Posted by speckx 2 days ago
Basically I'm suggesting that we might need a whole new OS on top of the Linux kernel.
Wrt/ torvie's narcissistic snarks linked above, the most important task for a kernel is still to facilitate fast IPC. The only viable forms of IPC in Linux are UDS and Binder. The former is slow and clunky. The latter is not a valid choice for DBus. So DBus devs have to manage slow, clunky, ill-suited legacy IPC. When a kernel can't be bothered to accommodate one of the most important operating systems built upon it, that seems really bad.
AOSP does not include nor depend on Play Services.
>locking down of device trees to hinder custom ROM development
Most manufacturers do not distribute these either. The user doesn't even have a pixel so it is not relevant.
>all the AI stuff being put into the system
The AI stuff is not part of AOSP.
>or most recently (and perhaps worst), removing the ability of installing apps per your own wishing - it's become sort of like a "death by a thousand papercuts" situation.
Again that is not a feature of AOSP, but one bolted in on top of it.
I think the author would benefit much more by using a different distribution of AOSP.
AOSP doesn't even include a functional keyboard nor a proper call manager nowadays
Don't tell me about grapheneos, I have a pixel phone and did run it for a few months with/without play services.
At the end, you're always going to absolutely need that one app that won't run without Gplay.
Then you can install GMS into its own user profile with that GMS-dependent app, and when not using it you can log out of that user and put it fully at rest.
Realistically nobody is developing apps for linux phones, so the options are android or no apps at all.
That being said, I consciously chose an iPhone b/c I want my phone to "just work". I had a Blackberry Storm for a year and it was buggy, had to be restarted everyday just for it operate etc etc.
The iPhone has always been great. It just does what I need it to do b/c clearly someone cared about making sure the end user experience was phenomenal. While Linux has gotten better over the years, it just doesn't feel the same.
In addition, I recently started using a MacBook and the fact that the phone sync WITH THE LAPTOP makes the iPhone an even bigger plus. For example, if I set keyboard shortcuts on my phone they also work on the laptop. Photo sharing is a breeze and even integrated iMessage "just works".
Now, I don't fault people for wanting Linux phones. It's just not right for me.`
People can spend their money however they choose, but I wouldn’t spend $1800 on a phone like that if you want to actually use it as a phone. And before buying it as underpowered “portable” Linux computer (the battery life is not good even though I hear suspend mostly works now), this is still outrageously overpriced even by current hardware pricing.
https://forums.puri.sm/t/each-update-makes-my-librem5-worse/...
The promise of, 'it's FOSS and these issues will be addressed,' sure didn't pan out with the PinePhone Pro, and it isn't panning out for the Librem 5. And that's setting aside hardware specs that would have been challenging over a decade ago.
It turns out that when the basic user experience is terrible, adoption rates are almost non-existent, and therefore nobody develops for it. The companies themselves have also done a seriously insufficient job of supporting their devices.
Some owners apparently disagree with you that the Librem 5 still usable. One, who shills for it tirelessly, states the need to disable JS to render some modern sites, a tradeoff he's happy to make, and that's his right, but to recommend something with such a heavy caveat as the solution to nearly every problem is inane. If you're looking for exaggeration, there it is.
There are valid reasons very few people use them. The situation won't get better by pretending the device is something it isn't. We need an open modern device, and the Librem 5 just isn't it, despite the loud assertions of a few to the contrary.
Some owners disagree, others agree. For what it's worth, I don't disable JavaScript on my phone's browser.
Of course, I don't expect a low-volume crowdfunded niche Linux phone to hit a major OEM's price/performance targets. Nobody should.
What I don't see a good way around is framing it as anything other than low-to-midrange performance chipset even in its day (whenever that actually was). Which is fine, tradeoffs were made, but tradeoffs they were. Something can still be viable for a small subset of people, while ultimately quite long in the tooth for the broader market.
I'm glad you're happy with it as a device. Thanks for posting your photos.
Boards:
M.2 Modem Module China, inquire for USA/EU options
M.2 WiFi/BT Module India, inquire for more options
It's not going to win the market, but I applaud anyone providing more choices.
Am I the only one who remembers the suicide nets at Foxconn?
realistically, this device would need to tiny to justify the extra weight, device-to-keep-charged, etc.
one idea: make it wifi-only and tether from your primary mobile device. This skips all the carrier nonsense, to focus entirely on the core use case(s).
As soon as we get to a point that Linux on the phone works at all, I'm happy to switch completely.
Here, "it works" literally just means it works. Not "GPS doesn't work," "camera only half works," "interop with Android/iOS apps that you're forced to use doesn't work." That doesn't mean "it works." And of course "only works for 2-3 years and then the device gets abandoned" doesn't mean "it works" either.
I've a wish list of one, though: make the Web the primary GUI front end. Essentially, apps are a specialised browser window. That way, I can program (both the front- and back-end) in plain text, just using regular Linux tools and a text editor -- no bloatware and gargantuan IDEs mandated.
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 figure supporting this effort is my little way to make a change in the world and help bring freedom back to our devices, which I now have :)