Looking for the "non-phone" OS

[wakyct]

Hi folks, I've had my PP for a while now, I've run Manjaro Plasma, PmOS Sxmo, and recently Mobian Phosh.

While I still like my PP and ssh'ing into my phone never gets old, lately I have to admit I don't really use it as a phone.

So I'm looking for the "non-phone" OS. The NonPhone perhaps. I've done some searching on this topic but haven't turned up anything yet.

The goal would be to write/modify apps for it, just not typical "phone apps" like a web browser, maps, messaging, etc. So I would still like a well performing UI, touch gestures, etc. Think of it as a mini computer with a touch screen.

What are my options?

[walter1950]

Hi folks, I've had my PP for a while now, I've run Manjaro Plasma, PmOS Sxmo, and recently Mobian Phosh.

While I still like my PP and ssh'ing into my phone never gets old, lately I have to admit I don't really use it as a phone.

So I'm looking for the "non-phone" OS. The NonPhone perhaps. I've done some searching on this topic but haven't turned up anything yet.

The goal would be to write/modify apps for it, just not typical "phone apps" like a web browser, maps, messaging, etc. So I would still like a well performing UI, touch gestures, etc. Think of it as a mini computer with a touch screen.

What are my options?

No Problem ;-)
https://thenophone.com/

[wakyct]

No Problem ;-)
https://thenophone.com/

OK, I feel like there's an opportunity here for the PP to win over some NoPhone Air users....

[zetabeta]

probably closest you can get, is taking operating system and switch user inteface something else, like xfce4, lxqt or etc. however, touchscreen is little annoying and you may have issues with wayland versus xorg. xorg may not work as intended. login screen needs to be modified into booting desired desktop environment.

i don't give specific instruction at the moment, but rough rule is like this. this is a moment when usb dongle is highly useful.

pick an o.s., like mobian.
install or modify login screen, maybe sddm, sddm may require a mouse input.
install wanted desktop environment, like lxqt.

o.s.'s vary for this but my order is following, (this my weak conclusion).
1. mobian testing.
2. arch linux (danct).
3. pmos.
4. manjaro.

[alaraajavamma]

Hi folks, I've had my PP for a while now, I've run Manjaro Plasma, PmOS Sxmo, and recently Mobian Phosh.

While I still like my PP and ssh'ing into my phone never gets old, lately I have to admit I don't really use it as a phone.

So I'm looking for the "non-phone" OS. The NonPhone perhaps. I've done some searching on this topic but haven't turned up anything yet.

The goal would be to write/modify apps for it, just not typical "phone apps" like a web browser, maps, messaging, etc. So I would still like a well performing UI, touch gestures, etc. Think of it as a mini computer with a touch screen.

What are my options?

I have read this message many times but I still don't understand what do you want

You have unlimited options if you don't mind to do the work but if you want "well performing UI and touch gestures" work even somehow out-of-the-box then just use some popular options (like mobian phosh) and remove all phone stuff?

[wakyct]

You have unlimited options if you don't mind to do the work but if you want "well performing UI and touch gestures" work even somehow out-of-the-box then just use some popular options (like mobian phosh) and remove all phone stuff?

Like @zetabeta was saying building on Mobian sounds like a plan, I guess I was wondering if there was a phone-shaped computer optimized base to build from cleanly -- maybe something from a Linux tablet OS? Not like there's a lot of those though.

I've never used a DE with a touch screen (other than the PP of course) so I don't have a good feel for which ones will be best to start with, if I don't use Phosh, Plasma, etcetera. I don't have anything against using Phosh but I was assuming it has a lot of phone assumptions baked in, that I wouldn't necessarily know how to remove.

[jakfish]

I've never even used a SIM with my PP/kb, so I share the OP's concerns. I use Manjaro Phosh, with an xfce desktop, and a Debian container for x-86 programs. So I have the flexibility of xfce, esp its panel, and can run my MS Word 97/HanDBase/npopUK email as I do on other computers. Slow starts to the x-86 apps, but once up-and-running, they use little of the cpu, and can be left to simmer in the background.

[MTXP]

Im with OP. I bought the phone specifically to become my mini PC and stream something via HDMI onto any TV I might get into contact with at work. Sadly no luck so far, especially with the HDMI that doesnt seem to be working in any OS in existence. As much as I also wanted to use this phone to finally get rid of Android phones, its way too unstable to work as a phone, so mini PC is the only big thing left and even that doesnt seem to work.

---

pick an o.s., like mobian.

Does mobian work with HDMI better than Arc? Cause Arc only works on my monitor at home but literally on nothing else. Its funny too because my monitor isnt even HDMI, its DVI with HDMI adapter.