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Mobifree – An open-source mobile ecosystem

f-droid.org

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Re: Mobifree – An open-source mobile ecosystem

#61

Post by ericjmorey »

jraph wrote: post #60
janosdebugs wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think policies[1] are blocking F-Droid more than anything from being a viable alternative. A bank will likely never release their app as open source, nor will any of the big authentication vendors. This means that you cannot completely replace the Google Play Store with F-Droid if you have to use any of these, you can only use it as an additional store, at which point many won't be bothered. [1]: https://f-droid.or…

It's also its strength and raison d'etre. What use is F-droid if it starts including proprietary software?

An alternative for app distribution outside of Google Play Store.

Re: Mobifree – An open-source mobile ecosystem

#62

Post by janosdebugs »

jraph wrote: post #60
janosdebugs wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think policies[1] are blocking F-Droid more than anything from being a viable alternative. A bank will likely never release their app as open source, nor will any of the big authentication vendors. This means that you cannot completely replace the Google Play Store with F-Droid if you have to use any of these, you can only use it as an additional store, at which point many won't be bothered. [1]: https://f-droid.or…

It's also its strength and raison d'etre. What use is F-droid if it starts including proprietary software?

No tracking? Providing an alternative? Not strengthening the Google-Apple duopoly on the mobile phone market? I was looking at it as a platform to publish an app on, which the open source requirement stopped dead in its tracks. I didn't have a viable open source business model for it at this time because it was a straight "customer pays money, gets software" deal with no tracking or other nonsense.

As-is, F-Droid will not be an _alternative_, it can, at most, be an extension to the Play Store.

Re: Mobifree – An open-source mobile ecosystem

#63

Post by butz »

It would be great to have some basic, no nonsense Android applications, with least possible permissions possible and no internet connectivity. Some examples: SMS app, tasks, calculator, authenticator (2FA), weather, audio recorder, image/photo viewer, barcode/qr code scanner, calendar, file manager, music player, etc. Small app sizes, no Kotlin or support libraries. With very limited feature set, to keep maintenance efforts low.

Re: Mobifree – An open-source mobile ecosystem

#64

Post by lawgimenez »

butz wrote: post #63

It would be great to have some basic, no nonsense Android applications, with least possible permissions possible and no internet connectivity. Some examples: SMS app, tasks, calculator, authenticator (2FA), weather, audio recorder, image/photo viewer, barcode/qr code scanner, calendar, file manager, music player, etc. Small app sizes, no Kotlin or support libraries. With very limited feature set, to keep maintenance…

What’s wrong with Kotlin?

Re: Mobifree – An open-source mobile ecosystem

#65

Post by mid-kid »

janosdebugs wrote: post #52
nh2 wrote: post #27

F-Droid still has some big tasks in order to be useable for the general public, when comparing it with e.g. Google Play Store. For example, if you search it for "browser", Firefox will not show up because A) It's called Fennec B) The F-Droid search seems to be exact infix search, and Fennec's title is "Fennec F-Droid -- Browse the web", in which "Browser" does not appear, only "browse". So it doesn't find it. In gene…

I think policies[1] are blocking F-Droid more than anything from being a viable alternative. A bank will likely never release their app as open source, nor will any of the big authentication vendors. This means that you cannot completely replace the Google Play Store with F-Droid if you have to use any of these, you can only use it as an additional store, at which point many won't be bothered. [1]: https://f-droid.or…

I'm not entirely sure why this is a problem. Nothing's stopping you from using f-droid as an app source as well as some other store - it doesn't need to cover every use case. It's already a viable alternative for apps which can't go on the Play Store due to Google's policies, like AdAway, NewPipe and Termux.

The fact there's no freedom respecting bank applications is a problem on its own, though. I will continue avoiding them until there is...

Re: Mobifree – An open-source mobile ecosystem

#68

Post by wicket »

palata wrote: post #38
wicket wrote: post #32

It seems that Mobifree largely depends on the Android/AOSP ecosystem, which is controlled by Big Tech.

But being open source means that one could fork AOSP. Also the Google proprietary stuff comes with the Play Services, not AOSP. So AOSP is a lot better than the alternatives, I would say. I have a different feeling about Chromium: it is open source, but through it Google gets to control the future of the Web. But Android is not a standard, it's "just" one OS, so changes made by Google in AOSP don't really impact, say…

Let me know when the efforts of Mobifree lead to something that will allow me to install mainline Linux.

Re: Mobifree – An open-source mobile ecosystem

#69

Post by reify »

I fully support this work.

I actually use both Lineage and E/OS.

In my experience of installing E/OS on non tech savvy users phones, it takes just a short while for them to get the hang of it.

They of course still want some of the non private data collectors on their phones and thats OK.

I for one am convinvced that the more users we can encourage to move over to alternative android OS's the quicker the word will spread.

We must not forget that these poor people have been brainwashed into thinking there is only one way to access what they like to use and engage with online.

I usually set the E/OS app store to not use open source apps and install droidify to manage those.

It is of course very easy for us who have the knowledge, experience and the confidence to install new OS's on android, but we were once beginners, everyone is.

Its easy for us to know the difference between Fennec and Firefox.

However, Its like me asking you to tell me the difference between the Freudian psychoanalysis and Lacanian psychoanalysis. Its easy for me but not for you.

Even the most tech savvy are difficult to convince:

One of my friends, who used to work for IBM as an engineer back in the day wants to get a new laptop with windows 11. I said "what are you doing you muppet install linux"

He is under the impression that linux has changed very little over 25 years and its all terminal, no GUI or support for things like 3D printers even though I tell him otherwise.

I personally dont use F-droid anymore

I use Droidify which is simpler to use especially adding repositories.

It is a pain adding repo's to F-droid.

Re: Mobifree – An open-source mobile ecosystem

#70

Post by lern_too_spel »

janosdebugs wrote: post #62
jraph wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also its strength and raison d'etre. What use is F-droid if it starts including proprietary software?

No tracking? Providing an alternative? Not strengthening the Google-Apple duopoly on the mobile phone market? I was looking at it as a platform to publish an app on, which the open source requirement stopped dead in its tracks. I didn't have a viable open source business model for it at this time because it was a straight "customer pays money, gets software" deal with no tracking or other nonsense. As-is, F-Droid wil…

That's what this article is about. Building a federated platform for distributing any type of mobile app, open source or not.
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