using the command line doesn’t tell you how an OS works, it is just an interface. if you need to know how linux works, then you have documentation, blogs, code, books and manuals to read and videos to watch.
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True, but it helps ME to figure out how some things work on my L5.
I’m not interrested in how Linux in generally works,
I want to learn how this Linux flavour (PureOS) works on my L5.
I realize I’m being off topic with my remark, so let’s go back to “The travails of updating and reflashing”.
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AFAIK, Google makes almost 0 profit from selling their phone hardware. Their revenue is dominated by the advertising dollars, cloud storage, and their cut of play store from using Google Apps (gmail, gdrive, …). My getting a Pixel at 1/2 of MSRP might even be a loss for them, so maybe I’m financially hurting Google 
It was completely on-topic to your assertion that someone who uses a phone with non-FOSS drivers doesn’t “take … privacy seriously”. The only person who would make that assertion is someone with a completely different threat model than me.
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All of the following are just my opinions based on what little experience I’ve had with L5, and other hardware and is a ramble-on not a rant. It’s not important.
I don’t even know what, nor care about what a “DFU” is. People I know, one for another example, picked up her Samsung A23 and has never had to resort to searching the internet nor the Google catalog. Was able to use it to make calls, separate groups, a share folder w/ family and a another for business. Pay with it, play with it and play music, watch videos… without mush hassle.
Downsizing the difference between L5 and the two monopoly-phones, to me, is comparing the USS Nimitz to a kayak. Sorry, but as much as I respect your knowledge, the L5, from many other’s post here, and elsewhere online, the L5 doesn’t cut it.
If all the pro-privacy works, it is by that alone that the L5 exceeds it’s use over the others. But one must be prepared to run the gauntlet now and then and heed the caveats.
The L5 I have, was a gift/bonus for a friend/co-worker who graciously refused it. I said I would try it. He said …‘and then you’ll know why.’
[sidebar] Just a mention having read some stats last night, several people in the U.S. have been pulled over by police, and when told to get out of the car, they victim automatically reached for their phone. It’s a habit. The habit has cost a few some serious bullet wounds, and death. Be careful when getting out of the car OK!
[/sidebar]
As I said before, I tried the S23, and A8 and found them to be much easier to navigate, slide is fantastic. Slides down down left right without needing 2-4 tries. When swiping they don’t load up a lot of other apps. When wanting to install something I tap, tap OK, done. I an’t get any software without learning what a flatpak is, the where to get to the command prompt and what to type in.
I prefer Amber, I think as it went south to be replaced, it almost reached near perfect use. The old Microsoft way of ‘If it works, fix it’ applies everywhere, and we’ll skip the part about improved technology. IMO, the only thing that is improved is the stalking built in to them, and few bells and whistles. Where would the industry be without upgrading?
Apple has always been extreme with ‘proprietary’ and wanting to be the leader. Today, I think the leader is the one with the best offer of service and low price - usability comes second.
I’d love to see L5 and other products here become number one 
.
Some folk here can spout command line prompts as if they ate the book and that is great because they can help and are very good at it. In exchange, I teach them tolerance-toward-noobs 
L5 has a way to go still. And after I switched to Byzantium (Biz), I see Crimson is now being worked on. That means Byz shares it’s fixes, updates, upgrades improvement with Crimson. Slower turn-a-round times with fixes. Example, just how much interest have the kahunas of PureOS Store (the store with all the apps) in fixing it? Is anyone in a hurry to get it rolling? I doubt it. Not after I’m told I could use the command prompt.
If those proverbial ‘they’ want to be # 3 as phone choice, ‘they’ will have to do better - much better. Ads don’t improve anything.
~s
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Response are my opinions and only useful for wiling away the hours.
I think everyone knows that C/lines don’t tell how an OS works.
Not sure what your point is there. I see the old way, that the GUI is the interface to the OS making using command prompts easier.
i.e. c: del c:/windows/*.* /q (to visitors here - don’t do this at home - we’re professionals - we watch YouTube)
But MY point is, one shouldn’t have to learn when comparing other phones to L5.
If everyone with a cell had to spend a inordinate amount of time trudging through all the “documentation, blogs, code, books and manuals to read and videos” to install a program. Do you think if that were made obvious in all the ads that people would want that device?
To most that want a cell, their path of lease resistance is price, plus what friends and family suggest or because they are 12 years and older already knowing what a cell is, does how-to, will just want the upgrade.
Today, most people know how to use the monopoly two. They know they are stalked, but need the cell more than an inmate does so they give up their rights to privacy in exchange for simplicity and convenience.
Make the L5 do what the others can do - KISS, but with protection from the SMIRC’ers. Stalk + Monitor + Inject code + Record = Control.
~s
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I doubt it too - given that it has been troublesome for 3 years.
Maybe that’s a legitimate judgement about customers i.e. the majority of our customers at this time are comfortable using the command line to apply updates / install new packages / uninstall packages.
Maybe it’s just a call on priorities i.e. more important to get a GUI camera app working than get a GUI update app working because it’s a damn sight harder to take a photo from the command line.
The way I see it, mobile Linux today is where desktop / laptop Linux was, say, 15 years ago. These days it is possible to use Linux on desktop / laptop and never or almost never go anywhere near the command line. That’s what Mrs Wade does (she isn’t an IT person). I’m not suggesting that it will take 15 years to get mobile Linux to that point - because of the work that has already been done on desktop Linux. But it will take more $$.
As far as I know, DFU mode is something specific to the iPhone i.e. does not apply to Android. Maybe there is something equivalent in Android-world however.
The thing is: You won’t care until you do (if you had an iPhone).
Fairly obviously the confinement models that are possible and available for applications are different from those that are possible and available for device drivers. That’s all I meant.
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I’m confident that a lot of people look at the L5 as their way to freedom and privacy but they are stuck in that lease resistance path.
The 5, IMO must include what the other devices do, KISS. Keep It Stupid Simple, not Simple Stupid as some might interpret it.
For what the L5 does, what the ads told me, and I fell for the lease resistance myself and bought a spot in the queue and here it is. The prices now are similar to the other 2 but easy, no.
Again, just my opinion.
~s
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i was making a response to someone who said “I do not know that much about the OS. Using the command line is, for me, a great opportunity to learn more about it.”.
i don’t think people need to read documentation, code or manuals to install a program especially when the company advertises their device for parents.
i made a comment in another thread asking if purism have a gui app to inform users of available upgrades like how ubuntu does.
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Actually, there is: PureOS Store. That app does inform you about updates/upgrades.
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i know that you can use it for updates, can you use it to upgrade to something like crimson ?
in ubuntu last time i used it, a gui app would pop up and tell you that you can upgrade to a newer version of ubuntu.
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To be honest: I don’t think so ATM, because you need to flash the L5 for getting Crimson.
Maybe in the future it will.
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To elaborate further, even if you choose to upgrade major version in place, PureOS Store does not tell you about that option when it is available.
This is different from the way Ubuntu works.
Ubuntu gives you three choices of setting:
- I will stay on my current major version forever i.e. never badger me about new major versions.
- I will stay on my current major version until the next LTS major version is available to in place upgrade to. (So this means major version change every 2 years - and the major version increases by 4 once you are on an LTS version.)
- I will stay on my current major version until the next major version is available to in place upgrade to. (So this means major version change every 6 months.)
So the above is more polished than PureOS at the moment.
For all three scenarios there is an independent setting regarding updates to your current major version i.e. security and other updates that keep the major version the same. (This is basically the same as PureOS or indeed most other distros.)
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If only the “PureOS Store” wasn’t on a extended vacation, or quit, or was fired or was on fire… or what ever, it still won’t list products for me even post flashing.
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You can add the Flathub repository to see more updated apps than what the default pureos-store has:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
Restart your phone after, then open the PureOS Store.
No difference. I open the store, and I see the top slider box showing some wares. There are the 6 coloured boxes with Create, Work etcetera. But when I open Work, for example, I get a single column with empty boxes, each with 3 dots in centre of each block. If I wait, each block disappears to a grayish background.
I tried another block and only 1 thing to show up was Pure Maps - nothing else. I clicked on PureMaps and the text was off side, but the map it showed as example was so small, it could fit on a dime. There was also that annoying WordPress fad of days long ago to use Dark grey fonts on a slightly darker background. Barely legible was a drop-down notice too stupid-dark to be legible but seemed to be a error. Only half of that dropdown notice was sort-of visible for about 3 seconds. That WP kiddie-koder GIGO that did that needs intervention. 
Everything is now off-side - too big or it’s mico-fonts.
I tried to take a screenshot, but the screenshot gui was offside too. Add to that, I flipped to horizontal and I could see micro-things, but no matter what, nothing would open, close, or do anything.
Back to vertical.
I opened the store again. Clicked “Learn” and waited - and waited and finally listed some files. Then after viewable for about 1 minute everything disappeared leaving a grey screen. It’s now frozen. Can’t get out of the “Learn” screen. I waited, then the Learn screen moved to the bottom right at 15th the size it was. I could move it around and finally close it so back to front-end/desktop/home what ever it’s called.
This piece of work is the spawn of Satan!
Another re-re-re-reflash I guess. Too bad we can’t write a bat file to auto-flash at every boot.
Whatever. Thanks @FranklyFlawless for trying. This patience-tester trap isn’t worth your time trying to fix it.
I asked support what the cost would be to send it back, fix the cursed thing, fully test it, and ship it back. I gave up expecting a answer. My experience plus the posts I read today, = The writing is on the wall.
Certainly doesn’t encourage crowdfunding or $500.00 USD per share(?)
~s
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I have no explanation why it does not work for you.
I have not the same experience.
I tried a few minutes ago the same as you did, and the screenshot shows what I see:
EDIT:
These are my preferences in pureos store:
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Why am I not surprised.
I had to hold the power button in to get back to the lock screen login and then hold it in until reboot because tap, click, or curse did nothing.
Just for fun, haven’t tried phoning anyone except for a try last year. It worked but device sounded horrible. This new try to my landline post flashes has the landline showing “Caller Blocked.” Un believable!
Yes, I’m certain it’s not the landline. I did a reboot of device, tried again, and still blocked. Can’t make outgoing calls post flashes.
Hilarious.
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I think you have tried everything you could try to get the L5 working (for at least the minimum functionality).
Since the problems with DHL have been gone, maybe it’s time to consider if sending the L5 in for repair is an option.
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I don’t know where the problematic DHL went, but shipping is cheap into U.S. but out of US is up to what Puri wants to use.
Been there - done that Feb 2.
In line up waiting for a response.
I need costs before I make a decision.
Turn around could be, from what I’ve seen, a very long time.
I’ll just have to continue waiting.
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