3 ms·

> And just to add, I kind of mourn FirefoxOS. Today, we have Mobian, postmarketOS, PureOS and many more GNU/Linux OSes for smartphones.

by fsflover 11mo ago

Flere-Imsaho 11mo ago
It's too late. If I want to interact with modern society, I have to use banking apps, the NHS app, WhatsApp, numerous IoT apps... The list is endless. Many of these will refuse to run on rooted phones. Google and Apple won. We can learn from this and hope the next big thing to come along has some competition from the truly open source side of computing.
- glenstein 11mo ago
  Well that's a fantastic point, and interesting in this context because the whole gambit of FirefoxOS was to use progressive web apps. The browser rather than the Linux ecosystem becomes the trusted execution environment and PWAs actually ask less of your bank or (insert security agency) than even Android or iOS development.
- aaronax 11mo ago
  A law can fix that!
  - zx8080 11mo ago
    Sure, for those who has money for lobbying.
    - fsflover 11mo ago
      Or for those who support https://eff.org https://eff.org or similar.
  - mikestorrent 11mo ago
    We need more politicians that aren't afraid of banks.
- vpShane 11mo ago
  They didn't 'win' - use a laptop. Phones are decent for certain things but no, you don't need to use WhatsApp, IoT apps -- most have bluetooth, and you don't have to 'interact with modern society' Interact with good circles of people and stuff. I mean, it's cool that my pixel is some mini high powered TPU computer that can run apps, F-Droid etc, but I only really care about the 5g data link within it. If any app refuses to run due to rooted phone -> open a browser go to the web version. I know that you know these things and I'm not trying to make any point other than: no, you don't have to use those things. but if you want to, you can. the next big thing to come is already here, Linux with its infinite mix of desktop environments, user environments, distros with pre-set up things. You can have a device use your SIM/e-SIMS. Google and Apple's push notification system being locked for what they deem allowed and control the push tokens, browsers have push notifications too. All I'm saying is: Google and Apple didn't win anything and there's great things like GrapheneOS, plus Google's TPU chips are awesome. But, they most certainly didn't 'Win' and 'modern society' is crazy.
  - mafuy 11mo ago
    Don't close your eyes from reality. I am forced to use a phone app to log in into any of the several banks that I use. There is no web version.
    - fsflover 11mo ago
      I use Librem 5 as a daily driver. I switched my bank to avoid an app. I do my banking on their website.
      - MarsIronPI 11mo ago
        > I switched my bank to avoid an app. When feasible, this sounds like a great reason to switch banks. If enough people did this, banks would all offer web apps instead of forcing native apps.
    - endemic 11mo ago
      cool story, I can log in to all my banks on the web!
- fsflover 11mo ago
  > It's too late. Too late for what? Librem 5 is my daily driver. Would you also say that in the 90s Windows "won" and "it was too late"? Please stop with the security/privacy nihilism, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27897975 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27897975
prmoustache 11mo ago
Back then Firefox was a brand with decent recognition.
- fsflover 11mo ago
  Isn't Debian today also such a brand? Mobian is just Debian with minimal changes to run on mobile.

> And just to add, I kind of mourn FirefoxOS. Today, we have Mobian, postmarketOS, PureOS and many more GNU/Linux OSes for smartphones.

Flere-Imsaho 11mo ago

It's too late. If I want to interact with modern society, I have to use banking apps, the NHS app, WhatsApp, numerous IoT apps... The list is endless. Many of these will refuse to run on rooted phones. Google and Apple won. We can learn from this and hope the next big thing to come along has some competition from the truly open source side of computing.

glenstein 11mo ago
Well that's a fantastic point, and interesting in this context because the whole gambit of FirefoxOS was to use progressive web apps. The browser rather than the Linux ecosystem becomes the trusted execution environment and PWAs actually ask less of your bank or (insert security agency) than even Android or iOS development.
aaronax 11mo ago
A law can fix that!
- zx8080 11mo ago
  Sure, for those who has money for lobbying.
  - fsflover 11mo ago
    Or for those who support https://eff.org https://eff.org or similar.
- mikestorrent 11mo ago
  We need more politicians that aren't afraid of banks.
vpShane 11mo ago
They didn't 'win' - use a laptop. Phones are decent for certain things but no, you don't need to use WhatsApp, IoT apps -- most have bluetooth, and you don't have to 'interact with modern society' Interact with good circles of people and stuff. I mean, it's cool that my pixel is some mini high powered TPU computer that can run apps, F-Droid etc, but I only really care about the 5g data link within it. If any app refuses to run due to rooted phone -> open a browser go to the web version. I know that you know these things and I'm not trying to make any point other than: no, you don't have to use those things. but if you want to, you can. the next big thing to come is already here, Linux with its infinite mix of desktop environments, user environments, distros with pre-set up things. You can have a device use your SIM/e-SIMS. Google and Apple's push notification system being locked for what they deem allowed and control the push tokens, browsers have push notifications too. All I'm saying is: Google and Apple didn't win anything and there's great things like GrapheneOS, plus Google's TPU chips are awesome. But, they most certainly didn't 'Win' and 'modern society' is crazy.
- mafuy 11mo ago
  Don't close your eyes from reality. I am forced to use a phone app to log in into any of the several banks that I use. There is no web version.
  - fsflover 11mo ago
    I use Librem 5 as a daily driver. I switched my bank to avoid an app. I do my banking on their website.
    - MarsIronPI 11mo ago
      > I switched my bank to avoid an app. When feasible, this sounds like a great reason to switch banks. If enough people did this, banks would all offer web apps instead of forcing native apps.
  - endemic 11mo ago
    cool story, I can log in to all my banks on the web!
fsflover 11mo ago
> It's too late. Too late for what? Librem 5 is my daily driver. Would you also say that in the 90s Windows "won" and "it was too late"? Please stop with the security/privacy nihilism, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27897975 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27897975

prmoustache 11mo ago

Back then Firefox was a brand with decent recognition.

fsflover 11mo ago
Isn't Debian today also such a brand? Mobian is just Debian with minimal changes to run on mobile.