>Talks about the benefits of self-hosting
>Hosts their code and design repositories on GitHub
Oh you thought that was bad? I also found out that their site is hosted on AWS. They might as well just sell their computers on Amazon.
It's either "securely store your data", or "store your data on AWS", not both at the same time!
@ryo I don't know. What I want to know is why are they hosting it on AWS when they fucking sell servers.
I don't know how much it cost to actually maintain a server for a storefront like this, but honestly it doesn't seem surprising because they are slow to restock. I actually wanted to buy a laptop from them a couple years back because I think it would be better to use a computer that was actually built for Linux, but ALL of their laptops were out of stock, but that might have been due to a chip shortage from the scamdemic.
1. We didn't have a chip shortage over here, at least not from what I could see in neither physical nor online stores.
2. There was a sudden abundance of chips as soon as NFTs were considered no longer popular.
As for maintaining a server for a storefront, it doesn't require much, you can host one on a low spec server pretty easily even.
If anything, AWS would be the more expensive option, due to their billing scheme (I haven't worked with it as much to know for sure, but I know I've been pointing and laughing a lot at people who fell for the AWS meme, only to then get impossibly high invoices to pay, and then they cope whenever I say "I told you so!").
@ryo
>My guess is rather that the whole chip shortage thing was more related to the NFT hype
It was probably both, given that a lot of chips are manufactured in China and other East Asian countries, and yeah there was the NFT hype going on at the time. I remember the shortage being part of the reason why there weren't that many Xbox Series X|S and PS5 consoles at launch.
Smaller manufacturers like System76 were probably the most affected. I just ended up biting the bullet and buying a mid-range gaming laptop at Best Buy and installing Mint on it, as usual. Surprisingly, the store clerk that helped me make my purchase was also a Linux user who understood my situation.
And before you tell me that I should just stick with older computers, I was still in college at the time, and I had to deal with using bloated software for some classes. There were still some classes that were online only so I had to use Zoom (thankfully there is a web-client).
Anyway, I would like my next laptop to be one of these Linux laptops. Framework laptops also seem like a cool option because they are designed to be repairable and long-lasting, and if you know anything about newer computers, especially laptops, you are lucky if yours lasts more than 2-3 years without some sort of hardware failure. Yes, I get the whole "just stick with older computers" stance, but I don't think that may be a viable solution. Even the most well-built hardware will eventually fail and it can be difficult to find older computers in some cases as normies aren't looking for them so they are either recycled or just collecting dust in someone's garage. Which is why I'm glad to see companies like Framework, ThinkPenguin, and maybe System76 (if they realize their mistakes) providing alternatives. I would still like to give System76 the benefit of the doubt because they did (at least partially) mitigate Intel's Management Engine.
>As for maintaining a server for a storefront, it doesn't require much, you can host one on a low spec server pretty easily even.
If anything
I actually did do a brief training course on AWS for the job I tried to work at. I remember some "advantages" they point out being that they offer autoscaling and their own circuit breaker, discovery services, API gateways, etc for microservices. AWS seems to be the only VPS provider that offers solutions for microservices. Though microservices, might also be just a meme unless you are a major retailer like Wal-Mart. You probably know more about it then I do, so tell me if it is.
I've just always run Linux on regular Dell and Lenovo laptops (with the exception of one MSI gaming laptop; which worked really well). I had a workmate who was all about System76. I considered them, but they always seemed to be a bit behind on some core thing I wanted at the time. Kernel/driver/hardware support has gotten good enough in Linux that a lot of stuff mostly works, or just needs a little bit of effort.
Purism is still garbage tier and I have yet to get a phone I preordered in 2019 and they've refused all requests for a refund.
Framework looks really promising. It's also not Linux first focused, which I think is a good thing for it's adoption. There is a post of someone putting the guts of one in an old Thinkpad shell. I hope it starts getting us closer to more standardized laptop parts.
@djsumdog @ryo
>Purism is still garbage tier and I have yet to get a phone I preordered in 2019 and they've refused all requests for a refund.
Oh they still won't release their phone yet? It makes me wonder if the government secretly intervened. Their Librem.one email service also sucks. Not only is it more expensive then other privacy email services like Posteo (or maybe even just renting a VPS + domain for email), but they also require you to fully dox yourself (home address and all) just to use their service, even if you are paying with crypto. Last time, I checked they also require you to pledge an allegiance to freetardism just to use their services.
As for Framework, I know that it's not focused on a particular OS, but they still sell their laptops with Windows pre-installed, if the user wishes to do so. I don't know if the so called "Microsoft tax" applies to their computers if you buy one without Windows though. The so called, "Microsoft tax" is another reason why I think people shouldn't buy (new) Windows computers just to install Linux on them.
Pinephone CE chads stay winning
Have had mine for 2 years now and it still just werks. Yeah Firefox on phosh can be a little buggy and my modem sometimes doesn't wake back up after a long suspend, but overall am I happy to running bare metal busybox/Linux on an open hardware, fully repairable phone.
#pinephone #postmarketos
Well, I just stuck with it and jumped from Manjaro to Arch Linux ARM and finally settled on PostmarketOS which is superior to the later for the Pinephone CE. Now it's stable and decent enough to be usable as a daily driver phone and low spec Linux computer for ssh, tui programs or javascript free web browsing. Can it rival the speed and software choices of Android or iPhone, no. But the trade off is a breaking away from their monopoly, software freedom and privacy.
When I'm home I have mine connected to a wireless keyboard and mouse with a stand and it's not bad. Typing to you on it right now.
@charlie_root @djsumdog @ryo I just wish we had better battery life.
I understand why we don't, with the kernel really not having granular power management controls, but it's more than a nice-to-have for a daily-driver.
@dcc @charlie_root @djsumdog @ryo while all of these things are great and I love them, having to carry around a bunch of spare batteries like a SINCGARS RTO is... suboptimal
Still beats being spied on and data harvested by big tech. But realistically the phone can last 24hrs on a full charge on suspend and most workplaces have a spot to charge your phone. I almost have to use a spare battery. Unless you're just getting calls and texts non-stop all day, it's really not bad.
@charlie_root @dcc @djsumdog @ryo or if you use it for literally anything else for which one uses a modern mobile device.
Want to navigate? Better be ready to swap out batteries.
Need to look up useful information? Same.
I *love* my Pinephone - but let's be realistic about what needs to improve as far as far management is concerned.
It is what it is. This will likely be the only Linux phone on the market and sadly I don't see pine64 sticking around for long since the Pinephone Pro was a complete disaster. Purisim is defunct and most Linux users are too spoiled with Android. It was fun while it lasted but mobile Linux doesn't have a bright future outside of flashing consumer hardware with PostmarketOS.
I have a PinePhone for 2 and a half years I think.
Not sure when I bought it, but I know it was back during the Mankojaro Edition cycle.
If you want to know why Linux on mobile isn't going anywhere, then just take a look at Pine64 Forum's help threads.
Over a half of the people there bought a PinePhone just because it's cheaper than an Android phone, and then they expect it to basically become an Android phone, but without Android.
"How do I run WhatsApp?" "How do I run Fakebook?" "How do I run Signal?" "Anbox isn't working!" "Anbox this" "Anbox that"
It's just ridiculous!
But on the plus side, for those of us who wanted to threat a Linux phone as a Linux phone, there has been quite massive advancements regarding Phosh, Plasma Mobile, Lomiri, and SXMO.
Plasma Mobile existed even before Canonical made Ubuntu Touch (which is now UBPorts), and that project kept getting stuck in place for almost a whole decade.
Then the PinePhone came out, and all of the sudden they were able to turn it into a nearly complete product in a matter of just a year.
Just like how Plasma for the desktop tries to mimick Windblows, Plasma Mobile tries to mimick Android.
If there's no difference in price when removing Windows, they probably just buy a bulk license for all of them.
I miss when you could just go to staples and write down the product key from the sticker on the display model.