@jcs Librem 5 has a fully closed source SoC, which means System on a Chip as opposed to a traditional desktop where the components would be part of a motherboard. The board schematics are for a basic PCB. It’s a nearly entirely closed source device in terms of where the actual complexity is. The SoC is the core component providing nearly all the base functionality. The SSD, memory, touchscreen, battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, etc. are all closed source, as are various other chips, etc.
@jcs Librem 5 has atrocious privacy and security due to using a bunch of low security and outdated components, which are not open and do not have open firmware. Many components including the radios lack proper security updates. Purism does not provide the firmware updates through their OS and has set up a bunch of it in a way where it can’t be updated. They even went out of the way to move things to a locked down secondary processor to block updates. They claim if you can’t update it, it’s open.
@jcs The definition of openness used by Librem 5 is that a fully closed source device with closed source firmware and software would be open and freedom respecting as long as none of the firmware/software can be updated.
Purism prevents updating firmware for the SoC and calls it open even though the SoC is fully closed source hardware and does have closed source firmware, which just can’t be updated. They don’t count secondary components like radios. 99.999% closed source hardware isn’t open.
If we wish to change the status quo yet ignore the ones actively challenging it, what are we left with? I can almost guarantee you that a Canonical-produced phone would certainly progress mobile Linux but would not be released as OSHW.
And it sucks last I heard.
I’ve been using one as my daily-driver since March 2023. It’s not a phone for everyone; I wouldn’t recommend it to my parents, but it doesn’t suck as long as you are not expecting feature parity with flagship proprietary options in a trillion-dollar market. Bugs get squashed over time, and there is power in numbers. Even the iPhone started out somewhere.
And the hardware is very outdated.
I’m sure that Purism would appreciate ideas you may have for an OSHW/FOSS-friendly processor unencumbered by NDA, that’s well-documented, has long-term market availability, doesn’t take half the real estate of the L5’s PCB, would allow more than 2 hr of runtime, that… you get the idea. Available processor options are limited if the device should be even remotely open. Spinning one from scratch is prohibitively expensive.
@Auli@jcs I’m daily driving a #Librem5 with #postmarketOS and everything really important works for my use case, including legacy unencrypted phone calls (VoLTE), SMS messages, 4G data, Wi-Fi, web browsing, email, #e2ee comms with #SignalApp, #DeltaChat, #Matrix, #XMPP, latest apps from #Flathub, etc.
Sure it’s nowhere as fast as mainstream Android phones and has only basic camera support, but then those aren’t my priorities when looking at #freedomtech.
The Librem 5 is a Linux phone and already has open board design files, available here.
@jcs Librem 5 has a fully closed source SoC, which means System on a Chip as opposed to a traditional desktop where the components would be part of a motherboard. The board schematics are for a basic PCB. It’s a nearly entirely closed source device in terms of where the actual complexity is. The SoC is the core component providing nearly all the base functionality. The SSD, memory, touchscreen, battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, etc. are all closed source, as are various other chips, etc.
@jcs Librem 5 has atrocious privacy and security due to using a bunch of low security and outdated components, which are not open and do not have open firmware. Many components including the radios lack proper security updates. Purism does not provide the firmware updates through their OS and has set up a bunch of it in a way where it can’t be updated. They even went out of the way to move things to a locked down secondary processor to block updates. They claim if you can’t update it, it’s open.
@jcs The definition of openness used by Librem 5 is that a fully closed source device with closed source firmware and software would be open and freedom respecting as long as none of the firmware/software can be updated.
Purism prevents updating firmware for the SoC and calls it open even though the SoC is fully closed source hardware and does have closed source firmware, which just can’t be updated. They don’t count secondary components like radios. 99.999% closed source hardware isn’t open.
And it sucks last I heard. And the hardware is very outdated. I wish Ubuntu would try again.
If we wish to change the status quo yet ignore the ones actively challenging it, what are we left with? I can almost guarantee you that a Canonical-produced phone would certainly progress mobile Linux but would not be released as OSHW.
I’ve been using one as my daily-driver since March 2023. It’s not a phone for everyone; I wouldn’t recommend it to my parents, but it doesn’t suck as long as you are not expecting feature parity with flagship proprietary options in a trillion-dollar market. Bugs get squashed over time, and there is power in numbers. Even the iPhone started out somewhere.
I’m sure that Purism would appreciate ideas you may have for an OSHW/FOSS-friendly processor unencumbered by NDA, that’s well-documented, has long-term market availability, doesn’t take half the real estate of the L5’s PCB, would allow more than 2 hr of runtime, that… you get the idea. Available processor options are limited if the device should be even remotely open. Spinning one from scratch is prohibitively expensive.
@Auli @jcs I’m daily driving a #Librem5 with #postmarketOS and everything really important works for my use case, including legacy unencrypted phone calls (VoLTE), SMS messages, 4G data, Wi-Fi, web browsing, email, #e2ee comms with #SignalApp, #DeltaChat, #Matrix, #XMPP, latest apps from #Flathub, etc.
Even running many Android apps with #Fdroid and #Obtainium work via #Waydroid although I tested that on #PureOS, not #postmarketOS.
Sure it’s nowhere as fast as mainstream Android phones and has only basic camera support, but then those aren’t my priorities when looking at #freedomtech.
@Auli @jcs sucks is a relative term.