I’ve been trying to get rid of my cellphone for awhile now. I switched to JMP.chat, I have Pidgin set up to make calls/texts, etc.

I use Trisquel GNU/Linux on my Libreboot laptop, my boss is fine with it.

My strategy looks something like this:

  • Use earpiece that’s connected via Bluetooth, have narrator software read out notifications (notifications from Microsoft Teams, Thunderbird, etc.)

  • Put laptop into sleep mode, maybe use a script to put it into a special sleep mode to make sure I’m connected to WiFi while walking around warehouse so I can receive calls/texts timely.

  • Forward all notifications from Teams to my email, so that I’m not relying on the web-based version to be open.

  • For travel on the road, I have a USB modem that’s connected to my LibreCMC router. I also have my laptop set up in my car on a stand.

Any suggestions?

TIA!

  • boredsquirrel
    5•7 months ago

    No, not suitable at all. I would be more interested in using my phone with GrapheneOS as only device.

    But:

    • mail filters work fine with my provider, not in K-9mail (fair-email gives me anxiety)
    • office stuff just sucks, Collabora is as big as Libreoffice but no GUI options
    • MPV is very barebones and VLC very far behind on updates
    • missing GIMP
    • missing PDF editing
    • missing video or audio editing
    • missing code editing
    • missing commandline stuff
    • no qbittorrent, Aria2 works but only for leeching, BiglyBT works but has a weird UI and restricted features
    • no browser with tab groups, containers, security, etc.

    But for a ton of other stuff a phone works very well

    • obvious one: small form factor
    • uses very little battery, awesome standby battery consumption
    • camera, audio, video recording
    • media consumption
      • offline (MPV, Gallery apps (why is this not a thing on desktops?), music players, antennapod)
      • online: grayjay, soundbound, antennapod, rimusic, …
    • messaging (simplex, signal, element, briar, …)
    • slight image editing (snapseed)
    • image compression (signal, save before sending, exit)
    • video cutting (signal, save before sending)
    • writing markdown (markor, acode)
    • weather
    • webapps
    • social media (jerboah, fedilab, …)
    • navigating (there is no OSMAnd alternative on Linux)

    In many areas there are way more apps for android, in many others way less.

      • @[email protected]
        3•7 months ago

        Yeah lemmie just pull out my laptop real quick outside this pub to find how to get back to my hotel.

        Aaaaand its gone

        • @[email protected]
          1•7 months ago

          Ask the barman the direction to the closest landmark? Grab a cab? Get a map from the hotel itself?

          I understand that walking around with a laptop isn’t for most but trying to think like OP here, I want to suggest that for their goal, habits can change. They are plenty of good solution beside a mobile phone to be able to get around.

          • boredsquirrel
            2•7 months ago

            Just pay a taxi driver LOL are you rich or something ? XD

            Back to paper maps with arbitrary POIs?

            With OSMand I can easily contribute to OSM too, add and edit POIs mainly.

      • boredsquirrel
        1•7 months ago

        damn a lot of nice things! Organic maps I tried, it is not at all comparable.

        OSMAnd does way more than routing, but I will have a look at their website, couldnt find it in the past.

        Didnt know that Marble has routing!