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Termux no longer updated on Google Play

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Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#161

Post by m4rtink »

iagovar wrote: post #4

We have to replicate somehow the PC ecosystem into mobile phones. I'd like PostmarketOS / Manjaro to take off, hope it becomes ready as everyday driver one day.

This is thankfully work in progress at least on the PinePhone:

https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/PinePhone_Software_Releases

The list contains many existing Linux desktop distros. The PostmarketOS edition of PinePhone even shipped with a USB-C docking station that you can use to easily connect a monitor, keyboard, mouse and even ethernet.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#162

Post by riedel »

drKarl wrote: post #50
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

Wow! That is a very big deal!!! Almost all of the Apps I have on my Android phone are installed from F-Droid, and I try to avoid installing any Apps from other sources, exceptions force upon me by my social circle, like WhatsApp. I have a PinePhone but it is not yet ready as a daily driver, and also the difference in hardware performance between my Android phone (which I bought this year) and PinePhone (or even Libre…

The problem will start with such offerings only if third parties (like employers or banks) demand turning this on. The patronizing of users that started with saftynet is horrifying. I think it will become crucial that some commercialy relevant group uses non play store content. Otherwise the affordance to use non main stream stuff will become higher and higher.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#163

Post by dingaling »

perryizgr8 wrote: post #13

I wish Google took the high road when it comes to Android and let users create legit root accounts on their phones. Instead they seem to be emulating the worst parts of Iphone OS. And no, root account does not violate any security principles. If your app is leaking secrets due to root accounts, your app is broken.

> If your app is leaking secrets due to root accounts, your app is broken.

Yes it amuses me how banking apps refuse to run on a rooted phone, but the same bank's website works on the same phone. Suggests that they've placed a little too much trust in the app. Never trust the client...

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#164

Post by phh »

badRNG wrote: post #63
fsflover wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does LineageOS compare to /e/OS?

As of now, I've only used two Android forks, Cyanogenmod and LineageOS, primarily because they work on so many devices. LineageOS has a whole list of cool custom APIs that I've considered taking advantage of in some future project, but other than that I'm not sure.

FWIW, nowadays, thanks to Project Treble, most ROMs have GSI (Generic System Image) that will work on any device released with Android 8 or more recent, assuming OEM allows bootloader unlock.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#165

Post by ufmace »

est31 wrote: post #145
sneak wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I learned recently that having Advanced Protection enabled also rewrites all URLs in your email messages to use the Google URL redirector, even when accessed via IMAP. It breaks PGP signatures, among other things. No way to turn it off without disabling all of Advanced Protection. Sweet, huh?

Which advantages does Advanced Protection give you in particular so that you have enabled it? It seems that things like hardware 2fA should work without it as well? Genuinely curious.

I am on it and like it. It seems to explicitly forbid a bunch of edge cases in the login auth that would otherwise be tricky to configure properly and keep up to date. Yes, you can set up and use hardware key auth without it, but it's nice to guarantee that you can never login without a hardware key no matter what. IIRC it closes off a few other types of misconfiguration or over-authorization that might allow someone to exfiltrate data from your account.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#166

Post by jolmg »

drKarl wrote: post #50
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

Wow! That is a very big deal!!! Almost all of the Apps I have on my Android phone are installed from F-Droid, and I try to avoid installing any Apps from other sources, exceptions force upon me by my social circle, like WhatsApp. I have a PinePhone but it is not yet ready as a daily driver, and also the difference in hardware performance between my Android phone (which I bought this year) and PinePhone (or even Libre…

> I have a PinePhone but it is not yet ready as a daily driver, and also the difference in hardware performance between my Android phone (which I bought this year) and PinePhone (or even Librem) is abismal.

I don't know about it being so much a hardware performance issue, rather than a software optimization issue. Personally, I don't think I need much performance, but I have had issues unlocking my Pinephone because the lockscreen seems to have a hard time keeping track of my finger as I slide it or press the keypad buttons. I've also had a number of kernel panics in the few times that I've used it (I got it just recently).

For the Pinephone to be my daily driver I just need to be able to run Whatsapp on it (so run an Android emulator with access to the SIM card, I imagine; haven't tried) and take real 5MP images. That's all I really need to switch the SIM card and leave my Android phone at home. It can even drop calls and I won't really care (not that it does; I haven't tried).

EDIT: I see I misread a bit and thought you meant its low performance prevented its use as a daily driver. I don't think it makes sense for linux phones to be offered with more expensive hardware until the software catches up to enable their use as daily drivers for more people. I think we're at a stage where the buyers are primarily people that are looking to possibly contribute to the software to get it to that point. Being a cheap phone is important for that.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#167

Post by michaelmior »

samanator wrote: post #157
michaelmior wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can still install whatever apps you want on your device. Much easier than you can on an iPhone.

But you can't control everything on your device (e.g. let one program kill other programs).

I have an app on my non-rooted Android phone which does this. You just need to give the app admin permissions.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#168

Post by UncleMeat »

forgotmypw17 wrote: post #80
londons_explore wrote: post #64

TL;DR: Android is trying to enforce all data being either writable, or executable, never both. iOS already does this. There are big security benefits (it becomes much harder to exploit an app). A disadvantage is it becomes much harder to make things like terminal emulators and things that want to download random code and run it. But those are by far the minority of apps, and it seems crazy to make a pretty massive se…

>But those are by far the minority of apps, and it seems crazy to make a pretty massive security tradeoff for something that 99% of apps don't need to do. It also completely eliminates general purpose computing. >One solution might be a special permission to be allowed to do that, but it seems unlikely a user could really make an informed decision. I think the way "Developer Mode" on Android is implemented is pretty…

> It also completely eliminates general purpose computing.

The number of people who want general purpose computing on phones is vanishingly small. And since malware is often indistinguishable from general purpose computing, it can be a reasonable product choice.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#169

Post by unix_fan »

danShumway wrote: post #156
folkrav wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, the $2k example was misleading, but the fact it's still $800 for a phone with 2014 specs alone would have been more than enough to get his point across. You do have to pay 3-4x the price you would otherwise to get the privilege of running another OS on older hardware with arguably less functionality (OOTB, at least).

Is that unreasonable? Running another OS on a device with physical hardware switches is a privilege right now, so it costs more. There are essentially two companies doing this, and neither of them are even at the point where they can completely honestly say their products are out of beta. The Librem is expensive in no small part because its feature list is fringe, and even ignoring the inherent hardware challenges th…

These days, a braille display can be had for around $400-$600. We also have multiple manufacturers, with multiple models and prices you can choose from. I don’t see that happening with open source hardware.

Re: Termux no longer updated on Google Play

#170

Post by commoner »

fsflover wrote: post #58
badRNG wrote: post #55

While I really, really want a GNU/Linux Android-alternative to succeed, at the moment a good solution for those of us who can't go without Termux is LineageOS [1], an Android fork, comes with a terminal emulator WITH root access (of course you can install Termux if you prefer how it handles packages.) You can also install Play Store apps on it, should you feel so inclined. [1] https://lineageos.org/

How does LineageOS compare to /e/OS?

The biggest difference is that /e/ is one of the few OSes that has MicroG pre-installed, which allows apps to make use of some features of Google Play Services (e.g. push notifications, map widgets, and COVID-19 exposure notifications) through a FOSS client. MicroG lets users turn on/off some of these features, and does not support Google's APIs for ads or analytics.

https://microg.org

https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/wiki/Implementation-Status

LineageOS does not support the mechanism (signature spoofing) that enables MicroG to replace Google Play Services. The developers of LineageOS consider signature spoofing to be a security risk:

https://review.lineageos.org/c/LineageOS/android_frameworks_...

It is up to users to select the OS that best meets their own privacy, security, and usability needs.

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