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Runs on the Librem 5 Smartphone – Week 2

puri.sm

71–78 of 78 posts

Re: Runs on the Librem 5 Smartphone – Week 2

#71

Just shockingly ugly. If you're going to do a pixels-under-glass UI, you really have to start with a toolkit that isn't awful, or you end up with the openmoko which looked exactly like these demos but 12 years ago. You end up with, in short, a phone where the user adjusts the volume using alsamixer in an xterm because the UI wasn't really thought through.

> Just shockingly ugly. Are you sure about that? It looks amazing: https://puri.sm/posts/runs-on-the-librem-5-smartphone-week-3...

That is literally xterms on phones. That is not amazing to me.

Re: Runs on the Librem 5 Smartphone – Week 2

#72

I want to like Librem's smartphone, I really do. I like having control over my software, and I like being able to really understand how it works and tinker with it and stuff. But I have this sinking feeling that the Librem 5 is just vaporware, or worse, that it'll get released with a half baked UI and a barebones list of apps. On that latter one, I really don't see how they'll fix the problem. On the former, the thin…

I'm also stoked about the PinePhone. The PinePhone goals are a little more modest, and so is the price. If the Librem 5 fails to be interesting, at least it'll have a competitor at a much lower price. I'm holding off preordering either, but I may order one or the other next year once the bugs and whatnot have been ironed out.

I'm stoked to have a phone that I can tinker with like I do my Linux desktop.

Re: Runs on the Librem 5 Smartphone – Week 2

#73
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the other Librems are Linux devices too, and thus have the same limitations. They've seen success selling those Linux laptops. > 95% of the privacy and freedom This phone is for the people who want the other 5%. It's not trying to compete with the iPhone. > stumble its way through Gnome like these videos are doing. Odd. I didn't see that at all in those videos.

The difference is that Librem laptops can run any OS like a standard PC. Many users perhaps don’t even use PureOS and put something else on. It’s this software or nothing, essentially. I realize it’s open and that we could theoretically make our own, but phones are still an incredible beast to tame at this point. This is going to work with basically zero carrier features and won’t even activate on important cellular…

Really? "Many users" buy a laptop from a niche manufacturer who puts their libre OS front and center and then they just "put something else on"?

I mean, if "something else" is another Linux/BSD, sure, I'll believe that. I imagine that people can also do the same with the Librem phone though!

Re: Runs on the Librem 5 Smartphone – Week 2

#74
post #2

GTK for a smartphone is an interesting choice. I'm curious if the Gnome team would ever commit to this. The use of a stylus in the video is a bit concerning though. Off topic but I hope Librem releases a high-end laptop in addition to their mid-tier one, ideally with a high performance AMD CPU. Something that could be the open-source friendly version of a Macbook Pro. The way they disable Intel ME and add hardware to…

> The use of a stylus in the video is a bit concerning though. I imagine that's just so there isn't a big finger/hand getting in the way of the camera. And because the phone is flat on the table for the video, you can't type on it like when you're holding it with your hand. A non-issue in my opinion. I wouldn't have given it a second thought.

What's more - it's a capacitive screen, so unlike with the resistive ones, the stylus doesn't add much additional accuracy over the finger.

Re: Runs on the Librem 5 Smartphone – Week 2

#75
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the other Librems are Linux devices too, and thus have the same limitations. They've seen success selling those Linux laptops. > 95% of the privacy and freedom This phone is for the people who want the other 5%. It's not trying to compete with the iPhone. > stumble its way through Gnome like these videos are doing. Odd. I didn't see that at all in those videos.

The difference is that Librem laptops can run any OS like a standard PC. Many users perhaps don’t even use PureOS and put something else on. It’s this software or nothing, essentially. I realize it’s open and that we could theoretically make our own, but phones are still an incredible beast to tame at this point. This is going to work with basically zero carrier features and won’t even activate on important cellular…

> The difference is that Librem laptops can run any OS like a standard PC.

So does the phone.

> This is going to work with basically zero carrier features

This applies to any phone not bought via the carrier. I haven't bought a phone any different way for 20 years.

> and won’t even activate on important cellular networks like Verizon

That's pretty much a US only problem, and it's because of Verizon, not those phones.

Re: Runs on the Librem 5 Smartphone – Week 2

#76
post #2

GTK for a smartphone is an interesting choice. I'm curious if the Gnome team would ever commit to this. The use of a stylus in the video is a bit concerning though. Off topic but I hope Librem releases a high-end laptop in addition to their mid-tier one, ideally with a high performance AMD CPU. Something that could be the open-source friendly version of a Macbook Pro. The way they disable Intel ME and add hardware to…

I believe they're working with the Gnome team on this, as well as support for Plasma Mobile.[0] [0] https://puri.sm/posts/gnome-and-kde-in-pureos-diversity-acro...

> In addition, Purism is needing to lead some of the development within the GNOME community, since there is not a large community around an upstream-first GNOME/GTK+ for mobile yet.

This makes me happy. This is good news for all Gnome users.

Re: Runs on the Librem 5 Smartphone – Week 2

#77
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference is that Librem laptops can run any OS like a standard PC. Many users perhaps don’t even use PureOS and put something else on. It’s this software or nothing, essentially. I realize it’s open and that we could theoretically make our own, but phones are still an incredible beast to tame at this point. This is going to work with basically zero carrier features and won’t even activate on important cellular…

> The difference is that Librem laptops can run any OS like a standard PC. So does the phone. > This is going to work with basically zero carrier features This applies to any phone not bought via the carrier. I haven't bought a phone any different way for 20 years. > and won’t even activate on important cellular networks like Verizon That's pretty much a US only problem, and it's because of Verizon, not those phones.

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Re: Runs on the Librem 5 Smartphone – Week 2

#78
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference is that Librem laptops can run any OS like a standard PC. Many users perhaps don’t even use PureOS and put something else on. It’s this software or nothing, essentially. I realize it’s open and that we could theoretically make our own, but phones are still an incredible beast to tame at this point. This is going to work with basically zero carrier features and won’t even activate on important cellular…

Really? "Many users" buy a laptop from a niche manufacturer who puts their libre OS front and center and then they just "put something else on"? I mean, if "something else" is another Linux/BSD, sure, I'll believe that. I imagine that people can also do the same with the Librem phone though!

[deleted]
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