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I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

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Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#431

Post by rich_sasha »

zx8080 wrote: post #198

If only a few techies will be able to use Linux phone, banks will freely lock payment services access down to two platforms: ios and android. No way out, it's happening right now (in the name of "security", of course, but surprisingly it does not stop scam from happening). Web will be locked down too, via secureboot stack browser integration (not -s, it's already actually monopolised to chrome only, as FF lives on fu…

Why do they actually need to do it? They all allow web access from just about any browser. I haven’t tried but I’m sure there must be one where the web interface works from Emacs. Why are apps different?

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#432

Post by ThePowerOfFuet »

aucisson_masque wrote: post #312
dude741 wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have run graphene OS on my phone for 3+ years and I don't use Google Play or Google Play Services. You use F-Droid to install Aurora Store and anonymously download real apps. I can use my bank apps and it's quite functional. My wife even doesn't complain about it. Camera is decent, not as good due to the software being non-proprietary, but decent.

Many banks don't run with Google play services, and even with them on grapheneos some still won't run because of play integrity. Don't tell me about grapheneos, I have a pixel phone and did run it for a few months with/without play services. At the end, you're always going to absolutely need that one app that won't run without Gplay.

>At the end, you're always going to absolutely need that one app that won't run without Gplay.

Then you can install GMS into its own user profile with that GMS-dependent app, and when not using it you can log out of that user and put it fully at rest.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#433

Post by fsflover »

MrDrMcCoy wrote: post #176
seb1204 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All valid points to consider. I'd like to add that I'm for one don't need the latest and greatest apps, don't run games so email, SMS, messaging, YouTube or Netflix are all that are needed in terms of compute.

I'm surprised even those things work for you considering how unbearably slow Phosh and Linux apps are on the Furiphone with much more modern everything.

The slowness of Phosh is purely a consequence of the current, unoptimized software state. When I run Waydroid on PureOS on my Librem 5, it feels much smoother, despite being another layer on top of the OS.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#434

Post by summermusic »

numpad0 wrote: post #245
summermusic wrote: post #41

Is there such thing as a palm-sized mobile PC that can just run a desktop Linux distribution (or Windows for that matter) that supports mobile features (calling, SMS, and data)? Even if it has rough edges or compromises?

Purely an akchally, but there is the Fujitsu F-07C. Topologically it was a Windows 7 stick PC duct taped to a 3G flip phone that acts like a KVM console and a modem.

Yeah, that's basically exactly what I'm looking for, except modern enough.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#435

Post by fooqux »

fsflover wrote: post #419
summermusic wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for the recommendation, but I have a Pinephone Pro and I find it to be so utterly useless because of how slow it is and how buggy the software is. Maybe what I want is just something that doesn’t exist.

Pinephone Pro had a very small developer community and thus quite undeveloped software. It was discontinued for this reason. Librem 5 is being developed by both a community and a company, so it's much more usable.

Pine really fucked up with the PPP. That, and a few other issues around that time really soured me on Pine as a company.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#436

Post by horsawlarway »

inigyou wrote: post #348
pitkali wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think the real problem is Google Play Services. It's far, far too tightly integrated in a way that it just seems like Android was designed to be unusable without. Wasn't the point of Play services to enable keeping OS "updated" regardless of the manufacturer schedule? Which is to say: they are tightly integrated because they were designed to be part of an operating system that Google can keep updated through Play…

No, the point was to keep Android proprietary.

I think it was one of those cases where "the road to hell was paved with good intentions".

I'm old enough and was very pro-android in the early days when it first released. I absolutely remember the frustrations around having vendors just REFUSE to update the OS on devices. Even things that were brand spanking new often got left to rot, and the OS updates in those days were genuinely meaningful software updates - Lots of new capabilities.

So I was actually ok with Google going down the route of moving critical software into an installable package that they controlled, that would provide a way to get new capabilities onto devices that manufacturers didn't give a shit about anymore.

---

But the problem is that "Google" today sure as hell isn't the google that I liked back then (and even that google was starting to shift tone).

And now this package is a backdoor that they can use like a beat-stick to force vendors to stay on their version of Android, and it functions to make "Android" (the distro that users actually use) functionally closed-source and non-permissive.

---

I still strongly believe that the appropriate regulation for this situation (across both iOS and Android) is that the company that makes the OS should be prohibited from running any sort of app store, and app stores must be selectable at device initialization (ex - the Internet Explorer ruling, but for app stores).

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#437

Post by sharts »

reorder9695 wrote: post #294

I've come to the conclusion that I actually really like Android as an operating system, the internals seem remarkably well thought out and ideal for the mobile use case (so long as you're running a userdebug build with the ability to adb root in when needed), most of people's issues aren't really with Android (although Google reducing the AOSP release schedule isn't a good sign). I think the real problem is Google Pl…

I dunno, I wish Android had a cohesive backup strategy the way iOS does. iPhone is terrible but losing your phone and switching to a new is insanely easy, with all state back to exactly how it was before.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#438

Post by alexpotato »

I've been using Linux as my daily driver on my main personal computers for years. You could say that I love Linux and it has treated me very well.

That being said, I consciously chose an iPhone b/c I want my phone to "just work". I had a Blackberry Storm for a year and it was buggy, had to be restarted everyday just for it operate etc etc.

The iPhone has always been great. It just does what I need it to do b/c clearly someone cared about making sure the end user experience was phenomenal. While Linux has gotten better over the years, it just doesn't feel the same.

In addition, I recently started using a MacBook and the fact that the phone sync WITH THE LAPTOP makes the iPhone an even bigger plus. For example, if I set keyboard shortcuts on my phone they also work on the laptop. Photo sharing is a breeze and even integrated iMessage "just works".

Now, I don't fault people for wanting Linux phones. It's just not right for me.`

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#439

Post by hn_submit »

fsflover wrote: post #421
hn_submit wrote: post #375

Although I'm supportive of your cause I find it ultimately futile. Developing and maintaining a mobile operating system is a hugely expensive endeavor. Only a wildly profitable company like Google could do so and give it away for free. Linux simply isn't up to the task despite there being some touch-enabled user interfaces available for it. There's so much more people expect from their mobile these days. The best opt…

There are actually some people using a GNU/Linux phone as a daily driver for years. I'm one of them.

Maybe you should write a blog about it. I'm interested.

I'm afraid there will be too many corners cut. The most important being the lack of available software. I'm of the notion that a computer without software is nothing more than a box of wires.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#440

Post by dude741 »

aucisson_masque wrote: post #312
dude741 wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have run graphene OS on my phone for 3+ years and I don't use Google Play or Google Play Services. You use F-Droid to install Aurora Store and anonymously download real apps. I can use my bank apps and it's quite functional. My wife even doesn't complain about it. Camera is decent, not as good due to the software being non-proprietary, but decent.

Many banks don't run with Google play services, and even with them on grapheneos some still won't run because of play integrity. Don't tell me about grapheneos, I have a pixel phone and did run it for a few months with/without play services. At the end, you're always going to absolutely need that one app that won't run without Gplay.

Yes, Google is trying their best to make sideloading apps harder and harder. They also are giving the ability to some apps to only allow to be run if it's verified by Google through their Google Play Store. At the same time, Google keeps losing lawsuits forcing them to open up and allow third party app stores. GrapheneOS also sandboxes Google Play and Google Play Services so you can turn it on and off difference access at your pleasure to prevent God mode and super spy mode, so this mitigates issues even if you use Google stuff. It's a losing battle, but the phone is the battle to fight over
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