nice linux7.0-rc4 booting on sdm845-hdk with the dts for the hdk form the patchset currently in lkml

graphics, PCIe, Wlan still WIP

#postmarketOS #sdm845 #linuxmobile #mobilelinux

#RabbitHole: @okias is doing a lot work to mainstream #sdm845 patches to the #linux kernel. During a meeting of Phosh.mobi e.V. members I learned that there seem to be not many testers for #Shift6mq #axolotl. I still had a broken Axolotl sitting on my desk…

  • repaired the phone that originally had been bought as part of a #ShiftPhone8 deal
    • cleaning inside (residue from water contact)
    • new display (two lines of broken pixels)
    • new usb-c pcb (didn't charge, data broke during testing)
  • learned about edl to recover if phone wouldn't boot to fastboot anymore (yes, really had that situation later 😉)
  • learned about the difference of fastboot and fastbootd mode
  • learned about u-boot and the boot chain on the phone
  • learned about dynamic partitions used in Android and how to use them from #linux
  • learned about pmbootstrap
    • to build my own device images (mixture of existing axolotl and sdm845 to be compatible to the phone and the usage with u-boot and dynamic partitions)
    • changed pmbootstrap to build small (92M) boot image for boot_a/b partition
  • tried to get more space for out of the phone for boot & root than provided by boot_a/b and system_a/b
    • resized userdata of Android
    • created two additional partitions for postmarketOS
  • learned how to recover from kernel not booting without re-flashing
    • u-boot usb mass storage mode exports the mass storage of the phone over usb-c
    • phone connected to an aarch64 system (#Librem5 running #Mobian)
    • mounting encrypted partition, boot and what-else is needed
    • installing kernel packages via apk while in chroot on Librem5
  • learned how to compile a kernel using ./envkernel.sh and pmbootstrap

Now I'm quite sure I can recover from any failure I will encounter while testing sdm845 kernels and I have the following setup on my Shift6mq:

  • ShiftOS-L with small userdata partition in slot_b
    • applications for demoing the phone installed
    • work profile to contain closed source applications
  • postmarketOS edge installed on partitions behind userdata
    • u-boot on rescue_a
    • 1GB pmOS_boot
    • 60GB pmOS_root
    • applications for demoing
    • multi-user: my testing user, demo user
    • everything except cameras work
  • dual-boot possible on-the-go: enter fastboot (by holding vol-up at start), change slot, reboot

I put my notes on the postmarketOS wiki.

I started two merge requests:

I'll carry the phone at #clt2026 - Chemnitzer Linux Tage 2026 - on saturday 28th this month. I'll mostly be around the "Linux on Mobile" booth.

Phosh.mobi e.V.

Phosh.mobi e.V.
@Pavel Machek has rebased his #libcamera AutoFocus experimental branch above mainline v0.7.0 tag during @okias organized 6th #MobileLinux Hackday yesterday (thanks to #SUSE for hosting), and I have built it on my #oneplus6 #Qualcomm #sdm845 phone running my build of 6.19.0-rc4-next-20260106-sdm845-gdc7b19cffd9e kernel and #mobian. Then I have tested it with Pavel’s mcam and, probably the first time ever, with Gnome/Phosh snapshot application with a complete pipewire-libcamera stack. The simple SW AF prototype has been enabled by the addition of - Af: line into /usr/share/libcamera/ipa/simple/uncalibrated.yam. On the occasion, I had the chance to test the result to document an actual event: when the president of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, spoke at the #Ukraine Support meeting in #Prague Old Town Square today. The autofocus algorithm is quite unstable, periodically seeking a sharp image while the view is blurred in between. Same for the uncalibrated colors. But that could/should be solved in the longer perspective, see FOSDEM talk1 and talk2. But in general, the day when we can run at least older devices under real user control is yet closer. It depends now on @EUCommission whether the future is like 1984 or not for new devices. If it insists on Chat Control, which requires eliminating user control over what software runs on the device and supports rhetoric of sideloading for user control and even own builds of application installing, then the governments and corporations controlled botnet would be abused by mighty ones to control society as a whole. Back to today’s photos and the demonstration of goodwill to help the attacked neighborhood country to survive the imperial war. The original 1080p resolution photo with far focus is there and the short distance shot to the paper there. Both were taken by an IMX519 camera connected to MIPI C-phy.

#6 #MobileLinux Hackday je zde!

v pátek 20. 2. 2026 od 10:00 do večera v

SUSE Linux, s.r.o.
Křižíkova 148/34
Praha 8 - Karlín

Doprava:
- tram/metro Křižíkova

Témata:
- od jádra (posílání patchů, b4, atd.)
- až po user-space (balíčkování, Flatpak, drobné opravy aplikací aby pěkně běželi na telefonech)
- Mobian
- pohnout s OnePlus 6 / 6T, Xiaomi Poco F1, Shift 6MQ #sdm845
- experimentování s #FairPhone 5

Prosím potvrďte účast i když dorazíte později nebo budete muset odejít brzy.

Budem se těšit!

Telefon: +420608263376 (také Signal)

Tried compile #sdm845 #LinuxKernel on my 9310 it took ~20min, fan full throttle (cooling pad irrlevant), M2 PRO - 5min, fan at last minute ?! Holy cow.

Ok, lets transfer data. Can't do dd as binaries are incompatitble. How to encrypt drive? Asahi installer has no option. Fck. Well, lets boot from u-boot flashdrive and encrypt system w/ script. I had to modify Fedora one to work with Debian

Want a premium Linux shirt that actually looks good? 🐧📱

Our well-designed shirt (penguin holding a phone) is 100% cotton with a stitched penguin logo.

Available this weekend at the #FOSDEM #LinuxOnMobile stand.

Location: Building U, entrance UD2 — grab your size before they’re gone!

Model: @Standara3217

#FOSDEM2026 #MobileLinux #LinuxMobile #sdm845 #Mobian #Phosh #Linux

I’m looking for help funding a MacBook M2 Pro (~€1300). My Dell starts throttling seconds into kernel builds, making daily compiling and testing of an arm64 code painfully slow. Faster hardware = less waiting, more upstream work for everyone 🐧❤️

I’m ready to fund it myself, but knowing people care by contributing would really mean a lot. This is non-profit work, funded from my own pocket + LiberaPay (~€7/week).

💻 Support: https://liberapay.com/dh

#MobileLinux #LinuxMobile #sdm845 #FOSS

dh's profile - Liberapay

Why support me? Your contributions help me focus on mainline Linux kernel development — writing and upstreaming code that improves the mobile Linux ecosystem for everyone.

Liberapay

Makáme. out-of-picture @okias

Kernel, kamery (libcamera, autofocus), balíčkování CoMaps, Linux na Samsung S4 Mini, NixOS Mobile demo atd.

#Prague #MobileLinux #LinuxMobile #Flatpak #CoMaps #sdm845 #NixOS #NixOS_mobile

Stálá témata:

- Budou dostupné telefony, na kterých si budete moci zkusit rozběhnout Linux
- Rozběhnutí u-boot a EFI, testování a integrace na telefonech s Snapdragonem #sdm845.
- patches review & mainlining
- Balíčkování užitečných věcí pro mobilní distribuce
- Hackování na jádře, psaní #devicetree

2/2

The `novatek,nt36672a` Display Driver IC need a serious rework... maybe a HERO 🦸 will show up and fix it?

I heard there is floating datasheet around, so if someone will be brave enough, it shouldn't be that hard.

There are at least two people who would be willing to give a guidance on getting there.

DDIC is at least in Xiaomi:
Poco F1 - tianma version
Redmi Note 7 - Shenchao panel

#MobileLinux #LinuxMobile #sdm845 #sdm660