Linux on smart phone

Chat about Zorin
1

Anybody having experience with Linux on smart phone?
Would you recommend it? Any issues with common apps?
So far I see that there are:

2

I find it kind of strange, rather ironic, that GrapheneOS promises to un-Google your phone, but it almost exclusively runs only on Pixel phones which come from Google.

3

I've been using Lineage OS for a long time and I can recommend it. I have it set up with MicroG to emulate Google Play Services so that I can install apps that need it, without exposing the least amount of data to Google as possible.

Google really does deserve some recognition over the Pixel phone. It's really well designed, has great features and has a lot of years of hardware support unlike many other manufacturers...

Controlling both the software and the hardware, they can have a great product they fully control, just like Apple does.

The main difference is this is open source, and projects like Graphene OS can take advantage of the best features they care about from Android and the Pixel.

For my next phone I'm really interested in getting myself a Pixel and install Graphene OS, at least to give it a try.
However, Lineage OS is also a good option and a decent starting point to get a little further away from data collection from Google.

4

I seem to remember Alpine Linux used to sell smartphones with Alpine on them, now PostmarketOS is the partner. I would never be interested now that systemd has 'infected' Linux on smartphones. It's not perfect, but I am sticking with /e/OS. I even managed to install it on a 1+ 3.

5

It's even worse the weirdos that run Graphene actually recommend that you should install google playstore and google services in a sandboxed second user profile AND never stop disparaging FDroid Store and Aurora Store and recommend NOT using these stores. I don't give a flying toss about their bizarre claims and their self ploclaimed "secure OS" I don't believe a word they say upon seeing their views on this. BTW if you challenge them on their fanboi forum you get banned so they also have no belief in free speech and alternative opinions, the hubris and arrogance is off the scale IMO.

6

I have used e/OS (loved it) and currently use GrapheneOS (don't like how pixels work) I also had a PinePhone running Mobian and ... what a piece of junk, primitive out of date phone (the physical switches to turn off WiFi, camera, mic, etc were great as was the removable battery) however It was such a piece of junk, after 6 months a great big green line down the screen that gradually got larger and with in a year it bricked itself, completely kaput and unrecoverable. Mobian worked OK-ish.

7

This is not true, the code is independently audited.

They are not recommending you do so, they are giving you the option to do it, in a way that maximizes privacy by compartmentalization.

And with good reason. There are certain popular apps that people can't live without these days, that require Google Services to be installed in order to work properly i.e., WhatsApp.

But keep in mind that the sole focus on this project is security. Pointing out vulnerabilities where it makes sense to do so, like in the case of F-Droid, is what this project is about. They give good reasons for it, even if you think that the risk is well worth it — I myself continue to use F-Droid but I understand the risks.

8

Go on their forum and you will see what I'm referring to, mostly from Admin & fanbois

Again go to their forum to find out to what I refer to. According to GOS ONLY GOS is secure NO other operating system.

Again go to the forum and I am referring more so to their attitude to Aurora store, it seems to totally escape the Admin that it is nothing more than a front end for google playstore so no more no less than the same security risk which is absolutely a problem with playstore, do a search about the thousands of apps with malevolent code and the millions of downloads of these apps that have occurred via playstore, they have IMO an irrational hatred of Aurora Store :thinking:

9

I'm not interested in going on a witch hunt, but it would be more helpful for you to provide some links to some of those claims?

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10

I think I meant Pine phone in my first post, not Alpine! D'OH! One plus side to the Pine phone is they provide an external battery charger - something I could do with now, now that UPS in Eindhoven have decided to return the bottom module I need to replace my faulty one caused by moi forgetting to switch the phone off before poking the usb port to be rid of pocket fluff. All I can do now is slow charge and have had to go back to a 1+ 3T which I don't like anymore.

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