this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2024
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Linux Phones

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The discussion on linux-based phones.

Linux Mobile Distros: Postmarket OS, Ubuntu Touch, Mobian, Sailfish, Manjaro Arm, Pure OS, Plasma Mobile, LuneOS.

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We will hit 5% market share one day! (lemmy.ca)
submitted 2 weeks ago by Sunshine@lemmy.ca to c/linuxphones@lemmy.ca
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[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 23 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

You gotta have the big three: reliable GPS map app, a good music player, and better than meh cameras. If you can get those three things working, and working as well or better than comparable devices on iOS and Android, you've got a chance.

Right now, it's one out of three at best, based on the access I've had to a couple, and the reliability of calls/texts isn't exactly perfect either. I've yet to see one with a camera that isn't shit, and the music players I've seen can't hold a candle to even iOS's muddy, over filtered sound, even when they function well otherwise. I'm not even expecting high end sound, just sound that isn't fucked.

GPS though, that worked well enough the last time I had a device to test drive with. Not as feature rich, but still good enough for basic use.

Also ran into dropped calls and ghost texts disappearing, but that is as much on the carrier as the device.

They just aren't daily drivers yet, and I so badly want it to be.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I would say the ABSOLUTE basics are:

  • Phone calls
  • texts
  • web browser
  • GPS map app
  • Camera and photo/video gallery app
  • Timer/reminder/calendar/clock system
  • Battery life of at the very, VERY least 6 hours of mixed idle and active usage

That will get those first few hundred enthusiasts, paranoid delusionals and political idealists to start carrying a GNU‽Linux phone without an Android or iPhone for backup. I think there's enough of us who will charge it at work or in the car or whatever and will give up banking apps and shit like that for this.

The thing that will probably never come up to snuff is the database of businesses. GNU Maps b/w the OpenStreetMap database is actually pretty good. I just looked at my home town and of all the hundreds of businesses on the main street it knew two restaurants, a gas station and a trash can. "Navigate to the nearest shoe store" isn't a thing it can do.

After that, you need a decent app store with small screen versions of most utility apps. No, the Desktop version of Slack isn't going to work, you need mobile Slack, because the desktop version is going to be an utter usability failure on a 5 inch screen. The only way I can think of to get that done without a carrier battle group and the 82nd Airborne is APK compatibility and FDroid.

Then you'll have the problem of mass adoption becaue it doesn't run Fortnite or banking apps or the McDonald's app or whatever.

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The thing that will probably never come up to snuff is the database of businesses. GNU Maps b/w the OpenStreetMap database is actually pretty good. I just looked at my home town and of all the hundreds of businesses on the main street it knew two restaurants, a gas station and a trash can. "Navigate to the nearest shoe store" isn't a thing it can do.

That’s a fixable problem with the indexing method that someone will figure out eventually.

There’s no need to say “it will never happen” as that can discourage able developers.

People always say new ideas won’t succeed until they do then they start downplaying the success, there’s no need to say “it won’t ever happen”.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I don't think it's a "problem with the indexing method" I think it's a problem of data source. People sign up and pay to have their businesses listed on Google Maps as a marketing strategy. That's a LOT of parallel effort that won't be there for OpenStreetMap unless it somehow becomes a major player.

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That’s true but as we lay down more ground work most people would become more interested in Openstreetmap as it has more information available to the public and a free api that would save thousands in costs.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's difficult enough to get people to use LibreOffice Calc instead of MS Excel. It's damn near impossible to get people to use Signal instead of WhatsApp or even fucking SMS.

In the meantime, I don't know of a Linux phone that has calls and texts working reliably.

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

Libreoffice had 10m users in 2011 to 200m in 2018.

Signal had 0.5m users in 2019 to 40m in 2022.

Iphone just got RCS and more carriers are looking into implementing the protocol within their networks.

Nothing is built over night. The man who invented the radio was assumed “crazy” by his friends and was checked into a mental institution for “listening to voices” compared to today where the technology is used everywhere.

Linux phones will have the basics nailed down in the next 5 years as the Postmarked OS Team finally had their own stand at a convention and more people were said to be interested in the project by bringing their phones over with the os installed as compared to back then where people were merely just asking questions about the concept. Not to mention the increased funding of the project and the growing list of supported devices.

[–] madthumbs@lemmy.world -4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

What do you mean by good music player? To me, Metro seems sufficient, but I'm not into features others might be into?

I've tried to help Open Maps, but wasted the good part of an evening trying to correct information. Keyword: 'trying'. BUT GPS service isn't dependent on phone service, and lots of people will keep capable older phones around. -I'd rather have an older phone sitting on my dashboard, hanging from the windshield, or in the phone holder on my scooter than the one I'm actively using.

Messing up updates, and power management would be one of my greatest concerns.

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 weeks ago

Tbh, I'm picky with music players, more than most.

But I've yet to see one that that handles tags, playlists, and organization half as well as even the bog standard android players, much less something like poweramp.

My thing is that right now, I have an android phone that replaces, completely and very well, the three devices I used to have to carry separately when I am out and about. If I have to go back to having multiple devices to have it all, I'm buying a decent used media player, a tomtom or whatever, and a dumb phone. Linux phones would be my preference by a huge margin, but damn. We're talking about problems that have been ironed out well for about a decade on every other platform.

[–] Kaboom@reddthat.com 12 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Isn't Android Linux?

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 weeks ago

Roundabout the worst Linux distro, yes.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 week ago

it's linux in the same way that e-bike batteries are generally all just a bunch of identical cells wired together and put inside a hard plastic housing: Sure, if you pry open a battery and know what you're doing you can totally muck around as you wish, but it's the housing itself that really determines in what bike you can use the battery.

[–] zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

That's smoke, not Steam.

[–] 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago

Steam is invisible, AFAIK, what we know as steam is actually its condensate.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 week ago

smoke from the smoked hams! mmm, smoked hams!

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago

[–] 1985MustangCobra@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

my next phone will run linux.