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> or bootloader unlocking, one or more steps involve running some tool that isn't open source fastboot is open source. That's literally all you need to unlock

> or bootloader unlocking, one or more steps involve running some tool that isn't open source fastboot is open source. That's literally all you need to unlock the bootloader on a great number of phones. The vast majority of users don't need to root their phones, and doing so is a pretty big security hole for the users that think they need to. On the other hand, your alternative is to stick with OEM/carrier OSes, which are quite obviously compromised for benefiting the OEM/carrier and not the user.

fulafel 9y ago
Rooting is needed for backups and migrating your data to a new device or over a firmware wipe. And good ad blocking. I agree the majority of users make do without this, and so have little choice but to send their phone data to Google servers for migrating / backup.
- craftyguy 9y ago
  Many apps allow exporting their data without requiring root. There are adblockers that set themselves up as a 'VPN connection' on your device for filtering out ads, those do not require root.
  - fulafel 9y ago
    That vpn ad blocking sounds promiding. Are there reputable FOSS apps that do this? Edit: this looks promising: https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/master/README.md https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/master/README.md
    - philg_jr 9y ago
      DNS66 https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jak_linux.dns66/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jak_linux.dns66/ https://github.com/julian-klode/dns66 https://github.com/julian-klode/dns66 Successfully being used on a 1st-gen Moto Z Play, no root, stock firmware. Works great.
      - lewisl9029 9y ago
        Seconding DNS66. Another benefit over hosts file based ad-blocking is you can disable/enable it without having to restart, which is super handy for the occasional "is this site broken or is it my ad-blocker" sanity check.
        yjftsjthsd-h 9y ago
        I was under the impression that hosts based blocking just needed you to toggle airplane mode to reset it, not a full reboot.
        lewisl9029 9y ago
        That could very well be the case. This could have been just me being ignorant.
  - fulafel 9y ago
    Upon reflection, I suspect those localhost-vpn ad blockers have to reconstruct your ip traffic back into outgoing socket api calls, which can't work really well for non-web traffic.
    - darklajid 9y ago
      I .. only learned about these ad blockers from this thread, so take everything I write with a healthy amount of table salt. That said, as far as I understand this DNS66 thing only intercepts DNS requests (which yes, it needs to break apart and reassemble) and nothing else? That is - if you don't talk to a server that is part of the application's custom DNS server list or a DNS server given to you by your network configuration, then I'd expect this packet to bypass the VPN entirely. Maybe someone who understands the Android VPN service thing a bit more can chime in and confirm?

fulafel 9y ago

Rooting is needed for backups and migrating your data to a new device or over a firmware wipe. And good ad blocking. I agree the majority of users make do without this, and so have little choice but to send their phone data to Google servers for migrating / backup.

craftyguy 9y ago
Many apps allow exporting their data without requiring root. There are adblockers that set themselves up as a 'VPN connection' on your device for filtering out ads, those do not require root.
- fulafel 9y ago
  That vpn ad blocking sounds promiding. Are there reputable FOSS apps that do this? Edit: this looks promising: https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/master/README.md https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/master/README.md
  - philg_jr 9y ago
    DNS66 https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jak_linux.dns66/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jak_linux.dns66/ https://github.com/julian-klode/dns66 https://github.com/julian-klode/dns66 Successfully being used on a 1st-gen Moto Z Play, no root, stock firmware. Works great.
    - lewisl9029 9y ago
      Seconding DNS66. Another benefit over hosts file based ad-blocking is you can disable/enable it without having to restart, which is super handy for the occasional "is this site broken or is it my ad-blocker" sanity check.
      - yjftsjthsd-h 9y ago
        I was under the impression that hosts based blocking just needed you to toggle airplane mode to reset it, not a full reboot.
        lewisl9029 9y ago
        That could very well be the case. This could have been just me being ignorant.
- fulafel 9y ago
  Upon reflection, I suspect those localhost-vpn ad blockers have to reconstruct your ip traffic back into outgoing socket api calls, which can't work really well for non-web traffic.
  - darklajid 9y ago
    I .. only learned about these ad blockers from this thread, so take everything I write with a healthy amount of table salt. That said, as far as I understand this DNS66 thing only intercepts DNS requests (which yes, it needs to break apart and reassemble) and nothing else? That is - if you don't talk to a server that is part of the application's custom DNS server list or a DNS server given to you by your network configuration, then I'd expect this packet to bypass the VPN entirely. Maybe someone who understands the Android VPN service thing a bit more can chime in and confirm?