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I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

runarcn.no

211–220 of 542 posts

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple's mobile keyboard is the worst I've used. I basically have to correct about half the words I type.

I just got an iPhone as a secondary phone and hate the keyboard so much. How are people putting up with this BS?

Just disable the autocorrect and predictive text to make it usable again.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#213
post #198

If only a few techies will be able to use Linux phone, banks will freely lock payment services access down to two platforms: ios and android. No way out, it's happening right now (in the name of "security", of course, but surprisingly it does not stop scam from happening). Web will be locked down too, via secureboot stack browser integration (not -s, it's already actually monopolised to chrome only, as FF lives on fu…

Banks are only a part of the larger issue.

Imagine traveling somewhere, and run through the things you'll need to work without tinkering. Camera, eSIM, GPS/maps, more "exotic" messaging apps that for some reason people use instead of Whatsapp.

It seems like most Linux phones are barely suitable for someone that just goes home to work 99.999% of the time.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple's mobile keyboard is the worst I've used. I basically have to correct about half the words I type.

I just got an iPhone as a secondary phone and hate the keyboard so much. How are people putting up with this BS?

And then I'll switch to Apple's voice to text which is equally awful.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pinephone is a low volume product. What you need is to get the firmware for some common device that has shipped millions of units so that the number of people with the incentive to make it work is high enough to actually build a community.

I don't know what the deal is with Linux and cameras. I've got Fedora installed on this old Retina MBP and apparently Linux somehow stopped supporting the built in webcam. I've never heard of a device losing Linux support but here we are.

Once the code is in the mainline kernel tree, things tend to stay supported indefinitely.

Some devices "work" without having real support by having some binary blob or third party code which is written against a specific kernel version. The code has to be updated when the kernel changes, which is why it's supposed to be in the kernel tree, but because it isn't the kernel developers don't know anything about it and aren't maintaining it. So then instead of working indefinitely it works until whenever third party stops updating it for current versions of the kernel. Which is why all the drivers should be in the kernel tree.

Of course, Apple isn't really that interested in supporting Linux since it's a direct competitor to macOS rather than a way to reduce their dependency on Microsoft/Google, so their hardware is more likely than most to be stuck using some reverse engineered alpha driver or proprietary blob extricated from the macOS one.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#217
I switched to Sailfish OS. A lot of rough edges, but it can can be workable—tho largely due to Sailfish having an Android layer to run those apps. It’s getting better OS-wise, but the Sony devices that you can get access to internationally are much lower priority on their list. On top, if you try to pay, the lock you to Western countries… & I have no idea why.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#218
post #8

Google Play Services ruins dream of this. I've noticed that automotive digital keys don't work with Graphine OS due to how Google Wallet works.

I think a Linux phone probably appeals to the same kind of person who prefers real keys over digital ones.

I'm that kind of person, but my opposition to the "digital key" things like this is mainly about them being out of my control and not having the ability to opt out of user-hostile activity. With a digital key, I expect things like the parent said: being forced to use proprietary corporate apps, facing random limitations like maybe the key stops working if you lose internet connection (or when Cloudflare decides to block you, or anything like this), useless error messages that don't let me know if I can resolve something easily myself, and such things. I do use and like the "digital key" things sometimes, when they are as free and reliable as the "physical key".

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#219
post #198

If only a few techies will be able to use Linux phone, banks will freely lock payment services access down to two platforms: ios and android. No way out, it's happening right now (in the name of "security", of course, but surprisingly it does not stop scam from happening). Web will be locked down too, via secureboot stack browser integration (not -s, it's already actually monopolised to chrome only, as FF lives on fu…

Perhaps we can think of this? Use a linux phone and an android phone as VM. For apps that are not immediately available as Linux apps, we continue to use the android VM. We continuously make better apps available on Linux and maybe, just maybe eventually switch completely to Linux phone.

Re: I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux

#220

I'd love to do this, but sadly I don't see it happening unless my lifestyle significantly changed to the point where I wasn't frequently traveling to new countries. There are just too many very useful services that only work with Android/iOS. Take taxi apps for example. I've used over a dozen in the past few years, many of them local to a specific country or region that made getting around much much easier.

I‘m lucky that my part of the world doesn’t yet require apps for taxis & they accept cash. App users often end up paying more if they don’t know even basic negotiations.
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