Alongside the Galaxy S8/S8+, Samsung also introduced DeX to the world this past February. DeX is Samsung's vision for the future of desktop computing, and while it still has a way to go before it's truly useful or practical for everyone, Linux on Galaxy is a new app that Samsung hopes will make DeX more appealing to developers.
Samsung announced Linux on Galaxy at its developer conference on October 18, and although the app is still in a trial phase, it already sounds pretty impressive.
Linux on Galaxy is a mobile app you'll be able to download to your Samsung Galaxy device, and it'll enable developers to code in their preferred Linux distribution while on the go. So, if you need to test a function for a bit of software that you're working on and can't do it within Android, Linux on Galaxy will allow you to run that program in an entirely native Linux operating system.
Linux on Galaxy lets you take Linux development with you wherever you go.
Developing software on a 6-inch screen isn't something that most people would prefer, but then again, that really isn't what Samsung is pushing here. By docking your Galaxy device into a DeX dock, you'll be able to code away on a larger display like you would with any PC. However, when it's time to head out of the house, you can pop your phone out of the dock and take your programs (and a full Linux OS) with you wherever you go.
A lot of our readers likely won't ever touch Linux on Galaxy when it's eventually released, but that's okay. This is a sign that Samsung is trying to make DeX as accessible to as many different kinds of people as it can, and while Linux on Galaxy won't revolutionize DeX on its own, apps like this are big steps in the right direction.
With that said, if you are a developer and are interested in using Galaxy on Linux as soon as possible, you can sign up for notifications about it here.
