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Linux phones are more important now than ever

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Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#141

Post by ux266478 »

nextos wrote: post #130
maheart wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Is there a single Linux phone/tablet that can last an 8 hour day of actual use? What's "actual use"? Furi FLX1 has the best battery life I've seen on a Linux phone. Idling, it last 3+ days. I'm sure it could survive 1 whole day of "actual use". I also think almost any (official) SailfishOS device would last a day of actual use.

SailfishOS is quite efficient. On Sony devices, I experienced maybe 15% extra battery life compared to stock Android, which is quite good given that Sony ROMs are excellent. Sony is known for their Sony Open Devices Program.

I genuinely think if Sony offered a Linux phone and didn't lock it down too bad, they could serve as the catalyst for the whole market. I don't think I would trust any other company at this point to execute the platonic "Linux phone" we need. The uncompromising vision on building a fantastic product for the technically minded make them an obvious choice.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#142

Post by emporas »

jeffparsons wrote: post #17

My Android phone prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn't want me to. My Android phone prevents me from recording phone calls at the request of my carrier, even though it's totally legal for me to do so in my jurisdiction. I'm not loving where this is all going.

The issue is bigger than that.

Why not two people share a device, and when passed from one person to another, delete applications and install all apps and profiles from scratch using verified checksums saved on a blockchain. An OS which could do that is something like Nix. When passed to the previous person same thing, delete and install everything from scratch.

Using smartphones in a smart way, not a dumb way, like timesharing mainframes of the past. Same procedure could be applied to cars and other devices.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#143

Post by j45 »

ux266478 wrote: post #141
nextos wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SailfishOS is quite efficient. On Sony devices, I experienced maybe 15% extra battery life compared to stock Android, which is quite good given that Sony ROMs are excellent. Sony is known for their Sony Open Devices Program.

I genuinely think if Sony offered a Linux phone and didn't lock it down too bad, they could serve as the catalyst for the whole market. I don't think I would trust any other company at this point to execute the platonic "Linux phone" we need. The uncompromising vision on building a fantastic product for the technically minded make them an obvious choice.

Sony tries out so many different types of products too across their entire lineup. They have made some memorable handhelds over the years, even their eink readers were special.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#144

Post by j45 »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #95

Apologies if the idea is absurd, but wouldn't a Linux handheld without a cell modem be easier to build and distribute? Think something of an analogue to iPod Touches, which were iPhones sans the the phone part. This would skip a lot of the regulatory red tape, bring down costs, and make the devices more accessible so they’re in more developers’ hands. They’d have to tether from your primary phone which isn’t ideal, b…

Maybe carrying a hotspot modem with a sim card is enough?

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#145

Post by floren »

zamadatix wrote: post #140
7e wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did a nation state ask GrapheneOS to add that feature?

Why is it always "nation state" when this is brought up, do states and nations that aren't congruous not represent a perceived threat?

"nation state" has a particular meaning and it's not just "a smart-sounding way to say country" but it tends to get used that way.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#146

Post by j45 »

zaik wrote: post #33
akagusu wrote: post #5

Linux phones are useless for common people until they can run government and bank apps.

I absolutely hate that government and bank apps are only available on the Play Store. You are legally required to have a Google account and accept their ToS to use them. I am aware of Aurora, but some banking apps check their origin and refuse to run if not downloaded from the Play Store.

Do they not have websites to login with?

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#147

Post by nine_k »

emporas wrote: post #142
jeffparsons wrote: post #17

My Android phone prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn't want me to. My Android phone prevents me from recording phone calls at the request of my carrier, even though it's totally legal for me to do so in my jurisdiction. I'm not loving where this is all going.

The issue is bigger than that. Why not two people share a device, and when passed from one person to another, delete applications and install all apps and profiles from scratch using verified checksums saved on a blockchain. An OS which could do that is something like Nix. When passed to the previous person same thing, delete and install everything from scratch. Using smartphones in a smart way, not a dumb way, like…

This assumes that these two persons will never need to use a smartphone at the same moment, which is a bit of a logistical puzzle.

Installing apps is the trivial part; isolating, or removing / reinstalling user data is much harder. Especially a few gigabytes of it. An SD card could work maybe.

This all goes against the grain of the smarthpone UX, the idea of a highly personal device that you can use for anything, and might need (or benefit from) at an arbitrary moment.

If the point is reducing e-waste, the solution would rather be opening up the hardware enough to provide long-term software support, LineageOS-style.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#148

Post by j45 »

pavon wrote: post #97
Telaneo wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Working on LineageOS doesn't help you if you can't even install it. Fewer and fewer phones come with unlockable bootloaders these days. The grip is tightening.

Yes, but if you are building your own phone hardware to run Linux on it, there is a huge advantage in that Linux flavor being an AOSP fork, since it is already mature.

While that's a viable option as something some people can do, it will be for the few in general, not the many.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#149

Post by j45 »

ed_mercer wrote: post #22

I also strongly felt this when support for sideloading apps got dropped, and from my personal experience of dealing with rooting and working around play integrity. It shouldn't have to be like this.

Side-loading was the original loading before app stores. App stores were the option.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#150

Post by ulrikrasmussen »

jeffparsons wrote: post #17

My Android phone prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn't want me to. My Android phone prevents me from recording phone calls at the request of my carrier, even though it's totally legal for me to do so in my jurisdiction. I'm not loving where this is all going.

My government (Denmark) refusing to let me use their digital identity app because I don't want to accept Google's or Apple's TOS, and Google helping them enforce that via remote attestation services.

Luckily there are alternatives in the form of code displays and NFC chips. However, next year I won't be able to watch porn unless I verify my age using a smartphone, no alternatives are planned. Or rather, I have the "free choice" to choose between a privacy preserving ZKP solution operating in the kingdom of Google or uploading my face to a porn site.

Dark times.

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