Status of the Librem 5

[dr_t]

That is unquestionably your prerogative.

[carlosgonz]

Yes Purism team is doing a pretty nice work on the L5, kernel 5.11 has big improvement.

[nhu]

Wonderful. I have been patient for more than three years but now I can’t wait to get hold of the phone :-).

[Corbeau]

@amosbatto

If you ordered in November 2019, you probably won’t get the phone until Q3 2021 or later, so I recommend buying another phone. Even if you get the Librem 5 tomorrow, it will take a while to get the Librem 5’s software to a state where it equals the functionality of your current smartphone, so it is a good idea to have another phone to use while the software on the Librem 5 is improved.

The Librem 5 will always get software updates and the battery and communications cards can be replaced, so it should have a very long lifespan, so there isn’t much risk to waiting for the software to improve, because the phone will still be good.

I ordered in the first of 2019. I am fine with waiting longer. I took your point about waiting and having another phone into consideration and have a cheap LG going while I wait.

One of the challenges I am going to try is to use the L5 as a daily driver after I receive it. Here is my thinking: we often think of technology as a ratcheting exercise. Once one becomes used to having a thing, we often don’t want to let the thing go.

I use my phone for telephone calls, Signal, MFA, and email in that order. Assuming the phone works - that leaves Signal (a potential real issue) and MFA as major considerations. If those hurdles can be overcome as I am not worried about email - that should be fine, I think I could rock the L5 as a daily driver.

Lots of ifs:
Phone has to work in my neck of the woods (bought the AweSIM to help with that)
Signal has to work (lots of uncertainty there)
MFA has to work (not a big concern there)
Email has to work (least of worries)

BUT, 9 months is a lot of time and these issues could be overcome. I understand that the human mind hates uncertainty and for those that have waited for YEARS, I totally understand. The phone’s promise - to hold in our hands a device closer to our libre hearts than anything we have ever held telephone wise, that’s real. I won’t lie if I didn’t sometimes think of my home as an eventual Purism home like those folks one encounters where everything, EVERYTHING is a Mac. Pure OS or Qubes for the wife, kids, and me. A little LibreOffice here, a little Python there. That’d be alright. I can dig it.

When I took part in the Kickstarter for the BattleChasers game, I made my contribution and then promptly forgot about it for years. I think I returned to claim my sponsorship items over a year after they had shipped. When it comes to Kickstarters, its perhaps a good idea to take that approach. Feeding the beast of anxious waiting seems like a lesson in misery.

Of course, I am a bit of a hypocrite though, because I totally can’t wait to get my L14.

Ne lâche rien, ça va aller.

[Jan2]

@mat8913

Meanwhile, I decided to put my $599 into Bitcoin. It increased in value by 1000%

hindsight If you really are so lucky with your investments why bother about a lousy $600?

[raenrfm]

It usually retraces 80% but it continues to rise. Buy the dip!

[admsjas]

I just converted what I had into USD and put it in the bank. Years ago right after bitcoin was created I signed up for a service that gave me the equivalent of $5 for signing up. That value from that time to now increased from $5 to $460, I hear a global currency reset is just around the corner so I’ll take my increase and put it to good use while I can. Ultimately both currencies don’t have any real backing but at least I can take it out of my bank and do more with it than leaving it as bitcoin. I wish you luck but I hope you don’t have to much invested out of pocket.