21–30 of 156 posts
Like the author, I've tried a ton of open source handheld platforms, and I've recently moved to CalyxOS for my daily driver. (And about to sell a box o' devices to help cost-justify buying a second Pixel for a backup CalyxOS device.) As Android devices go, CalyxOS seems a good choice, if you're willing to not have all the Google service conveniences. I actually found some of the UX smoother than on iPhone, and e-mail…
Like the author, I've tried a ton of open source handheld platforms, and I've recently moved to CalyxOS for my daily driver. (And about to sell a box o' devices to help cost-justify buying a second Pixel for a backup CalyxOS device.) As Android devices go, CalyxOS seems a good choice, if you're willing to not have all the Google service conveniences. I actually found some of the UX smoother than on iPhone, and e-mail…
> There also seems to be an additional barrier of US carriers imminently requiring VoLTE, and in some cases only allowlisting a small number of models. Is this all carriers, or just some? I know that AT&T is the main one since I'm affected by it (their whitelist arbitrarily removes my OnePlus 6 from being supported this February despite the phone supporting VoLTE), but I heard that other carriers such as T-Mobile are…
Like the author, I've tried a ton of open source handheld platforms, and I've recently moved to CalyxOS for my daily driver. (And about to sell a box o' devices to help cost-justify buying a second Pixel for a backup CalyxOS device.) As Android devices go, CalyxOS seems a good choice, if you're willing to not have all the Google service conveniences. I actually found some of the UX smoother than on iPhone, and e-mail…
As a daily driver, I'd recommend a setup of an official LineageOS device, combined with a set of Apps to increase the level of privacy:
- AppWarden to check for trackers and loggers
- RethinkDNS as a VPN firewall and adblocker
- Privay Browser (f-droid build)
- Permission Manager X to remove permissions from Apps via AppOps
- OsmAnd for Navigation
- Oeffi for Public Transport Navigation (in Germany)
- Element or Telegram FOSS for chat, because Signal still requires microG or other Google Services for their auto backup, which I don't agree with.
I would also recommend to bet on LineageOS because the community is vast, and it's more likely to survive (given the past with Cyanogen and its company) than other forks that are maintained by 1-3 people.
Personally, I hope that phosh and plasma mobile can be feasible app alternatives and I hope that Purism and the Pine movement can change the ecosystem.
But, as of now, developing a GTK4 or QT5 app (compared to making an Android app) is still PITA and seriously lacks better development tools and IDEs.
Replaced Apple Watch with GadgetBridge and a Mi 6 band (cheaper and I have easy access to all data, you need to sync once with their app after you get the key you can delete it ... did the setup on the iphone and copied out the key with a commandline python script from github).
Syncthing is amazing (local sync of audio books, camera images).
AntennaPod is equally amazing as a podcast client (I prefer it to overcast switching from the iPhone).
Other apps I'm using regularly: AnkiDroid
So far so good, not having the Google Services seemed ok, except: 1. still in search for good camera application, recommendations welcome. 2. a replacement of Reeder as an RSS reader (so far have not found a solution that works for me).
Yet, just started programming for it a bit and have to say I love flutter. It's pretty polished (and great for my needs).
What about some other projects beyond Android and Linux? Sailfish OS? Tizen? KaiOS? Technically even WebOS was open-sourced and still around as LuneOS, but its last update was Halloween 2019, so it's likely defunct.
> Sailfish OS? Tizen? Those projects were a bizarre affair. There was I think Maemo, Moblin, LImo, SLP, Bada, Leste, MeeGo, Mer, Tizen, Sailfish, Nemo... all forks, merges, reforks of the same thing. They seemed to spend all their time and energy continually rebranding, forming and disbanding consortiums, creating new websites and logos. They never just got on with it. Ridiculous wasted effort when the market was pos…
Tizen is reputedly of bad code quality, especially security-wise.
Sailfish is still out there as Jolla scraps away.
It’s a pity, as those projects did attract some powerful backers, who just weren’t very committed to them.
Switched to GrapheneOS with the Pixel 5. Email/Calendar integration works fine (K-9 Mail). Signal as instant messenger. Organic Maps as Map application. Replaced Apple Watch with GadgetBridge and a Mi 6 band (cheaper and I have easy access to all data, you need to sync once with their app after you get the key you can delete it ... did the setup on the iphone and copied out the key with a commandline python script fr…
Like the author, I've tried a ton of open source handheld platforms, and I've recently moved to CalyxOS for my daily driver. (And about to sell a box o' devices to help cost-justify buying a second Pixel for a backup CalyxOS device.) As Android devices go, CalyxOS seems a good choice, if you're willing to not have all the Google service conveniences. I actually found some of the UX smoother than on iPhone, and e-mail…
Honestly, I don't understand the selling point of CalyxOS over LineageOS. Can you explain the differences? The website just seems to be a little mumble about Privacy without explaining the technological differences. As a daily driver, I'd recommend a setup of an official LineageOS device, combined with a set of Apps to increase the level of privacy: - AppWarden to check for trackers and loggers - RethinkDNS as a VPN…
I'm aware of the LineageOS for microG project, however apart from the aforementioned preinstalled set of apps, CalyxOS includes many system patches shared by other projects such as GrapheneOS, which include privacy enhancements on default AOSP DNS fallbacks, connectivity checks, NTP, and more.
I would also like to mention that Signal does not require microG or Google Play Services for auto backup (or notifications). The backup files are stored locally on the device and can be easily synced with Syncthing, Nextcloud, etc.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Honestly, I don't understand the selling point of CalyxOS over LineageOS. Can you explain the differences? The website just seems to be a little mumble about Privacy without explaining the technological differences. As a daily driver, I'd recommend a setup of an official LineageOS device, combined with a set of Apps to increase the level of privacy: - AppWarden to check for trackers and loggers - RethinkDNS as a VPN…
I believe the appeal for CalyxOS is attempting to bring more convenience with privacy, where apps you've mentioned are already installed. A major difference is the inclusion of microG, which means you have more freedom to use apps you have no alternative to (e.g. government apps, banking apps, etc). I'm aware of the LineageOS for microG project, however apart from the aforementioned preinstalled set of apps, CalyxOS…
The network connectivity, NTP issues and others are the reason why I have Termux installed (to be able to modify the /system/etc/hosts file, as the network core library ignores VPN settings).
Granted, streamlining these apps makes more sense to the end user. I wish Android would have a package manager that would allow creating a meta package for this kind of stuff.