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Eelo: A Google-less Android alternative emerges

111 points by indidea 9y ago

dgrove 9y ago
How quickly HN forgets. There are tons of Google-less Android builds. You can even run AOSP (Android Open Source Project) without Googles' binaries. When I want to use something without Google, I use CopperheadOS https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16030391 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16030391
- michaelmior 9y ago
  What makes you say HN has forgotten? The title is just copied from the article which describes another interesting sounding alternative.
  - dgrove 9y ago
    The CopperheadOS post was 5 days ago and was in the top 10 for the majority of the day. Which also had the original title of being a Google-less Hardened version of Android.
- lostcolony 9y ago
  "An (X) emerges" does not preclude others having already emerged. The article even mentions others.
  - dgrove 9y ago
    I'm not dismissing that, I'm just stating that we were literally here 5 days ago talking about another alternative. One that already has an entire team backing it and keeping security in mind. There are probably 10s to 100s of different android builds with and without google. There are definitely a few that will outshine others: Cyanogen, Oxygen, Lineage, AOKP, TWRP to name a few that stick out in my mind. It's just funny that not even 5 days later we're back again with another android fork that google-less.
- j_s 9y ago
  LineageOS for microG – Access Google services without closed software | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15617615 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15617615
  - Hnrobert42 9y ago
    The article specifically notes they will fork lineageos and use microG.
- meneame2 9y ago
  From the article: > Unless you are a geek, LineageOS is not realistically usable if you don't want Google inside Why? LineageOS plus F-Droid with Firefox, OsmAnd~ and Conversations is surprisingly usable. I agree it could get a bit more polish. But if Eelo is going to be a big effort, maybe he should try to go for a full Linux distro like Jolla sans the closed components. With stuff like Anbox (Android containers) it should be moderately easy to bootstrap an ecosystem.
  - pjmlp 9y ago
    By random dude on the street? I doubt it.
jrcii 9y ago
Replicant...
Shywim 9y ago
I like competition, but regarding "Google-less Android alternative" why everyone want to do his own project when this is a niche market with few developers who want to use their time to do this, and even less in the long run? Why do people don't join their effort to put up something better, faster, safer?
- Hnrobert42 9y ago
  The stated purpose of this project is a phone for non-technical, privacy focused users.
- mcsb1 9y ago
  Because phones have in my opinion become a privacy nightmare. I think we all got used to it as the new normal because it happend in lots of tiny steps. However, 30 years ago people would have screamed at being constantly and at every step under surveillance, all their contacts recorded at every moment. I simply don't think that modern life with smartphones and internet must be like this. I'd like to have my private life back. Edit: I recently signed up for LinkedIn and it was outright scary which contacts I got suggested. There were people that don't have my email address nor have I ever been in electronic contact with - I just met them plenty of times in real life. Best explanation is that smartphones correlate location and/or bluetooth MAC addresses. In other words, my phone is spying on me. I don't see any reason to give this information to unknown 3rd parties without my consent.
  - bluGill 9y ago
    You didn't answer the question though. There are a few dozen linux smartphone projects. Why not join one of them and make it better. By making his own phone OS he is duplicating the work that all those other projects are doing instead of moving a head. I'm not saying he is wrong for doing this - I know of many competing projects, but nothing more. Maybe there is a good reason not to join them. However my guess is not invented here which holds us back.
    - nkkollaw 9y ago
dh-g 9y ago
Feels like we have enough Google-less Androids. I would rather a faster more minimal Android.
- zeotroph 9y ago
  Or an android which can properly box apps, i.e. "Yes you can have access to my phonebook (because if I refuse you won't run at all..) but the container you are running in just gives you dummy entries", or not allowing internet access for certain apps. This is all possible on desktop linux, having that possibility on a rooted Android would make me switch back.
  - dublinben 9y ago
    You've been able to do that with Xposed and Xprivacy for a while now. You can spoof just about any information that an app requests.
- halflings 9y ago
  That's exactly what Android Go is: https://www.android.com/versions/oreo-8-0/go-edition/ https://www.android.com/versions/oreo-8-0/go-edition/
kodablah 9y ago
Where can I see the source (or at least the Eelo-specific build scripts for AOSP or any other source details)? I see "in the public interest" and see "we already have first results", but I struggle to find links to the details of what work has been done. Help? > And as a community project, eelo will welcome contributors. Sure...oh, "will"...well, can I at least watch?
mLuby 9y ago
Anyone else get a chill seeing that name? #KSP
nkkollaw 9y ago
Google software is in my opinion the best on the market in every aspect, and I would hate to stop using their Chrome, Inbox, Photos, Maps, and Keep apps. I'm also not sure if the way Google looks like they're using information is that much worse than all the stuff people deliberately publish on Facebook. I don't feel spied, and one is free to stop sending info at any time (unlike let's say in China or North Korea, where they have an actual problem). Google makes my life about 1000 times easier, if the trade-off is that they use some of that info to for showing relevant ads that I block on every device (including in-app ads with AdGuard), it's fine for me right now.
- ivcha 9y ago
  "I don't feel spied" -- good for you! The point is, it's great that you're in love with Google and you don't mind being spied upon, however, there are a lot of other people who cannot wait for something like this and indeed care about privacy of their information.

111 points by indidea 9y ago

How quickly HN forgets. There are tons of Google-less Android builds. You can even run AOSP (Android Open Source Project) without Googles' binaries. When I want to use something without Google, I use CopperheadOS https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16030391 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16030391

michaelmior 9y ago
What makes you say HN has forgotten? The title is just copied from the article which describes another interesting sounding alternative.
- dgrove 9y ago
  The CopperheadOS post was 5 days ago and was in the top 10 for the majority of the day. Which also had the original title of being a Google-less Hardened version of Android.
lostcolony 9y ago
"An (X) emerges" does not preclude others having already emerged. The article even mentions others.
- dgrove 9y ago
  I'm not dismissing that, I'm just stating that we were literally here 5 days ago talking about another alternative. One that already has an entire team backing it and keeping security in mind. There are probably 10s to 100s of different android builds with and without google. There are definitely a few that will outshine others: Cyanogen, Oxygen, Lineage, AOKP, TWRP to name a few that stick out in my mind. It's just funny that not even 5 days later we're back again with another android fork that google-less.
j_s 9y ago
LineageOS for microG – Access Google services without closed software | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15617615 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15617615
- Hnrobert42 9y ago
  The article specifically notes they will fork lineageos and use microG.
meneame2 9y ago
From the article: > Unless you are a geek, LineageOS is not realistically usable if you don't want Google inside Why? LineageOS plus F-Droid with Firefox, OsmAnd~ and Conversations is surprisingly usable. I agree it could get a bit more polish. But if Eelo is going to be a big effort, maybe he should try to go for a full Linux distro like Jolla sans the closed components. With stuff like Anbox (Android containers) it should be moderately easy to bootstrap an ecosystem.
- pjmlp 9y ago
  By random dude on the street? I doubt it.

jrcii 9y ago

Replicant...

Shywim 9y ago

I like competition, but regarding "Google-less Android alternative" why everyone want to do his own project when this is a niche market with few developers who want to use their time to do this, and even less in the long run? Why do people don't join their effort to put up something better, faster, safer?

Hnrobert42 9y ago
The stated purpose of this project is a phone for non-technical, privacy focused users.
mcsb1 9y ago
Because phones have in my opinion become a privacy nightmare. I think we all got used to it as the new normal because it happend in lots of tiny steps. However, 30 years ago people would have screamed at being constantly and at every step under surveillance, all their contacts recorded at every moment. I simply don't think that modern life with smartphones and internet must be like this. I'd like to have my private life back. Edit: I recently signed up for LinkedIn and it was outright scary which contacts I got suggested. There were people that don't have my email address nor have I ever been in electronic contact with - I just met them plenty of times in real life. Best explanation is that smartphones correlate location and/or bluetooth MAC addresses. In other words, my phone is spying on me. I don't see any reason to give this information to unknown 3rd parties without my consent.
- bluGill 9y ago
  You didn't answer the question though. There are a few dozen linux smartphone projects. Why not join one of them and make it better. By making his own phone OS he is duplicating the work that all those other projects are doing instead of moving a head. I'm not saying he is wrong for doing this - I know of many competing projects, but nothing more. Maybe there is a good reason not to join them. However my guess is not invented here which holds us back.
  - nkkollaw 9y ago

dh-g 9y ago

Feels like we have enough Google-less Androids. I would rather a faster more minimal Android.

zeotroph 9y ago
Or an android which can properly box apps, i.e. "Yes you can have access to my phonebook (because if I refuse you won't run at all..) but the container you are running in just gives you dummy entries", or not allowing internet access for certain apps. This is all possible on desktop linux, having that possibility on a rooted Android would make me switch back.
- dublinben 9y ago
  You've been able to do that with Xposed and Xprivacy for a while now. You can spoof just about any information that an app requests.
halflings 9y ago
That's exactly what Android Go is: https://www.android.com/versions/oreo-8-0/go-edition/ https://www.android.com/versions/oreo-8-0/go-edition/

kodablah 9y ago

Where can I see the source (or at least the Eelo-specific build scripts for AOSP or any other source details)? I see "in the public interest" and see "we already have first results", but I struggle to find links to the details of what work has been done. Help? > And as a community project, eelo will welcome contributors. Sure...oh, "will"...well, can I at least watch?

mLuby 9y ago

Anyone else get a chill seeing that name? #KSP

nkkollaw 9y ago

Google software is in my opinion the best on the market in every aspect, and I would hate to stop using their Chrome, Inbox, Photos, Maps, and Keep apps. I'm also not sure if the way Google looks like they're using information is that much worse than all the stuff people deliberately publish on Facebook. I don't feel spied, and one is free to stop sending info at any time (unlike let's say in China or North Korea, where they have an actual problem). Google makes my life about 1000 times easier, if the trade-off is that they use some of that info to for showing relevant ads that I block on every device (including in-app ads with AdGuard), it's fine for me right now.

ivcha 9y ago
"I don't feel spied" -- good for you! The point is, it's great that you're in love with Google and you don't mind being spied upon, however, there are a lot of other people who cannot wait for something like this and indeed care about privacy of their information.