Android without the mothership • Hacker News Board

Re: Android without the mothership

#41

Post by erikano » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 6:54 AM UTC

zmmmmm wrote: post #3

I am wondering how long it is before we see an effort to do to Google Play Services what Google did to Java - copy all the APIs and create an independent alternative that lets you build apps that use features from Play Services, without tying your app to Google. Ideally one can then choose what to do from just stubbing them out, filling them with 3rd party alternatives, or providing custom implementations. I would th…

> [...] copy all the APIs and create an independent alternative that lets you build apps that use features from Play Services, without tying your app to Google.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicant_(operating_system) :

> Replicant is a free and open source operating system based on the Android mobile platform, which aims to replace all proprietary Android components with their free software counterparts.

So I think that at some point maybe the Replicant guys might get to a point where they do what you are looking for, if they haven't already.

Re: Android without the mothership

#42

Post by mercurial » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 6:56 AM UTC

privong wrote: post #2

I have been running this setup (Cyanogenmod + f-droid, no google apps) for the past 9 months and have been quite happy. I use owncloud for keeping my calendar, contacts, and files sync'ed. K9mail + APG for (signed/encrypted) email. As the article notes OsmAnd is workable, but the what is available through f-droid is 2 versions behind (apparently with low chance of future updates due to difficulties building it). Many…

I think what I would miss is quality navigation. This, due to my absolutely non-existent sense of direction, is a major reason for why I purchased a cell phone in the first place. I tried a few non-Google navigation systems but didn't really find anything compelling.

Re: Android without the mothership

#43

Post by tombrossman » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 7:16 AM UTC

XorNot wrote: post #12

privong wrote: post #2

I have been running this setup (Cyanogenmod + f-droid, no google apps) for the past 9 months and have been quite happy. I use owncloud for keeping my calendar, contacts, and files sync'ed. K9mail + APG for (signed/encrypted) email. As the article notes OsmAnd is workable, but the what is available through f-droid is 2 versions behind (apparently with low chance of future updates due to difficulties building it). Many…

I keep looking for a lighterweight alternative to OwnCloud for Calendar/Contacts. I really want to switchover to a proper CardDav/CalDav setup that actually supports "Tasks" in my calendar, exactly how Google doesn't and continually fails to.

I'm also eager to drop ownCloud ('pwnCloud', I keep hearing), but I think I'll replace it with Seafile + Fastmail's CardDav/CalDav. CardDav is not yet available but promised soon.

I wish there were a trustworthy source of prebuilt pure AOSP ROMS, like the source images Google release. Compiling them is no small feat and I'm worried I'll brick my device.

With a stock AOSP ROM + Fastmail contacts & calendaring, I think I'll finally have the minimalist install I am looking for.

Re: Android without the mothership

#44

Post by maryjbland » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 7:28 AM UTC

up to I looked at the paycheck which said $7050 , I be certain that my best friend could truley taking home money part time from their laptop. . there sisters roommate has been doing this for under 7 months and recently repaid the loans on there mini mansion and got a top of the range Mazda . Get More Info ..>>> http://www.bay92.com

Re: Android without the mothership

#45

Post by voltagex_ » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 7:29 AM UTC

jlujan wrote: post #18

privong wrote: post #2

I have been running this setup (Cyanogenmod + f-droid, no google apps) for the past 9 months and have been quite happy. I use owncloud for keeping my calendar, contacts, and files sync'ed. K9mail + APG for (signed/encrypted) email. As the article notes OsmAnd is workable, but the what is available through f-droid is 2 versions behind (apparently with low chance of future updates due to difficulties building it). Many…

>I have occasionally downloaded apps through one of the APK downloader services mentioned in the article comments -- I've had mixed luck. One of the biggest issue of running Apps (open source or not) is the inclusion of the Play Store API in the app itself. These apps when not logged into the play store usually crash with NullPointerExceptions. Please... if you are an Android developer... expect your third-party serv…

I wonder if it's possible to build an emulator image based on CyanogenMod with no Play Services. That'd help with testing the apps, but it's another "device" to target.

Developers would be able to see from the crash reports how many NPEs from missing Play Services they're getting and prioritise accordingly.

Re: Android without the mothership

#46

Post by voltagex_ » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 7:30 AM UTC

tombrossman wrote: post #43

XorNot wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I keep looking for a lighterweight alternative to OwnCloud for Calendar/Contacts. I really want to switchover to a proper CardDav/CalDav setup that actually supports "Tasks" in my calendar, exactly how Google doesn't and continually fails to.

I'm also eager to drop ownCloud ('pwnCloud', I keep hearing), but I think I'll replace it with Seafile + Fastmail's CardDav/CalDav. CardDav is not yet available but promised soon. I wish there were a trustworthy source of prebuilt pure AOSP ROMS, like the source images Google release. Compiling them is no small feat and I'm worried I'll brick my device. With a stock AOSP ROM + Fastmail contacts & calendaring, I think…

Did you use GMail before Fastmail? I'm not sure I want to give up push email yet. Do you find that you're missing emails or that IMAP IDLE uses too much battery?

Re: Android without the mothership

#47

Post by josteink » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 7:32 AM UTC

XorNot wrote: post #12

privong wrote: post #2

I have been running this setup (Cyanogenmod + f-droid, no google apps) for the past 9 months and have been quite happy. I use owncloud for keeping my calendar, contacts, and files sync'ed. K9mail + APG for (signed/encrypted) email. As the article notes OsmAnd is workable, but the what is available through f-droid is 2 versions behind (apparently with low chance of future updates due to difficulties building it). Many…

I keep looking for a lighterweight alternative to OwnCloud for Calendar/Contacts. I really want to switchover to a proper CardDav/CalDav setup that actually supports "Tasks" in my calendar, exactly how Google doesn't and continually fails to.

> I keep looking for a lighterweight alternative to OwnCloud for Calendar/Contacts.

BaiKal[1] is just this. It too is open-source, and it's a million times lighter. Literally. I've gone from 100% CPU use to complete idling. It is also self-contained via Sqlite, with no need for "heavy" things like MySQL backing.

The only bad thing is that it might be harder to get running on a shared host, due to its "web-app" part being hosted in a sub-directory of the actual application-structure.

[1] http://baikal-server.com/

Re: Android without the mothership

#48

Post by maryjbland » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 7:35 AM UTC

up to I looked at the paycheck which said $7050 , I be certain that my best friend could truley taking home money part time from their laptop. . there sisters roommate has been doing this for under 7 months and recently repaid the loans on there mini mansion and got a top of the range Mazda . Get More Info ..>>> http://www.bay92.com

Re: Android without the mothership

#49

Post by blueskin_ » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 7:40 AM UTC

This is why I use CyanogenMod. I have installed the Play Store, but not all the other crap that comes bundled in gapps, and I use XPrivacy to restrict its access to my data.

Re: Android without the mothership

#50

Post by nly » Fri, Jun 27, 2014, 7:41 AM UTC

jlujan wrote: post #18

privong wrote: post #2

I have been running this setup (Cyanogenmod + f-droid, no google apps) for the past 9 months and have been quite happy. I use owncloud for keeping my calendar, contacts, and files sync'ed. K9mail + APG for (signed/encrypted) email. As the article notes OsmAnd is workable, but the what is available through f-droid is 2 versions behind (apparently with low chance of future updates due to difficulties building it). Many…

>I have occasionally downloaded apps through one of the APK downloader services mentioned in the article comments -- I've had mixed luck. One of the biggest issue of running Apps (open source or not) is the inclusion of the Play Store API in the app itself. These apps when not logged into the play store usually crash with NullPointerExceptions. Please... if you are an Android developer... expect your third-party serv…

Presumably if developers only distribute their app via the Play Store, they aren't too worried about whether their app users are using the Play Store.