I want to use my new USB drive exclusively with Linux, so I decided to wipe the factory default partitions and create a new ext4 filesystem on the drive. The drive uses 4096 byte physical sectors and we have to make sure that the new partition is correctly aligned. For some background information on partition alignment, see this link.
Check that we are wiping the correct drive
sudo parted /dev/sdb unit s print free
Note the details in case you want to restore the original partitioning scheme. Information on the factory default can also be found here.
Continue reading Repartition a new USB drive →
pyUSB is an excellent Python package that can significantly simplify USB programming.
For most Linux distributions there are packages only for older versions of pyUSB, but since it is actively developed you probably want to have the latest version on your system.
Continue reading Install pyUSB 1.x latest version →
Update 12/1/2015: It appears that the Nexus 7 is now automatically recognised and made available in xubuntu 14.04.1 Trusty; however, if you are still having trouble, read on.
Continue reading Linux and Nexus 7 USB connection →
Notes primarily to myself, but perhaps also useful for someone else…