I have this old Kindle Fire from 2014 that originally belonged to my brother, and I'm thinking about installing a Linux distribution on it. Is it feasible to do this on that specific model? Also, will the touchscreen functionality work after installing Linux?
4 Answers
Nope, I wouldn't recommend it. The limitations that Amazon puts on these devices makes it a real pain to install Linux or even other custom ROMs. Stick to what's there or look for ways to tweak your Kindle to get the most out of it.
You could check out the Fire Toolbox! It won't unlock your device fully, but it can help you disable or remove a lot of the unnecessary Amazon bloatware. It really varies based on your model and ROM version, but keep in mind that getting Linux to work is still highly unlikely.
Installing a Linux distribution on Kindle devices can be tricky. Many tablets, especially from Amazon, have locked bootloaders and other restrictions that make it challenging to replace the original OS. It's worth searching specifically for your device model to see if anyone has successfully done this, but generally, it's likely to be difficult, if not impossible.
Honestly, it's probably a no-go for Linux on that Kindle. Amazon has tight locks on their devices, making it really hard to jailbreak or install any alternative operating systems. You might be better off using it with the Android it has. If you're looking for increased functionality, see if there's a way to sideload Android apps or maybe a soft-jailbreak to make it act more like a standard Android tablet.
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