So long, and thanks for all the fish

General
#1

I am sorry to say that I am leaving this community now. I have been involved since the earliest days of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet (Maemo) and have had a lot of fun, made some contributions myself, and greatly appreciate the efforts of all who have been involved in Maemo, Meego, Mer, Sailfish and Jolla, through ups and downs.

Unfortunately we seem to have lost the battles to create an open phone platform, attractive enough to app developers and users (who are the ones who make or break a platform by their mutual dependency) and open enough to have a strong community of developers to support the manufacturer/software developer. It is great that we lasted (a lot) longer than Microsoft, and that some efforts continue but I am giving up. My Jolla C is failing and more and more of my life requires apps that are only available on Android or Apple and will never be available on other platforms, whether Sailfish, some other Linux platform, or even on Android derivatives like /e/ or LineageOS, let alone true FOSS like Replicant.

I am not going to criticise Nokia, Jolla or any of the community leaders who have taken us this far. We had a good go!

In case anyone is interested: I have ordered an iPhone. I am hoping that Apple, who have made privacy a part of their commercial message, are at least better than Google in that aspect. They seem to understand that some people are willing to pay a price premium to not be the product and have more control than Google allows. Not that I am recommending Apple to anyone else - both Apple and Google are companies I would prefer not to do business with.

So long. Thanks for everything. And best of luck to Jolla and the whole community.

17 Likes
#2

Godspeed! And might your road cross SFOS again :slight_smile:

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#3

Welcome in the walled garden.

1 Like
#4

Sailfish is my daily phone for about 6 years. Besides that I use an ipad mini. Apple products are working perfectly, but I find the system annoying and boring. Too many features that I don’t want, no freedom to change things, no freedom to download pdf’s, files other than in Apple’s cloud, etc. For a nice indie game however the ipad is fine.

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#5

Probably true that Apple is privacy safer than Google, although Apple Analytics knows a lot about you… But if you use Siri e.g. you can never be certain if Apple employees are listening too.

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#6

I am feeling sad, but do understand your rationale.
I really hope you get soon bored with that bitten fruit and get another Sailfish device as private phone (leaving the other thing home or in the office).
And that you will not forget about us and stay in touch or even better return.

Farewell

2 Likes
#7

I also feel sad! If you need some apps or things, Sailfish can’t do, why not use two phones? I agree with you, that the Apple user experience is more stress free than Android, and also have the feeling, data safety may be better than with Android…

I used a Xperia XA2 as I started with SFOS abt. 1 1/2 years ago, then in Feb. 2020 I changed to a Xperia 10 Dual SIM and sold the old XA2. I always saw this as my ‘experimental phone’, and had a second one (simple Nokia 35 Euro no smartphone) as a reliable device to be reachable in all situations.

Maybe you decide at least to keep your Sailfish phone as a second device and stay with us!

Best wishes!

2 Likes
#8

I agree with you, that the Apple user experience is more stress free than Android,

Stress free? Every time I touch an Apple device I find there is something I would like to do but I cannot because the damn “device for idiots” won’t allow it. There’s nothing more stressing for a power user than an Apple device.

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#9

That’s exactly how I feel. I’m always astonished how an Apple worshipping friend is holding on to her device that is so limited and awkward to use.
Why on earth is somebody paying so much for a phone you can’t even ssh into?

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#10

Most people don’t know what is ssh and doesn’t need it.

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#11

Could be, there are enough computer illiterate people out there, It’s just that I don’ have to deal with them that often.

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#12

That’s exactly my response to people who are asking me why I’m using Sailfish-phone. Nobody understands, but that’s exactly the point - I have my reasons, which might not be that obvious to average John/Jane Doe.

For practical reasons my work phone is some iPhone model. For work related things I really don’t want to hack anything. Of course having two phones makes people to make jokes that I use one for calling and one for receiving calls.

Best of luck to @grahamcobb with Apple world. It has it’s ups & downs.

7 Likes
#13

There is a whole plethora of reasons, may be privacy, ease of use for old Unix nerds like me or just pure curiosity. It does not have to be the same reason for everyone.
That’s also the beauty of having a choice. Like not everyone wants to become an investment banker despite them making reasonable amounts of money. People have their reasons to stay in their gated communities and that’s fine, it’s just that if there is just a fraction of us who would like to venture out into the wild this longing should not be easily dismissed, just because the majority may be too afraid to set foot outside their walls.

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#14

I never had an Android or IOs device. Because I was always convinced that when I paid for a device, I would also like to have control over the device.
I have no understanding of the fact that I have to purchase something and then be told what I can - or may do with it. It is this external regulation that I do not want to accept. I am also not interested in my car telling me when to do the next oil change. The car is mine and I want to determine whether the cart gets fresh oil or not - not the other way around.
As far as I know, I can’t even copy data to my computer with an iPhone without using the appropriate software that enables me to do so.
This is where my understanding and acceptance ends. The device belongs to me … and I would like to be the boss … at least I want to believe this, but I also know that this is getting more and more difficult, If want to use modern technology.
Therefore I am very grateful that Jolla and Sailfish exist in this world.

14 Likes
#15

“This community that we have, that we’re building, that does so much, has to grow. We can’t compete with Apple, we can’t compete with Google, directly, in the field of resources. What we can eventually do is head count and heart count. We can compete on the ground of ideology because ours is better.” Edward Snowden 2016

Be free. Use free and open-source sofwares. This is the future.
I will remain a Sailfish OS user… See You again!

8 Likes
#16

I’m also that old fashioned to want to actually own things I’ve paid for. Best also to understand ,at least to some extent, what they’re doing and how I’m able to influence that should I have to.
See “right to repair”. Selling out ones principles to big corporations for a little bit of (dubious) convenience would probably be the last thing I consider.

9 Likes
#17

Thank you Graham for all the energy you’ve put into the community over the years. I still have my N800 ‘nearby’ :smile:

It’s been a tough time and the grind does take its toll. I’ve come close to giving up so I do relate to your position.

It’s sad to see you go but I wish you well on your journey :sunglasses:

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#18

I have to confess that SailfishOS is the worst mobile system on earth, with the exception of all other ones. In other words, I didn’t leave the boat yet, because there is no other safe ship around. But as soon there is one with the spirit of early Jolla days (maybe a Jolla revival?), I will.

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#19

I’m sorry you’re going, but wish you well and much enjoyment on your journey with other platforms. Maybe at some point in the future you’ll return and share your experiences?!

And I’m happy to say my experience is a little different. Sailfish moves forwards and using it still gives me a buzz.

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#20

To be honest: I still miss some important features in Sailfish. When I want to.share an.article from.the Guardian in Piepmatz, I have to grab that ipad. Mirroring to tv is not possible, so we still use Appletv streaming (Airplay). Onthe other hand: user interface on a Jolla is easier, more intuitive. I wished there was more progress for ordinary users. But I have to admit that Sailfish really has grown into an elegant OS during the last years. Wish you luck with with the iphone.

1 Like