someUnexpectedSparks @someunexpectedsparks@librem.one
I'll use this to toot a bit about linux phones, primarily the Librem5 from Purism. I hope to pass on some information that I'd be interested in if I was thinking about buying one.
I am not, in any way, affiliated with Purism beyond being a customer.
If you find any of this interesting or helpful, great. If not, well most of social media is moronic anyway, what did you expect? :)
Joined Aug 2020
After a while on my #librem5 #dogwood experiment call, I stopped fidgeting with it and the screen timed out.
The lock screen came on behind the call screen. You could see it around the edge of the call window. I couldn’t figure out how to get to any other app from that point until I ended the call.
Annoying
Most of what I’ve seen so far is already in their bugs database https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/calls/-/issues
Purism did say this thing was pre-production, so don't take this as complaining, just noting.
In general, I don’t talk on the phone much so I won’t have much to say about that. But the other day I had a long work call that became a #librem5 #dogwood experiment.
To start, cellular was in the disconnected state I just tooted about.
I couldn’t get my bluetooth headset to play the audio.
I could switch back and forth from speaker mode to “regular” mode. There are 2 speakers, but they were about the same volume. Are they going for a respects-you-librarian speakerphone approval?
Getting back to the #librem5 #dogwood as a phone...
I’ve seen it make/receive calls. But, on at least 2 occasions, I've seen it not.
The phone status indicated it was on the cellular network. But, calls from 2 different phones didn't come through.
I tried to make a call, which it looked like it tried to do. The calls app froze and the called phones didn't ring. The red call-end button didn't do anything. I closed the app from phosh.
A recycle got things back working again.
Case in point on my mobile data needs.
On my main personal phone, my pandemically-limited past 3 months of data use (in MB): 23.92, 4.13, 11.19
On average, if it weren’t for the cable, a 300 baud modem would do me.
@zwerg12 asked about network speed, but I'm not going to answer. It’s not to be a jerk, I’m just not that interested.
I don’t stream. I prefer to own files and copy them over. Ya, its not as easy, but no ads or surveillance. Connectivity isn’t a worry. Stuff I buy doesn’t disappear when contracts change. I support artists directly.
I use the web, but phone and browser capabilities interfere in that story.
I’m in no way a network engineer, so I worry about accuracy.
This is totally awesome. Or totally silly.
The #librem5 #dogwood has a working spreadsheet app. You don’t believe me?
It is “sc” the spreadsheet calculator for unix/linux. It is a fully working spreadsheet. Well, you may want to debate “fully”. Call it spreadsheet functionality without all the cruft/fluff and unneeded features. You #terminal folks say you like that, right?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sc_(spreadsheet_calculator)
#sc
Tried a few ePub readers...
Calibre crashes on boot (Could not find the Qt platform plugin "wayland")
Okular boots, but isn’t full screen so the nav is unreachable
#foliate boots, goes full screen, and it … it … works! The catalogs work (standardebooks, feedbooks, project gutenberg). I grabbed a book and started reading. I was able to read an ePub file I had. Another ePub I had seemed to send it into infinite loops or something. So I guess I’m saying 2 out of 3 ain’t bad?
#librem5 #dogwood
When the squeekboard modifier keys appeared a week or so ago, I really wondered if I had just missed them. So I started looking for info on updates.
The info about them in the phone isn’t great. I don’t see a way to look at past updates, so I waited for another to toot.
3 screens here
1. Update Announcement
2. Package list
3. Package details (empty wherever I’ve looked)
Off-phone, I found the squeekboard change mentioned in their repo. Which made me feel better.
#librem5 #dogwood
Entering secrets in wallabag got me looking at cut/paste
Finger touch/drag to select text didn’t work in Epiphany. Gedit supports it, but it was fidgety for lines wider than the screen.
Squeekboard helps since CTRL & ALT are toggles. My go to approach became putting each secret in a file so I could CTRL-a, CTRL-c them. You know what I want? SHIFT should be a toggle too. SHIFT-navkey would be awesome!
It’s user-configurable, I may try. Having the source rocks.
#librem5 #dogwood #squeekboard
Wallabag/ReadItLater - Sort of works?
Enter your username and secrets (about 128 character's worth) and then it takes a looooong time to sync your stuff (I went to bed)
In the AM, I could navigate and read articles. It was slow. But I can tolerate it since - you know - linux phone!
The deal-breaker though, is it forgets my credentials. You have to re-enter them every launch. Bah!
There is a closed bug about access to the keyring. I may try to debug another day...
#librem5 #dogwood #wallabag
syncthing!
This makes me unreasonably happy
Installed from cli w/apt. Got 2 icons (start & web ui) in phosh, which I didn’t expect. It connected with my other machines in a few minutes. Files now syncing over both wi-fi & mobile. Smooth
This is real gnu/linux!
I’m building a home-grown, personal-cloud, screw-ball, palm-pilot replacement thing and I’d bet on syncthing as a core technology. Picture me as Hannibal Smith - I love it when a plan comes together.
OK, since I said the Librem5 was “crashy”, I feel obligated to follow that up by saying I haven’t seen a crash since I said that.
I had pretty light usage during that time - mostly charging, a couple/few hours of use per day. But still, gotta adjust my stats. They are trending in a good direction.
https://social.librem.one/@someunexpectedsparks/104781878661089200
Podcasts (2/3)
You must set the audio output manually
- At first, it was playing like a phone call
- In the settings app under “Sound” I selected “Speaker Phone” & things got a bit louder. Not actually loud. Underwhelming
- I tried wired headphones. Not great. A few seconds of headphone audio, then a split-second burst of phone audio. Over & over. That was a week ago. Now, after a couple updates, still there but less often
- A Bluetooth headset worked fine – that’s the keeper!
#librem5 #dogwood
Podcasts (1/3)
I installed gnome podcasts from the flatpack ref from https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Podcasts I assume that's the way to do it, wasn't in the software app
It imported my OPML from my Android app fine
I don't think I like the app.
- video doesn't seem to work
- there doesn’t seem to be a view that only shows unplayed podcasts
- playback speed won’t go above 2.0x (I got used to 2.5x – don’t laugh)
Calls work
Mobile data works
SMS/Texts work
Does what it says on the tin, mostly
There are some quirks worth tooting for all of that, but not tonight
fwiw, I'm running on Consumer Cellular from the Washington DC suburbs. I have nothing to do with them, they just seemed to be most useful to me when my patience for reading phone company marketing BS ran out.
#librem5 #dogwood
There seem to be 2 types of crashes:
- small: pressing power brings things back
- large: simple reboot resistant. The long-presses in https://docs.puri.sm/Librem_5/Troubleshooting.html that are supposed to be only for birch seem to help. Or it could be random and I’m https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Skinner/Pigeon/
I need to take better notes, but it has been a few days since I’ve experienced a large crash. Maybe an update helped?
#librem5 #dogwood
Is the Librem5 crashy? Yes, the Librem5 is crashy.
Did they warn us Dogwood was crashy? Yes, they did warn us https://forums.puri.sm/t/dogwood-shipping-out-today/9920
I took delivery anyway and don't regret it. I'm having fun here and a lot works.
Where did my wi-fi hardware go?
It has been working more or less fine since I got it. Occasionally it would drop-out, but a cycle of the kill switch or power would bring it back. Basically, a nuisance.
Today. It seems gone and I can’t figure out how to get it back. Bummer.
I wanted to play with it today, but all my plans involved wi-fi. Gonna hope a full charge and some time off sorts it out. I don't want to try to debug this.
Cellular is working fine.
I'll use this to toot a bit about linux phones, primarily the Librem5 from Purism. I hope to pass on some information that I'd be interested in if I was thinking about buying one.
I am not, in any way, affiliated with Purism beyond being a customer.
If you find any of this interesting or helpful, great. If not, well most of social media is moronic anyway, what did you expect? :)
Joined Aug 2020
