2019 (190 points, 82 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19005903
2018 (275 points, 183 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18521970
My wife HATES all her apple products but still won't switch. Similarly, while I love Macbooks, iPhones make me sick and developing for them is like Apple personally giving you (the dev) the middle finger every time there's an update.
I don't know the solution. Wish I did. Wish the internet was as free and wild as it used to be. But you could have a foghorn go off on an iphone every 3 seconds and people still wouldn't switch.
he is subconsciously hoping that /e/os will fill that need some day.
(typed on /e/os ;-)
Aurelia - APP store Frontend
Obtainium - APP manager
Google Camera - with blocked network access
Organic Maps - navigation
K9 mail - email
Koreader - epub reader
Binary eye - barcodes
PDF doc Scanner - scan to PDF
Signal - messenger
PDF doc ScannerBy the way check out Librera for ebooks. I have koreader on my kindle and I like it, I find librera's interface and features to be better suited to a phone. (apk is free on fdroid)
The only software issue I have run across is a few highly security sensitive banking apps.
The solution is to simply use the bank's web site which typically works just fine except for paper check deposit and who really needs that nowadays?
They are one of the least "deGoogled" ROMs out there[1]. If you want the only real "deGoogled" OS that prioritizes security and privacy, use GrapheneOS https://grapheneos.org/.
I've installed it to three devices and have daily driven it since June 2023. I got tired of paying the Apple tax, so I picked up a Motorola Edge 30 (Dubai) for ~200 USD which was the newest non-Murena/Fairphone listed on the website - but it is no longer listed because they've shifted to the "easy installer". I've turned to community-built ROMs for my other devices, including a Xiaomi Pocophone F1 from 2017 - which works great - and a Lenovo Tab. I specifically purchased the Lenovo tablet because there was a ROM; there's a user on the forums who is creating a lot of ROMs for devices. I was looking for a tablet to serve as an e-reader and media consumption device, but it's powered off most the time.
The OS is very nice to use. It's very similar to iOS. The browser has automatic ad blocks, so some sites complain that I need to turn off my ad blocker, but this isn't possible. The privacy-first focus has helped me to avoid becoming a smart phone addict. I use it primarily for consuming hacker news articles on the go.
As far as errors go, /e/OS developers have stated they need to invest more time on tablet features, so the Lenovo Tab I have isn't an iPad competitor. Also, my Motorola Edge 30 was stuck on version 1.19 for about 7 months until I manually side-loaded the update. For the past month, App Lounge was having trouble anonymously connecting and updating apps. V2.5 was released a couple days ago and everything seems fixed.
I like being able to anonymously install apps using the "App Lounge". I tend to keep less than 30 apps on my phone and don't use it for gaming. The only Google App I've installed is Gboard for additional language input - other than that it seems like every other app is available. My bank and brokerage apps are supported. I did set up a Garmin smartwatch on the tablet so I could get offline Spotify playback. One negative is that Uber recently updated their app in the last 6 months which broke scrolling on the map, which makes it difficult to see how far away my driver is.
The only concern I really have is that the boot loaders aren't lockable, which could be a security risk if the phone gets out of my possession. Luckily, I have treated my phones as disposable for years.
There are only two things I dream of: 1. An open-source Samsung Dex alternative so that I could plug my phone into a monitor and keyboard and use it as a PC. 2. An /e/OS ROM for an e-ink device with support from Murena//e/OS developers for e-ink devices.
Trust me, I've done both. Having it in the ROM is far easier for users.
Nothing short of source code changes can achieve some of the de-Googling.
The LineageOS developers made a specific and deliberate decision to *not* do this.
e/OS/ removes, replaces and/or anonymizes these. LineageOS does not.
https://doc.e.foundation/support-topics/deGoogling-scope-and...
> Why do we need a custom build of LineageOS to have microG? Can't I install microG on the official LineageOS?
> MicroG requires a patch called "signature spoofing", which allows the microG's apps to spoof themselves as Google Apps. LineageOS' developers refused (multiple times) to include the patch, forcing us to fork their project.
> Wait, on their FAQ page I see that they don't want to include the patch for security reasons. Is this ROM unsafe?
> No. LineageOS' developers decided not to include this patch for various reasons. The signature spoofing could be an unsafe feature only if the user blindly gives any permission to any app, as this permission can't be obtained automatically by the apps. Moreover, to further strengthen the security of our ROM, we modified the signature spoofing permission so that only system privileged apps can obtain it, and no security threat is posed to our users.
There are options besides e.
More info: https://ewwlo.void.partidopirata.com.ar/evil.html