It’s slowly moving forward. Remember how long it took to actually be able to use Linux easily as a daily OS? A smartphone is a significant challenge due to how hostile the hardware companies are
I’m saying free work in a hostile environment isn’t going to be able to keep up with trillion dollar companies… I’m happy to still see progress happening
I would say being able to use Linux daily was achieved a few years after Ubuntu came out, so almost 20 years ago or by now.
Linux on Phones has already peaked in 2009. The Nokia N900 running Maemo in 2009 was amazing. The Palm Pre running webOS was the other good Linux based phone. Both of these had their fan base, keeping them running and active for a couple of years before fading. Since then Linux on phones has been lingering on in obscurity across various projects. Firefox phone was the most promising for a while. Jolla is still holding on, continuing Nokia‘s legacy.
I’m not sure I agree that 2005 was the proverbial “Year or the Linux Desktop”: I remember all the WiFi driver hell in the late 2000s, but let’s say that was when Linux became a valid competitor because it’s close enough. That’s 10 years after Windows 95! That only furthers my point, but it does show that the phone progress seems to be slower by comparison. All of this is assuming we leave out Android of course.
In my personal experience I dual booted until around 2010
Yes, Wifi drivers were a bit of a hassle. However there was this wrapper which allowed windows drivers to be used and it was integrated into the Ubuntu GUI.
It was the age of the live CD. You could run Linux from a CD easily. Trying out Linux was as easy as downloading an ISO, burning it, and booting from it. Print computer magazines included Linux live CDs like Knoppix and DVDs regularly. Installing was easy as well with a nice wizard guiding you through.
OpenOffice, VLC, Firefox, Thunderbird, GIMP all existed. Hell, Skype had an official Linux version.
I’ve been seeing this kind of stuff three times a year for 15 years.
Perpetual inertia.
It’s slowly moving forward. Remember how long it took to actually be able to use Linux easily as a daily OS? A smartphone is a significant challenge due to how hostile the hardware companies are
So you’re saying if we keep declaring [current year] as the “Year of the Linux Mobile Phone”, eventually it will become true!
I’m saying free work in a hostile environment isn’t going to be able to keep up with trillion dollar companies… I’m happy to still see progress happening
I felt bad for the younger generations buying steam decks and watching the Linux usage for increases.
I would say being able to use Linux daily was achieved a few years after Ubuntu came out, so almost 20 years ago or by now.
Linux on Phones has already peaked in 2009. The Nokia N900 running Maemo in 2009 was amazing. The Palm Pre running webOS was the other good Linux based phone. Both of these had their fan base, keeping them running and active for a couple of years before fading. Since then Linux on phones has been lingering on in obscurity across various projects. Firefox phone was the most promising for a while. Jolla is still holding on, continuing Nokia‘s legacy.
I’m not sure I agree that 2005 was the proverbial “Year or the Linux Desktop”: I remember all the WiFi driver hell in the late 2000s, but let’s say that was when Linux became a valid competitor because it’s close enough. That’s 10 years after Windows 95! That only furthers my point, but it does show that the phone progress seems to be slower by comparison. All of this is assuming we leave out Android of course.
In my personal experience I dual booted until around 2010
Yes, Wifi drivers were a bit of a hassle. However there was this wrapper which allowed windows drivers to be used and it was integrated into the Ubuntu GUI.
It was the age of the live CD. You could run Linux from a CD easily. Trying out Linux was as easy as downloading an ISO, burning it, and booting from it. Print computer magazines included Linux live CDs like Knoppix and DVDs regularly. Installing was easy as well with a nice wizard guiding you through.
OpenOffice, VLC, Firefox, Thunderbird, GIMP all existed. Hell, Skype had an official Linux version.
and if it goes as well as the other projects, in 5 years they’ll announce the Librephone One, a phone with 2016 specs that costs 2000$