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They've had a resurgence in the Linux Mobile community, now that they've caught up with their shipping backlog. Librem 5 is the most suitable/polished/stable d

They've had a resurgence in the Linux Mobile community, now that they've caught up with their shipping backlog. Librem 5 is the most suitable/polished/stable daily driver for Linux Mobile at the moment. Purism are funding a lot of the development (Phosh, in particular) that other phones benefit from. Purism's other products don't seem to have as strong an advantage over their competitors though.

RussianCow 3y ago
> Librem 5 is the most suitable/polished/stable daily driver for Linux Mobile at the moment. That's not saying much.
- fsflover 3y ago
  Please don't post shallow dismissals... A good critical comment teaches us something https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - hutzlibu 3y ago
    I am not sure in this case, is it a stable experience? Linux mobile (non android) does not has the best reputation, which is what this comment is hinting at. Working the best can mean 80%, when users expect 100% of basic functionality, with no regular restart and short battery life. So .. do you know details of the current state?
    - fsflover 3y ago
      I'm using Librem 5 as a daily driver. The battery is sufficient for one day, but not more. The experience is definitely not 100% but maybe 95%+. Here is a list of complains, most of which I personally do not have (they are likely connected to older hardware): https://forums.puri.sm/t/l5-items-that-still-need-to-be-polished-mentioned-in-various-other-blogs-oct-2023/21641 https://forums.puri.sm/t/l5-items-that-still-need-to-be-poli... Apart from that, GNU/Linux provides many features that you can't get elsewhere: true convergence, desktop apps (including Firefox with all plugins), full terminal and so on. And no tracking unlike the duopoly: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26639261 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26639261. Also, hardware kill switches and a smartcard are really useful.
      - hutzlibu 3y ago
        Hm, to be honest this sounds more like 80% to me, but is still in a state where I might consider one soonish.
        fsflover 3y ago
        Yes, from my link, it's more like 80%, but as I said, most listed problems I personally don't have.
  - RussianCow 3y ago
    Fair enough. Allow me to elaborate. Being the best in an extremely niche market with little competition doesn't really mean very much. Purism is currently appealing to the overlap of people who specifically want a GNU/Linux (not Android) device and those for whom poor performance (compared to other flagship devices) is not a deal-breaker. Each of those segments of the market is already very small, and the overlap between them is minuscule. The only way that a Linux phone could be economically viable is if it's rock solid and performs well, and based on the first-hand accounts that I've heard/read, Purism hasn't cracked that yet, which makes me pessimistic about them ever getting there.
    - fsflover 3y ago
      > The only way that a Linux phone could be economically viable is if it's rock solid and performs well This is where we disagree. Generally, this is not true, as proven by Pine64 business model. Of course the Librem 5's price is much higher, but it offers more features that could be useful to many: https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-wiki/-/wikis/Frequently-Asked-Questions#11-why-buy-the-librem-5 https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-wiki/-/wikis/Freque...
      - RussianCow 3y ago
        > Generally, this is not true, as proven by Pine64 business model. Pine64 hasn't proven anything. I bought a PinePhone in excitement when it first came out, and after the first two weeks, it's been on my shelf collecting dust. I imagine that most buyers are in the same boat. Yes, they built up some hype and got some sales early on, but I think it's unlikely that this will continue into the future. To be clear, "useful" and "economically viable" are not the same thing. It's great that these options exist, and as long as they're around, they will continue to be useful to some subset of people, but I think there is little chance of any of these Linux phones replacing my Android phone for daily use over the next 5 years—and I say that as someone who's pretty tolerant when it comes to bugs, poor performance, and lack of features.
- rodlette 3y ago
  I agree, it's not ready yet. What we see is a community forming, developing the software/protocols/skillsets needed to make Linux Mobile viable. It's expected that it's messy in the beginning. :)
kaba0 3y ago
> suitable/polished/stable > Linux Mobile Choose 1
narag 3y ago
Librem 5 is the most suitable/polished/stable daily driver for Linux Mobile at the moment. I'm curious if some Linux phone can consistently make and receive calls, its battery lasts three days and I can buy it for less than 200€. I only use calls, the camera, whatsapp (I could try a replacement), the alarm clock (a lot), sometimes vlc and sound recorder. Firefox, maps, etc. are nice to have, but not needed. I wonder if I'm one of a kind user. But the three requirements doesn't seem much and support my current usage.
- fsflover 3y ago
  Pinephone is the only GNU/Linux phone that cost $200. Calls work, but I'm not using them much. The battery lasts one day, but you can have a spare one. Whatsapp installation can be complicated, since they (intentionally) don't have a Linux app. But some people I saw did install it. Firefox is the desktop version btw. The camera is very basic and slow.
  - narag 3y ago
    Thank you! That looks promising. I would install some alternative app for messaging, but even whatsapp has a web version. I don't need much of a camera. Calls work, but I'm not using them much. For that I do need some reassurance :) I'll take a look to their forums to see how progress goes.

RussianCow 3y ago

> Librem 5 is the most suitable/polished/stable daily driver for Linux Mobile at the moment. That's not saying much.

fsflover 3y ago
Please don't post shallow dismissals... A good critical comment teaches us something https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- hutzlibu 3y ago
  I am not sure in this case, is it a stable experience? Linux mobile (non android) does not has the best reputation, which is what this comment is hinting at. Working the best can mean 80%, when users expect 100% of basic functionality, with no regular restart and short battery life. So .. do you know details of the current state?
  - fsflover 3y ago
    I'm using Librem 5 as a daily driver. The battery is sufficient for one day, but not more. The experience is definitely not 100% but maybe 95%+. Here is a list of complains, most of which I personally do not have (they are likely connected to older hardware): https://forums.puri.sm/t/l5-items-that-still-need-to-be-polished-mentioned-in-various-other-blogs-oct-2023/21641 https://forums.puri.sm/t/l5-items-that-still-need-to-be-poli... Apart from that, GNU/Linux provides many features that you can't get elsewhere: true convergence, desktop apps (including Firefox with all plugins), full terminal and so on. And no tracking unlike the duopoly: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26639261 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26639261. Also, hardware kill switches and a smartcard are really useful.
    - hutzlibu 3y ago
      Hm, to be honest this sounds more like 80% to me, but is still in a state where I might consider one soonish.
      - fsflover 3y ago
        Yes, from my link, it's more like 80%, but as I said, most listed problems I personally don't have.
- RussianCow 3y ago
  Fair enough. Allow me to elaborate. Being the best in an extremely niche market with little competition doesn't really mean very much. Purism is currently appealing to the overlap of people who specifically want a GNU/Linux (not Android) device and those for whom poor performance (compared to other flagship devices) is not a deal-breaker. Each of those segments of the market is already very small, and the overlap between them is minuscule. The only way that a Linux phone could be economically viable is if it's rock solid and performs well, and based on the first-hand accounts that I've heard/read, Purism hasn't cracked that yet, which makes me pessimistic about them ever getting there.
  - fsflover 3y ago
    > The only way that a Linux phone could be economically viable is if it's rock solid and performs well This is where we disagree. Generally, this is not true, as proven by Pine64 business model. Of course the Librem 5's price is much higher, but it offers more features that could be useful to many: https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-wiki/-/wikis/Frequently-Asked-Questions#11-why-buy-the-librem-5 https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-wiki/-/wikis/Freque...
    - RussianCow 3y ago
      > Generally, this is not true, as proven by Pine64 business model. Pine64 hasn't proven anything. I bought a PinePhone in excitement when it first came out, and after the first two weeks, it's been on my shelf collecting dust. I imagine that most buyers are in the same boat. Yes, they built up some hype and got some sales early on, but I think it's unlikely that this will continue into the future. To be clear, "useful" and "economically viable" are not the same thing. It's great that these options exist, and as long as they're around, they will continue to be useful to some subset of people, but I think there is little chance of any of these Linux phones replacing my Android phone for daily use over the next 5 years—and I say that as someone who's pretty tolerant when it comes to bugs, poor performance, and lack of features.
rodlette 3y ago
I agree, it's not ready yet. What we see is a community forming, developing the software/protocols/skillsets needed to make Linux Mobile viable. It's expected that it's messy in the beginning. :)

kaba0 3y ago

> suitable/polished/stable > Linux Mobile Choose 1

narag 3y ago

Librem 5 is the most suitable/polished/stable daily driver for Linux Mobile at the moment. I'm curious if some Linux phone can consistently make and receive calls, its battery lasts three days and I can buy it for less than 200€. I only use calls, the camera, whatsapp (I could try a replacement), the alarm clock (a lot), sometimes vlc and sound recorder. Firefox, maps, etc. are nice to have, but not needed. I wonder if I'm one of a kind user. But the three requirements doesn't seem much and support my current usage.

fsflover 3y ago
Pinephone is the only GNU/Linux phone that cost $200. Calls work, but I'm not using them much. The battery lasts one day, but you can have a spare one. Whatsapp installation can be complicated, since they (intentionally) don't have a Linux app. But some people I saw did install it. Firefox is the desktop version btw. The camera is very basic and slow.
- narag 3y ago
  Thank you! That looks promising. I would install some alternative app for messaging, but even whatsapp has a web version. I don't need much of a camera. Calls work, but I'm not using them much. For that I do need some reassurance :) I'll take a look to their forums to see how progress goes.