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Will Linux phones stay around this time?

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Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#171

Post by stiray »

m4rtink wrote: post #76
hpoe wrote: post #5

Anyone know of any good Linux phones. Mine is going to be dead soon and for a while I liked Pixel because it didn't have all the Samsung or Motorola or anytime else bloatware, but with what Google has been doing I'd prefer a full Linux phone. I've looked a Librem but $1500 is kind of hard to justify when I have all my other expenses that come with a young family. Anyone have any suggestions?

I have been using the officially supported Sailfis OS on Sony Xperia devices for years as my main device: https://jolla.com/sailfishx/ The idea is you buy one of the supported Xperia phones, buy a Sailfish OS license and flash it on the phone. The license you bought pays for continued software updates (new features & security fixes) as well some external software they integrate (predictive typing support & android ap…

Same here. Sony Xperia 10 plus and sailfish os. Daily driver, used all the time. I also have Cosmo Communicator in a drawer - it could be useful but not having camera on phone in linux is a no go.

I am trying to get linux on my phone since HTC Blueangel (Ångström linux was the first booting from SD card) and it was always barely usable.

Sailfish works so great that it was no brainer to pay those 50 euros for license. Fingerprint reader, camera, bluetooth (as common painpoints for linux on phone) are all working flawlessly. I had to reverse 1 android application that I really need (banking app) and remove safetynet checks but beside that, zero issues. And I dont any other application from android ecosystem that I dont have here as native (and far less battery draining) version.

I hope that Jolla will continue its great work and I really hope they start supporting some other phones like Huawei. I am sick of google and its toxic, spyware driven ecosystem.

I dont have issue paying for useful application or operating system. But having operating system that is preinstalled with google spyware and than 99% of applications you try to install try to steal your data (not to mention that they all ignore GDPR) is not acceptable.

Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#172

Post by f6v »

matkoniecz wrote: post #125
perardi wrote: post #35

So how would a Linux phone possibly gain momentum? I have no idea how it solves any job to be done for almost anyone. Does it have the apps I want, including for my bank? Does it have a great camera? Does it have fantastic battery life? Right now, the answer to all of that is definitely not , and it becomes a chicken and an egg problem, where you don’t have the investment to build all that. And don’t give me the obvi…

> And don’t give me the obvious and trite answer of “privacy”. Note that small pool of people actually caring may be enough. See whoever buys Pinephone and Purism-Librem.

> Note that small pool of people actually caring may be enough.

Everyone heard about Facebook's data leaks, everyone knows Google collects tons of data. Their revenue show people don't care.

Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#173

Post by bayesian_horse »

One of my main issues with for example the Ubuntu Touch system is that it didn't offer disk encryption. I hope that has changed by now, or will soon...

The main reason I'd consider switching to a FOSS-ish phone (I don't care about the kernel, more about the rest of the software), is to discard all the privacy-nightmare and security risks. Not having full disk encryption sort of defeats the purpose.

Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#174

Post by f6v »

officeplant wrote: post #84

I've tried and tinkered with all but the newest pinephone release. I sucks vs a similarly priced android phone but its working way more than I ever expected it to work this early on. Hopefully we can get some solid modern hardware support in a linux handheld eventually. It would be nice if Qualcomm could open up a few things and make it easier for open source phone hobbyists to get things going. The Pine64 community…

> It would be nice if Qualcomm could open up a few things and make it easier for open source phone hobbyists to get things going.

Is there any incentive for them to do so?

Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#175

Post by f6v »

phendrenad2 wrote: post #113

Of course. The cost of developing phones has been coming down, and the number of people who want strong privacy on their phones is increasing (and/or they are willing to pay more for it). Those numbers have finally crossed, and unless something changes, I think Linux phones will always have a niche market.

> The cost of developing phones has been coming down

To the point where you can't make money on hardware alone?

> I think Linux phones will always have a niche market.

If the enthusiasts are willing to pay a hefty price.

Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#176

Post by techrat »

pjmlp wrote: post #158
techrat wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd argue that if you were set on using something like Termux, you're already in the class of users who are most likely to be running custom Roms (eg, LineageOS) or having a modified stock image (Magisk, Root, etc) One of the workarounds for those affected calls for making SELinux permissive. SELinux, of course, only works on a Linux kernel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security-Enhanced_Linux https://source.android…

Please provide the Android documentation how to access LinuxSE on non-rooted devices, you know those that regular consumers actually buy and app developers get their income from. Just another example on how Linux die hards try to make juice out of lemons, to pivot Linux dominance on consumer devices.

Look, the goalposts are moving again. I wonder how that keeps happening...

I can't see what replying with "how to access LinuxSE on non-rooted devices" has ANYTHING to do with my comment that you previously replied to unless you're just trying to be disingenuous. I specifically mentioned that a typical use case of someone affected by the changes breaking Termux are users *most likely to be the type that will run a custom rom or root mode.*

"Regular consumers" don't give a flying fuck if Android is Linux or whether or not they can run Termux.

Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#177

Post by smhost »

j-james wrote: post #151
smhost wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, I just want it for completeness. With phone hardware getting powerful enough to run mid-to-high end games, I want to be able to carry around a phone that I can hook up peripherals to and use it just like I would use a desktop. The Android ecosystem is pretty good in its own way, but it's qualitatively different compared to the Linux ecosystem for my use case. Windows and several popular Linux distros are…

Out of curiosity, if you could set up Android so that it launches Linux in a virtual machine when a monitor / keyboard is plugged in, would that meet your use case? Or are you looking for greater integration between mobile and the desktop?

Potentially, but you'd have to convince me that the performance hit and the added instability was worth it.

I actually use the opposite setup at the moment (virtualized Android apps on a Linux desktop). So I think Android would have to convince me that it's a worthy general purpose computing environment that I can supplement using the Linux ecosystem, but for the moment it's looking like the opposite is the case.

Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#178

Post by Toutouxc »

I don't think they will stay around for the same reason Linux desktop isn't really staying around (that much). Everything that's wrong or annoying about Linux on the desktop is more pronounced on a phone (needs a good UI, can't be hacky-fixed while riding the subway, always runs on battery)

Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#179

Post by watwut »

matkoniecz wrote: post #121
sto_hristo wrote: post #107

Linux desktop is nowhere due to the thousands of distributions and disparity in development effort. A linux phone is simply unthinkable. Biggest strength in android/ios is the centralized leadership and vision. This enables consumers to make an easy choice, which attracts developers, who all seek predictability and maximum exposure. But even if the linux community centralizes around a singularity, it will still be no…

> Linux desktop is nowhere this is as untrue as "Year $YEAR will be year of Linux on desktop" was so far (posting from laptop running Linux) > A linux phone is simply unthinkable Linux phones exist already > You can't race It is not always necessary to win completely and crush competition to reach goal

Linux phone exists, but they are super niche product bought basically only by people who want Linux on phone specifically.

They are not competitive in general market.

Re: Will Linux phones stay around this time?

#180

Post by jhasse »

sergeykish wrote: post #167
j-james wrote: post #114

I don't understand the desire for a Linux phone as so described in the article as a daily driver. The Android platform represents an enormous amount of work that encompasses a more secure base kernel, an unparalleled selection of applications designed for mobile usage and written in a memory-safe language, fantastic sandboxing and user privacy features leagues ahead of any desktop operating system, and great diversit…

Same argument applies to Windows vs Linux. Same story. Synergy opens amazing smartphone hardware to Linux — DCI-P3 color space, high refresh rates, variable refresh rates. Sandboxing, user privacy features, we need this on desktop too.

No? You can't fork Windows.
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