25 votes

First Librem 5 phone rolled out!

8 comments

  1. [7]
    crdpa
    Link
    On reddit i see a lot of people complaining about choppy animations, slow responsiveness and etc. A lot of people seem to think this first of it's kind phone would roll out like an IPhone. Smooth,...

    On reddit i see a lot of people complaining about choppy animations, slow responsiveness and etc.

    A lot of people seem to think this first of it's kind phone would roll out like an IPhone. Smooth, beautiful, fully working. And since it's expensive, they keep complaining.

    I think most people look at this wrong. You're funding the first Linux privacy oriented phone. It will be buggy, it will lag, but now the community has something to start working on it.

    You will not get the phone and start playing PUBG and Snapchatting from day one. It's another world entirely. This is for enthusiasts, developers, it's niche. I find most of the complaints unfair.

    Like Linux, it started slow. How many years passed for Linux to be a viable alternative on desktops?

    24 votes
    1. nbrempel
      Link Parent
      It’s true. Librem has a long and uphill battle but their work is no doubt important. Even a small amount of competition in the area of privacy means that the competition can’t ignore it completely.

      It’s true. Librem has a long and uphill battle but their work is no doubt important. Even a small amount of competition in the area of privacy means that the competition can’t ignore it completely.

      10 votes
    2. krg
      Link Parent
      I certainly wasn't expecting anything super polished or optimized. I'm sure they aren't able to purchase hardware at scale, and with their particular requirements...they aren't going to get the...

      I certainly wasn't expecting anything super polished or optimized. I'm sure they aren't able to purchase hardware at scale, and with their particular requirements...they aren't going to get the greatest specs. That, plus the fact that it's running on top of a full Linux distro...I'm surprised it looks as smooth as it does!

      9 votes
    3. [3]
      rmgr
      Link Parent
      I've been wanting a new phone for a while now.. This complicates things. I want to try one but I'm terrified that I'll hate it and have wasted AU$1K

      I've been wanting a new phone for a while now.. This complicates things. I want to try one but I'm terrified that I'll hate it and have wasted AU$1K

      2 votes
      1. KapteinB
        Link Parent
        If you want to try something that isn't Android or iOS and costs less than half that, you could give Sailfish a try.

        If you want to try something that isn't Android or iOS and costs less than half that, you could give Sailfish a try.

        2 votes
      2. crdpa
        Link Parent
        It's better to wait. This will probably not run the apps you need or want.

        It's better to wait. This will probably not run the apps you need or want.

        1 vote
    4. SourceContribute
      Link Parent
      SailfishOS is also a Linux-based OS for phones that has been around since 2013: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailfish_OS And in fact it's based on older MeeGo code which was around before that....

      You're funding the first Linux privacy oriented phone

      SailfishOS is also a Linux-based OS for phones that has been around since 2013: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailfish_OS

      And in fact it's based on older MeeGo code which was around before that.

      But I do understand that the standard for a new phone is even higher than back in 2013 when it was acceptable to see some choppiness in an alternative like Firefox OS or webOS.

  2. SourceContribute
    Link
    Have to say that I'm glad I'm waiting to purchase a new phone because this looks awesome. I was thinking of getting another OnePlus phone since the hardware is decent and it runs Android, but...

    Have to say that I'm glad I'm waiting to purchase a new phone because this looks awesome. I was thinking of getting another OnePlus phone since the hardware is decent and it runs Android, but Librem 5 is looking great!

    Walkthrough video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvnt78mK-Ac