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/e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

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Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#161

Post by Georgelemental »

HunOL wrote: post #84

I'm currently looking for a new Android phone. I don't like the Pixel and deep integration with Google. I looked at the Fairphone with /e/OS and the Pixel with GrapheneOS, but unfortunately there's no certainty that everything will work or where the boundary is between Google Android and "clean" Android. For example, it turned out that Android Auto is essentially Google Auto and I don't what find out what is dependen…

GrapheneOS has sandboxed Google Play, which allows using most Google services (including Android Auto) while limiting their deep OS access.

Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#162

Post by [deleted] »

rrr_oh_man wrote: post #155
odeckmyn wrote: post #141

I wanted to add a perspective from actual daily use, because a lot of this thread sounds theoretical. I’ve been using a Murena/Fairphone running /e/OS as my primary phone for a while now, and honestly the experience has been much smoother than I expected. My banking apps work, GPS/navigation works reliably, messaging and everyday apps behave normally — I’m not constantly fighting the device or giving things up. After…

This is an astroturfing account.

[deleted]

Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#163

Post by lostmsu »

safety1st wrote: post #142
goldenarm wrote: post #9

Tweaking user-hostile OSes into user-friendly ones is impressive, but not sustainable. Even worse, it slowing us down from leaving Android entirely. Look at the AdBlocker crackdown of Google Chrome. Every single chrome-fork has shut down MV2 extensions, even Brave is about to do it, because it is impossible to maintain features that complex on a browser that Google spends >$1B/year to develop. Same story for /e/ and…

I appreciate that there are people out there working on stuff like /e/OS, but the number one question I have when I learn about a mobile OS that isn't iOS or "Googled" Android is: will the banking and payment apps I need to operate in the modern world run on this OS? A lot of people don't think this way because they haven't had any problems. But then one day it happens to you and you realize, ok, this is the one thin…

Can't you pay with a card?

Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#164

Post by Mordisquitos »

goldenarm wrote: post #135
b3orn wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't call Android user hostile. What makes most Android phones user hostile is Google Play Services.

I can call Android user hostile. Most Banks and gov apps require play services nowadays, and Google is about to ban app installation outside of their store. Cherry on top, the play store is mostly adware junk. My parents phones are full of adware, bloatware, notification spam, it's almost worse than windows 11.

In your earlier comment you said that deGoogled Android alternatives are what's "slowing us down from leaving Android entirely", but that is not consistent with saying that most banks and government apps require play services.

If these apps cannot run on deGoogled Android, then deGoogled Android cannot be slowing us down from leaving Android because using deGoogled alternatives is as inconvenient for banking and government services as using a non-Android alternative would be.

Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#165

Post by idiotsecant »

safety1st wrote: post #142
goldenarm wrote: post #9

Tweaking user-hostile OSes into user-friendly ones is impressive, but not sustainable. Even worse, it slowing us down from leaving Android entirely. Look at the AdBlocker crackdown of Google Chrome. Every single chrome-fork has shut down MV2 extensions, even Brave is about to do it, because it is impossible to maintain features that complex on a browser that Google spends >$1B/year to develop. Same story for /e/ and…

I appreciate that there are people out there working on stuff like /e/OS, but the number one question I have when I learn about a mobile OS that isn't iOS or "Googled" Android is: will the banking and payment apps I need to operate in the modern world run on this OS? A lot of people don't think this way because they haven't had any problems. But then one day it happens to you and you realize, ok, this is the one thin…

I promise your electric company accepts payments outside of an app on your phone. I further promise that other banks are available that don't have terrible apps. These problems are way more surmountable than you're painting them here.

Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#166

Post by encom »

well_ackshually wrote: post #53
goldenarm wrote: post #9

Tweaking user-hostile OSes into user-friendly ones is impressive, but not sustainable. Even worse, it slowing us down from leaving Android entirely. Look at the AdBlocker crackdown of Google Chrome. Every single chrome-fork has shut down MV2 extensions, even Brave is about to do it, because it is impossible to maintain features that complex on a browser that Google spends >$1B/year to develop. Same story for /e/ and…

>Even worse, it slowing us down from leaving Android entirely. There are zero OSes that are 1/ open source 2/ appropriate for phones 3/ with good hardware support. There's absolutely nothing. Running Ubuntu Touch isn't a viable option. Neither is postmarket, librem, tizen, they're all terrible. Security wise, for something as critically important in our lives as a smartphone, I am also not trusting any new pet projec…

>critically important in our lives

This is the sad part. I've resisted that slippery slope as much as possible. In part because of ideological reasons, and in part for usability reasons. I have large hands and poor eyesight - using a phone for non-trivial tasks is tedious. I think the only thing I encounter from time to time that requires a smartphone is paying for parking. Everything else I do from a desktop, or don't do at all (doom-scrolling etc.)

I wish society would resist the smartphonification of everything for no reason. A lot of it is marketing- and surveillance-driven.

Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#167

Post by spudlyo »

odeckmyn wrote: post #141

I wanted to add a perspective from actual daily use, because a lot of this thread sounds theoretical. I’ve been using a Murena/Fairphone running /e/OS as my primary phone for a while now, and honestly the experience has been much smoother than I expected. My banking apps work, GPS/navigation works reliably, messaging and everyday apps behave normally — I’m not constantly fighting the device or giving things up. After…

This account has three comments on HN, all of them essentially the same type of /e/OS advocacy pablum.

"I wanted to add a perspective from an LLM sockpuppet, because I know you're all not deeply cynical and mistrustful yet."

Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#168

Post by Mordisquitos »

amelius wrote: post #159
rrr_oh_man wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just an OS, it's an /e/OS.

Yeah, it's an OS that gives a browser error because it thinks the name is a path.

Yes, their choice of name was not their greatest achievement.

Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#169

Post by odeckmyn »

spudlyo wrote: post #167
odeckmyn wrote: post #141

I wanted to add a perspective from actual daily use, because a lot of this thread sounds theoretical. I’ve been using a Murena/Fairphone running /e/OS as my primary phone for a while now, and honestly the experience has been much smoother than I expected. My banking apps work, GPS/navigation works reliably, messaging and everyday apps behave normally — I’m not constantly fighting the device or giving things up. After…

This account has three comments on HN, all of them essentially the same type of /e/OS advocacy pablum. "I wanted to add a perspective from an LLM sockpuppet, because I know you're all not deeply cynical and mistrustful yet."

so what? Am i supposed to comment on subjects know nothing about ?

Re: /e/OS is a complete, fully “deGoogled” mobile ecosystem

#170

Post by abustamam »

seba_dos1 wrote: post #133
mft_ wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to the website[0] I’d need 20+ hrs idle time, video recording, Bluetooth, and GPS. I’m being gently snarky, of course, but the goal shouldn’t be an MVP that nerds who are deeply into privacy or FOSS or hate Google can tolerate - it should be something that disinterested normies could seamlessly and happily use. [0] https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

Well, it idles for about 22 hours, can record videos, does multi-constellation GNSS and both classic and LE Bluetooth. The way to make disinterested normies able to use it is to have lots of nerds capable of fixing various papercuts themselves switch already and contribute rather than complain.

Thanks for sharing! I hadn't heard of this before. IMO any competition in this space is good competition.

But the reality is that it's not quite that straightforward. Linux desktop is a perfect example of that. We have tons of nerds working on the Linux ecosystem. Many on distros meant to ease transition from Mac/Windows to Linux (like Pop OS).

But if I were to tell my mom to install Pop OS, she would look at me like I'm crazy.

In some ways, Linux has become "cool" — Steam Machine and Steam Deck run Linux, and they're popular. Unfortunately, they're popular within a niche, and even then, they're popular for only a slice of digital life. People don't do work on a Steam Deck and I can't imagine many doing work on a Steam Machine.

Mobile phones are completely different though because most people have one phone. And that phone needs to do everything they need it to do. It needs to run the apps they need. It needs to play the games they want. It needs to integrate into everything. And it also needs to look trendy, because smartphones have become a bit of a status symbol of sorts.

So, while I agree that us nerds must become part of the solution than the problem, it's not enough. We need buy-in from major service providers. We need marketing. That's all stuff that the typical nerd can't/won't do.

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