They have to make a lot of caveats because they constantly get people whinging that they can't install fb messenger or whatever or that their bank app doesn't support linux. The hw manufacturer can't help that and they are setting expectations appropriately for the state of the ecosystem currently. None of those things are inherent to the device or software stack
It isn't fair to say it's a dumbphone with extra steps just because of these things, in fact depending on adoption rates many of those things will eventually gain workarounds or supported applications, they just don't want users to buy it and get disappointed, whereas more technical users will buy it with the expectation of configuring or building their own workarounds/workflows. It will get more mainstream as the path gets more trodden by early adopters, similar to desktop linux which is now a near-trivial switch for many people.
A dumbphone can't do Signal, Matrix, email, hotspot, run a full web browser with full desktop addon support, listen to podcasts, music, maps, and more importantly, a dummbphone isn't a purposefully extensible platform for installing community or commercially created applications, both dedicated and adapted from desktop versions.
They aren't comparable. Linux mobile isn't as mature as android or ios, of course, but android and iOS also don't include banking apps, facebook messenger, netflix, travel/loyalty apps, etc. and didn't have most of those >10 years ago when they were less mature. They gained an available software ecosystem as they grew more popular over time.
Their and my wording is pretty specific though, and it doesn't say 'it's so handicapped as to be basically a dumbphone" it says it doesnt work with a lot of specific common proprietary apps and I don't think those are interchangeable because it makes it sound way worse than it is. It's not that you can't do messaging on it, it's just that facebook messenger/whatsapp specifically will be more of a hassle because there isn't a native application. Others like Signal, Matrix, even some proprietary chat apps aren't so bad. Telegram has a native app that many people use as well, I think it comes preinstalled on some distros. Banking is similar. Similarly your exact bank might or might not work with it, but many will work great in an android container or in the browser (mine does, quite well, and its not a major chain).
It isn't there for every use case, but it is workable for more people than you'd think. Not everyone depends on fb messenger and instagram, or at least not in a way where they need push notifications 24/7 and a browser won't suffice. it's full of compromises but mostly not an outright lack of functionality. I use mobile linux, and while many people don't/won't find the compromises worth it currently, it isn't that it's simply incomprehensible to them, they just have to value the things it does bring to the table more than the compromises. A solid % of the people you see online talking about it are people with little linux experience but who are making it work for the sake of privacy, etc. Shit the guy I bought my device from was an older guy, some kind of libertarian, but not a linux/computer geek, just interested in privacy, and he had been daily driving it.
They have to make a lot of caveats because they constantly get people whinging that they can't install fb messenger or whatever or that their bank app doesn't support linux. The hw manufacturer can't help that and they are setting expectations appropriately for the state of the ecosystem currently. None of those things are inherent to the device or software stack
It isn't fair to say it's a dumbphone with extra steps just because of these things, in fact depending on adoption rates many of those things will eventually gain workarounds or supported applications, they just don't want users to buy it and get disappointed, whereas more technical users will buy it with the expectation of configuring or building their own workarounds/workflows. It will get more mainstream as the path gets more trodden by early adopters, similar to desktop linux which is now a near-trivial switch for many people.
A dumbphone can't do Signal, Matrix, email, hotspot, run a full web browser with full desktop addon support, listen to podcasts, music, maps, and more importantly, a dummbphone isn't a purposefully extensible platform for installing community or commercially created applications, both dedicated and adapted from desktop versions.
They aren't comparable. Linux mobile isn't as mature as android or ios, of course, but android and iOS also don't include banking apps, facebook messenger, netflix, travel/loyalty apps, etc. and didn't have most of those >10 years ago when they were less mature. They gained an available software ecosystem as they grew more popular over time.
This is the exact point that began this tho. It’d be nice if things were better but this is where things are currently
Their and my wording is pretty specific though, and it doesn't say 'it's so handicapped as to be basically a dumbphone" it says it doesnt work with a lot of specific common proprietary apps and I don't think those are interchangeable because it makes it sound way worse than it is. It's not that you can't do messaging on it, it's just that facebook messenger/whatsapp specifically will be more of a hassle because there isn't a native application. Others like Signal, Matrix, even some proprietary chat apps aren't so bad. Telegram has a native app that many people use as well, I think it comes preinstalled on some distros. Banking is similar. Similarly your exact bank might or might not work with it, but many will work great in an android container or in the browser (mine does, quite well, and its not a major chain).
It isn't there for every use case, but it is workable for more people than you'd think. Not everyone depends on fb messenger and instagram, or at least not in a way where they need push notifications 24/7 and a browser won't suffice. it's full of compromises but mostly not an outright lack of functionality. I use mobile linux, and while many people don't/won't find the compromises worth it currently, it isn't that it's simply incomprehensible to them, they just have to value the things it does bring to the table more than the compromises. A solid % of the people you see online talking about it are people with little linux experience but who are making it work for the sake of privacy, etc. Shit the guy I bought my device from was an older guy, some kind of libertarian, but not a linux/computer geek, just interested in privacy, and he had been daily driving it.