[Mediterraneo10]

A lot of Nokia N900 users were very happy with a “barebones list of apps” and the only reason that they had to eventually abandon that phone was because the closed hardware required a specific kernel version and certain other libraries could not be upgraded for interoperability and security’s sake.

If the Librem offers a more upgradable device, then that is already enough for the hacker community. Most of my time is either spent in a web browser, Emacs, or sending SMS. Also, many Android users who eschew Google apps and install LineageOS with F-droid as their app source, would probably find Librem a comfortable enviroment.

[dangus]

I totally understand that these phones are very much intended for highly tech literate people with specific priorities, but Librem will not see success selling a $650 phone that can essentially only barely use a texting app, a web browser that already exists, and stumble its way through Gnome like these videos are doing.

I also need to challenge you to look up a video of LineageOS and compare it to these videos. LineageOS would be like going forward 20 years into the future compared to this. This is a very rough tech demo at best, and this thing is supposed to ship this year.

LineageOS is giving you 95% of the privacy and freedom benefits while giving you a nearly infinitely better software library and UI along with it.

As a $100 tech toy phone I can see success but not $650. That’s iPhone money.

[RandomBacon]

All the other Librems are Linux devices too, and thus have the same limitations. They've seen success selling those Linux laptops.

> 95% of the privacy and freedom

This phone is for the people who want the other 5%. It's not trying to compete with the iPhone.

> stumble its way through Gnome like these videos are doing.

Odd. I didn't see that at all in those videos.

[dangus]

The difference is that Librem laptops can run any OS like a standard PC. Many users perhaps don’t even use PureOS and put something else on.

It’s this software or nothing, essentially. I realize it’s open and that we could theoretically make our own, but phones are still an incredible beast to tame at this point.

This is going to work with basically zero carrier features and won’t even activate on important cellular networks like Verizon.

I don’t expect it to compete with the iPhone, but I have doubts that it will be a stable business for Purism. I guess we will find out.

I do see the stumbling. Have they shown us multi-touch at any point? Did you notice how this is a phone that depends on a control key to copy and paste text?

Every single finger touch screen UX convention that Apple sent down to us from the heavens in 2007 has been bafflingly ignored in this effort.

It’s a great start but this is a phone they’re shipping this year and they can’t even tell us many of the specs.

[seba_dos1]

> The difference is that Librem laptops can run any OS like a standard PC.

So does the phone.

> This is going to work with basically zero carrier features

This applies to any phone not bought via the carrier. I haven't bought a phone any different way for 20 years.

> and won’t even activate on important cellular networks like Verizon

That's pretty much a US only problem, and it's because of Verizon, not those phones.

[RandomBacon]

I believe "Perfection is the enemy of shipping" is something that is mentioned here on HN quite a bit.

Let's get the big stuff out of the way first and then continue working with Gnome to introduce a long press, etc.

I'm no expert, but this device is a full-fledged computer, not something with a locked-down bootloader. I imagine people smarter than me could install whatever OS they want to on this device.

[dangus]

Locked bootloaders and proprietary components is what holds us back with alternative projects. In that sense Purism is giving us gold here.

I’m nervous though because hardware projects can fail so easily. Shipping and iterating on hardware isn’t the same as shipping software. In my opinion it just has to feel a little more “done” than this.

[iamnothere]

Really? "Many users" buy a laptop from a niche manufacturer who puts their libre OS front and center and then they just "put something else on"?

I mean, if "something else" is another Linux/BSD, sure, I'll believe that. I imagine that people can also do the same with the Librem phone though!