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Comment by dvh | Hacker News Reader

Wrong approach. Vote with your wallet instead. My next mobile phone will not have OS from Google (not from Apple).

Something like 7 iOS phones are sold every second of the day and there are even more Android phones sold. The number of people who care about this issue is far too few for any kind of boycott to be noticed by the handset makers. The only option is to appeal to Google's sense of what's right.

In the time it took you to read this comment, 200 phones were sold.

Highly technically knowledgeable people are more influential in this sphere than the average consumer. If developers hate your device and love your competitor, that's a real problem.

It's not clear to me what the net outcome is.

I've mostly owned Android devices but for my family I've always recommended iOS devices because they are more locked down.

I would if there was a viable mobile phone OS I could switch to. iOS isn't any better. Linux phones, sadly, aren't very practical for daily use. AOSP based projects also have many limitations, and are still dependent on Google.

It's emphatically not "the wrong approach," and it's exceedingly weird when everyone makes things like this an "either/or."

Do BOTH, when possible.

What phone are you considering? Sailfish still doesn't seem very successful and mobile Linux barely boots on anything that performs better than a fifteen year old budget device.

I'm kind of hoping Qualcomm's open sourcing work will also affect the ability to run mainline Linux on Android devices, but it's looking like a Linux OS that covers the bare basics seems to be a decade away.

Fairphone 6 with /e/OS for example.

Oh yes, let me an individual out vote a trillion dollar corporation. That will surely work this time!

I'm sorry but people that think this way tend to also think having money is some morality signal and not one of a massive personality defect (greed).

Good luck with that.

Works for me.

No luck needed.

Linux based phones are starting to become viable as daily drivers. [0] They are even coming with VM Android in case an application is needed that does not have a Linux equivalent.

I am interested in how Google's gatekeeper tactics are going to affect Android like platforms such as /e/os and GrapheneOS. [1]

[0] http://furilabs.com/

[1] https://murena.com/america/products/smartphones/

> > Good luck with that.

> No luck needed. Linux based phones are starting to become viable as daily drivers.

Then please tell me, which non-Android Linux-based phone can I buy here in Brazil (one of the first places where Android would have these new restrictions)? I'd love to know (not sarcasm, I'm being sincere). Keep in mind that only phones with ANATEL certification can be imported, non-certified phones will be stopped by customs and sent back.

My condolences, that sucks that you’re stuck in such an authoritarian country. If you look at the PostmarketOS site, you may be able to find a legal phone (weird to type that phrase) that can be reflashed. Or you could buy one while on vacation, my guess is they don’t check models at the border if it looks like a personal device.

Illegal in Brazil per the Digital Child and Adolescent Statute. Operating systems are legally required to provide age verification functionality in a manner approved by the government.

Do they do inspections?

Edit: apparently if it isn’t a “marketable product” then the law may not apply. So far they haven’t enforced it against Linux distros, likely because of this exception. However, IANAL (and definitely not a Brazilian lawyer).

Indeed, and since Brazil now has mandatory age checking in the OS, it's illegal to own or operate such phones in the country, thus they will never be certified by ANATEL.

Only way is to get the laws to change by electing other officials or civil disobedience.

I do not know all International laws. Nor do I respect countries and politicians that force such restrictive laws that prevent reuse of good devices that are now unsupported by the original manufacture.

Secondly if that law was enacted in the US ... I would buy a product that has a known bug to allow for loading a custom OS. In court I would push for jury-nullification too.

Authoritative governments suck at all fronts ... not just phone restrictions.

Would you mind pointing me to the ANATEL certification process? I am wondering if the voice of the law is worded to prevent competition ... sounds like something Google would of helped push through.

Are you allowed old school non-smart phones? That is how I would do it. Laptop and dumb phone.

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