We have all come across situations where something on (any) OS suddenly stops working (properly), only to be fixed by clearing the cache.
The real problem with SailfishOS occurs when a user cannot access the Utilities app in Settings. If things have become so bad that the user interface itself won’t boot, or if a corrupted cache causes a boot loop, a frozen UI, or severe system lag, the user cannot reach the very tool designed to fix it. A hardware-triggered shortcut is the only reliable way to resolve these issues when the graphical environment becomes unreachable.
well user-space system caches that are the usual suspects (mainly most anything in ~/.cache/ and /var/cache/*)
why not Recovery Mode? well that’s factory wipe solution, also if you cant access the UI which means you need PC and know how to use command-lines which is not mainstream end-user friendly AT ALL.
This is a soft-reset solution, a middle-ground which is needed for mainstream users when they have major issues
I have never heard of people needing to clear those manually with SFOS - nor is this a thing in Utilities.
Please provide references to why you say this is a thing. I think you are imagining things.
It is not only about wiping.
Yes, it is not user friendly - but you also have a lot of capabilities. If what you describe is a thing, the first step would be to put it in the recovery menu - but it isn’t there either iirc.
I’m not here to argue about a basic software issue that plagues every OS (mobile and desktop). That’s exactly why even Apple has this kind of feature on their phones.
This is like asking for a physical backup key for an electric car so you can still open the door when the battery is dead.
The counter-argument seems to be: “We don’t need it because you can already open the door another way” — a way that is difficult, inconvenient and not practical when all you want is simply to open the door.
Normal users often won’t even realise what the real problem is, while more technical people will know how to fix it (and usually that ends up being a full factory reset). Keep in mind that Sailfish OS currently doesn’t have that many non-technical users… yet.
Also this isn’t a FOSS democracy where every feature has to be endlessly debated, or where you have to implement it yourself if you want it. Sailfish OS is a Jolla product, and ultimately it’s up to them whether and how they implement the feature.
Sorry; but you are being way too vague about what this supposed magic button would actually do.
The Apple feature seems to be forcing restart (only!), and that we already have, at least on the Xperias.
I’m not interested, either, in debating how to access it - but what exactly it is meant to do is really rather important to your suggestion.
clearing cache is mostly a placebo… sure… you have edge cases, but those are few.. i have used sailfish os since 2015 and have NEVER “fixed the OS” by clearing cache.