Quick Guide to installing Ubuntu Unity on your Pinebook Pro
#1
Had my PBP now for a couple of months and while the default build it shipped with was fine I have been messing around with the excellent Mate build kindly done by Wizzard  here

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=8119

............................but stopped short of installing KDE as I had used Kubuntu for a few years before and the Mate build was good. I had even installed Mutiny Theme



However I have been using Unity Ubuntu and now Ubuntu Desktop for long enough on a main pc that I wanted to install Ubuntu (classic as I call it) 

After a few failures I realised that just installing ubuntu-desktop on top of the Mate build was not going to work for me

It installed but would not boot even with LightDM and GDM seemed to just break the installation. So another method was needed.

I reinstalled the Mate build and then followed the updates kindly provided by Ayufan here after of course installing the trackpad updates and uboot fixes

https://github.com/ayufan-rock64/linux-b...tag/0.9.14

Then installed ubuntu-unity-desktop with the following command:

sudo apt install ubuntu-unity-desktop --install-recommends

This installed fine and booted as well after selecting Unity (default) at login



However this gave me some small problems as none of the apps I use showed up in the Dash when pressing the Pine super button.

Secondly I could not open a terminal and lastly my right click on the trackpad no longer worked

So I had to reach out for help

Firstly after a few hours of thinking I remembered the old skills.

I hit Alt and F2....of course....then search for terminal  (see attached photo)

Bingo

Same for finding all the other apps I needed and had installed on Mate build

This kindly provided by Tophneal fixed the right click issue:

https://itsfoss.com/fix-right-click-touchpad-ubuntu/

So Pinebook now up and running with Unity Ubuntu ...a few system errors but for now ....its just how I want it for now...no doubt it will come with a few issues but it looks good enough

See other attachment

Good luck and let me know if you get stuck

Also keen to see if others have had better luck with another method
#2
Here is it how looks after cleaning a few things up and removing the Mate Desktop as well. 

Not very buggy and despite me never using a screen recorder before actually feels just right

The lenses etc all seem to work as do everything else I have installed with one exception Gnome Terminal - cant get it working so reinstalled Mate-Terminal!


#3
(01-28-2020, 12:08 PM)andybleaden@gmail.com Wrote: Here is it how looks after cleaning a few things up and removing the Mate Desktop as well.

It looks as though your video isn't set to public.
#4
Just a heads up, I was able to find the video by searching for "Pinebook Pro" and setting filter for today. Tomorrow it'll need to be last week.
#5
(01-27-2020, 02:46 PM)andybleaden@gmail.com Wrote: < SNIP >

So Pinebook now up and running with Unity Ubuntu ...a few system errors but for now ....its just how I want it for now...no doubt it will come with a few issues but it looks good enough

See other attachment

Good luck and let me know if you get stuck

Also keen to see if others have had better luck with another method

Nice one! Whoa! Bionic!
— Jeremiah Cornelius
"Be the first person not to do some­thing, that no one has thought of not doing before’’
— Brian Eno, "Oblique Strategies"
#6
(01-28-2020, 02:08 PM)zaius Wrote:
(01-28-2020, 12:08 PM)andybleaden@gmail.com Wrote: Here is it how looks after cleaning a few things up and removing the Mate Desktop as well.

It looks as though your video isn't set to public.

Sorry
Years since I uploaded to you tube

Now should be unlisted

https://youtu.be/5DwplhcCc-k[video=youtube]http://https://youtu.be/5DwplhcCc-k[/video]
#7
Ok updates...

Wanted the boot screen to be less verbose (lots of white text!) and get back to having an Ubuntu Logo when logging in and out!

So followed these instructions from our Forum thanks to @aristocrat 

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=8604



To keep the splashscreen from getting disabled on kernel update, open up /usr/local/sbin/update-extlinux.sh in your editor of choice and change line 50:
emit_kernel "$VERSION" "$APPEND"
to:
emit_kernel "$VERSION" "$APPEND quiet splash"
then save and run "sudo update-extlinux.sh"


and it works...mostly...nearly as good as my other devices







https://youtu.be/_DTfxRzo3dw



Coming next...getting rid of that damn login noise!

Well the login sound was hard and kind of easy to fix

After much searching and removing and replacement of files I deleted the login session.ogg in usr/share/sounds/ubuntu/stereo

Only for it to be replaced by the next noise on the list!

So brute force was needed and I thought I never use sounds on a laptop unless I want to listen to my music so deleted ALL  the folders in usr/share/sounds  (I said it was brutal!) and it works

Silent as a silent thing booting up

See..


#8
I forgot when I wrote the post, but if you don't want any text before the splash screen you can change the line to:

emit_kernel "$VERSION" "$APPEND quiet loglevel=3 splash"

And that should mute any kernel logging except serious errors.
#9
(01-29-2020, 01:37 PM)aristocrat Wrote: I forgot when I wrote the post, but if you don't want any text before the splash screen you can change the line to:

emit_kernel "$VERSION" "$APPEND quiet loglevel=3 splash"

And that should mute any kernel logging except serious errors.


Thanks for this...really helps this is now looking good
#10
(01-27-2020, 02:46 PM)andybleaden@gmail.com Wrote: Had my PBP now for a couple of months and while the default build it shipped with was fine I have been messing around with the excellent Mate build kindly done by Wizzard  here

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=8119

............................but stopped short of installing KDE as I had used Kubuntu for a few years before and the Mate build was good. I had even installed Mutiny Theme



However I have been using Unity Ubuntu and now Ubuntu Desktop for long enough on a main pc that I wanted to install Ubuntu (classic as I call it) 
 I followed your excellent direction to install Unity desktop. My efforts were successful and my Pinebook Pro is now running Unity. Thank you for all your efforts.
On my install the tap to click function does not work. Perhaps that is normal, but I did not see mention of it. I can scroll with two fingers, and I can click the trackpad for both right and left clicks. That is not my standard way of working with a trackpad and I do find it confusing. I am not sure how to go about getting tap to click working and would appreciate any pointers to make it happen.
Again thanks for the excellent tutorial.
bill


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