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AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

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11–20 of 26 posts

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#11
post #3

/e/ is easily, EASILY the worst name for a product I have ever seen. I don't know how to pronounce it, I can't Google it, I can't make a guess what it's domain might be. Just awful in every possible way.

That's only until it becomes ubiquitous: C programming language.

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#12
post #8

I've been using /e/ on my primary phone for about a year now, and I've been very happy with it. I'd love to see it succeed as a user-friendly, FLOSS alternative to the Google/Apple duopoloy. They're developing in the open, too: https://gitlab.e.foundation/e

Are your banking apps working? I faintly remember that being an issue when switching to LineageOS.

Speaking as someone who has been writing Android banking software for eight-odd years, requiring SafetyNet attestation is a crock of user-hostile shit so long as the same institution allows random desktop Web browsers access to the same APIs. I have a feeling it was invented for anti-cheat in games but it became a line-item in every security director's checklist because Google offers it.

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#13
post #6

I'm considering switching from Android to iOS because I don't want to throw away my phone once my 2-4 years of security updates are over. How do firmware updates factor into your thinking around Android and security? Is there a way off of the "buy a new phone if you want firmware updates" treadmill? (I don't expect you to have a solution, but I'm curious to hear how you're thinking about this problem.) See-also: http…

at least fairphone is still providing updates for their 5 year old fairphone 2:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593274

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#14
post #8

I've been using /e/ on my primary phone for about a year now, and I've been very happy with it. I'd love to see it succeed as a user-friendly, FLOSS alternative to the Google/Apple duopoloy. They're developing in the open, too: https://gitlab.e.foundation/e

Are your banking apps working? I faintly remember that being an issue when switching to LineageOS.

I don't use any banking apps, sorry. AFAIK /e/ supports signature spoofing/pretending to have normal Google Play Services available, so some stuff might work.

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#15
post #8

I've been using /e/ on my primary phone for about a year now, and I've been very happy with it. I'd love to see it succeed as a user-friendly, FLOSS alternative to the Google/Apple duopoloy. They're developing in the open, too: https://gitlab.e.foundation/e

Are your banking apps working? I faintly remember that being an issue when switching to LineageOS.

Works with "BOI Mobile", the Bank of Ireland mobile app, which I downloaded from the Aurora store. I get a notification on starting the app indicating that the phone is "rooted" (it isn't) but I'm not prevented from using the app.

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#16
post #3

/e/ is easily, EASILY the worst name for a product I have ever seen. I don't know how to pronounce it, I can't Google it, I can't make a guess what it's domain might be. Just awful in every possible way.

in the AMA he gives notice of things to come regarding the name. Like - the operating system keeping /e/ intermittingly, but choosing an overall easier to communicate project name.

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#17
post #3

/e/ is easily, EASILY the worst name for a product I have ever seen. I don't know how to pronounce it, I can't Google it, I can't make a guess what it's domain might be. Just awful in every possible way.

If Google would not ignore special characters, it would be the easiest to find... ie: search for "/e/" ... also, alphabet is easy to find because they give themselves priority [0]....

0. https://i.imgur.com/iuxMVBj.png

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#18
post #3

/e/ is easily, EASILY the worst name for a product I have ever seen. I don't know how to pronounce it, I can't Google it, I can't make a guess what it's domain might be. Just awful in every possible way.

Also it might cause confusion with https://www.enlightenment.org/

Also it might cause confusion with https://boards.4chan.org/e/ (NSFW)

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#19
post #3

/e/ is easily, EASILY the worst name for a product I have ever seen. I don't know how to pronounce it, I can't Google it, I can't make a guess what it's domain might be. Just awful in every possible way.

That's only until it becomes ubiquitous: C programming language.

You had to put "C programming language" because C is an insufficient identifier, despite its ubiquity.

Re: AMA: Gaël Duval, founder of the de-Googled Android OS /e/

#20
When compared to GrapheneOS, Duval claims:

"If you want something with hardened security, use Graphene, if you want something that help you keep your data safe from Google, use /e/. It depends on your needs."

GrapheneOS is already de-Googled, so, it's the better option?

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