Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by RandomBacon 2536 days ago
> another attempt to build Android/iOS ecosystem

Do you understand what they are doing? They don't have to build the ecosystem, it already exists!

> Purism just have shown that they wasted precious time on badly looking

I think it looks good.

> What a waste of time to re-write (or port)

So you still have no idea what they are doing. Why are you taking the time to create new accounts and post long comments if you aren't taking the time to understand what they're doing?

> make it web-centric. You have to port ONE app: Firefox.

They aren't making a web-centric device. We don't want a web-centric device. They are making a privacy-focused, portable Linux device that makes calls.

---

It's weird. It seems like every Librem 5 post has new accounts that criticize it.

Is there someone who doesn't want it to suceed?

1 comments

> So you still have no idea what they are doing. > They are making a privacy-focused, portable Linux device that makes calls.

Now understand, thank you.

Before your kind explanation, I indeed did not fully grasp what Purism was doing. I was naively thinking they were doing a privacy-focused device that I could someday use everyday.

But instead they are doing a device that will run Linux and will occasionally make calls. I had one of those: Openmoko. Still have it in a drawer.

Without making a device that is actually useful, which will survive more than one iteration, those are futile attempts. Truth is: one small company will not be able to make a full well-integrated phone software in the time/money the company is allowed to burn. Unless they embrace "outsourcing" apps to existing ultra-portable (web) ecosystem, the attempt is doomed to fail.

Sadly, but if the course continues, I will make my prediction: Purism will successfully release Librem 5, there will be a half-baked UI (like MER/Openmoko/Sailfish/OE), half-baked bunch of native "Notepad" apps, no one will seriously use it, and it will be the last phone Purism will release.

Then, the circle of life: a new company will try the same.

I don't understand why people seem to have it out for Purism. Did they wrong you? Are you a competitor?

It's pretty clear you are being disingenuous.

> Are you a competitor?

justforpurism and learnfromstory, 2 brand new accounts just created to shit on purism, it certainly seems like someone has a bone to pick.

> I don't understand why people seem to have it out for Purism. Did they wrong you? Are you a competitor?

I love Purism. I mean no sarcasm here.

But you have to know history and learn from previous mistakes, and try something different. If Purism's approach is the same as to what Openmoko was, it is not going to end well. I hope they will try something different.

But, so far, they do exactly same thing as to what Openmoko was doing. I loved Openmoko, I bought their phone (and a debug board), but I was never able to use it as a phone. It did make calls. Due to limited resources (and all small companies have limited resources), they could never master native UI. I still don't believe that a small company can make all-encompassing software apps for a phone, thus I suggested to try something different: use existing web apps, don't spread already thin resources on "porting" native apps yourself.

They aren't "porting" apps.