Just a note of consideration

[Pastor Jonathan]

I don't dispute or debate anything you said. I run Android (Barf) only because I have to. I am looking at another phone, but switching right now is not an option since I have a few other expenses. 

 

Don't get me wrong, Apple works. And works well. That is why it is popular. Between Google, MS, and Apple, Apple has a stronger commitment to privacy, but I would not assign them as being bullet proof on that. They have been doing some stuff that is questionable regarding that as well, it is just little bits. However, as you correctly pointed out, buying an apple you are in it for $800 starting (unless you get a great deal). 

 

But to me, I am very, very hard on equipment. As I sit here, I have my new (to me) laptop, my desktop, and my phone. That is the only technology I own. 

 

I have, on and in my desk, at this moment, two laptops that I have burnt out recently. A phone that I have fried. Two power cables that are now caput. 

 

At my home I have two other laptops that I have fried. My wife's old laptop that I "helped" fix...yeah, that was a long night. 

 

Two desktops, one I am not allowed to touch because I have destroyed so many, and one my wife uses and she forbid me to look at it. In fact, when I turned on my newest laptop she walked in and said, "Is that smoke I am smelling!" 

 

I have actually two IPads. One that I had a nice protective case on and I still managed to completely egg shell crack the case and screen. 

 

Our new one is tucked into a drawer and I am only allowed to keep it in the house. 

 

My kids each have a tablet and laptop. Tablet is I don't know what, and the laptop is Linux. 

 

All of that to say, for me, technology is an expendable item that I am not ready to drop major money on because I will get at best, maybe 5 years out of it. 

 

For those who can keep their stuff running, great! We had to replace two computers here at the church since I have been here. Bet you can't guess why , LOL! So, for me, I look for cheap that will last me five years. If I can, I got my money worth, LOL. 

 

I don't use a smart watch because I can only imagine how that would look after a day. Instead I sport a very functionable Cascio G-Shock. It has been put through the ringer and keeps on ticking (Did you know that it can handle being smashed on rocks in rapids in a river?). I guess I am hard on EVERYTHING I own (don't get me started with my bicycles, and my truck)!

 

But, for Linux, unless you are using special tools, it can run as a daily driver. I use Linux as a daily driver and am pretty happy how I have been learning how to function with it. Of course, I do have to make some work arounds, and that can get frustrating when it takes almost all day to get it to work, but when I get it, I know how to do it and love it. 

 

So you do not hear me debating you, but as I started out saying, between the MS and IoS, Linux users truly are a second rate user. But not because we are whining or complaining, but just to keep everything into perspective. That is all I am saying. 

 

Don't know if that makes sense and I am not wanting to sound like I am arguing. 

[Pastor Jonathan]

Great! Single handedly bringing a company down into the red!

 

 

As for the blurring, I have noticed that, and I am glad to see it happening as well. 

 

It is bringing a good attention to the ability of Linux and I think it will help with the economics of Linux and maybe will drive more to go that way. 

[Donald Cobb]

13 hours ago, john_2022 said:

 

And most people know Android is Google, who makes their money by capturing and selling your personal information. When you have an Android phone you don't have to worry about spyware infecting your phone. It came preinstalled with spyware.

 

 

😂

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

I primarily use Apple devices (Macs, an iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV). I keep a Windows PC around for testing purposes, and I don’t have any Android hardware yet. I gave away my AirPods, HomePods, and Apple Watch since I didn’t want to keep messing with them. I use wired EarPods, I eliminated a smart speaker entirely, and I downgraded to a regular watch from Israel. 

 

I don’t 100% use all of Apple’s services. I had issues with iCloud Drive syncing, so I’ve moved to Dropbox. I also had issues with FaceTime. Been trying Skype but now having issues with it. About to try “Brave Talk”. I use iCloud Mail outbound for Mail Drop (I really like Mail Drop), but inbound mail has had a ton of spam on it, so I route it through my spam filter on my hosted email account so I can do server-side blocking. I recently moved Notes to OneNote for the better syncing between Mac and Windows. I use Waze and Google Maps over Apple Maps (after Apple literally put my street through my house, I was uncomfortable about using it). I’m trying Google Assistant on my iPhone for conversions since I can’t get Siri to perform basic stuff. I use other weather apps besides Apple weather since I work for a weather company and have better stuff. I was using Apple Books, but I’m pivoting to ChristianBook Reader and Barnes & Noble Nook (for stuff not in Accordance) since the files could be sent to an eInk reader if I needed to. I’m only paying for iCloud storage since I don’t need the other services (I get Apple TV+ included with T-Mobile). I was using Private Relay but have been having some issues with it. Trying Quad9 for home DNS, and I re-signed up for a free plan to ProtonVPN if I really need VPN (which is infrequent). I don’t use Apple News since I subscribe to a newsletter from my former governor, and that’s about the extent of my news.

 

So while I love Apple hardware and in general like macOS/iOS, Apple’s services are still a little weak where everything isn’t “just working” for me. I’ve still had to dip into a handful of third party services.

 

I enjoyed my Linux PC when I had it, and I like the idea of Linux. For the time being, it isn’t where it needs to be for me to use it as my daily driver. I really gave it all I got in order to try it. For now, my daily driver is Mac (plus Windows on the side), although I’m willing to venture outside of Apple’s ecosystem where certain services don’t work well for me.

[Erhard]

I must be the odd ball, I had a Mac-book pro about 12 years ago. I could never get the mouse to go at the speed I wanted it to. It would not run most of the programs that I needed and did not do well with trying to run Windows on it. It was about the only computer I have had that failed. The video card and some other things went on it. The battery bulged. Everything on it was backwards compared to my PCs.  Needless to say, I have not bought any more Apple computers. I use business class Lenovo Thinkpads and some older Toshiba Tecras. About the worst thing on those has been on one of the older ones, the hard drive went. I put in a new 500GB SSD ($80.00CDN) and it works great. I have a Samsung S22 and it works good to. I like the Phone link feature where you can be at your computer and use it to do the text messages. I use Sync for syncing my files and Microsoft Teams works good for what I do in terms of video conferencing. I really like my Logitech blue tooth headphones. Good sound and I am  not tied to the computer. Most of what I do is always on the computer, I like my big multiple screens along with the keyboard and mouse.

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

For Windows PCs, I’m having good luck with HP. I bought a Toshiba for one of my workers once when I had my own IT firm, and she used the thing until it literally died. 

 

I haven’t had a ton of luck with MacBook Pros, but my 2006 PowerBook still boots up!

[Pastor Jonathan]

21 hours ago, Nathan Parker said:

I enjoyed my Linux PC when I had it, and I like the idea of Linux. For the time being, it isn’t where it needs to be for me to use it as my daily driver. I really gave it all I got in order to try it. For now, my daily driver is Mac (plus Windows on the side), although I’m willing to venture outside of Apple’s ecosystem where certain services don’t work well for me.

No, and I would say that specialized stuff that is needed, Linux may not be the running OS for everyone. I know you put a lot of work in it and did your best, and I appreciate that because some of those areas are not anywhere close to my wheel house regarding the program side. Mark  and R. Mansfield shared some of their tools needed, and I agree. Linux may not be the best for them. 

 

And I also agree that not everyone gets sucked into the full IoS life. But many do and honestly, if I could find a phone that is not Apple, Google, or MS, I would jump on it. I have tried two so far (Punkt, and Light Phone). Punkt I actually bought and the call was hit or miss and the text was more miss than not. Great concept, not good on execution.

 

I then thought I was going to get Light Phone II but that is a buy it to see if it works, and, by the way, no returns if it doesn't. That did not instill a lot of confidence in wanting to throw down $400 for the phone when I am already not flushed with cash now. 

 

I have found one called Techless, and that seems promising and it works with my carrier. But again, money is going to finish up my truck (getting the last of the rust squared away in two months). 

 

All that to say, I hear what everyone is saying. Apple, MS, etc. Get it and use Accordance. 

 

For me and many like me who do nto want to be trapped into an "expected" OS, I chose neither. I know, it is a choice, but a choice that puts me and millions of others like me in what would be classified as a "secondary". I understand that, and I expect and accept that. I use a watch for just telling me the time (I have gotten so used to it that I don't even think about my phone having the time on it either). I have a phone that has as much Google shut off as possible. I have two Linux machines. And books. Lots of books. I tell my family, between the public library near me and what I have, my personal library (with some 300 volumes) to me is much more enthralling than the Public Library because I have built it. 

 

I digress though. 

 

My initial post was to help smooth over some of the comments from those on both IoS and MS who are saying they feel left out or they are being ignored. They aren't. In the general scheme of things, Linux is just happy if we get something. Just a thought to keep in mind. That is all I was saying. 

 

Everyone has to make the choices of the OS that suits them best. For me, I don't like the feeling of being trapped or corralled into an expected mold and Linux breaks that. 

 

Again, these are just my .02 thoughts (probably only worth .01) but I don't want people to get frustrated and angry which is not part of the fruit of the Spirit. 

 

That is why I posted what I did. I guess I just had a pastoral hat on in that moment. 

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

I tried the Techless phone. It’s basically a Motorola phone that they’ve installed their own locked down variant of Android that can only make calls, send texts, and a few other things. It’s decent if you’re giving a phone to a child for the first time and don’t want them exposed to many apps and the web yet. It’s not a fully functional smartphone, so you’re never going to be able to run a Bible app on it or do basic smartphone functionality.

 

I’m impressed at how much you’ve been able to do with Linux. You’ve been quite a Linux pioneer on here, and your efforts with it have been great.

[Pastor Jonathan]

9 minutes ago, Nathan Parker said:

I tried the Techless phone. It’s basically a Motorola phone that they’ve installed their own locked down variant of Android that can only make calls, send texts, and a few other things. It’s decent if you’re giving a phone to a child for the first time and don’t want them exposed to many apps and the web yet. It’s not a fully functional smartphone, so you’re never going to be able to run a Bible app on it or do basic smartphone functionality.

 

I’m impressed at how much you’ve been able to do with Linux. You’ve been quite a Linux pioneer on here, and your efforts with it have been great.

Correct. Sometimes the Smart Phone becomes a weight that just hangs around my neck. I went two weeks without a smart phone, and while I missed having my calendar, Sessions, Signal, and a few other apps, there was one thing I discovered. 

 

I felt free-er! I was not always checking the phone or reading or just goofing off. I actually felt myself being released a little more. Smart Phones have been starting to feel like a lock that just becomes a burden. 

 

I don't know if you felt that way as well, but it was an amazing discovery. 

 

Thank you for the kind words. I am not sure how much I have been able to help other than sharing how I got it to work using the VM and what kind of system I have running. The real victory would be getting Accordance to work Natively but you did more than I could, so more appreciation should go your way than mine. 

 

I don't mind, however, trying to help anyone using Linux to help any way I can. I may not be able to answer quickly but I will try to find an answer. 

 

Thanks. 

[Erhard]

29 minutes ago, Pastor Jonathan said:

Sometimes the Smart Phone becomes a weight that just hangs around my neck. I went two weeks without a smart phone, and while I missed having my calendar, Sessions, Signal, and a few other apps, there was one thing I discovered. 

 

I felt free-er!

For me, the phone was primarily for work. When I shut my company down, and the phone battery bulged, I just went without one for a couple of years. That was really quite nice. Last year a friend of mine asked me to help with a larger project he was doing, so I have one again. It is still primarily a work phone even though I have Accordance on it, I much prefer my computer.

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

I would love to ditch a smartphone and go with a Techless phone or even flip phone, but I need a smartphone for work, both Accordance and my other job. I need to test Accordance for iOS, plus some of Accordance’s internal stuff have apps I need to monitor away from my desk. My other job also has critical apps that I need to test/use on a smartphone. 

 

What I did instead of dropping the smartphone was read Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism and look for ways to be less enslaved to the smartphone. I periodically go through and remove apps and cancel services I don’t need, and if I have two apps performing duplicate duty, I try to whittle them down to one app when I can. That’s not always possible, but in the instances where two apps have overlap, I try to use each app for a different reason. Giving up social media, scaling back on my news, and disabling all but critical notifications have helped.

 

I also ditched the smartwatch. I thought it would cause me to use my phone less by having notifications on my wrist, but all it did was cause me to interact with it more, plus run to my phone faster. I downgraded to a beautiful watch made in Israel, and I love it. It was a fraction of the cost of an Apple Watch, and I hope it’ll last me for life.

[Pastor Jonathan]

On 4/7/2023 at 3:22 PM, Erhard said:

For me, the phone was primarily for work. When I shut my company down, and the phone battery bulged, I just went without one for a couple of years. That was really quite nice. Last year a friend of mine asked me to help with a larger project he was doing, so I have one again. It is still primarily a work phone even though I have Accordance on it, I much prefer my computer.

Agree. I tried a few and while I missed using a couple of my texting apps, as well as my shared calendar (I live with that thing), I really loved not having it. 

[Pastor Jonathan]

On 4/7/2023 at 9:41 PM, Nathan Parker said:

I would love to ditch a smartphone and go with a Techless phone or even flip phone, but I need a smartphone for work, both Accordance and my other job. I need to test Accordance for iOS, plus some of Accordance’s internal stuff have apps I need to monitor away from my desk. My other job also has critical apps that I need to test/use on a smartphone. 

 

What I did instead of dropping the smartphone was read Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism and look for ways to be less enslaved to the smartphone. I periodically go through and remove apps and cancel services I don’t need, and if I have two apps performing duplicate duty, I try to whittle them down to one app when I can. That’s not always possible, but in the instances where two apps have overlap, I try to use each app for a different reason. Giving up social media, scaling back on my news, and disabling all but critical notifications have helped.

 

I also ditched the smartwatch. I thought it would cause me to use my phone less by having notifications on my wrist, but all it did was cause me to interact with it more, plus run to my phone faster. I downgraded to a beautiful watch made in Israel, and I love it. It was a fraction of the cost of an Apple Watch, and I hope it’ll last me for life.

I am leaning toward that but that is a hefty purchase and with little guarantee. That is why cheap phones work for me because if it breaks, who cares. Before they brought this 5G stuff in (which I am not sure how I feel about it yet), I was buying the $20-30 phones from the local store. Worked and did what I needed. If it broke in a few months, ok. 

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

Yep, before VOLTE, I could replace my mother’s flip phone for $30. Now it’s $100. Who I really feel sorry for is the person I know who stocked up on $30 flip phones. None of them work now.

[Erhard]

I have kind of gone the other way. Cheap stuff does not last, so I get something good and it lasts a long time. I have business class computers that are 10 years old and going strong. I just keep the apps that I need and leave the rest. As far as the phones go, I needed the smart phone for work and they have always lasted me for many years. I have double protection for them - an Otter box and another case to put that in to keep them from getting damaged.

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

The “Tesla phone” sounds interesting, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Right now it’s just in his imagination.

 

People are geeking around with Linux phones, but it’s not near ready for consumer use.

[Pastor Jonathan]

On 4/14/2023 at 3:01 PM, john_2022 said:

The Tesla phone is supposed to make Apple and Android obsolete.

 

Microsoft phones have always flopped.

 

Isn’t Linux phone still available?

 

I saw the Tesla phone, but not sure if that is what I am wanting. I can imagine it would be high tech, and also integrate with his cars, but I also am very much anti forced EV's. If someone wants one, great. But give me my V8 if I want it as well. To me, a good old V8 in my truck is the combination of work, play, and just American goodness. But I would digress from our topic at hand if I go any further. 

 

I never had a MS phone, but I heard someone call Microsoft, Microflop , and I couldn't argue. So I have avoided that as well. 

 

Linux has tried several attempts at it. Some of the more successful is the /e phones, or the Purism phones, but we are back up to several hundred to several thousands. Knowing me, that will be just what happens. Buy one and two days later a cracked screen, LOL!

 

Pine Phone is the closest, but I have a friend that has one and he said it is not ready for prime time at all. Great concept, but not there yet. 

[Pastor Jonathan]

On 4/11/2023 at 3:20 PM, Nathan Parker said:

Yep, before VOLTE, I could replace my mother’s flip phone for $30. Now it’s $100. Who I really feel sorry for is the person I know who stocked up on $30 flip phones. None of them work now.

That's a bummer.

[Pastor Jonathan]

On 4/14/2023 at 10:43 AM, Erhard said:

I have kind of gone the other way. Cheap stuff does not last, so I get something good and it lasts a long time. I have business class computers that are 10 years old and going strong. I just keep the apps that I need and leave the rest. As far as the phones go, I needed the smart phone for work and they have always lasted me for many years. I have double protection for them - an Otter box and another case to put that in to keep them from getting damaged.

I use a case called Poetic. They are pretty sturdy and built like Otter box. But they make the cases for the lesser named phones. I use a Samsung A12. They had a case for it.