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Boot2Gecko is a thing: it's called KaiOS. It targets lower tech devices though and is just as locked down as Android, potentially even more actually.
I'm interested: why do you want it? I'm not a big fan of the idea of web development being the standard
Let me answer your question with a question: How many things do you do with your phone that aren't also able to be accomplished with a website already? I'd be willing to bet that the answer is in the single digits. And for most of those, that limitation is likely to be entirely arbitrary, instituted by a developer as an anti-consumer form of lock-in.
Delivering application-like experiences via the web allows users to make accessibility changes to that experience without the developer needing to support it explicitly. It also allows users to implement plugins that extend and improve their experience, by removing undesirable content or adding functionality that you haven't provided. And because browsers are built on open standards, there's no longer any device ecosystem lock-in; I should be able to access all of the websites I want to from any browser on any device. Users could even build their own bespoke applications, without the need to enable a developer mode on their phone or get a certification from a megacorp.
And because downloadable and cacheable progressive web apps are a thing, as well as local storage options for browsers, the experience for an end-user of a browser-only phone wouldn't need to be any different in low-signal or high-latency situations.
The web is a mature and proven platform for delivering arbitrary code and data, plugins make the web more accessible and easier to use, and web standards make the world more open. It's not a perfect platform, of course, but it's the one we've got; I think making it the default rather than the fallback for the devices most people use more than any other would be a great boon for the world at large.
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I don't know about you, but my Pixel 6a already does this. When I go to install an APK not from the app store directly it warms me, requires me to acknowledge that the APK was downloaded through Firefox, and acknowledge what permissions it is requesting.
Yes, the problem is that Android is talking about requiring developer verification at install time; as I understand it, without allowing an override.
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To be clear, Kolanaki is saying that that is not how an OS should behave.
wrote last edited by [email protected]oh yea I agree I was just venting further; prefer less hand holding
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If I ever go insane and write a manifesto this will be on it.
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Anyone that makes this argumrnt needs to work in a public IT support role for at least a year.
Then you will understsnd why your average user should not be given unrestricted freedom on their device.
Why should I suffer because of you lot?
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Boot2Gecko is a thing: it's called KaiOS. It targets lower tech devices though and is just as locked down as Android, potentially even more actually.
I'm interested: why do you want it? I'm not a big fan of the idea of web development being the standard
As for KaiOS, I don't think that's really a good successor of Boot2Gecko; from what I've seen they went the app route, which kind of fundamentally violates the spirit of what B2G was supposed to be.
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I'm probably going to spam this around a bit, since most people don't seem to know about it, but a reminder that FuriLabs has a (GNU+)Linux phone with decent spec.s and the ability to run Android app.s (from what I've heard) pretty decently: https://furilabs.com/
Biggest drawback is it's based on Halium. Usual growing pains of a new product/company apply but apparently the company is pretty responsive and their dev.s have worked with customers to get things like calling working with the carrier and bands of their country where it hasn't worked before so improvements move pretty quickly.
Collection of different experiences I've variously seen online over the last year or so:
- https://clehaxze.tw/gemlog/2025/07-20-flx1-actually-usable-linux-phone.gmi
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41839326
- https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1fa1ljn/furilabs_flx1/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1j46f2w/flx1_linux_phone_display_out/
- https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/03/furiphone_flx1/
I don't own one, myself, so I can't give any personal experience but I've seen it around for a few years now but most people don't seem to even know about it. Maybe there's a reason for that? But none I've ever seen anyone say.
I can’t decide if that name is amazing or very unfortunate.
Is it pronounced “Furry Phone” or “Fury Phone?”
Because one of those is much better than the other. I’ll let my fellow Lemmings guess which I prefer.
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Boot2Gecko is a thing: it's called KaiOS. It targets lower tech devices though and is just as locked down as Android, potentially even more actually.
I'm interested: why do you want it? I'm not a big fan of the idea of web development being the standard
I, too, hate web dev being the standard. It's inevitable though. Mostly OS agnostic, easy to learn, etc.
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Some of these comments are wild.
The OS should not at all stop me from doing what I want to do. Ever. Not even if that means I can fuck it up.
They can warn me when I attempt to do things that could fuck shit up. They can make it a bit harder to navigate to certain things so I'm less likely to fuck shit up. But it's my god damn hardware. I should be able to run and configure the software on it as I see fit.
But we subsidised the cost of your phone so we could make sweet sweet recurring revenue off your usage habits and targeted advertising!
You wouldn't want to take that away from us would you? Won't SOMEBODY think of the shareholders?!
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I'm probably going to spam this around a bit, since most people don't seem to know about it, but a reminder that FuriLabs has a (GNU+)Linux phone with decent spec.s and the ability to run Android app.s (from what I've heard) pretty decently: https://furilabs.com/
Biggest drawback is it's based on Halium. Usual growing pains of a new product/company apply but apparently the company is pretty responsive and their dev.s have worked with customers to get things like calling working with the carrier and bands of their country where it hasn't worked before so improvements move pretty quickly.
Collection of different experiences I've variously seen online over the last year or so:
- https://clehaxze.tw/gemlog/2025/07-20-flx1-actually-usable-linux-phone.gmi
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41839326
- https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1fa1ljn/furilabs_flx1/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1j46f2w/flx1_linux_phone_display_out/
- https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/03/furiphone_flx1/
I don't own one, myself, so I can't give any personal experience but I've seen it around for a few years now but most people don't seem to even know about it. Maybe there's a reason for that? But none I've ever seen anyone say.
Intriguing! I'm concerned about the "advanced power management algorithms" they're putting up front and center without clarifying. My current phone (OnePlus) is very aggressive about that and just kills my alarm clock in the middle of the night once in a while and breaks other apps, even with optimizations disabled and the phone plugged in. Furiphone isn't listed on DontKillMyApp and I didn't see anything with a quick search, have you heard anything about how it does on that?
Also that size, oof. Mine is already too big and this is noticeably bigger in all 3 dimensions.
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meh both on mac and windows you’re not the true admin of the machine. mac requires disabling SIP and some others to even be able to delete default applications for example and don’t get me started on windows. linux ftw (as I type this from my old ass ios device)
I think that just falls under "make it a bit harder to navigate to certain things so I'm less likely to fuck shit up."
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I argue that would be even more of a use case for the device owner to have such control.
Then you'd have rights to control which software your mom can install on the phone.
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Intriguing! I'm concerned about the "advanced power management algorithms" they're putting up front and center without clarifying. My current phone (OnePlus) is very aggressive about that and just kills my alarm clock in the middle of the night once in a while and breaks other apps, even with optimizations disabled and the phone plugged in. Furiphone isn't listed on DontKillMyApp and I didn't see anything with a quick search, have you heard anything about how it does on that?
Also that size, oof. Mine is already too big and this is noticeably bigger in all 3 dimensions.
Ooof; yeah: that'd be a dealbreaker for me, too. I've got a OnePlus, as well (Nord N20), and, while I can definitely tell there's some battery optimization going on, it's never killed my alarms; it's the only alarm clock I use so somewhat vital.
Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything (yet). Most of anything I've heard about them has been from "static" sources (like the above); I don't hang out in any chatrooms or the like they may have. I do know they have an account on the Fediverse, though (@[email protected]), so you may be able to ask them directly?
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This does feel like a bit of a double-standard to me. I’ve hated how Microsoft and Apple have introduced app stores on Windows and macOS and try to push people to only install from there instead of directly from the developer. And yet on Linux the advice seems to be never ever download directly from the developer; you should only download from the package repository provided by your OS (which sure feels like an App Store). And that package probably wasn’t even provided by the developer or the OS but some random volunteer that you just assume has good intentions.
And yet on Linux the advice seems to be never ever download directly from the developer
That's just advice for making life easy for new people, because distro-packaged software is more likely to work well with the operating system. I run packages from devs, even nightly automated builds of stuff, all the time.
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Have you people never worked in IT support? Like its all fair and good that you, a power user, dont want the OS to restrict you at all. But for your averrage person to be treated the same is just asking for disaster.
A hidden option to unlock power user mode solves this
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Anyone that makes this argumrnt needs to work in a public IT support role for at least a year.
Then you will understsnd why your average user should not be given unrestricted freedom on their device.
If the device is owned by a business, sure, IT should lock it down. If your average Joe owns his device? He should be able to break it if he wants. He owns it. This argument only serves to enrich the exploiters, not protect anyone.
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I can’t decide if that name is amazing or very unfortunate.
Is it pronounced “Furry Phone” or “Fury Phone?”
Because one of those is much better than the other. I’ll let my fellow Lemmings guess which I prefer.
OS is FuriOS if that helps you out of that knot.
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Ooof; yeah: that'd be a dealbreaker for me, too. I've got a OnePlus, as well (Nord N20), and, while I can definitely tell there's some battery optimization going on, it's never killed my alarms; it's the only alarm clock I use so somewhat vital.
Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything (yet). Most of anything I've heard about them has been from "static" sources (like the above); I don't hang out in any chatrooms or the like they may have. I do know they have an account on the Fediverse, though (@[email protected]), so you may be able to ask them directly?
Nice, thanks for the tip.
Unfortunately I think the size might be the deal breaker though, just remembered how my current one literally only fits in my pocket if I rotate it in at the exact right angle. 8 extra mm in both directions and there's no hope.
I'm not ready for pants shopping again already, taking these ones in took 10 hours T_T
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As for KaiOS, I don't think that's really a good successor of Boot2Gecko; from what I've seen they went the app route, which kind of fundamentally violates the spirit of what B2G was supposed to be.
I'm not sure what the original vision was, but KaiOS is just a fork of Boot2Gecko.
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I finally want to switch to android and boom: Custom ROMs and "sideloading" gets swept off the platter. Well ok I guess I‘ll just wait for a good linux mobile OS
