Termux no longer updated on Google Play • Hacker News Board

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#121

Post by fsflover » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:45 PM UTC

folkrav wrote: post #113

fsflover wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is why I asked why grandma would need a performance of iPhone 12. Native apps work quite smoothly on Librem 5 (and many of them even on Pinephone). Choppiness of the UI is not caused by the hardware specs, but by not yet fully optimized software. See here: https://social.librem.one/@dos/104984930233748319

I mean, just take a look at their own damn videos. [1] The thing runs choppy and had horrible input lag just typing the lockscreen passcode or opening the dialer. I don't expect my mom to need iPhone 12 performance, but even my mom told me her older LG G-something was slow getting slow, and having played with it before her switching phones, it wasn't nearly as choppy looking as this video. You and I obviously have ve…

See my edit above: it's not the issue with the hardware but with software. Check out more recent videos from them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIFWZZ2YVqI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAUNrY_qPCg

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#122

Post by _flux » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:50 PM UTC

app4soft wrote: post #109

thetinguy wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think 5 years of support is reasonable.

No. Beside Android 5.x/6.x devices, I has Symbian 9.x (Nokia N82) smartphone which works perfectly. And there are a lot of new apps for it: - https://old.reddit.com/r/symbian/new P.S. My 10+ year-old laptop perfectly works with latest MX Linux distribution (based on Debian 10 buster ) and all modern FLOSS desktop apps (GIMP, FreeCAD, Inkscape, etc.) works like a charm on it. So, software devs should NOT declare users…

So regardless the amount of work it involves and how few people use them, e.g. 6-year old devices should always be supported?

With PC the compatibility is quite a success story, but hardly the standard.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#123

Post by michaelt » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:51 PM UTC

app4soft wrote: post #109

thetinguy wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think 5 years of support is reasonable.

No. Beside Android 5.x/6.x devices, I has Symbian 9.x (Nokia N82) smartphone which works perfectly. And there are a lot of new apps for it: - https://old.reddit.com/r/symbian/new P.S. My 10+ year-old laptop perfectly works with latest MX Linux distribution (based on Debian 10 buster ) and all modern FLOSS desktop apps (GIMP, FreeCAD, Inkscape, etc.) works like a charm on it. So, software devs should NOT declare users…

Phone manufacturers certainly ought to offer 5+ years of OS updates. Apple does, after all. So I agree with you to that extent.

But if users want third parties volunteers to support devices whose vendors have already dropped support? If there are no volunteers wanting to do the work, the work doesn't get done.

The bad guys here are the phone vendors, not the Termux developers IMHO.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#124

Post by djsumdog » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:51 PM UTC

thetinguy wrote: post #98

app4soft wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sadly, since January 1st, 2020 Termux team dropped[0] support for Android 5.x/6.x , so actually in F-Droid repo it now requires minimum Android 7.x : > Support for Android 5.x.x - 6.x.x is dropped forever. Time to upgrade your devices or learn how to backport git changes. [1] And this part from Termux devs reply is especially cynical: > ... Time to upgrade your devices... [1] It looks like they has a contract with de…

I think 5 years of support is reasonable.

For an open source project, yes. There aren't enough people to really work and maintain this thing.

But in general, hell fucking no. 5 years is terribly short sighted. Look at how much e-waste is piling up. We can't really recycle phones. They get shipped to Asian and African countries where people melt down the plastic without adequate ventilation and extract out all the metals they can in OSHA free environments.

We should be designing things to be as useful as possible for as long as possible.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#125

Post by folkrav » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:54 PM UTC

fsflover wrote: post #121

folkrav wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, just take a look at their own damn videos. [1] The thing runs choppy and had horrible input lag just typing the lockscreen passcode or opening the dialer. I don't expect my mom to need iPhone 12 performance, but even my mom told me her older LG G-something was slow getting slow, and having played with it before her switching phones, it wasn't nearly as choppy looking as this video. You and I obviously have ve…

See my edit above: it's not the issue with the hardware but with software. Check out more recent videos from them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIFWZZ2YVqI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAUNrY_qPCg

It does look quite a bit snappier indeed, but as I said in my previous comment as well:

> specs related or not, UI is a major part of the experience

When someone buys a phone (or hell, a computer), they're buying a package of hardware, which dictates available software. Hell, you could make some hypothetical $200 phone with the best hardware on the market, if it doesn't have what some people consider "basic" functionality software side, they won't buy... coming back to the initial point that Linux phones are not ready for prime time.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#126

Post by pjmlp » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:55 PM UTC

kuschku wrote: post #85

pjmlp wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of trying to use POSIX on Android, use the Java based APIs, several shells written in Java available on the store. As well as programming environments. I use a couple of them to code on the go.

That's also not possible anymore. The new rules explicitly forbid loading any Java code that wasn't previously verified, signed, and published through the Play Store. Those apps are affected by the same rules as Termux.

Who said anything about loading remote Java code?

And yes you need to install application extensions via the store, so what?

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#127

Post by fullstop » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:57 PM UTC

gst wrote: post #77

amingilani wrote: post #9

Quick note: Google's Advanced Protection program disallows sideloading apps, so you can't install F-droid. Edit: Note that the Advanced Protection program is opt-in for users that require the highest degree of security Google can offer. Regular users won't be impacted by this. Edit: proof https://imgur.com/a/yktPNIc Edit 2: see @haunter's comment for a link to the change announcement

> Quick note: Google's Advanced Protection program disallows sideloading apps, so you can't install F-droid. It's still possible to sideload apps if they are installed with ADB.

Yes, I can confirm this. Advanced Protection is kind of cool but there are definitely some downsides.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#128

Post by jjuel » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:58 PM UTC

vorpalhex wrote: post #108

mPReDiToR wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To play devil's advocate only: If Bob paid $COST for a phone and it got exploited because of this, Bob may throw his phone out of the nearest window. Do you think there are more Bobs than you in the world? Personally, I find this reliance on the GOOG OS awful, but most of it was overcome with Xposed last time I ran LineageOS. I tried Cydia last time I ran IOS and that was worse. I've thrown several phones out of the…

> If Bob paid $COST for a phone and it got exploited because of this, Bob may throw his phone out of the nearest window. You and I both know, despite many attempts, there is no hardware or software out there that is unexploitable. From the most locked down chromebook to Apple's walled garden, these devices can and are exploited. The idea that if somehow we take away enough of your freedom we'll make the device safe i…

Just because nothing is completely secure doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to make things as secure as possible.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#129

Post by fullstop » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:58 PM UTC

chrisrhoden wrote: post #48

amingilani wrote: post #9

Quick note: Google's Advanced Protection program disallows sideloading apps, so you can't install F-droid. Edit: Note that the Advanced Protection program is opt-in for users that require the highest degree of security Google can offer. Regular users won't be impacted by this. Edit: proof https://imgur.com/a/yktPNIc Edit 2: see @haunter's comment for a link to the change announcement

This is specifically if your employer requires it for you to be logged into your work google account.

I am enrolled in Advanced Protection with my personal account. It's optional.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#130

Post by fsflover » Tue, Jan 05, 2021, 3:59 PM UTC

folkrav wrote: post #125

fsflover wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See my edit above: it's not the issue with the hardware but with software. Check out more recent videos from them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIFWZZ2YVqI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAUNrY_qPCg

It does look quite a bit snappier indeed, but as I said in my previous comment as well: > specs related or not, UI is a major part of the experience When someone buys a phone (or hell, a computer), they're buying a package of hardware, which dictates available software. Hell, you could make some hypothetical $200 phone with the best hardware on the market, if it doesn't have what some people consider "basic" function…

Fair enough. Some people prefer to buy early and get all software updates on the way though (with lifetime updates btw). It's also FLOSS, so everyone can contribute.