Linux and Smartphones OS

[Pats]

Why linux community is not much interested in developing Mobile OS , the way they have provoded robust alternatives to Windoze ?
.. Though Android may be an OpenSource project but most of its apps are proprietary .
.. 1 ) Tizen is completely open-source and truly linux based with active support from Linux Foundation , but due to lack of App Developers support , mobile users have lost intetst , but still ticking.
.. 2 ) Ubuntu Touch is in initial stages with only Chinease Meizu and a Spanish company showing some interest.
.. 3 ) KDE has shown some interest in 'Plasma Mobile' OS with integration of present KDE apps , but except Nexus5 phones it is nowhere.
.. 4 ) Post Market OS based on Alpine linux may do to old phones which initial linux systems did for old XT,  P1 , P2 etc desktop computers - new lease of life !
.. 5 ) A few other experiments like eelo , LineageOS , Sailfish which is an extension project of prvs Meego of Nokia , Firefox based cheaper smartphones etc are in very primary stages which may or may not see the market attention .

.. Now the question is , why different linux developers including *TinyCore are not taking much interest to extend their desktop based expertize and enthusiasm - to develop Mobile opetating systems and / or apps ?

Or am I missing some recent developments on this front ? ..

[Misalf]

I think the question is not only who will benefit from something like that but also who is interested and willing to work on it. I've played with smart phones and, well, I don't like android and the like and my 10 years old nokia still works fine. If you can throw TinyCore at a smart phone so that it sticks, go ahead! I'd love to see that.

[itsjann]

I guess the process will take too long, and I am honestly not that sure if it will worth it just like what @Misalf said.

[Pats]

@Misalf, @itsjaan Thannks !
...I am just a layman and no spare hardware to experiment with... so wo'nt be able to experiment with linux-on-smartphone !
Secondly I am more used to Tinycorelinux ,  so will be happy if somehow TCL is available on smartphone with full functions ! Am little-bit greedy ! ..

... But search on net says something like following steps :
 1. Busybox libs installation on a rooted smartphone with plenty of RAM and disk-space.
2. Terminal installation and if successful then downloads of  Ubuntu with required scripts.
3 . Running the scripts as per instruction which results in an Ubuntu system on mobile with just basic functionality.

.. Some says ,  there is a 'CLI' - Complete Linux Installer on Ggl Play which can help to install many distros like openSuse , Debian , Fedora etc.

 Again Tinycore is the Best  , if available ! ..

[lm8]

I'm very interested in the possibility of porting Open Source applications I use to a mobile device.  I do know of some other  developers with similar interests in mobile development.  I think one of the problems might be that there's not an organized Open Source-centered effort that's interested in volunteers.  I've checked into several Open Source groups that are working on mobile projects and some even ask for volunteers, but I really didn't get the feeling volunteers were all that welcome.  I even wrote to the GNU Foundation and commented on their policy toward mobile as described at their web site and asked them about the possibility of organizing some Open Projects projects (such as attempting to continue the work to use the GNU compiler with Android since Google appears to be moving toward llvm).  They never even bothered to answer my e-mail.  Eelo was also mentioned.  Also wrote to them with no response to my inquiry.  Sometimes Open Source works best with the concept that if you want something done right, do it yourself.  I've been porting Open Source applications that I personally like and that I will use to systems like Android.  I'm doing it for myself because no one else seems interested.  If there was a place that was open to sharing that type of work, I'd be happy to get involved.  (I did do some investigation into projects like F-Droid and Termux.)  While there is a lot of Open Source being used in the mobile market, many of the people involved seem to be interested in it primarily for commercial concerns or to promote their work and market themselves.  It makes it very difficult for someone with a hobbyist or enthusiast mentality, who's doing it for non-commercial reasons, to get involved in any kind of group effort.

[lm8]

This alternative looked interesting:
https://www.slashgear.com/purism-librem-5-privacy-focused-linux-phone-launching-next-year-06533156/
The article says it will let you install any Linux distribution you prefer on the phone.

[Pats]

@lm , happy to know you are interested to contribute to Mobile OS related devlopments. As far as your slashgear link , I already reffered a CLI app available on GgglPlay - though I have not tried it !
... Most new coders / programmers are happy , porting Android apps to other Linux-based smartphones...
 For eq : Most of Samsung Tizen apps available today are Android apps running via ACL interface ignoring posible security issues !
.. Technology converted Desktop to Laptops to Notebook to Smartphones to SmartWatches etc.. Early entrants in devloping OS and Apps on these platforms got benefits for their hardwork. And smartphones wo'nt be exception , I guess ! Hope Team Tinycorelinux is listening ! 
 ... Only it may take a few months / years more , ...who knows anothet Linus T may be in the  making  ! ..

[CentralWare]

@Pats: Just quickly reading over this thread I have to say "sure, porting to Android sounds awesome!" though I can't imagine TOO many things I could to with TCL running my entire box of no-longer-used notso-smart-phones in the closet

Drivers aside for the moment, though...  aren't most of these 'Droid devices ARM based?  I know TCL will never take on the Cell direction (nor any other sane 'nix distro) simply because of the endless "bug" posts "Hey, the bluetooth on my 10 year old HTC isn't working!!!" but the concept is still intriguing!

[lm8]

The Librem-5 I mentioned isn't an Android phone or a Google app.  It's a Linux distribution on a phone.  Here's another link with more information:
https://puri.sm/shop/librem-5/

We were discussing some Linux based (but not Android) phones on the Schoolforge mailing list.  If anyone's interested, they can check that thread for links to other Linux based phones that are not Android phones.  There's also active development for UBports ( https://ubports.com/ ) even though Canonical no longer seems interested in Ubuntu for phones.

There are some interesting apps for Google available that let you run Linux applications.  Android is based on Linux but also includes proprietary code.  Many of the Linux phones that are not based on Android seem to have security and privacy as main goals.  They tend to avoid sending a bunch of personal information to companies like Google.

[Pats]

@Centralware , few years back   nobody would have imagined a fully functional 'nix system under 10MB foot-print , but TCL successfully achieved this with great success and sufficient stability , which in turn converted many Windoz addictors to 'nix world ! ... Many 'sane' 'nix developers may not be interested - but nothing wrong to be experimental  in new concepts and advanced technology , because that is the future ! ... But that is a diff story , let Team TCL decide about their future plans. I just used this forum to loudly express my desire / wishes , so may be someone start thinking in that direction. .... But your quote :
 

... Drivers aside for the moment, though...  aren't most of these 'Droid devices ARM based?  I know

...
... seems reasonable enough and also interesting. .

.. @lm8 , yes I have gone thru the links mentioned by you ! ... Sounds hopefully interesting for future of 'nix systems in hand-held devices. But unless and until some big enterpreuners or a new startup really do not achieve better marketing success on consumer level , we can only wait for practical success of such devices . Though I am not able to develop anything in this field , but atleast I am using one such 'nix based smartphone and encouraging in that direction to the developer !

[Pats]

Linux based new OS is KaiOS..
All advanced  features of a smartphones are posible in a feature phone with KaiOS including verbal instructions etc. ... Ggl has also invested in KaiOS recently...

Features of a smartphones like 4G LTE E, GPS and Wi-Fi with HTML5-based apps etc etc are posible  . ... I have used Nokia 8110 4G  with KaiOS.   Looks like Linux is non-stopable and becoming  jack-of-all-trades, right from deep sea exploration to the space missions !

A small project in a school lab can achieve level of this scale ... no-one had ever imagined even in a dream !

 Kudos to Linus T. 

[PDP-8]

The reason for me that smartphones are basically uninteresting from a *nix-hacker standpoint, is that in the end, they are very UN-unix like in operation, and serve merely as application launchers.

So whether it was CP/M launching Wordstar, or Android launching Instagram, the whole concept of "apps" not being able to pipe or redirect into each other and wasting energy and resources reinventing the wheel individually, is somewhat like going back to the ways of CP/M or ms-dos merely launching things.

I've already been there decades ago, albeit with much larger equipment.

I think an OpenBSD developer gave a good talk about this same issue, but I forgot exactly where I could point to.

Perhaps for some developers, just developing a consumerized application launcher is just not where it's at from an intellectually stimulating standpoint.

Most consumers don't truly understand what is behind the curtain, or have been carefully shielded from the glory of what it is under the hood.

Sadly, some days I feel like Brian Reid of Scribe fame being allegedly told that his ideas were "too old to matter".

[mocore]

wrt drivers .. i just happened to be reading this : https://sailfishos.org/wiki/Android_Compatibility
and recalled this topic

Sailfish OS is a modern GNU/Linux operating system
which uses glibc and utilises libhybris
to leverage board support packages provided by OEMs for Android.
This allows Sailfish OS to be ported to (almost) any device which currently runs Android.
This simplifies device creation and product planning, as device manufacturers can
reuse existing device platforms
to create Sailfish OS variant devices.

[nour]

Why linux community is not much interested in developing Mobile OS , the way they have provoded robust alternatives to Windoze ?
.. Though Android may be an OpenSource project but most of its apps are proprietary .
.. 1 ) Tizen is completely open-source and truly linux based with active support from Linux Foundation , but due to lack of App Developers support , mobile users have lost intetst , but still ticking.
.. 2 ) Ubuntu Touch is in initial stages with only Chinease Meizu and a Spanish company showing some interest.
.. 3 ) KDE has shown some interest in 'Plasma Mobile' OS with integration of present KDE apps , but except Nexus5 phones it is nowhere.
.. 4 ) Post Market OS based on Alpine linux may do to old phones which initial linux systems did for old XT,  P1 , P2 etc desktop computers - new lease of life !
.. 5 ) A few other experiments like eelo , LineageOS , Sailfish which is an extension project of prvs Meego of Nokia , Firefox based cheaper smartphones etc are in very primary stages which may or may not see the market attention .

.. Now the question is , why different linux developers including *TinyCore are not taking much interest to extend their desktop based expertize and enthusiasm - to develop Mobile opetating systems and / or apps ?

Or am I missing some recent developments on this front ? ..

I totally agree,
What I fear the most is : at this moement, Google and Apple have the complete control, you can not update your application for your users without their agreement and that's scary.
If Google decide to kill anything, they will just do it and we will not be able to react or to have anything to do.
They killed Google+ just like that.

[Pats]

KaiOS update Info from net:

Linux-based KaiOS is mostly used on ordinary feature phones , enabling these devices with many features of smartphones like  access to apps WhatsApp, YouTube, Google Maps, the Google Assistant and Facebook, as well as a store for apps called the KaiStore.

 ...A venture of  San Diego, California-based start-up KaiOS Technologies with CEO Sebastien Codeville, KaiOS is the third biggest operating system globally after Android and iOS.

... 250 employees strong, KaiOS Technologies  declared $50 million  Series B funding by mostly Cathay Innovation, with support from Kai's existing shareholders Google and TCL Holdings - ***not Tinycore, I guess or is it ? .

... Linux , Linux ...everywhere !