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We Must Break The Chains (media.piefed.social)

Apple and Google will gladly erase the works of developers to chase profits.

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[-] schwim@piefed.zip 132 points 3 days ago

There are no realistic linux options for your phone. These memes are pipe dreams by people that haven't actually looked at how utterly incapable linux currently is at powering a smart phone for normal daily use and how these apps that they're complaining about android and apple are removing won't run on the linux phone in the first place.

[-] sorghum@sh.itjust.works 68 points 3 days ago

Sounds like switching will mean we will lose everything we're already losing. Might as well go ahead and quit cold turkey.

[-] schwim@piefed.zip 26 points 3 days ago

That is correct, currently, moving to a linux phone will lose you more than what you're losing with Google and Apple changes.

Apps are just part of the problem. Running a full linux OS on a phone with all the normal mobile phone capabilities is also an exercise in frustration. Taking Ubuntu Touch as an example, the OS has been around since 2011, was released in 2014 and it's list of approved phones is still minuscule. If you're a person on VZW, that list grows even smaller as VoLTE is problematic enough to be considered impossible to get working reliably.

I truly hope that the linux phone landscape shapes up but in it's current form, it's actually losing ground as it's development is slower than the hardware development and at it's current rate, will never be a viable option.

[-] sorghum@sh.itjust.works 40 points 3 days ago

At this point I'd rather keep my freedom and lose the convenience. If it means losing apps and horsepower, fine by me. I'm already half resigned to going back to a dumbphone. I'm also looking at options to assemble my own phone with off the shelf parts if that's what it takes.

When you abandon freedom to achieve security, you lose both and deserve neither. - Thomas Jefferson

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

i hear there is actual good stuff to be done with stripped raspberry pis.

what are you looking at for making a practical phone?

[-] sorghum@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago

Phone calls, SMS, data as a baseline. GPS, and a way to run signal would be great. Everything else would be gravy.

My first thought was to use a pi zero as a base from which to build. Getting everything to fit in a package that fits in my pocket would be next. I can go to a machine shop to make a case from aluminium, rubber gaskets for water protection. Unfortunately I have a more than full time job and can't really dedicate any time to figuring this out, but if there are reproducible instructions already out there, then I will be looking at that option and start getting the parts to build.

It also helps that my phone carrier is offering me a free line right now so I can run 2 phones like a drug dealer.

[-] Albbi@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 days ago

As read by Spock although Civilization a slightly different version attributed to Benjamin Franklin.

[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 16 points 3 days ago

Yeah... I'm rapidly approaching the point of just learning to live without a smartphone altogether as it becomes more and more frustrating to find one that has what I want.

[-] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 22 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

That's funny I've had several Android apps run fine under Linux mobile OSes.

I'm not going to say they're ready for general public daily use but there's no reason they one day couldn't be? There's a foundation there. With a good enthusiast community we could get it to the point that it's at least useable for power users and grow from there.

[-] schwim@piefed.zip 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

That’s funny I’ve had several Android apps run fine under Linux mobile OSes.

Several? Well, consider me corrected, it's clearly ready for prime time.

[-] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 19 points 3 days ago

Thanks for not reading any of the rest of my comment

[-] schwim@piefed.zip 6 points 3 days ago

Thank you for starting with a contrary clickbait sentence, then immediately following it up with a confirmation of my comment that linux is not suitable as a mobile OS.

[-] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 14 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

You're just a giant bundle of negativity and unpleasantness, aren't you?

And I'm starting to notice that being a bit more common from piefed users nowadays

[-] tetris11@feddit.uk 4 points 3 days ago

I’m not going to say they’re ready for general public daily use but there’s no reason they one day couldn’t be? There’s a foundation there. With a good enthusiast community we could get it to the point that it’s at least useable for power users and grow from there.

Foundation? Well, consider me corrected, I'm clearly ready for pound town.

[-] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

What's the point in the sarcasm?

There's never going to be some viable alternative to Android and iOS that just springs up out of nowhere fully developed ready for daily driving...

[-] tetris11@feddit.uk 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

(I was echoing the other guy on the other half of your comment :P)

[-] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 days ago

All dreams start as pipe dreams. Every one.

[-] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

UBPorts is a solid foundation. It just needs more adoption and backing.

this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2025
826 points (100.0% liked)

Linux Phones

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The Discussion on Linux-based Phones.


Benefits:

  • Hardware freedom.
  • Perfect operating-system competition.
  • Full utilization of specs.
  • Phone lifespan raises to 10+ years.
  • Less e-waste.

Linux Mobile Distros:

  • Postmarket OS
  • Ubuntu Touch
  • Mobian
  • Sailfish
  • Manjaro Arm
  • Pure OS
  • Plasma Mobile
  • LuneOS
  • FuriOS
  • Nemomobile
  • Droidian
  • Mobile NixOS
  • ExpidusOS
  • Maemo Leste
  • Tizen
  • WebOS

Linux Mobile Hardware:

  • Fairphone 5
  • Volla Phone
  • Librem 5
  • PinePhone

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