I see a lot of people on the Fediverse talking about getting off the Apple and Microsoft trains. But, I don’t see alternatives ever suggested. So, what are the non-Apple/Microsoft alternatives for laptop, tablet, and phone (I’m assuming Google is also a baddie)?

@dan Looks like for mobile/tablet your only real options are to buy an Android device and then install a Linux distro. Here's a list of such things:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/linux-smartphone-operating-systems/

The Mozilla Foundation had released a Firefox-based mobile OS called FirefoxOS, but it never caught on with OEMs, and it quietly disappeared about nine years ago.

@ossobuffo Interesting.

It feels as though the “get out of Apple/Microsoft/Google” thing is really for those who are quite technically inclined.

@dan @ossobuffo

I often go round and round on this, the technical knowledge required to run free and open hardware and software. There’s no denying that turning on and using a Linux laptop is less magical and frictionless than a Mac. I guess I don’t know that I think it’s a good thing, in this world increasingly defined and mediated by computers, to be zero percent technical.

My primary analogy for this would actually be quite relevant for you, Dan. Many Christian believers expect to not have to learn any systematics, dogmatics, or theology to live their lives walking with Christ. They don’t want to be technical with their faith, they just want to trust someone to package it up and serve it to them. I don’t think someone who has been walking with Christ their whole lives should be baffled by trinitarian basics, to give a common example. If you build your life on it, you should know how it works, to an extent. The same could be said for cars, household finances, the house you live in, etc.

So I’m sympathetic to the fact that computers have been, like, sold to people as a magic black box of infinite complexity that requires experts to create and maintain this mediation layer for the “non-technical” user. I just don’t think it’s true. If I can teach you everything you need to know in a weekend workshop, then I don’t think it’s an unreasonable aspiration to seek to empower people to learn how to maintain their own stuff.

By my own standard, FOSS phones aren’t there yet. Tablets are, though.

@spaceraser @ossobuffo That makes a ton of sense. Linux laptops are definitely doable. The phone really does seem to be the hardest part of this. I looked at Librem5 and PinePhone but can’t determine if they work with any US mobile providers.

@dan Not in the US, but AFAIR, T-Mobile (and those who use their network, like Mint) are your best bet when you want to have fun with 'different hardware'. I kind of concur though, the phone is not the first space to switch to Linux. Desktop and tablet are way easier, as Linux on Phones phones-projects are more viable in other parts of the world. Jolla (Sailfish OS) is based in the EU, most Ubuntu Touch contributors are European or Asian. @spaceraser @ossobuffo

@dan Phones are just hard, as they are the everything device to most consumers. Think payments: Supporting stuff like that is highly unlikely, big banks don't make deals with small community projects. Meanwhile, there are other things that need to be tackled first: VoLTE, which technically is just some VoIP stuff, but as carriers are in control, whether a device can do phone calls, is now determined by them (and not by 'device supports widely used standard'). @spaceraser @ossobuffo

@dan I am not sure whether RCS (the replacement for SMS and MMS) is a similar beast, as AFAIK no #LinuxMobile OS supports it yet (not an issue yet, as things fall back to SMS or MMS).
With regard to the PinePhone and Librem 5: I know that I don't recommend the PinePhone anymore (as a device for users at least), and while there's more hope for the Librem 5, I think other devices (originally running Android) are better choices for most. @spaceraser @ossobuffo