Kindle for Android on Bodhi 7 (the fat one)
Jan 20, 2024 19:52:14 GMT
thewaiter, enigma9o7, and 1 more like this
Post by bumpus on Jan 20, 2024 19:52:14 GMT
Ok since the latest 2.xx of Kindle for PC software is once again no longer compatible with WINE,and older versions no longer can handle newer encryption Amazon uses. I went looking how to read Kindle books offline in linux another way. Well linux has an Android “emulator” called Waydroid that much like WINE is not an emulator, but a translation layer between linux and Android. It uses Lineage Android by default which is a version used by people that root their phones.
Getting it installed and working is not easiest process. I have tried it in various distributions, easiest to get working in Fedora 39 desktop with Gnome. Gnome has a built in wayland compositor called Mutter. This maybe way you want to go if you have touch screen, both gnome and Lineage are happier with touch screen. Very easy to toggle back and forth.
But if you don’t want Gnome or KDE which also has its own wayland compositor. Well you have to use a third party wayland compositor, the usual one is Weston. There are others like Sway, but I tried, didnt have any luck with Sway. Sure I am missing some setting to make Waydroid try to use Sway. It automatically tries to use Weston. Never knowingly used a compositor until now.
Anyway I have gotten it working in Fedora, MINT, MX23, and now Bodhi (the fat one with extra software included). Why I am mentioning it here on Bodhi forum, going from Bodhi desktop to opening the Kindle for Android app is amazingly fast. No other distribution I have tried comes close. The version Lineage is vanilla Android 11. But remember this is on an x86 computer and most Android apps are made for ARM processor. So you then need a script that installs libHoudini. Houdini lets you run ARM apps, and Kindle for Android is an ARM app.
I can go into more detail, if somebody is interested, but basically followed the recipe for installing Waydroid on MINT with cinnamon desktop. medium.com/@tony.j.miri/android-on-linux-mint-with-waydroid-setup-guide-ff0ca8eab22 I never got the script download of Lineage img files working. Had to download them with a browser, unzip, and manually install them as described on Waydroid site for using custom roms. Also the description on installing Houdini is bit off. I suggest using the one here: github.com/casualsnek/waydroid_script
Pay attention if you get error on any step, some python and maybe other stuff missing in Bodhi, but easily installed via apt-get. Also suggest ignoring the option for Play Store, and just side load apks via “waydroid app install /path_to_apk” This has to be done while in a waydroid session. Oh and if like me you are doing this to run Kindle4Android, know once in Lineage desktop, go to settings there and Display and move the little setting dot to first or second notch. If you open Kindle with it at default setting, the “discovery” and “library” screens will be tiny. Any downloaded book displays full screen and you can adjust fonts, etc. I still probably prefer Kindle4PC but this works fine. Waydroid not easiest thing to get working, but once it does, its well worth the effort. Of course it can run other Android apps, but not being a fan of phones or Android, I pretty much only did it to run the Kindle app. Oh to run this manually, well you will probably want to create a script to automate it, but manually, you open terminal, type weston and enter. A weston screen pops up, maximize it. Now go to menu and click on Waydroid, which expands and click the Waydroid in that added box. Wait 5sec and Lineage starts loading. Now you can install apps you want. Adjust display setting on Lineage. Once Kindle app installed click that and will by default go to discovery screen, click library screen, shows empty park bench and register it with your Kindle account. It will populate your library. The browser included with Lineage works fine even in x86 mode without Houdini. I didnt try any other apps, not a real fan of Android. But reading about Wayland, yes seems majority of apps work at least to some extent, sure lot more info out there if you search. I was only interested to get current version Kindle app working. Should mention Waydroid shares your linux internet connection with the Android app, so no worries about an Android internet connection. If for some reason it doesnt, then 99% likely its a firewall setting in linux.
Oh Waydroid only for 64bit systems. And your computer needs to have a processor with SSE4.2 support. Meaning even early i3/i5/i7 processors probably ok. But save yourself grief and look up your specific processor to see if it has SSE4.2 support if its older. Dont have SSE4.2? There is a classic version Android x86 thats 32bit. I think its like Android 7. So you would have to find a version Kindle that could run on it. I tried it sometime back. I found it works, but kinda twitchy. Plus you have to install it either on a virtual machine or on its own partition. So have to reboot computer to use it. But hey its free and open source. And if you have older computer its an option.
Getting it installed and working is not easiest process. I have tried it in various distributions, easiest to get working in Fedora 39 desktop with Gnome. Gnome has a built in wayland compositor called Mutter. This maybe way you want to go if you have touch screen, both gnome and Lineage are happier with touch screen. Very easy to toggle back and forth.
But if you don’t want Gnome or KDE which also has its own wayland compositor. Well you have to use a third party wayland compositor, the usual one is Weston. There are others like Sway, but I tried, didnt have any luck with Sway. Sure I am missing some setting to make Waydroid try to use Sway. It automatically tries to use Weston. Never knowingly used a compositor until now.
Anyway I have gotten it working in Fedora, MINT, MX23, and now Bodhi (the fat one with extra software included). Why I am mentioning it here on Bodhi forum, going from Bodhi desktop to opening the Kindle for Android app is amazingly fast. No other distribution I have tried comes close. The version Lineage is vanilla Android 11. But remember this is on an x86 computer and most Android apps are made for ARM processor. So you then need a script that installs libHoudini. Houdini lets you run ARM apps, and Kindle for Android is an ARM app.
I can go into more detail, if somebody is interested, but basically followed the recipe for installing Waydroid on MINT with cinnamon desktop. medium.com/@tony.j.miri/android-on-linux-mint-with-waydroid-setup-guide-ff0ca8eab22 I never got the script download of Lineage img files working. Had to download them with a browser, unzip, and manually install them as described on Waydroid site for using custom roms. Also the description on installing Houdini is bit off. I suggest using the one here: github.com/casualsnek/waydroid_script
Pay attention if you get error on any step, some python and maybe other stuff missing in Bodhi, but easily installed via apt-get. Also suggest ignoring the option for Play Store, and just side load apks via “waydroid app install /path_to_apk” This has to be done while in a waydroid session. Oh and if like me you are doing this to run Kindle4Android, know once in Lineage desktop, go to settings there and Display and move the little setting dot to first or second notch. If you open Kindle with it at default setting, the “discovery” and “library” screens will be tiny. Any downloaded book displays full screen and you can adjust fonts, etc. I still probably prefer Kindle4PC but this works fine. Waydroid not easiest thing to get working, but once it does, its well worth the effort. Of course it can run other Android apps, but not being a fan of phones or Android, I pretty much only did it to run the Kindle app. Oh to run this manually, well you will probably want to create a script to automate it, but manually, you open terminal, type weston and enter. A weston screen pops up, maximize it. Now go to menu and click on Waydroid, which expands and click the Waydroid in that added box. Wait 5sec and Lineage starts loading. Now you can install apps you want. Adjust display setting on Lineage. Once Kindle app installed click that and will by default go to discovery screen, click library screen, shows empty park bench and register it with your Kindle account. It will populate your library. The browser included with Lineage works fine even in x86 mode without Houdini. I didnt try any other apps, not a real fan of Android. But reading about Wayland, yes seems majority of apps work at least to some extent, sure lot more info out there if you search. I was only interested to get current version Kindle app working. Should mention Waydroid shares your linux internet connection with the Android app, so no worries about an Android internet connection. If for some reason it doesnt, then 99% likely its a firewall setting in linux.
Oh Waydroid only for 64bit systems. And your computer needs to have a processor with SSE4.2 support. Meaning even early i3/i5/i7 processors probably ok. But save yourself grief and look up your specific processor to see if it has SSE4.2 support if its older. Dont have SSE4.2? There is a classic version Android x86 thats 32bit. I think its like Android 7. So you would have to find a version Kindle that could run on it. I tried it sometime back. I found it works, but kinda twitchy. Plus you have to install it either on a virtual machine or on its own partition. So have to reboot computer to use it. But hey its free and open source. And if you have older computer its an option.
I even have it installed on my laptop running Bodhi 5.1!
