Are there actually any phones for "normal" Linux users?
I've used GNU/Linux as my desktop OS for nearly a decade: Fedora for years, then openSUSE, then Pop!_OS for the past couple of years. These distros seem to have provided a good, current, stable out-of-the box experience (Out-of-the-Box + RPM Fusion and Packman for the former two.)
I just don't enjoy constantly fixing issues on my personal systems, in fact, after work I just want my computer to work. I get some people enjoy tinkering, I simply want my device to work AND provide me the freedom to do what I want if I feel adventurous. I don't distro-hop, and I don't like rebuilding my OS if I can help it. I'll spend a week getting everything the way I like it and expect it to last me at least a couple of years. I use Linux for everything: gaming, writing software, web browsing, you name it.
For as long as I have looked into it, GNU/Linux phones are an absolute nightmare for someone like me. I remember reading an article full of workarounds to get a dialer app to work on some project phone. I just want a phone that works, and could allow me to access root, setup my dot files, and tinker to the degree I'd like. As of now, my only solution has been LineageOS (Android fork) which has a proper terminal emulator with root access by default. As nice as this is, I'd love to support a GNU/Linux Android-alternative, as it's anyone's guess how long LineageOS or other forks will be compatible to the degree they have been in the past.
If you prefer stability over feature set on desktop, choose
Debian stable. It's rock-solid.
> I remember reading an article full of workarounds to get a dialer app to work on some project phone.
Currently, phone calls and sms work fine on both Librem 5 and Pinephone. The development rate is amazing. Only the good battery life is lacking yet, but it's improving every month.
I do prioritize currency over stability in many instances, but I do want a reasonable level of stability which is admittedly quite subjective. Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu-based distros seem to strike the right balance for me (Pop won me over with it's built in, togglable tiling manager, a feature I'd have to spend a week's worth of free time researching and trying to get working properly in, say Arch.) I just don't have much free time and motivation to spend getting some tiny quality of life improvement to work.
Your experience is basically the exact opposite of what's described here[0]. I bring this up as an optimistic PinePhone owner. I just don't think it's there yet.
This thread is quite long and started many months ago. It got much better since then. See later replies. Also, I agree that some OS may not be very stable, but Mobian works pretty much flawless for me for typical tasks.
My feel is that it's not ready for you yet, but Pine64 at least seems to have a sustainable thing going, with thousands of real units shipped. I've started dipping my toes in app development. Main problem for me so far is performance. Firefox crawls.
I've used GNU/Linux as my desktop OS for nearly a decade: Fedora for years, then openSUSE, then Pop!_OS for the past couple of years. These distros seem to have provided a good, current, stable out-of-the box experience (Out-of-the-Box + RPM Fusion and Packman for the former two.)
I just don't enjoy constantly fixing issues on my personal systems, in fact, after work I just want my computer to work. I get some people enjoy tinkering, I simply want my device to work AND provide me the freedom to do what I want if I feel adventurous. I don't distro-hop, and I don't like rebuilding my OS if I can help it. I'll spend a week getting everything the way I like it and expect it to last me at least a couple of years. I use Linux for everything: gaming, writing software, web browsing, you name it.
For as long as I have looked into it, GNU/Linux phones are an absolute nightmare for someone like me. I remember reading an article full of workarounds to get a dialer app to work on some project phone. I just want a phone that works, and could allow me to access root, setup my dot files, and tinker to the degree I'd like. As of now, my only solution has been LineageOS (Android fork) which has a proper terminal emulator with root access by default. As nice as this is, I'd love to support a GNU/Linux Android-alternative, as it's anyone's guess how long LineageOS or other forks will be compatible to the degree they have been in the past.