[ElectricSpoon]

For another platform to rise, there needs to be some heavy market shift. There already were opensource mobile OS: Maemo/meego/Tizen. Heck! I'd even throw phosh and ubports in the pot. But those are about as rare a sight in the wild as lightphones.

Phones have become essential to daily lives and the catch22 is: companies won't support niche platforms for their apps and users won't switch until the apps are there. Android happened to get adopted before everyone started relying on mobile devices as computer substitutes. Unless a major player pulls out a Valve move and does with waydroid what Valve did with wine, I can't imagine the market changing significantly.

[MarsIronPI]

One of the benefits of mobile GNU/Linux distros is that it is possible to run Android apps on them. Waydroid works well. The one catch is that it can be difficult to trick certain picky apps into running on an "unsecured" device.

[ethbr1]

> The one catch is that it can be difficult to trick certain picky apps into running on an "unsecured" device.

Imho, this is where we should fight for regulation.

"All mobile apps must allow the user to acknowledge the risks of running on an unsecured platform, but then launch normally"

Couple it with a liability shield for user security issues, if the user acknowledges risk.

The real Android lock-in is the universe of essential apps that, through developer laziness, refuse to launch on alternative platforms.

[smaudet]

Eh, I disagree.

You can never catch all "bad actors". Sure, you can make a best effort, but govts are not efficient/usually work better at doing one thing, not 100 - they should be regulating the common platform not all actors on it.

Anyways, that's just as bad as what Google's trying to do.

> that, through developer laziness, refuse to launch on alternative platforms.

Android Dev is (relatively) quite difficult. The code and UI elements do not translate easily to other platforms. If a solitary developer (keep in mind, they may be a volunteer doing things in their free time, or just someone scratching a personal itch) does not then go out, purchase multiple other pieces of hardware, and write the application on multiple other platforms, that is not "developer laziness", rather that is a high cost to entry creating practical hurdles.

[CuriouslyC]

I think next time I upgrade my "phone" I'm going to get a gaming capable tablet with wireless and give it the steamos treatment. This gives you decent linux/windows/android interop.

I already lug a small backpack around most of the time, I can leave the tablet in the bag and use buds for conversations and when I need an actual computer it'll be way better.

[MarsIronPI]

Hm, how do you plan on taking calls? Will you notice an incoming call even though your tablet is in the bag?

(Asking because this idea sounds appealing to me as well.)

[CuriouslyC]

As is typical on Linux, lots of duct tape. Probably starting with https://github.com/dscripka/openWakeWord and speaking to https://github.com/rafael2k/ofono, then hacking from there.

[MarsIronPI]

Will you be able to notice when you receive a call? The only way that I can think of off the top of my head would be to make it ring out loud, which is more disruptive than a phone in-pocket set to vibrate.

[CuriouslyC]

My thought was a tone in buds (if they're in my ears) or just vibrate/straight to message otherwise, but I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of tinkering.

[dTal]

>Unless a major player pulls out a Valve move and does with waydroid what Valve did with wine

Sailfish sort of did.