There aren't too many places that include all of these steps in one place, seeing as I've very recently done this I feel that it is time to pass it along. Enjoy!
So you've decided to get your hands on one of those nifty little (and I do mean little, unless it's an HP) Chromebooks, and you also want to develop Android Applications on it. It's pretty easy, and I was able to get a development environment going in about a day.
| 1. | What you'll Need
You'll need:
1. Chromebook 2. Internet Connection 3. Crouton https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton 4. Time 5. Patience | |
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| 2. | Enter the Developer
The first thing you'll need to do is put your Chromebook into developer mode. For mine, the HP Chromebook, the process involved pressing: ESC + Refresh + Power button; in order to access the recovery mode. Once there you press CTRL + D and let it reformat the hard drive...don't get too attached to any setup you performed earlier it will be gone. Once you've done this you can hop in the internet and access the next steps.
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| 3. | Gather your Strength
You need to download Crouton: https://github.com/dnschneid/crouton. in order to get the next part of the process running. It's a small little file but it make all the difference in the world. Once downloaded you need to open the terminal by pressing CTRL + ATL + T and enter the command shell. Once the Shell is open type "sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -t xfce" (without the quote marks of course) and let it ride.
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| 4. | Refresh yourself
At this point you can get coffee and let it do its work.
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| 5. | Begin the Journey
After it installs you have to type: "sudo startxfce4" (without quotes) to enter the Ubuntu installation. BAM! Now it's pretty bare bones, but you should be able to download any of your development programs like Android Studio and Java's JDK and get them warmed up for development work. Those next parts should be self explanatory, but if you run into any trouble there is literally an entire internet available for you to ask questions on.
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| 6. | You're Almost Home
After you install the development environment and Java's JDK you should probably spend some time making yourself comfortable within the new environment, setting it up, getting it rolling and learning how to switch back and forth between the two. In order to switch between the two, press SHIFT + CTRL + BACK ARROW ON KEYBOARD (not the arrow key, there should be a separate button). While jumping back and forth you can let processes run between the two without any issue. During all of this time it is most certainly necessary to move non-vital programs and files to your Google Drive because the installation programs for Android Development and the JDK are rather large and tend to take up room on the hard drive, but once they are installed you can delete them to get the space back.
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| 7. | Sage's Advice
**NOTE** at this time it's probably beneficial to set everything to save to Google Drive from now on unless it is vitally needed, in order to save what little space they have on them.
**NOTE**Shutting down the ubuntu installation is the same as any other Ubuntu installation. Just remember to start it back up at the terminal the next time you want to use it.
**NOTE** Developer mode on Chromebooks is a wee-bit of a security concern, play it safe. If you aren't smart you can open yourself up to bad things and broken dreams. Read All Instructions.
Email me if you have questions: wemmert2@gmail.com or wemmert@tilsonhr.com
There you have it, you can now develop anything you want, just adjust the directions as necessary depending on what you want to develop.
Have fun!
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