacs
(/mnt/expand/[uuid]/org.gnu.emacs/files/.emacs) and got it
looking halfway nice. Anyways, I of course just went back to
a tried and true work horse.

## Emacs in termux/termux:x11

While the idea of an android native port of emacs sounds
neat, the implementation robs the use from it. There are no
programs of use in eshell, for instance. Also no way to
install any. You may create files, then look at or edit
those files, and they live and die in the directory android
has allocated to the app.

As everyone knows well: termux is the killer app on
android. It transforms your android device
(phone/tablet/pda) into essentially, a complete computer. I
have i3-gaps running from termux, using termux:x11. emacs-x
from the X11 repo works like a champ. My init.el from all my
other devices and computers "just works." At least adding
those nerd fonts to /system/fonts paid off - Iosevka Nerd
Font looks amazing on the gemini, as it does everywhere
else.

I think I have said it before in this phlog, but running
linux on the gemini PDA has issues. The main one is power
management, closely followed by boot time (since you're
always shutting completely down). Android is the true OS for
this device. I just hit the home soft-button, turn off wifi,
close the clam-shell, and the battery just doesn't seem to
show any draining when I reopen it later. Termux is still
running, waiting for my input.

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