Comment on I Bought a Linux Phone in 2026
linule@lemmy.world 1 day agoWhat’s the pitch here? Initial impression is that it makes the ecosystem fragmented, as now (along with Ubuntu Touch), people have at least 3 different projects to fund. There needs to be a core standard that unifies the efforts and funding.
ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
The issue with Ubuntu Touch is that unfortunately it’s not a genuine alternative to Android, as it actually relies on Android quite a lot to function as well as it does.
It often uses an outdated Android kernel (which is also usually not receiving security updates) and a Halium abstraction layer to access the closed source binary blob Android drivers for the phone’s hardware. It also requires that it be installed on top of an existing Android install, so in all it’s more of a Linux abstraction layer on top of Android, which means it’s not truly escaping the control of the Android ecosystem.
PostmarketOS and Mobian are genuinely Mobile focused Linux distros that run on the mainline up-to-date Linux kernel the bare metal, meaning they are not subject to any influence from Google.
Both projects often collaborate and benefit from each other, they just use a different base distro (Alpine for PostmarketOS, Debian for Mobian), but that doesn’t result in any wasted effort, as ultimately any new developments, drivers, or new phone support are mainlined into the kernel itself, so both projects benefit.
They’re not as usable as Ubuntu Touch is right now, but they are ultimately the better solutions long-term to ensure that all the code is under community control so we aren’t reliant on outdated unsecure Android components.
linule@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Very interesting and informative, thanks for explaining. My understanding was that UT just conveniently copied/reused some hardware interfacing components from Android, since Android uses also a Linux kernel too and why reinvent the wheel, especially with the plethora of phone manufacturers available, which you really don’t really want to do again. But I didn’t know about it using Android kernel, or needing an existing Android install, which sound indeed like deal breakers. There might be a good reason, relating the reuse of components, but clearly out of my depth here.
I still think that it is important to standarize a canonical Linux core, or something like that, that can unify more development efforts, or if not needed, at least a marketing presence to raise funds. E.g politicians usually don’t understand a word of tech, and you’d need something like “The open source interoperable alternative to Android and iOS” to be appealing instead of coming with Alpine, Debian, etc. which will sound just like geeky and fringe and subsequently not get substantial funding.
ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
If you’re not aware, Ubuntu Touch is no longer operated or developed by Canonical, they abandoned the project in 2017. UT was then picked up by UBPorts, a community effort to keep alive what Canonical left behind.
Personally, I don’t have a very high opinion of Canonical due to their use of CLAs, which also appear to be present in some fashion with UT and UBPorts as well:
Image
I agree that some standardization would likely be beneficial in some areas (such as focusing on a single Phone UI and polishing it up). PostmarketOS is making the most progress on getting real Linux on mobile, so if I had to pick one project to support monetarily, and one that could become mainstream, or partner with a manufacturer like GrapheneOS, I think that would be the project to back, IMHO.
linule@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I mean canonical the word, not company? name.
And ok, interesting to know that PostmarketOS might be what’s closest to that.