New PinePhone Pro, been using Linux since Red Hat 1.1, Unix in some flavor or another since 1988 or so, professionally. DELIGHTED to get a phone that’s FINALLY not googlefied, or otherwise a corporate grab on my data. Yay!
FAR from my first tech-forum posting, I figure maybe a narrative form works well for this one.
I checked out the online forums and nobody on any PPP forum I found uses Sailfish, but I figured I’d give it a try, maybe “dual boot,” or such. Better bone up, found talk of devel-sudo. OK… I’m gonna need root.
Phone arrives, GREAT! After waiting 7 hours charging, light still blinking, I got impatient and booted it.
No need for tow-boot, a version of u-boot is now standard delivery on all new PPPs! YAY! Found the logo! So, lets try the u-boot menu?!
No joy. Just sits there “forever.” I gave up. … OK, try whatever this first entry is, references a partition. Try that. Sailfish?! Hmmm…
I wasn’t sure what it was at first. OH, Language! Got it… But when it came to whatever it calls the security code you want to protect the phone I didn’t find an “enter” key, “return,” nothing that told me this is what you do, so I skipped it figuring I can add it later. (You can.) But this wasn’t a good sign. (design bug? Opportunity for improvement?)
Went through the tutorial, time for something serious, gotta get to root.
I’m turned down time and again, even after I figured out how to add the security code. Look online.
I found something about using ssh to get around an su issue, so sure, I want to use it anyway, and while in there I found what sure seemed like it was saying I’m now setting the root password for developer mode! YAY! I’m FINALLY going to get somewhere!
But oops! Cat in lap! Cat owners know about this problem - dog owners too, probably! - and tap! Oh crap?! An accidental tap on something, I think it just said “developer mode”, and the next thing I know it’s saying it’s DELETING DEVELOPER MODE?!
At least I think that’s what it was saying - newbie, remember?
The phone started to freak out as I’m trying to get back in there and turn it on again! Just trying to use the basic user interface to go up and down (scrolling) is instead shifting the whole frame left or right through settings and things are disappearing. Accounts? Whatever, until there was nothing left.
Reboot!
Nope. NOTHING works now. It instantly goes into permanent vibrate mode when trying to boot, but at least it does get back to the u-boot screen.
Bricked it on the first day.
But at least I can wipe it out and start over.
Whoever the fool was who decided we won’t let you into root but we will let you wipe out the entire operating system should be coached in good UI design! Can’t you at least offer “are you sure?!” type protection?! It was just an accidental bump!
NOT a good selling point for SailfishOS.
Will I try it again, or go to a distro I know better? IDK. But this is a real pity because I saw a lot to like about Sailfish.