Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

media.ccc.de

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

271–280 of 282 posts

Re: Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

#271

Post by pjmlp »

GekkePrutser wrote: post #234
pjmlp wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is, there are Java APIs for most of the stuff they want to do, use JNI instead of Linux syscalls.

That was one of the issues yes. The execve() thing. But a bigger problem is that an app is not allowed to modify its own files anymore, and is not allowed to run executables from 'data' storage. This is much harder to work around: https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/FAQ Even if they work around the execve thing, Google will probably refuse them in the store when they run executables not included in the APK. And the question…

Except execve() isn't part of public APIs, people keep mixing up ISO C with POSIX, and only the former is a public NDK API.

Re: Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

#273

Post by mariusor »

sgc wrote: post #261
mariusor wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably because Google does not have an equivalent program to the https://opendevices.ix5.org/ that Sony has.

I don't buy that at all. That is an awesome program that I did not know about. However, they also support Gemini PDA, which is only one of Planet computers devices. And Pixels are well-known to be the among easiest to flash devices out there, and there is no shortage of third party ROMs available for them. From what I read on the SF forums, it's a sort of google boycott despite the fact that flashing a rom gets rid o…

I was offering you the reason why there is no "official" support for Google Pixels, not why there aren't community ports. :)

Re: Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

#274

Post by revolvingocelot »

capableweb wrote: post #211
neverrroot wrote: post #38

Guess it depends on what your standards are. You can have it everywhere from today to likely never. Want just basic stuff, no apps store, no good camera, no good runtime on battery? Today, go get one. Value security more than anything else? Available today. Want a high end smart phone with proper open source Linux/Software and apps store, great camera, fast and great battery runtime? Likely never. Linux won’t get the…

I used to think the same thing (especially after getting a PinePhone which is nowhere near being ready for the masses) but after getting a Steam Deck, which is totally a mass-consumer ready gaming platform running (and even exposing it to the users) Linux, I think Linux Phones are just missing the right company to move forward with it. Would be much harder than building a gaming console, for sure, since hardware manu…

Valve has a business case to ready Linux for mass deployment -- recall Microsoft's public musing about locking down DirectX in Windows 10, forcing everyone into the Store? IIRC Steam Machines were a hedge/threat against that, but I'm pretty confident that the individual whimsy of GabeN et al is chiefly responsible for the gobs of money and polish being poured into a Linux uh Decktop experience. That's going to be hard to replicate for a Linux experience for anything else.

At the risk of sounding like a Valve exceptionalist or Great-Man historiographer, keep in mind that GabeN has untold "personal" millions to throw at weird Protean moonshots like Steam Machines-to-Proton-to-Steam Deck. I can't see a way for any extant company with the ability to build out Linux-for-a-phone to want to build out Linux-for-a-phone without baking some poisonous antifeature into it to make people look at ads.

Re: Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

#275

Post by sgc »

mariusor wrote: post #273
sgc wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't buy that at all. That is an awesome program that I did not know about. However, they also support Gemini PDA, which is only one of Planet computers devices. And Pixels are well-known to be the among easiest to flash devices out there, and there is no shortage of third party ROMs available for them. From what I read on the SF forums, it's a sort of google boycott despite the fact that flashing a rom gets rid o…

I was offering you the reason why there is no "official" support for Google Pixels, not why there aren't community ports. :)

Right, but I offered you a counter-example in the Gemini PDA, and an indication that there was generally no effort - or positive resistance - to deal with anything google related at all.

Re: Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

#276

Post by dredmorbius »

GekkePrutser wrote: post #203
dredmorbius wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Termux is a godsend on Android, and remains The Only App Which Does Not Specifically and Precisely Suck (though EinkBro is giving it a good run for its money). Termux still has a host of limitations and weaknesses which are imposed by the Android environment itself , including being capriciously killed by the OS, lack of multiple users, blocked access to most of the filesystem, and a relatively limited (though impres…

Yes it's pretty amazing. But the latest versions of Android are killing it. It's now not even possible anymore to update or install packages inside it if it's targeting the Android 10 SDK which is now required to publish to the app store. So the developer had to stop pushing updates. Which limits him to F-Droid or sideload users of which there are a lot less. I am worried he might not deem it worthwhile to continue.…

FDroid still provides access.

My most recent Android device (purchased under protest) is an Onyx BOOX e-book reader running Android 11.

I have Google Play entirely disabled, rely on FDroid for most app installs, another 2--3 from Aurora.

(In general, I avoid installing apps at all.)

Termux is installed, runs, and updates. I just completed a package update a few minutes ago.

Re: Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

#277

Post by _carbyau_ »

type0 wrote: post #214
_carbyau_ wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"the ID monopoly and Payment monopoly refuse to support other operating systems" This is my issue. I am commonly hearing people ask "What are you, iOS or Android?" - IE as if it is inherent to the person themselves and there are only two choices. This is scary. I love the idea of having an alternative to iOS and Android. But I also need to function within society. This shouldn't be a choice.

> "What are you, iOS or Android?" - IE as if it is inherent to the person themselves and there are only two choices. in practice there are only two choices, it's called a duopoly and most people know it.

The bit that scares me is the practice also becoming the theory too.

Re: Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

#278

Post by mariusor »

sgc wrote: post #275
mariusor wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was offering you the reason why there is no "official" support for Google Pixels, not why there aren't community ports. :)

Right, but I offered you a counter-example in the Gemini PDA, and an indication that there was generally no effort - or positive resistance - to deal with anything google related at all.

I remember Gemini and Jolla had a mutual agreement[1] to put Sailfish OS on the device.

[1] Started from here: https://twitter.com/JollaHQ/status/1100036246754213894

Re: Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

#279

Post by snvzz »

type0 wrote: post #239

Is it possible that RISC V open hardware Linux phones can become a reality in a decade or so?

I honestly expect the first ones to show up next year. Probably from china.

There's been an android port for a while already, and quite capable SoCs are being mass-produced.

Re: Is there hope for Linux on smartphones? [video]

#280

Post by SergeAx »

I honestly don't get the idea of having a dozen distros. I understand that this is how things on desktop for decades are, but it seems grossly irrelevant. Also, things on desktop are not very good too, to be honest.

There's one Android and there are dosens of variations on top of that, not parallel to that. This is how userbase is gained.

Post reply on HN