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DevTerm Tweaks

Below are some of the tweaks I made to the DevTerm a04 to make it a much better text-driven device.

Before starting

You might see some guides that suggest updating the system immediately; unless you enjoy waiting 20+ minutes waiting for locales to generate, run the command listed here first!

Enable SSH server

SSH is disabled by default and is extremely useful in the event that something goes wrong. Enable it by entering the following:

sudo rm -f /etc/ssh/sshd_not_to_be_run
sudo systemctl enable ssh
sudo systemctl start ssh

You likely will want to change your hostname after this in order to more easily log in to your DevTerm:

# As an example, this is normally what you would do:
ssh user@192.168.2.138 # or some other IP
# You can instead do this:
ssh user@devterm # or whatever you set your hostname to

Remove unneeded locales

There are a lot of locales that aren't needed on this device; as I only need English, I decided to disable all the others. You can modify the command below to suit your needs.

sudo locale-gen --purge en_US # Add any locales here that you want to keep

This will greatly speed up package installation.

Enable all CPU cores

Out of the box, only 2/4 CPU cores are enabled, which is far from ideal. Actions take far too long to perform, compilation is a nightmare, etc. To make things more bearable, follow the steps below:

First, install the devterm gearbox:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install devterm-a04-gearbox

Then, append this to your .bashrc:

if [ $( nproc ) == 2 ]; then
	sudo /usr/bin/devterm-a04-gearbox -s 5
fi

This will keep temperatures under control and enable the other 2 CPU cores. While this may be possible with a cron job or systemd, I haven't had any luck. This should still only run once, and will do so on the first shell you launch.

Remove the GUI

One thing about the DevTerm; the built in trackball is terrible. I find myself more at home in the terminal, so I got rid of the GUI (which also saves a significant amount of space on the SD card).

The following commands will remove the GUI and boot you into text mode:

# All commands listed need to be run as root; remember to exit from this shell at the end.
sudo su
# Remove all XFCE software
apt-get purge 'xfce4*' 
# The command below will purge ALL GNOME software that doesn't get cleared by the commands above
apt-get purge $(apt-cache depends gnome | grep Depends | awk '{print $2}')
# The command will remove gdm3 if it's being stubborn
apt-get purge gdm3
# If gdm3 is being *really* stubborn, you'll need to delete this file and re-run the purge command
rm -rf /var/lib/dpkg/info/gdm3.* && apt-get purge gdm3
# Remove all X11 apps (transmission added because it is stubborn)
apt-get purge 'libx11*' x11-common transmission
# exit root shell
exit

To make absolutely sure that you boot into text mode:

sudoedit /etc/X11/default-display-manager

Empty the file completely, and save. Reboot at this point:

systemctl reboot

Install tmux

Multitasking is important, adn the screen has more than enough horizontal space to do it. tmux will become your best friend.

sudo apt install tmux

To enter into a session, type tmux.

A short command list:

  • Open terminal to right:
    • ctrl+b+% (this also requires the shift key)
  • Open terminal on the bottom:
    • ctrl+b+" (this also requires the shift key)
  • Switch between terminals:
    • ctrl+b+arrowKey

Set Hostname

I prefer the hostname devterm so I can quickly access it on my network, but the hostname can be anything you like.

To set the hostname:

hostnamectl set-hostname devterm # replace devterm with the hostname you want

Change username/home folder

This section was adapted from This forum post

To change your username, you'll need to run the following while logged in as another user. I recommend creating a user called temp and removing them immediately after.

Follow the directions below:

# Run this as the cpi user
sudo adduser temp
# Give the temp user sudo rights
sudo adduser temp sudo
# create a password for temp
sudo passwd temp
# Exit this shell
exit

Log in using temp and execute the following:

# Change the name of the cpi user
sudo usermod -l newUserName cpi
# Change the home folder
sudo usermod -d /home/newUserName -m newUserName
# Exit this shell
exit

Log in using your new username; don't forget to change your password!

sudo passwd newUserName

Finally, remove the temporary user:

sudo deluser temp
sudo rm -r /home/temp

Don't require password for sudo commands (NOT RECOMMENDED)

This is purely because I am lazy and don't like typing out my password every time I want to run a command as root. This is NOT recommended, especially if you bring your system out with you/travel/have sensitive information.

Again, let me be clear: if you are inexperienced or do not know what you are doing, DO NOT do this. This WILL make your system less secure.

Open the sudoers file with visudo:

# When prompted, I recommend nano, but any text editor will do
sudo visudo

Navigate to the bottom of the file, and you'll notice a line referring to the cpi user. Change this line to the following:

YOUR_USER_NAME ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL

Save the file, and exit the editor. To test that this worked:

# exit the current shell
exit
# log in and then type the following:
sudo su
# you should not see a prompt for a password if successful

Install Docker

While you won't be able to run all available docker containers, many can be run, giving you a portable server. Enter the following:

# Get Docker Script using CURL
curl -fsSL https://get-docker.com -o get-docker.sh
# make script executable after you inspect it
chmod +x ./get-docker.sh
# Install docker
./get-docker.sh