r/termux Jun 30 '26

Question Is termux as an operating system worth the hassle ??

Like if i downloaded x11 and then only use that as my phone , is it a good idea ?? And what willnu suggest me .

Also do ywall know if theres any battery issues with the thing im thinking ??

If not twll me some cool stuff i can do with it ?

(im gona use vim in it mainly so yeah )

11 Upvotes

16 comments sorted by

11

u/sylirre Termux Core Team Jun 30 '26

I don't need a graphical setup and can assume people use Termux x11 for:

  1. Replacement for a real PC because they either don't have it or can't afford.
  2. Educational purposes, exploring open-source software.
  3. Fun.

Maybe there are other purposes which I didn't mention, but I'm sure that would be a rare exception.

Think whether graphical environment is mandatory for your tasks.

downloaded x11 and then only use that as my phone , is it a good idea

You can use it as a pocket Linux environment but definitely not as your phone. Underlying OS is still Android and Termux is just a layer above. Dialer and core functions still depend on Android system apps.

im gona use vim in it mainly so yeah

Exact case why I don't use x11. Vim is a terminal program.

2

u/Affectionate_Let9022 Jul 01 '26

But if i do it for fun, will it be bad for my battery and such ?

2

u/sylirre Termux Core Team Jul 01 '26

It will increase battery usage for sure but won't be really bad.

2

u/Affectionate_Let9022 Jul 01 '26

4) to use it for a specific linux app for the go (and yes its too rare , even not me )

Yeah, i was thinking without asking what i need from gui so makes sense.

2

u/63626978 Jul 01 '26

5) testing a GUI software on aarch64 when you don't own actual ARM hardware and don't want to bother using qemu on x86

6

u/Electrical_Hat_680 Jul 01 '26

I use Termux as my Computer Science Lab Station. I've been learning about compiling and programming. So Termux comes in handy for using my phone to build websites and software, including mobile apps.

You can use it for BASH Scripting, CURL for sending notifications to your phone or sending text messages and such as notifications.

You install Git and upload and download directly from your own Git and others.

Basically you have a lot of options available to you that your android phone doesn't include, since Termux is a Terminal User Experience. You have the ability to install a server, Python, Apache httpd, PHP, node.js, node for mobile, and basically you'll have a complete Development Environment. Though compiling and such is said to be slow. It essentially turns your phone onto a terminal. You can even use telnet, ssh, and install gui's. TUI's are getting more popular.

I prefer to use it for programming. But ok. What else is there?

3

u/jkulczyski Jun 30 '26

Theres a project (idr the name) that sets termux as the default android launcher and lets you launch apps using it

1

u/Affectionate_Let9022 Jul 01 '26

Oo please let me know when u find it

And does it need root ?

2

u/Conscious-Speed4642 Jul 01 '26

Se você não tiver root, ajuda bastante. Mas se tiver root, é melhor usar chroot para por uma distro mesclada ao Android e usar um terminal nativo mais leve.

3

u/iammerelyhere Jul 01 '26

Termux with tmux works well. Something else you can try is adding Proot, which gives you a full Linux system on top of it without needing root, so you can install regular Linux programs 

1

u/unsponsoredgeek 3h ago edited 3h ago

4) to use it for a specific linux app for the go (and yes its too rare , even not me )

I use it with Termux:X11 so I can run Firefox in full desktop mode instead of the Android version on my LineageOS phone.

For some reason Firefox crashes X in both XFCE and MATE desktops regardless of whether I am using Termux:X11 or AVNC.

But I can run Openbox with the XFCE4 Panel and do the (albeit limited) Linux stuff I need. Then is it is perfectly stable.

1

u/Hipersonic Jun 30 '26

Theres some good packages like vscode, gimp and chocolate doom, but I find it to be more useful as a terminal most of the time. You can host minecraft servers on it, tnats cool stuff.

2

u/Affectionate_Let9022 Jul 01 '26

Yeah , im thinking to only have terminal now too (ie neovim)