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'I'll believe it when I see it': Windows 11 users are cynical about Microsoft's promises to fix the OS and stop pushing AI (www.techradar.com)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 6 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I mean. There ARE mobile os options. Just you need to have very specific phones, and they're all old and outdated tech.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Yup, and getting fewer every day.

    There are some projects (postmarketOS and half a dozen people forking it for other distros) trying to get kernel and drivers worked out, Linux is still sadly lacking at a bunch of the best tricks Android and IOS use to save power (most notably freezing applications), we'll get there eventually.

    The Halium stuff +Ubuntu ports works if all you're worried about is privacy and as you said have a supported phone.

    Postmarket can't make it through the morning on a charge. Halium is Android kernel and drivers and also has power issues if you decide to run android apps. Neither one can do anything with NFC.

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  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    But they do exist. It does give me hope that people are actively working on these projects, useless for daily driving or not. In a better timeline we'd have more than 2 properly viable mobile OS options.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Yeah, I guess I came off more negative than hopeful. Supposedly on of the big phone makers is partnering with someone doing pocket linux, and there's Furi, Jolla and Volla. The real shining star is the EU rights causing (many/most/all?) phones there to be able to be unlocked and open to flashing. But open for the US is getting much more rare, and with oneplus' recent hardware fuse breaking on flashing, I'm just feeling like (amongst many other things here) we're losing the battle to privacy and open hardware.

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  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago

    Nah, you're good bud 👍.
    Honestly, while I am hopeful, it's hard to be positive about the current state of alternative mobile OS. Everything not based on android feels like a proof of concept. We're at the early adopters stage, but I can't bring myself to get on board when there's not really a great option. And device support, I already have my current daily driver, plus my old phone as a backup, and the phone before that too. None of which are supported by any of the projects, and even as something to play around with I can't bring myself to buy ANOTHER phone. 🤷

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  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    they're all old and outdated tech.

    You can put graphene os on the newest pixel if you really want. Imo, you shouldn't be giving Google the money anyway. Makes more sense to buy an older refurbished pixel from a trusted 3rd party. The newer phones are not really major increases in tech anymore anyway. I'm still rocking a pixel 6 pro and it feels functionally equivalent to the newer phones but it's 5 years old.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 child)

    I don't want to do anything with Google. Definitely don't trust their hardware.

    Look. Israeli child molesters waited 10 years before activating lebanese explosive pagers. I don't trust Google just giving out free code only on their devices for some reason, as if they know there is something else on hardware level. Google lost all the trust and good will I ever had for them

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    And lineage has pretty good compatibility too, but we're talking about mobile OSs outside the big two, Android and iOS. In that context, the device compatibility list is significantly shorter, and even the newer phones listed are ~10yr old hardware, or if newer severely underpowered compared to not even flagship phones available 5 or more years ago.

    I really really want a viable Linux phone, but the device range isn't there, and there's still a lot lacking in functionality. Currently what's on offer isn't ready for general population daily use.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago*

    Buying used still inflates the price, giving Google more money. Plus, Google is now sending you firmware updates. I like Fairphone, and there are a few ROMs you can flash onto it. But unfortunately not grapheneOS. Maybe LineageOS (without MicroG) would be the least googly, but there would still be some Google bits and bobs you'd have to turn off. /e/OS is probably a bit more degoogled, except for MicroG, which is kind of a big exception. No android is completely degoogled, it seems. There is a promising Linux phone coming to Europe soon though, the Jolla phone, and I'm hoping it gets good reviews and then comes to the US.

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