Shipping Librem5

Hardware Librem 5
1

Hello,

I have just translated Todd’s publication on the PURISM website, concerning the shipping of phones and I confess that I do not understand everything.
I reproduce below this translation:

Tremble Batch
Hardware: Initial card, all hardware components included.
Mechanical design: Individually milled housing, free fit, variable alignment, unfinished switch caps (handmade).
Software: initial version of basic applications, contact management, basic web browsing, power management, software updates from the PureOS Store via the terminal.
Certifications: FCC and CE for radios
Shipping window: 24 September - 22 October

Birch Lot
Hardware: Next series of cards, all equipment included.
Mechanical design: Aspen + tighter fit, better alignment.
Software: Aspen + improved configuration, improved web browsing, improved power management.
Certifications: FCC and CE for radios
Shipping window: 29 October - 26 November

Chestnut Batch
Hardware: All equipment is included.
Mechanical design: Birch + cap switches.
Software: Birch + final configuration, improved web browsing, improved energy management.
Certifications: FCC and CE for radios
Shipping window: December 3 - December 31

Dogwood Lot
Hardware: All equipment is included.
Mechanical design: Chestnut + refinements.
Software: Chestnut + improved main applications, additional applications, refined graphic PureOS Store.
Certifications: FCC and CE for radios
Shipping window: January 7 - March 31

Evergreen Lot
Hardware: All equipment is included.
Mechanical design: Molded case.
Software: Long-term support version
Certifications: FCC and CE
Shipping window: Q2 2020

Fir Batch
Equipment: 14nm processor Next generation CPU
Mechanical design: Version 2
Software: Long-term support version
Certifications: FCC and CE
Shipping window: Q4 2020

This means that if you want your Librem5 as soon as possible (which is my case, because my current phone is dying), you will receive a Librem5 that is mechanically poorly finished and with little software but especially with a less complete card.
And that it will gradually improve afterwards but that it will take another year to benefit from the most up-to-date model!

Why not? Why not? But much more explanation is needed to make an informed choice.
For example, regarding the initial map: how is it different from the ones that follow? What are the consequences for the use of consumer software? Can it be changed later?
Concerning software: will their update make it possible to have the most recent ones available even on the very first batch? For the last shipment it is specified “long-term support version”: does this mean that the software of the previous devices will not be supported in the long term? What does “PureOS Graphics Store Refined” mean?
Concerning mechanics: What exactly does “free” and “tighter” adjustment, alignment (of what?) “variable” mean? Milled" housing compared to “molded”? “Unfinished, handmade” caps?
Concerning web browsing: it is said that it will be improved in successive versions but what does “basic” browsing mean? It’s still an important feature! So, will it be upgradeable?

I must admit that I am a little disappointed, not because I would be of the “I want it now” type, but once again because my current phone has started to show signs of agony and also because after having promoted PURISM and Librem5 for almost two years and on the eve of making it a highlight of our stand on September 28, I will be embarrassed to announce all the above to people who will ask questions.
Moreover, as one of the lenders who pre-financed the project in the first ones, I find that we are finally treated less well than the buyers who let us “wipe” the casts off until 2020.

I therefore look forward to explanations.

Sincerely,
Patrick

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2

If you’re not logging in, do so and check your PMs please.

3

What do you mean you translated it? I see “Batch” and “Lot” used interchangeably but otherwise it looks like a copy/paste of what’s in the announcement.

I can’t speak to the hardware, but it seems the software will be much like a desktop Linux OS where you do a lot of things via the terminal and don’t have a GUI for some/many of your daily activities.

A big selling point of the phone is no planned obsolescence. I doubt they’d cut off updates to a phone for their earliest backers after 2 years of waiting.

It means you upgrade apps with pretty buttons from the PureOS store instead of going to the terminal and typing “sudo apt-get update && apt-get upgrade” (I believe that’s the command, it’s been years since I’ve used a distro with apt).

I do think Purism needs to explain the other points, but the ones I’ve answered seemed straightforward to me.

4

Thank you very much.
Patrick

5

I think this should help alleviate some of your concerns.

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