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by maheart 2068 days ago
This is why I use SailfishOS. Modern Android and iOS are so insanely complex, it seems impossible to do the simplest things with code. Yes you can root your phone, and you have access to (Android) source code including 3rd party FOSS apps and build tools. However, writing code, building, and iterating on the device is almost non-existent (I don't consider termux an ideal fit), not to mention the sandboxing/protections that are in place.

The hacker spirit still seems very much alive in the SailfishOS community. The community isn't big, but people come up with smart ideas that leverage existing solutions. SSH in, write Python code, write QML, zypp install build tools, pip install libraries (inside virtualenv), execute it, see changes on screen, hook into the existing system using xdg standards and dbus, manage services with systemd. It's fun to hack on.

If I had to characterise it, Android/iOS vs SailfishOS, is the equivalent to Java vs Python. The former is well-engineered, secure, perhaps overly architected, and widely used for "serious" and Enterprise solutions. It certainly has good reasons for how it does things. The latter is more organic; the same solutions can be achieved (with certain caveats) but with less hassle.

From a developer perspective, Android and iOS have sucked all the fun and creativity out of the devices.

* Sorry about piggybacking off top post, I just found that it strongly resonated what I've thought.

2 comments

What device are you running SailfishOS on? I'm considering switching to a FOSS-based OS on an Android device at some point but I'm concerned about specs being poor and lack of availability of apps (living off FDroid's repos wouldn't be enough for me).
I use the Xperia X. Newer phones are supported (e.g. XA2), and I'm speculating here, but I imagine even newer phones are in the pipeline (e.g. Xperia 10 II).

I don't recommend SailfishOS to anyone who is looking for the fastest/most supported device out there. I recommend SailfishOS devices to those who primarily use their phone as a phone (and a desktop/laptop as their primary work station), and want an independent mobile device, or want the Linux ethos on their phone.

IIRC, fairphone supports sailfish I think, I'm currently happy with my iPhone 8 but if I ever upgrade I might go with sailfish + fairphone.
Fairphone 2 does, but its community edition hence lacks Alien Dalvik, the Android emulator.

Fairphone 3, which is more stable and better hardware than FP2 doesn't. Although it should be possible to port it, that's a community project.

You can run SFOS CE on quite some devices out there. PinePhone supports 13 OSes right now as it is, including SFOS, but again CE.

For a list of officially supported "Sailfish X" devices, see [1]

[1] https://jolla.com/sailfishx/