03-24-2025, 09:11 AM
(03-24-2025, 12:44 AM)Kevin Kofler Wrote: Use a better tool. BalenaEtcher should not be used anyway, because it is privacy-invading spyware.
What to use instead depends on the operating system you use on your computer, which you have not specified:
- On GNU/Linux, you have plenty of options. You can use dd from the CLI, or KDE ISO Image Writer, or GNOME Disks, etc.
- On Windows, if you insist on using that, try Rawrite32, it's simple (no Electron etc.), BSD-licensed, and free of ads and spyware.
- On macOS, if you insist on using that, you can use dd from the CLI, or possibly ports of the dd GUI frontends that you have on GNU/Linux.
in case of "dd" and balenaetcher, i recommend commading "sync" afterwards, preferebly as a root or using sudo. syncing may not happen in all cases.
(03-24-2025, 12:44 AM)Kevin Kofler Wrote: I wonder why there are any people at all interested in the PinePhone who do not run GNU/Linux on their computer. If you are willing to run it even on your phone, where it is a totally niche option, surely you should have switched your computer to it years ago considering the state of desktop vs. mobile GNU/Linux.
i may partially answer for this. i have used linux for years or is it decades at this point. but i'm also privacy advocate, which is additional argument for linux based operating systems. privacy wasn't my original reason why i started using linux.
windows 7 wasn't privacy nightmare. windows 10 started to have privacy issues and more in windows 11. if i take privacy as a point, windows is less worse than average android device. windows is still fixable, even it is difficult and tedious. that's why some people may use windows but seeking alternatives in smartphone world.
but linux distributions starting to be quite usable.