What is the Linux of cell phones?

submitted by In-the-clouds from self.AskSaidIt

On the PC, we have three major competing desktop operating systems, from: Microsoft, Apple, and Linux. Only Linux is free. On the cell phone, we have Google, Apple, and ....?

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newinsightfulfun

[–][deleted] 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Android is linux based, but we also have true linux phones from Pine https://www.pine64.org/pinephonepro/

[–]x0x7 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

MozillaOS existed for a bit.

IDK. Desktop benefits from it being easy to write assembly for it. Userland c programmers become user land assembly programmers. Assembly programmers become kernel contributors. Kernal contributors become hobby OS writers. Hobby OS's become professional grade free operating systems.

I'm hoping with ESP32s becoming so popular along with RTOS that a real modular phone will be made by a hobbyist. That will be C/ASM programmable by anyone and therefore will lead to free software.

Edit: You can definitely connect to wireless on an ESP32 https://twitter.com/GvidTv/status/1591604103704154114

At that point the sky's the limit. Just like early adopters of linux on desktop had to deal with jerry rigging everything, if you want a truly free phone today the playing under the hood is going to be mandatory rather than optional.

[–]SoCo 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

We should also probably point out that Android is fee and open source. It is just that cell phone manufactures, like Samsung, largely lock you out of it and stuff it with malware, bloatware, and telemetry that spies on you. Then a second layer of the same is added by your cell phone carrier, such as Verizon and AT&T. The resulting bastardization of Android is incapable of doing basic tasks and constantly spying on you.