Question about Ubuntu and other Linux distributions as cellphone OS

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Thu, 2024-10-31 at 10:20 +0000, Liam Proven wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Oct 2024 at 20:55, Bret Busby wrote:
> > I am wondering as to what degree, Linux, as Ubuntu or
> > otherwise, is available as an OS for cellphones, and, whether it can
> > be installed on cellphones that have another OS as the default OS.
> 
> Cutting the FUD:
> 
> It's not and you can't.
> 
> Most Android phones can be unlocked, without the vendors' help.
> 
> Then some can run a replacement OS but that just means a cracked more
> modern version of Android. *However* many banking and financial apps
> refuse to run on such a device.
> 
> A very very small number of smartphones can run another OS. There are
> a tiny handful, of which postmarketOS is the leader. I have reviewed
> it; go read that, which explains the context.
> 
> Of that tiny number, a small subset can run Ubuntu Touch.
> 
> This is kinda sorta a  version of Ubuntu 20.04 on top of an Android
> kernel, and while it is not very like desktop Ubuntu some familiar
> apps will work, but not that many Android apps, I am told. None of my
> phones or tablets can run either postmarketOS or Ubuntu Touch so I
> have not tried it.
> 
> Realistically: no, you can't. To a rounding error, no.
> 
> In practice: you need to research what you want to run, what apps will
> work, what compromises and things not working at all you can put up
> with, then go buy 1 of a handful of specific models of supported
> device, and then if you have considerable tech expertise you can try
> it... but 99% of phone apps will not work.
> 
> Forget about it. It might work one day, but today, no.

Hi,

I deliberately did not trim Liam's post.

For one of my iPads I'm using the Phoenix Jailbreak App and an App named
ReProvision to automatically sign the Phoenix Jailbreak app. Right now I
get a message "[...] automatic background signing is disabled [...]".
This is not a drama, but whatever you do, at least unlocking my
generation of iPad is a permanent construction site. In other words,
it's not something you do once, it remains a construction site.

What have I gained from this?
I have root access to everything, but it's more or less useless. I can
now access everything via the shell in the usual Linux, resp. FreeBSD
manner and play around.
The iPad consumes a lot more power, which is perhaps the opposite of a
gain.
Any changes, i.e. the installation of apps that would really improve
things, would be possible, but these apps are virtually non-existent.

My newer iPad does not have a jailbreak.

With this iPad I can switch off all kinds of shit, even without
jailbreak. In the app store I can see the privacy policy of every app
and can choose, which is more than Linux distributions offer so easily.
If you install Ubuntu packages, you first have to check whether an app
like Ardour's phone home is disabled or enabled and even know that an
app might phone home. Unlike on old iPads, you can now uninstall Apple's
own apps without a jailbreak and if you want to have a real Linux on the
iPad, you can install an Alpine Linux guest via the iSH shell app. In
this case, the shell on my jailbroken iPad is far better in terms of
performance than the Alpine Linux guest on the other iPad.
Unlocking allows everything. You can reverse engineer and then write all
the drivers for your own or any other operating system. If you expect
that others have already done this, then you have to be very lucky that
this is the case and even luckier that the support for it will be
maintained over a longer period of time.

I share Liam's view that you can forget it these days. Unlike Liam, I
don't keep the option open that this could be different in the future.
Unlocking by copmputer freaks is legal in almost all, if not all,
countries. On our planet, however, sustainability only exists on
certificates, not in reality. Nobody reverse engineers the latest shit
and then maintains it. In the end, you will always buy Windows, Android,
Apple and Atari (Blade Runner joke [1] ;) smartphones and tablets and
don't unlock/root/jailberak those devices if you want to go beyond
making fire by rubbing two sticks together.

Regards,
Ralf

[1]
https://microzeit.com/cdn/shop/articles/Blade_Runner-Shot-2.webp?v=1668597595&width=1500