pylkko wrote:Even if it fails, you would not be able to claim with a straight face that you know for sure that it failed "because of the same reasons as Windows phones".
+1
An interesting differnece with this and Ubuntu touch is that Ubuntu was sold on devices originally designed for Android. Because of this, when users got bored, they flashed Android back on them. Librem 5, however, has hardware that has never previously been used in a phone. This makes it sound like you most likely will not be able to replace the OS with Android if you want later. Maybe you might be able to tweak a custom AOSP image somehow, but you would have to develop the entire thing.
I never understood why this wasn't incentive to continue the project, though, as it seems most Linux/BSD systems are the result of understanding how to maximize old technology. When they announced this project, I initially foresaw people forking Ubuntu Phone/Touch into a (subjectively) "better" system, one geared towards specific interests and goals, rather than "Android: Ubuntu Edition"...alas.
The baseband processor and GPS will contain closed proprietary firmware (and the law mandates that). But they are going to be hardware kill-switched. If it kill the entire modem/baseband, then perhaps it kills the SIM also.
Somebody points out that the SIM card itself has a microcontroller with RAM and all. It should be noted that sd-cards also have often several processors and their own RAM.
I really like that they'll killswitch those features.
I was the one who made the SIM comment, btw. My concern stems from an innate distrust that major carriers won't soon (if they're not already) ship-out spyware to track more than they currently already know. Since Verizon or the ilk don't control my sdcard, I might have different concerns about its hardware vulnerabilities (I recall several NSA projects that can already do this), but not the same ones that apply to a SIM.
This e-sim stuff sounds pretty bad to me. That you would have a SIM that you cannot remove, essentially...
+12. This would put the ax to the throat of most pay-as-you-go carriers that advertise to work on "unlocked" phones. Not to mention it would require a refurbished or replacement phone when the module breaks. It makes sense that Apple utilizes it -- their entire framework is customer support, because they only have a handful of hardware/software. If ever this became standardized technology, I wouldn't be surprised, but I would be quite appalled.
Also, did anyone else notice that Samsung made an announcement that they are going out with a Linux smart phone almost exactly after the Librem 5 project managed to get the funding? Apparently it will run their OS but you will be able to run Desktop Linux distributions in some emulation or some such.
Lol, leave it up to Samsung to produce the grindhouse equivalent of a great idea...
Btw, I think it's worth noting that the closest thing to a truly "secure" smartphone (in the way that librem is advertised) is an old grandpa phone, and behind that, a landline, and behind that, a telegraph, and...