Librem 5 - as laptop replacement?

I am not planning on fully replacing my laptop with the Librem 5, but I can definitely see myself using it as an extra one. I’m very interested in owning a phone that can double as a desktop/laptop :slight_smile:

In addition to doing normal phone things (text, email etc) I can imagine running Manuskript on it (I like to write stories), as well as doing some Python programming.

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If you are planning to use the Librem 5 as regular office machine, you can have a look at this kickstarter project.

I already supported this project and hope it will work like a charm.

I hope that puri.sm will also develop a tablet sized screen with battery and additional connectors where I can push in the Librem5, and use it as a tabled.
Additionally with an BT keyboard, mouse and so on, it will be a high value addition to my regular Laptop.

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I like the kickstarter! Looks awesome ! … I guess I will buy a phone :slight_smile: thx community !

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At one time I had a Lumia 950 which was almost usable as a laptop replacement so I’m cautiously optimistic that this will be even better. I used it to connect to VDI/RDS formost heavy lifting and actually worked that way in my office for several days without any major issues.

Yes I know MS is evil, but the convergence thing is something they were actually getting right until they killed the phones entirely.

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The display output should work with most displays out there, but it will not work with all of them: there are multiple ways to transfer display data over USB. The USB-C port will use the DisplayPort alternate mode, and that’s what the display (or the hub) should support. Thankfully, it seems to be the most popular one by far.

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that is interesting.
will the nexdock 2 work with the librem 5?

There’s no official statement.
But, according to the specs and compatibility list, it should work anyway.

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It shows the Librem 5 + Ubuntu, so I’m assuming PureOS wont work with it?

Nawwww , not for me . My laptop has Ubuntu Studio 19.04 XFCE and even the great L5 is not going to replace it . Right now they have few apps libhandy modified to render correctly on this device but many still dont render correctly or just dont function at all .

Im sure as the device is delivered and interest and development grow this will all change .

But nothing is replacing my laptop right now . Certainly not with the listed L5 hardware and heat management .

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The nexdock ? Thats actually not L5 and IS android . However that is just a hardware shell with a monitor mouse and keyboard interface. It should work with anything that has HDMI out to USB

No they show a librem 5 with the nextdock which is basically a laptop without any guts, just a keyboard, display. But the picture shows Ubuntu one, so I’m assuming you have to be running Ubuntu on your phone.

No , the device is what allows the nexdock to work via mini hdmi out . The operating system can be anything . All the dock does is put the HDMI signal on the screen . What that HDMI signal actually is is moot .

How I understand it to function anyways .

See today’s email by NexDock re USB-C output with video support

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Thats exactly how I believed it to work as outlined above. To my knowledge the hardware on the device being hdmi is what creates the ability to use the dock .

Nexdock is a glorified monitor keyboard and mouse in a familiar housing connecting it all together via ports and not much more. I mean it does have M.2 SSD storage dock on board and built in speakers as well . But it is an empty shell awaiting a signal to distribute to all its components.

I bet you could hook a ps3 up to it and get a signal . and have maybe web browsing capabilities if the keyboard interfaced with the browser software.

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I already do this with my OnePlus One on LineageOS, so the Librem 5, being native GNU/Linux, should work even better! The screen is a bit low resolution for it, bit it’s pretty hard to see normal resolution text in 1080p on such a small screeen anyway, even for me.

The way I do it, is to simply plug my keyboard and mouse into an OTG adapter, for reference. I prop my phone up with my headphones or, when I want to use my headphones, a charging brick, and put it on top of my lunch container.

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So a USB hub with HDMI output will not fully work, then?

Not necessarily. It just means that the hub(? adapter?) needs to negotiate DisplayPort altmode over USB-C with the video source (the Librem 5) and convert it to HDMI before shoving it out the HDMI port.

It is probably still fair to say that it won’t work with all of them. There are bound to be combinations of adapter and monitor (and Librem 5 hardware and software) that just don’t work or don’t work fully.

So if you don’t already own an adapter with HDMI output then you are looking for one that expects DisplayPort altmode on the USB-C side.

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Which is most of them. I haven’t stumbled upon one that expects HDMI alt-mode yet. Plus if a hub allows you to have display output and USB ports operational at the same time, you can be sure it’s DisplayPort alt-mode since HDMI alt-mode doesn’t allow you to do that.

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Yes, DisplayPort altmode is the defacto standard with docking stations. The thing to be careful about is getting a USB-C docking station.

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