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Linux phones are more important now than ever

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Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#251

My Android phone prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn't want me to. My Android phone prevents me from recording phone calls at the request of my carrier, even though it's totally legal for me to do so in my jurisdiction. I'm not loving where this is all going.

> prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn't want me to The most frustrating part about this "feature" is that you don't know it's enabled until the screenshot is taken and you're left with a picture of nothing. That and some app authors thinking they're protecting you with this (referring to banking apps in particular)

Jesus Christ!

Who are the product designers of the present with these single-minded attitude not checking how the implementation affects the life of paying customers< Children?! Most take pride - on paper! - about what one can do 'so easily' with their product, just to raise barricades getting there, using it, or those pop up suddenly while using it, bumping into it like into a bollard ona highway. Or just chain them to it against will! I am not aiming at Android only here as this is a generic attitude I found from organization being so self obsessed about what THEY want that no-one else benefits, no-one else have real benefits - only mixed ones with sizeable drawbacks -, defying the purpose of having modern technology. When the life becomes differently complicated, then that is no progress at all, just messing around. I am thinking three, four, or more times nowadays buying any technology, which is sad, as I was so enthusiastic only one but especially two decades ago, discovering advances and gadgets. Not anymore. I spend my money - and TIME! - on things bringing benefit or joy instead, or on those I am FORCED into. Yes, this obsession of providing non-technology services (banking, bureaucracy, identification, ...) apps first (sometimes only, at least to various, sometimes important details of the use/access) which is a hugely demanding matter on users (choose, purchase, pay, setup, learn, re-learn, update, maintain, subscribe, know and accept terms, charge, protect, both physically and data wise, click away suggestions and self promotions while busy with something important) that it is a very bitter pill to swallow.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#252
post #5

Linux phones are useless for common people until they can run government and bank apps.

I've heard this argument before and yet I've never understood it. What government apps do people run? Why do you need to access your bank account on your phone? Is this some payments model that's just not common in my country where we still use physical credit cards for everything?

Digital ID in Sweden uses BankID - it is used for everything from identifying at government pages, to your bank, to the supermarket, etc.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#254
post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bada and Tizen. They've been trying for 15 years. Tizen in particular is as Linux as it gets. Long story short: it's not something the market wants.

The market doesn't care what it's coded in, its just about end user convenience and usability. Android is Linux based, and so is iOS. They focused on the UX and what it took. It leaves it possible for linux to do it again.

Android does not use what we normally call a linux userspace. iOS is not at all linux based, although it is UNIX-like.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#255
post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A buggy app accumulates gigabytes (literaly, i am not exagregating) of temp files there, but i cant visit the folder to delete them. Settings > Apps > select the app > Storage and cache > Clear storage.

No, I dont want to clear storage - there is data I downloaded into the app and work with that I dont want to lose. But the app also accumulates some temp files there.

without access - how do you know the files are temp files?

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#256
post #227

My Android phone prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn't want me to. My Android phone prevents me from recording phone calls at the request of my carrier, even though it's totally legal for me to do so in my jurisdiction. I'm not loving where this is all going.

I tried to debug a google pay issue with a Bank once: - Bank told me to go to Google. - Google support told me to go to the Bank. - (... few emails later...) - Google support told me to make screenshots of the banking app and google pay. So have a second phone ready, or stop complaining :) A few years later and 3 phones later... it works again!

Google Pay requires SafetyNet verification, which means it only works with a Google-approved hard & software combination, so not with GrapheneOS for example...

I hate that banks use this proprietary "standard" for NFC payments

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#257

My Android phone prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn't want me to. My Android phone prevents me from recording phone calls at the request of my carrier, even though it's totally legal for me to do so in my jurisdiction. I'm not loving where this is all going.

My friend, your phone might snitch on you depending what pictures or files you save. Your messages and calls can be saved at will without your knowledge. Even your notifications are being watched. Your apps have backdoors to spy on you.

It is already here.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#258
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. The kernel more or less doesn't matter, it's "the stuff on top."

Unfortunately tech people don't understand this. Common people don't care about the OS, they care about apps.

I smell a "no true Scottman" here. Because people always say "common people do what I say" and when someone says "hey, I am common people and I disagree", the same people usually answer "well, then you're not common _enough_". Which is a huge fallacy.

Re: Linux phones are more important now than ever

#260

Isn't Android... Linux? It's not "gotcha", just... there are many clones of Android that work without Google Play, because Android (AOSP) is based on Linux. Why not just use that? What does "linux phone" add?

I have a feeling forking Android is less cumbersome than creating a Linux phone from scratch, and you get to keep compatibility with existing apps.
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