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Why did PinePhone fail?
(sh.itjust.works)
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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The only reason why consumers like you and me get to enjoy free software on modern PC hardware is because of the expectation of open standards and interoperability set way back when the industry was still growing and computer users gave a shit (or rather, when only the people who gave a shit owned a computer).
Much to the industry giants' enthusiasm, mobile hardware stacks were developed without this baggage, and so unless something fundamental changes, all mobile devices trying to focus on free software will be doomed to failure by abysmally poor hardware support and aging hand-me-down hardware.
I hope Raptor Computing sticks around. If I manage to get a well paying job I'd love to move on to the POWER ISA on desktop and a Fairphone with Ubuntu Touch.
I know it's exteremely expensive (I mean the POWER desktop) but with the recent Android news I believe the time for compromise has passed. Those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to do so should adopt fully open hardware whenever possible.