Mobile Linux OS options in 2020! Rob Braxman Tech
video description
postmarketOS was not even close to being a daily driver in my opinion. I'm no Dev but the work to get it running on my Nexus 5 was pain in the ass. And same thing, lack of realistic applications. also the keyboard needs a tab option.
I would love to see debian stable on a phone. But I think we are still a long ways from it.
Date: 2022-03-20
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Comments and reviews: 9
PureTryOut
Hey, postmarketOS developer here. I noticed you said several things wrong in your video and I'd like to correct them if I may.
At 05: 40 you say Ubuntu Touch is based on Linux 3. 5, suggesting that is what the PinePhone runs on. This is incorrect, and the used kernel depends on the device in question. In case of the PinePhone, currently the Ubuntu Touch images run on Linux 5. 3. The PinePhone would never be able to boot on 3. 5 as it doesn't even have a dts for the SoC used. Also, the -Bluetooth driver- you mention is _part of the kernel_, so it can't really be incompatible with the kernel.
At 06: 05 you say postmarketOS runs Plasma Mobile. This suggests that it's the only interface available, which is not the case. We support multiple DE's, from more traditional desktop ones like XFCE4 to mobile ones like Plasma Mobile and Phosh. It's up to the user what to use. At 09: 35 you even say Phosh _requires_ the Librem 5 which is obviously not the case. You could even run it on your desktop if you want, it uses all standard technology anyway.
At 07: 40 you say we get older phones working through Halium. Except for 3 out of like 120+ devices, that is not actually the case and only standard Linux drivers are used. We have like I said 3 or so devices (can't recall out of the top of my head) working on libhybris yes, but that's a very small minority.
At 09: 30 you start talking about Phosh as if it is a distro on itself, for example saying it runs on the mainline kernel. On postmarketOS we have already ran it on devices with older kernels in the 3. x series, so the suggestion that it runs only on mainline kernels is just not true.
At 12: 50 you mention that SailfishOS has Android apps support by using a -virtual machine-. It is only a VM in the sense as the JVM is for Java, it isn't a full virtual machine like you would run in VirtualBox or Qemu. Also, it won't be available on the PinePhone as it's a proprietary piece of software only available on official ports by Jolla, which the PinePhone isn't. Btw, I have yet to hear of intent to run SFOS on the Librem 5. Also, no it doesn't use Halium. Yes it uses libhybris, but not Halium.
You seem to forget several distributions and projects though. There exists Nemo Mobile, Replicant (yes an Android ROM, but quite different to the others and is also being ported to the PinePhone, AOSC, Maemo Leste.
Honestly, it seems this video hasn't been researched very well. That's a shame because you seem to reach a lot of people who get wrong impressions of the various distributions.
reply
Hey, postmarketOS developer here. I noticed you said several things wrong in your video and I'd like to correct them if I may.
At 05: 40 you say Ubuntu Touch is based on Linux 3. 5, suggesting that is what the PinePhone runs on. This is incorrect, and the used kernel depends on the device in question. In case of the PinePhone, currently the Ubuntu Touch images run on Linux 5. 3. The PinePhone would never be able to boot on 3. 5 as it doesn't even have a dts for the SoC used. Also, the -Bluetooth driver- you mention is _part of the kernel_, so it can't really be incompatible with the kernel.
At 06: 05 you say postmarketOS runs Plasma Mobile. This suggests that it's the only interface available, which is not the case. We support multiple DE's, from more traditional desktop ones like XFCE4 to mobile ones like Plasma Mobile and Phosh. It's up to the user what to use. At 09: 35 you even say Phosh _requires_ the Librem 5 which is obviously not the case. You could even run it on your desktop if you want, it uses all standard technology anyway.
At 07: 40 you say we get older phones working through Halium. Except for 3 out of like 120+ devices, that is not actually the case and only standard Linux drivers are used. We have like I said 3 or so devices (can't recall out of the top of my head) working on libhybris yes, but that's a very small minority.
At 09: 30 you start talking about Phosh as if it is a distro on itself, for example saying it runs on the mainline kernel. On postmarketOS we have already ran it on devices with older kernels in the 3. x series, so the suggestion that it runs only on mainline kernels is just not true.
At 12: 50 you mention that SailfishOS has Android apps support by using a -virtual machine-. It is only a VM in the sense as the JVM is for Java, it isn't a full virtual machine like you would run in VirtualBox or Qemu. Also, it won't be available on the PinePhone as it's a proprietary piece of software only available on official ports by Jolla, which the PinePhone isn't. Btw, I have yet to hear of intent to run SFOS on the Librem 5. Also, no it doesn't use Halium. Yes it uses libhybris, but not Halium.
You seem to forget several distributions and projects though. There exists Nemo Mobile, Replicant (yes an Android ROM, but quite different to the others and is also being ported to the PinePhone, AOSC, Maemo Leste.
Honestly, it seems this video hasn't been researched very well. That's a shame because you seem to reach a lot of people who get wrong impressions of the various distributions.
reply
WedgeStratos
Worth mentioning that Sailfish OS is still an open-source project. Sailfish X is the consumer and business-focused project that Jolla uses to license the OS out, and offer actual support for the OS and for the features like Alien Dalvik. Anyone can grab the source code and make it work on any other phone using libhybris, including the OnePlus series as a great example. There's even members of the Sailfish community porting Anbox to Sailfish, so the community ports can have Android apps as well. Also, if you have a more modern Sony phone, the Dalvik is built on Android Oreo, making it more modern, efficient, and compatible.
I simply used a VPN to bypass Jolla's storefront geoblock, and bippity boppity my card is chargity, and my Sony is Sail-fishy. I love the whole OS, it feels like it belongs on Sony's lineup, and no, there is no Google telemetry, that's on you if you decide to go out of your way to install Google services (which will require you to manually extract the Android base image they provide in Sailfish X, add those APKs as systemapps, and then squashfs the whole thing back, a feat that's not even really possible on the phone itself, so you'll be in a full SSH session before you can have Google Play. microG core works fine!
Jolla has already made Sailfish X available to the Planet Computers Gemini PDA, and we may see it come to the F(x)tec Pro1 pretty soon, and most likely on the Pinephone as well. I think Sailfish is the most appreciable leap in UI design among the flock here, even if the overall UX itself suffers a bit, having that same problem as Ubuntu Touch. You kinda need to be prepared to put both hands on your phone to do things correctly.
reply
Worth mentioning that Sailfish OS is still an open-source project. Sailfish X is the consumer and business-focused project that Jolla uses to license the OS out, and offer actual support for the OS and for the features like Alien Dalvik. Anyone can grab the source code and make it work on any other phone using libhybris, including the OnePlus series as a great example. There's even members of the Sailfish community porting Anbox to Sailfish, so the community ports can have Android apps as well. Also, if you have a more modern Sony phone, the Dalvik is built on Android Oreo, making it more modern, efficient, and compatible.
I simply used a VPN to bypass Jolla's storefront geoblock, and bippity boppity my card is chargity, and my Sony is Sail-fishy. I love the whole OS, it feels like it belongs on Sony's lineup, and no, there is no Google telemetry, that's on you if you decide to go out of your way to install Google services (which will require you to manually extract the Android base image they provide in Sailfish X, add those APKs as systemapps, and then squashfs the whole thing back, a feat that's not even really possible on the phone itself, so you'll be in a full SSH session before you can have Google Play. microG core works fine!
Jolla has already made Sailfish X available to the Planet Computers Gemini PDA, and we may see it come to the F(x)tec Pro1 pretty soon, and most likely on the Pinephone as well. I think Sailfish is the most appreciable leap in UI design among the flock here, even if the overall UX itself suffers a bit, having that same problem as Ubuntu Touch. You kinda need to be prepared to put both hands on your phone to do things correctly.
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Paul
Hey, just a thanks for your videos. I-m not an early adopter like you, but the information that you provide is valuable for me. Thanks so much. I-m currently switching my computing to Linux across the board- and I can-t wait until my phone can provide me with everything I need and NOT snoop on my life. I-m excited. for the FUTURE when these phones and OS are much better.
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Hey, just a thanks for your videos. I-m not an early adopter like you, but the information that you provide is valuable for me. Thanks so much. I-m currently switching my computing to Linux across the board- and I can-t wait until my phone can provide me with everything I need and NOT snoop on my life. I-m excited. for the FUTURE when these phones and OS are much better.
reply
Evaggelos
My opinion regarding smartphones, is that their OS must not be a powerful one (that may lead to be easily compromised) but as restricted as possible. It must only allow basic operations and the communications encrypted by default. Very rarely someone needs a desktop application or something very technical.
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My opinion regarding smartphones, is that their OS must not be a powerful one (that may lead to be easily compromised) but as restricted as possible. It must only allow basic operations and the communications encrypted by default. Very rarely someone needs a desktop application or something very technical.
reply
Paul
In fact, I don-t code much but, I-d like to help the community in any way I could to keep this Linux private phone/device thing going. to think that we can one day have an iPhone (equal or better) with open source private software is the cats meow. How can I help? Paulie420-gmail. com
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In fact, I don-t code much but, I-d like to help the community in any way I could to keep this Linux private phone/device thing going. to think that we can one day have an iPhone (equal or better) with open source private software is the cats meow. How can I help? Paulie420-gmail. com
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Jack
Thanks for posting this video. I am waiting for my Librem phone - had I known about the pine phone, I wold have purchased that instead.
Not knocking the Librem phone - just that the pine phone will be able to do -everything- I want. Excellent fact finding KUDOS
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Thanks for posting this video. I am waiting for my Librem phone - had I known about the pine phone, I wold have purchased that instead.
Not knocking the Librem phone - just that the pine phone will be able to do -everything- I want. Excellent fact finding KUDOS
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Max
Software is either proprietary or free. If you pay for it doesn't concern the differentiation between those sole two categories. There is no point in getting away from iOS and Android to another proprietary system.
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Software is either proprietary or free. If you pay for it doesn't concern the differentiation between those sole two categories. There is no point in getting away from iOS and Android to another proprietary system.
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Robert
You should have mentioned that Pine is only promoting the PinePhone for developers and not to the general public. That is why it is being shipped without an OS.
They are not making this for the mass market.
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You should have mentioned that Pine is only promoting the PinePhone for developers and not to the general public. That is why it is being shipped without an OS.
They are not making this for the mass market.
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Randy
Rob the pine phone ships January without a operating system and is for developers. A retail product my not happen. The unfortunate situation is Linux consumer phones are not a long term option.
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Rob the pine phone ships January without a operating system and is for developers. A retail product my not happen. The unfortunate situation is Linux consumer phones are not a long term option.
reply
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