10-07-2020, 01:38 AM
It's probably a terrible idea to make this thread, but I feel like I should voice my thoughts. I'm imagining I'm going to get a lot of hate for this.
And please understand, I love the PinePhone, and I want nothing else but for it to succeed, but I don't like what I'm seeing on the software side right now.
I'm disheartened and concerned at the glacial pace of PinePhone software development, and I'm deeply surprised and disappointed that an actual Linux phone with shipping units isn't getting much, much more development love. A new SBC, sure, makes sense. Limited appeal. The first actual shipping Linux phone? Cmon.
I was always afraid that the PinePhone would end up as another poorly supported ARM board with half broken drivers. It's starting to look like that could turn out to be the fate of this device after all. Bringing back horrible memories of FriendlyARM SBCs.
I've wanted a phone that could run Linux since I was just 13 years old.
Now I have it, and call audio still cuts out, the phone won't always wake from sleep on incoming calls, I get duplicate texts out the wazoo, the screen flickers on wake among other issues, it's just tiring. I'm currently trapped on a months old kernel without proper wifi support because anything newer is unusable in multiple areas.
You'd expect progress to be visible, but with everything fixed, something else breaks.
I don't expect the UI to be polished, or for MMS to work, or for Anbox to run, or even for backlight control to work properly. I just think that after this many months, we should have the core functionality of a 2003 flip phone at a semi-stable place. Instead, I have to reset the modem several times a day because call audio will quit and outgoing calls disappear with no way to hang up, and some SMS messages just never arrive, ever.
I've done a small amount of work for the PinePhone, writing pplockd and patching kernel drivers until I get them usable in some cases, but I have contract work obligations and poor health, and I'm not too knowledgeable about the kernel's codebase or physical hardware interfaces, so it's hit and miss. I started writing a better calls app, then ran out of time to work on it.
I wonder if everyone else is having the same problem. A desire and ability to help but, no time or energy to do so? I suppose that's the curse of capitalism at work.
I wish Pine64 had the funds to hire one full-time experienced kernel developer, as that's what's really needed imho.
Thoughts?
And please understand, I love the PinePhone, and I want nothing else but for it to succeed, but I don't like what I'm seeing on the software side right now.
I'm disheartened and concerned at the glacial pace of PinePhone software development, and I'm deeply surprised and disappointed that an actual Linux phone with shipping units isn't getting much, much more development love. A new SBC, sure, makes sense. Limited appeal. The first actual shipping Linux phone? Cmon.
I was always afraid that the PinePhone would end up as another poorly supported ARM board with half broken drivers. It's starting to look like that could turn out to be the fate of this device after all. Bringing back horrible memories of FriendlyARM SBCs.
I've wanted a phone that could run Linux since I was just 13 years old.
Now I have it, and call audio still cuts out, the phone won't always wake from sleep on incoming calls, I get duplicate texts out the wazoo, the screen flickers on wake among other issues, it's just tiring. I'm currently trapped on a months old kernel without proper wifi support because anything newer is unusable in multiple areas.
You'd expect progress to be visible, but with everything fixed, something else breaks.
I don't expect the UI to be polished, or for MMS to work, or for Anbox to run, or even for backlight control to work properly. I just think that after this many months, we should have the core functionality of a 2003 flip phone at a semi-stable place. Instead, I have to reset the modem several times a day because call audio will quit and outgoing calls disappear with no way to hang up, and some SMS messages just never arrive, ever.
I've done a small amount of work for the PinePhone, writing pplockd and patching kernel drivers until I get them usable in some cases, but I have contract work obligations and poor health, and I'm not too knowledgeable about the kernel's codebase or physical hardware interfaces, so it's hit and miss. I started writing a better calls app, then ran out of time to work on it.
I wonder if everyone else is having the same problem. A desire and ability to help but, no time or energy to do so? I suppose that's the curse of capitalism at work.
I wish Pine64 had the funds to hire one full-time experienced kernel developer, as that's what's really needed imho.
Thoughts?
