Isn’t Android Linux?

> > good Linux phone to free me from Apple altogether

> Isn’t Android Linux?

Yes, but it isn't good, especially not in the ways that desktop Linux is good.

Reminder: this thread is about avoiding anti-consumer behavior from manufacturers. Android is practically useless for that.

If you get an Android phone that can run something like GrapheneOS or Replicant, then wouldn't it be good?

This seems like where RMS would chime in. Because what we're actually missing on Android are the GNU tools - we have the kernel, but not the userland tools that define the experience.

GNU/Linux phones already exist, see Librem 5 and Pinephone.

I have one and the hardware is so slow and the software ecosystem is still so incomplete... I understand still holding out for a 'good' Linux phone despite those things.

I'm using Librem 5 as a daily driver. Yes, it's behind Android or iOS, but it feels very empowering to not rely on the overlords.

I hear you, and that's why I bought a Librem 5 as well. Since it finally arrived like five (plus?) years later, I haven't yet spent enough time to settle in with it. But I hate my Android phone, and would like to eventually.

Still, I wish we could get better hardware and the software support definitely still has growing to do. And I understand those who feel like it's not a viable option for them yet, but do want to switch in the future— because that's kinda where I'm still at myself, even though I have one of those devices.

I've run semi-proprietary Linux distros that are (in practice) parasitic on Android but include a GNU userland as well, like Sailfish.

They are a lot better in some ways, but I think much of the issue is present in the kernel alone, where dependency on binary blobs and proprietary drivers means kernels are frozen in place forever.

The issue is software freedom in general, beyond just the missing parts of the desktop Linux software stack that we know and love, like our package managers, GNU utilities, Wayland, systemd, etc.

Yes, Android is an operating system that uses the Linux kernel.

So, it isn't GNU/Linux...

Not really. In same way Linux VM running on QNX isn't Linux.

Android is a mess of propietary blobs that runs Linux, but Linux isn't its OS.