4 ms·

If you want to use Android, don't forget about microG. There's even their Lineage fork: https://lineage.microg.org/ https://lineage.microg.org/

mindslight 8y ago
Well I don't really want to use Android. What I want is a long-battery-life GNU computer that fits in my pocket, with an optional chorded keyboard. Which could then run any needed Android apps in an untrusted vm [0]. Alas. I'll have to look into microG. My plan was just to avoid attractive nuisance apps on my everyday phone, and stick with stuff from F-droid. But then of course eg traveling puts one in a different mode of just needing to get a problem solved on the go [1]. It is a bit worrying that microG's first listed feature is augmenting perfectly-fine GPS location. The split with Lineage seems annoying, for both practical and long term considerations. From a quick reading, it seems like Lineage is being stubborn and preserving the paradigm where Google is trusted more than the purported owner of the device. Seems like one would definitely have to use a VPN with microG, lest Google continue to infer social metadata from whatever IP address (ie wifi network) one was connecting from [2]. [0] I wouldn't mind say running Waze for the highway part of routine trips (with a nonce account of course), to report highway robbers and other hazards. [1] Which is how these surveillance companies get us over the barrel, but I digress. [2] It seems like the best solution here would be some sort of headless "wifi condom" that would connect to 3g/4g/wifi networks, do the VPN stuff, and present a single constant wifi network.
- milcron 8y ago
  >Well I don't really want to use Android. What I want is a long-battery-life GNU computer that fits in my pocket. Librem5 is definitely something to watch: https://puri.sm/shop/librem-5/ https://puri.sm/shop/librem-5/ I'm also watching the Pyra, but development is super slow: https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/ https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/
- seba_dos1 8y ago
  The great thing about microG is that you can configure everything in it that communicates somehow with external services. So for instance you can disable Google Cloud Messaging (I think it's even disabled by default), or enable it only when you need it, or configure it so only one app can use it, etc. The same with GPS augmentation - backends for it are switchable, so you can use Google, Apple, Mozilla or even offline database for that. I'm glad microG exists, I use it on my one Android device I keep for testing Android ports of my software and for occasional emergency situations (like having to use mobile bank app or get some transport data that's very helpfully only available as a mobile app for platforms I don't want to use on my main device). Otherwise I just keep using Nokia N900, which replaced my old Openmoko Neo Freerunner. I'm waiting for my preordered Neo900, Librem 5 and Pyra.
craftyguy 8y ago
> microG You don't need this crap.

mindslight 8y ago

Well I don't really want to use Android. What I want is a long-battery-life GNU computer that fits in my pocket, with an optional chorded keyboard. Which could then run any needed Android apps in an untrusted vm [0]. Alas. I'll have to look into microG. My plan was just to avoid attractive nuisance apps on my everyday phone, and stick with stuff from F-droid. But then of course eg traveling puts one in a different mode of just needing to get a problem solved on the go [1]. It is a bit worrying that microG's first listed feature is augmenting perfectly-fine GPS location. The split with Lineage seems annoying, for both practical and long term considerations. From a quick reading, it seems like Lineage is being stubborn and preserving the paradigm where Google is trusted more than the purported owner of the device. Seems like one would definitely have to use a VPN with microG, lest Google continue to infer social metadata from whatever IP address (ie wifi network) one was connecting from [2]. [0] I wouldn't mind say running Waze for the highway part of routine trips (with a nonce account of course), to report highway robbers and other hazards. [1] Which is how these surveillance companies get us over the barrel, but I digress. [2] It seems like the best solution here would be some sort of headless "wifi condom" that would connect to 3g/4g/wifi networks, do the VPN stuff, and present a single constant wifi network.

milcron 8y ago
>Well I don't really want to use Android. What I want is a long-battery-life GNU computer that fits in my pocket. Librem5 is definitely something to watch: https://puri.sm/shop/librem-5/ https://puri.sm/shop/librem-5/ I'm also watching the Pyra, but development is super slow: https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/ https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/
seba_dos1 8y ago
The great thing about microG is that you can configure everything in it that communicates somehow with external services. So for instance you can disable Google Cloud Messaging (I think it's even disabled by default), or enable it only when you need it, or configure it so only one app can use it, etc. The same with GPS augmentation - backends for it are switchable, so you can use Google, Apple, Mozilla or even offline database for that. I'm glad microG exists, I use it on my one Android device I keep for testing Android ports of my software and for occasional emergency situations (like having to use mobile bank app or get some transport data that's very helpfully only available as a mobile app for platforms I don't want to use on my main device). Otherwise I just keep using Nokia N900, which replaced my old Openmoko Neo Freerunner. I'm waiting for my preordered Neo900, Librem 5 and Pyra.

craftyguy 8y ago

> microG You don't need this crap.