Progress after hours of compiling a mainline kernel for #postmarketOS on OnePlus N100 #LinuxPhone at @cccac mainlining night.
The great previous work of @ichernev described in his blog: https://mainlining.dev/category/mainlining-journey/billie2/
may get merged into pmaports:
https://gitlab.postmarketos.org/postmarketOS/pmaports/-/merge_requests/7300
FSF will happily support Android distros containing virtually nothing GNU, while mouthbreathers accuse them of "ideological purity" and such.
Pundits say the "correct" path is to focus on "Linux" phones, by which they mean only things that contain the FSF's GNU userland and culture.
Someone grabbed the wrong end of the stick, and I don't think its the FSF.
Really, if this is what FOSS is about, empowering people who can't think their way out of a wet paper bag, and then getting lambasted by them while a few corporations take over every aspect of our lives (and label the oppression "open source" to boot) then its no wonder #enshitification has become the rule.
All this talk about a #LinuxPhone is great. But how long until we see a phone that's fully featured? The current efforts haven't been so good. The Linux mobile OS'es can run on the hardware. But not all of the features of the phone are available on these mobile OS'es. How many years before we see a distro that can run on various phones, with a the features of the phone, and have good support? That's not even thinking about compatibility with things like Android.
This week's Linux and FOSS news:
LINUX NEWS
Zorin OS 18 Released with New Look, New Apps + More:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/10/zorin-os-18-released-with-new-look-new-apps-more
LMDE 7 “Gigi” released!:
https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4924
RIP Windows 10 -- Winux 'W10EOL' is the Windows 11 clone that runs on Linux and makes your old PC feel new again:
https://betanews.com/2025/10/13/rip-windows-10-winux-w10eol-is-the-windows-11-clone-that-runs-on-linux-and-makes-your-old-pc-feel-new-again/
Waiting to Upgrade to Ubuntu 25.10? Here’s When You Can:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/10/upgrade-to-ubuntu-25-10-delay
Ubuntu 26.04 Looks To Retire Its ISO Tracker: "Held Together With Duct Tape & Goodwill":
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Ubuntu-Retire-ISO-Tracker
India's First UbuCon Set to Unite Ubuntu Community in Bengaluru This November:
https://news.itsfoss.com/events/first-ubucon-india/
Tails 7.1 released with Tor Browser offline home page, updated core software, and more:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/10/tails-7-1-released-with-tor-browser-offline-home-page-updated-core-software-and-more/
GNOME Has A New Security Threat Scanner Powered By VirusTotal:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/GNOME-Lenspect-Threat-Scanner
(Google-owned VirusTotal? Thanks nope, it will never touch my system. Why don't they make a ClamAV frontend instead, if they really want a virus scanner?)
GNOME's Flatpak Runtime Drops 32-bit Compatibility Extension:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/GNOME-Flatpak-Drops-32-bit
KDE's 29th anniversary is here and they need your funding:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/10/kdes-29th-anniversary-is-here-and-they-need-your-funding/
Mir 2.23 Released With New Documentation For Building A Desktop Environment:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Mir-2.23-Released
FuriLabs FLX1s: A New Contender in the Linux Phone Arena:
https://www.hackers-game.com/2025/10/06/flx1s-a-new-contender-in-the-linux-phone-arena/
(more Linux and FOSS news in comments)
Mobian Trixie Officially Released with Broader Device Support / @linuxiac
｢ Over two years in development, this release brings an updated base aligned with Debian 13, Phosh 46.0 (a mobile user interface for Linux phones), and Plasma Mobile 6.3 desktop environments, as well as a Linux kernel 6.12 for most supported devices. The Librem 5 remains on kernel 6.6 for now ｣
https://linuxiac.com/mobian-trixie-officially-released-with-broader-device-support/
I'm aware the PinePhone exists, but absolutely no one seems excited by it. If you're excited by it, I'd love to know why, though!
Okay. I have a month to pick out a new phone before I can no longer cancel my pre-ordered Light Phone 3. I really like my Light Phone 2, but living without a camera has been a little too limiting, and the folks in my life would really appreciate me at least getting that capability back. I am still bitter about losing the headphone jack, though.
But I'm starting to wonder if the issue isn't that smart phones do too much, and more just that smart phones are not something I can control. Plus, they all look boring.
There aren't a lot of open source phones out there that are super compelling, but if anyone has any thoughts or recommendations, or just weird niche mobile devices, I'd love to see them.
Kicking things off, I came very close to going even more minimal than the Light Phone when I found Sky's Edge Rotary Phone. I wanted this thing so bad, but folks in my life vetoed going that low-function pretty hard.
https://hackaday.com/2022/09/10/the-open-source-rotary-cell-phone-two-years-later/
Purism Refund Update: I Finally Got My Money Back
Revisiting SailfishOS – September 2025 Thoughts / Nick Schmidt
Is anyone using any #linuxphone as their only phone? Is it usable now?
Bon ben... est-ce qu'on peut commencer à dire qu'Android est officiellement un écosystème fermé avec la politique de vérification obligatoire?
Moi qui suis un gros utilisateur de F-Droid, je suis officiellement en recherche ACTIVE d'un OS différent pour mon téléphone.
Is 2025 the year of the real Linux phone?
I'm checking out the FLX1s, a device that promises a true Debian experience with the convenience of Android apps and the security of hardware kill switches. I'm cautiously optimistic! See my full breakdown.
Video: https://youtu.be/gdS_Kpwrrgw?si=umqzepH67IaWzF2T
#LinuxPhone #FLX1S #OpenSource #Debian #Privacy #RightToRepair #FOSS #TechReview #DeGoogled
@oxysis @Catoblepas Do you have any direct experience with a #Linuxphone that does not in-fact have calling capability and was not the result of a carrier-block?
I'm daily driving a #Librem5 with #postmarketOS and calling does work on it - tested in two countries.
I don't use legacy unencrypted calls and SMS anymore, as a data plan with #SignalApp, #DeltaChat and #Matrix meets my needs.
#FLX1s is even more normie-friendly: can make calls, and has Flathub + Android app compatibility set up out of the box.
FLX1S is a new Linux phone that's... mostly a downgrade from the FLX1 https://liliputing.com/flx1s-is-a-new-linux-phone-thats-mostly-a-downgrade-from-the-flx1/ #Flx1, #Flx1s, #FuriLabs, #FuriLabsFlx1s, #Furios, #LinuxPhone, #Linuxsmartphones, #Mobian
Laura Malvoyante spent a full week living with the Jolla C2 Community Phone running Sailfish OS, and put together a deep dive on what it’s like to daily drive a true Linux phone.
She covers first impressions, the good, the rough edges, and asks the big question: is Sailfish OS a real alternative to Android or iOS?
Watch her full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5titW5dclwg
Big thanks to Laura for the thoughtful take.
I ended up doing the opt-in to get the FLX1s.
I did the opt-in mainly because I want to support what FuriLabs is doing.
I do want a (non-Android) Linux phone. And, I do care about privacy a lot. I have wanted a phone like this for a while.
And, they are trying to build one that might be good-enough for me to ditch Android
...
I do hope that they also create a model with a better screen, better camera, and a headphone jack later. I'd buy it, too
I like that the (new) FLX1s has more RAM than the FLX1.
But the FLX1 has a better screen.
I like the hardware kill switches for the Mic, Camera, & Modem of the FLX1s.
But the FLX1 has a regular headphone jack while the FLX1s doesn't.
I like the lighter weight of the FLX1s.
But the FLX1 has a removable battery while the FLX1s doesn't.
The FLX1 also has IP68 water-proofing while the FLX1s doesn't. (I have had phones submerged in water before.)
I pre-ordered the FuriLabs FLX1 Linux phone back in February.
Furilabs is giving me an option to switch to another model of their phones.
"Ostatni tydzień spędziłam z telefonem Jolla C2 Community Phone, na którym działa system operacyjny Sailfish OS, mobilny system operacyjny oparty na Linuksie. Czy jest to realna alternatywa dla Androida lub iOS? Przyjrzyjmy się moim pierwszym wrażeniom, zaletom, wadom i temu, czy system Sailfish OS jest gotowy do codziennego użytku!"
YouTube [EN]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5titW5dclwg
Invidious [EN]:
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=5titW5dclwg
