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Sailfish Mobile OS

sailfishos.org

81–90 of 148 posts

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#81
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sailfish is the successor to Nokia's Linux efforts, before they scrapped it all for Windows.

The community got fractured when the N9/950 did MeeGo Harmattan. This was a continuation of Nokia's Maemo OS that was based on Debian, but they just called it differently when they announced a collaboration. Nokia and Intel started a 'merge' called MeeGo (based on moblin and fedora). Nokia never actually used this in a device as they signed the famous partnership under Stephen Elop's guidance standing on a burning pl…

My N900 with Maemo was fantastic. It's still working Just Fine, mechanically as good as when new (the Mercedes-door feeling sliding keyboard, for example), the only reason I'm not still using it is because it only supports up to 3G, and that isn't available anymore where I live. Such a nice phone. I could easily make Debian packages and install them, my minicomputer emulator for example. The MeeGo transition stopped it for me, and Stephen Elop's burning-down-the-house strategy killed everything.

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#82
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most banks here in Europe require Mobile apps to login into their website.

So the EU attempts to invade your privacy using smartphones [1] and forces duopoly-brand smartphones upon its citizens, yet it fails to compel Apple to allow true sideloading, so you're stuck choosing between "no freedom but some privacy" or "no privacy but some freedom"? Their digital policy initiatives overall seem like a net loss for EU citizens as it stands. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/19/24181214/eu-chat…

You really had to stretch a lot of bullshit just to rant over chat control here, didn't you?

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#83

Does anyone use or have feedback on Sailfish?

I used it for years, owning multiple phones, up to 1-2 years ago, then switched to Graphene OS and never looked back. It is an interesting project, with a very innovative UI and very close to a true GNU/Linux on your phone. But ultimately the reasons that led me to change were: (1) they never managed to get the critical mass needed to continue, so there were very few native apps that were more than hobby projects (2) the Android support was never 100% working and stable for me, with frequent connection drops in particular and some unsupported apps (3) a small team meant that both Android and Linux security patches were always months behind upstream (4) it's not really open source in the end.

But mostly it was (2): on my daily driver phone I need to be connected 100% of the time, things like the Android networking silently failing were a major problem.

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#84
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want to go in and do the basics (check balance, do a normal transfer, look at activity) this can get you by. A lot of the more useful features tend to be app only though. E.g. "scan to deposit check" is an app only item for my bank.

You got a cheque? How quaint. I haven't used one in almost 2 decades. (Australia) in fact when telstra refunded me $2.50 by cheque I simply threw it away. This has to be a predominantly American problem, right? I cannot imagine a cohort of Australian, Asian, New Zealand, British and European continental users noping out of an app because not cheque enabled.

I'm as old as a dinosaur and I haven't used a cheque in my life, not even back when bank accounts were managed through this little paper book with numbers and stamps.

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#85
post #26
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> good luck running banking apps without Google SafetyNet. Doesn't most banks have a mobile version of their website. Maybe not the best but it could be a good compromise.

Here in Europe you cannot login to bank websites without the bank app on your phone for 2FA codes

Europe is not one single country, and for me that statement is 100% untrue.

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#86

I wish it was feasible to have alternative mobile systems, but it's not really. You can't simply give up every popular app for a system nobody else uses or develops for. Sailfish has Android emulation, but good luck running banking apps without Google SafetyNet. Even pure Android ROMs, like LineageOS, can't do that. Also good luck with proprietary firmware for mobile networking and cameras. Another thing that usually…

Today sure, it just needs support from a major player. Not -that- long ago, nearly every mfg had their own OS(Blackberry, Meego/Symbian, Win Mobile, Palm, etc) and each had enough apps. If Samsung or Huawei or probably even Motorola decided to ditch Android and go all in on Sailfish, we'd see support for apps in short order. But as a third party OS you have to install yourself, it's basically dead in the water. What…

> each had enough apps.

They had enough apps in the same way 640k of RAM was enough for everyone.

I think it's a fantastic topic, but to be succinct: we couldn't get app makers to keep parity between iOS and android, including banks, government and transportation apps for a very long time.

Assuming it would go easier with a random 3rd OS where "I'm sued for illegal deals" Google has struggled so much doesn't sound realistic.

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#87
post #18

Does anyone use or have feedback on Sailfish?

I've used it for several years and the feedback from a user point of view is not positive. My sample size includes me and several members of my family who used Sony Xperia devices running SailfishOS for several years. The Sailfish guys for some odd reason decide to invent their own "user interactions" where you click-slide ("one handed") to do certain opertaions. This makes the UI not only awkward, but NOT intuitive.…

I actually have the opposite opinion. I like their UI, with the drag-down feature to select options, etc etc. Though I liked the very early Sailfish version on my old Jolla phone even better (it was upgraded on the Jolla phone as well, but yeah, the old one felt better. But not everybody agreed with me on that). The issues I have with my current Sony Xperia w/Sailfish is a) Nearly impossible to get a Japanese SIM card to function (as a second SIM), and when it worked it did so only sporadically. Basically useless. Same SIM worked fine in an Android phone and an iPhone (both brought over from Europe). And the camera.. it works, but it can take many seconds before the photo is actually taken, and all the features of the camera(s) aren't available. Not that I use it much for photos (though the ones I do take look good), but.. (And of course I also hate the long narrow super-slick easy-to-drop Xperia phones, but they're just like nearly every other phones these days, and the only option for an Android-enabled Sailfish phone now)

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#88
post #25
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> good luck running banking apps without Google SafetyNet. Doesn't most banks have a mobile version of their website. Maybe not the best but it could be a good compromise.

Most banks here in Europe require Mobile apps to login into their website.

If you bank requires it, you can: a) find different bank that doesn't; there are banks like this b) demand a hardware token

Unless you explicitly sign for Mobile-only bank (neobanks are weird) you will be able to get hardware token.

Speaking from German, UK and Polish experience.

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#89
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I have evidence, that is not true in Germany. I have accounts with three banks, and all of them can be managed with SMS 2FA and web access.

The SMS 2FA is mostly being phased out because it's horribly insecure :/ And many banks stopped providing hardware tokens as well because it's too expensive.

They don't offer hardware tokens by default. Often you can request one (you will be charged). I did just that despite it not being advertised option. I just said I need one.

Re: Sailfish Mobile OS

#90
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most banks here in Europe require Mobile apps to login into their website.

If you bank requires it, you can: a) find different bank that doesn't; there are banks like this b) demand a hardware token Unless you explicitly sign for Mobile-only bank (neobanks are weird) you will be able to get hardware token. Speaking from German, UK and Polish experience.

I think all banks in my country as well provide hardware token method (used to be paper cards, nowadays a small Tamagotchi like device that outputs codes) if you don't want to use a phone app.
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