While I finally bit the bullet after many yrs of wanting a Librem 5 due to no working knowldge of Linux, I received it today! I searched the forums for recent info on downloading Proton Mail, VPN and calendar. Should I use the Linux download or the Bridge version? Will it be functional once I sign into my Proton account?
TIA for any insight provided.
Hmm, my friend, I would say that this Librem 5 might be YOUR BRIDGE towards the Linux world. I could see that you do lack the supporting knowledge about the software and also Linux.
Letâs start from your question.
Briefly speaking, you canât use both of them. If Iâm not wrong, Proton Mail is only providing Linux executables built for x64 CPUs, or plainly speaking, desktop devices that has a Intel/AMD cpu. Librem 5 is a mobile device, and it has a ARM architecture CPU, not a x64 one. While Librem 5 runs PureOS, which is basically Debian, and it surely accepts .deb files, you should not run them on your Librem 5.
In order to add software on your Librem 5, you need to look out for software that:
If you want to use your Proton account on Librem 5, the best bet is through web browser. You may find thereâs several web browsers in the âSoftwareâ store, and I would recommend Firefox as itâs quite polished and modern on this platform.
Let me give you a hint about how you can use your Librem 5. You wonât expect it as a regular mobile phone, even as a old dial-pad one, since itâs not as reliable as one. You might occasionally have trouble making calls, sending text, or even making cellular data work, using it as a daily driver might be risky. What I see it is actually a small Linux tablet, and what you can rely on is itâs web browser, apps in the âSoftwareâ, and itâs Linux base. Treat it as if you bought a SBC with a screen, chasis and speaker.
The Librem 5 works greatly different than a normal phone, but how it works and what it does depends on how you use it, but donât expect the same as you can get from a normal smartphone. I would suggest you go through the OSâs âSoftwareâ store, as well as the packages in the official apt repository. The repository is the spirit of Linux, those software in the store are only part of the repository, but most software in the repository is command-line only, or a part depended by other software. Be careful with this, and learn A LOT. As a example, my use of my Linux phone (not Librem 5, but pretty similar) is a portable server with batteries, it hosts files and does backup for me. Touch screen is for easier debug.
If you just want to experience the device as a normal phone, I suggest you use the browser and store more. Donât expect the same experience as either desktop or mobile though. Try some software in the store, but stay away from those without a proper or unique iconâThey are mostly dependencies or resources. ONLY DOWNLOAD WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND. You might also encounter software thatâs not entirely optimized, which looks and behaves like desktop apps. They are.
feel free to ask again.
The protonVPN arm linux .deb works if you let the mobile settings app resize it but font size is small.
https://protonvpn.com/support/official-linux-vpn-debian
For protonmail and other services just make a webapp for quick access, I have seen no difference in the experience between the android protonmail app and a protonmail webapp to the point where it seems they really are just webapps; I suspect the same for the proton calendar. Proton paid calendar should be able to interact with the phosh calendar app but not the free version.
Welcome @BBOnlineUse and @Powerly. I cannot help with Proton Mail, but want to say something to the side-topic. First of all, I bought my Librem 5 before I switched my PC to Linux. So I was sitting in the same boat. For me personally that was the best I could experience, because on phone I learned how the operating system and other things are working and on PC I could switch two years later without any bigger issue. The Librem 5 still has some issues big tech devices do not have, but these issues are also a good chance to learn about the system, even as beginner (for those who see the benefit in it). I am using it as daily driver.
While this is true, most free software is compiled for ARM64. With FEX we also can run many proprietary Windows applications soon (I am already going to test it) and with Waydroid many Android apps. I donât know why someone wants to do this or has to do this, but ARM64 is not that big of a deal these days.
While this is also kinda true, most software can be installed and will run. It is more about an UX issue. Phosh has the ability to render programs in native resolution. So they may become hard to touch, but are at least functional. Attaching a mouse and they are working pretty well.
A more problematic issue are GPU render pipelines. On the one side we have not as much power as typical smartphones have these days, on the other hand drivers are not supporting GLES3 or Vulkan yet. This prevents current Blender to run for example or other software to run smooth. But at least GLES3 is coming, which is a big deal.
I agree. This device is a pocketcomputer. A hybrid between phone and PC with a little bit more weight to the PC part. So beside the disadvantages of ânot being able to do XYZâ, you also have advantages to do other things a smartphone or PC could not do. And the disadvantages become less over time.
For VPN, you can download the OpenVPN configuration and use it with Network Manager (Settings â Network â Add VPN). In your accounts section, you will see a username and password to be used with this.
Welcome @BBOnlineUse to the L5 family :). I use the L5 as a daily driver and I also am a big Proton user.
That being said the ProtonVPN app is the only âAppâ that has worked well for me on the L5. I used web browsers for Protonmail for several years, but last year, the performance, or lag in the user experience made it inoperable for me?! I tried working with Proton, but they were of no help. Someone mentioned using the webapp option on the L5 worked well for them? Well, that hasnât been my experience of late.
My approach to using Protonmail is to install Waydroid ( Waydroid · Wiki · Librem5 / docs / Librem 5 Community Wiki · GitLab ) then, I install the android protonmail app in waydroid. It works really well for me. That being said, the link above is for an older version of waydroid (1.3.3) There are newer versions, which I run on my L5, and it works a lot better.
Also, Iâve found the Proton Web apps do work reasonably well in web browsers, Firefox, Librewolf, etc. All except for Proton Mail and Drive 
But, Proton Pass, works really nicely in the web browser. I can also install the Calendar app and Pass app in waydroid. So, that is a nice option.
I keep hoping Proton will finally come through on an ARM64 app, but Iâm not holding my breath for that.
Since Proton Mail refuses to accomodate their subscribers who own ARM64 devices, you have to use protonmail-bridge for ARM64 to access your PM account if you donât want to use the web page.
This need to be attached next L5 promotions somewhere for people like him or me that donât have much knowledge about Linux and want to support L5 and what it represent. I sincerely appreciate the way you answered that question and how you took the time to explain without having the superiority tone that i got when i asked my first question on the forums.
Glad to hear that. This is what Iâve been trying to do, to provide equality through spreading knowledge in a friendly way. Iâm happy to know that I did well.
I would never get a Librem 5 or other Linux phone, without also having a Linux PC. You can use the PC to reflash PureOS or some other OS to the Linux phone. This may not seem important at first, until you need to replace your OS which will eventually happen. You can also use the Linux PC to repair the Linux OS on the phone if you break it. If you want to learn, you have to be willing to take risks and make mistakes. If you are too afraid of messing up the OS on your phone enough that you never break anything, then youâre not learning much. Also, if you do development for the phone, youâll need to give up the super tiny font, SSH in to the phone from your PC, and save yourself getting the headache that comes from squinting as you look at your phone screen for hours at a time. Use the big monitors from your PC to look at that phone screen. In addition, youâll want to test some things out on your PC before doing the same things on your phone. The PC has far more drivers and built-in libraries than you could ever get on to your phone. Get some things working on your PC first. Test them out. See how theyâre supposed to work. Then if you have to hack at your phone for hours to make it work there, at least youâll know when youâve arrived because youâve seen it work before on your PC.
I have had bad luck with the Proton bridge. It quits working a lot and has to be manually restarted a lot. Good Kuck.
While having a Linux PC is certainly the path of least resistance, it is possible to do without a Linux PC and still reflash your phone provided that you can LiveBoot Linux on the PC that you do have.
Technically also you can boot the phone from ”SD card and reflash that way, provided that your phone is working normally and you just want to reflash.
That is exactly how I did it (life-disk or VM), before I was switching my PC 2 years later over to Linux. So I can agree that it works well on a Windows PC this way.