Going Full Lunix means: every computing device I use daily runs a free and open-source operating system.
A computing device is something I enter data into, which is owned by me. Peripherals are excluded from this definition. Work computer is excluded from this definition (owned by my employer).
As of January 2022 I no longer use Windows. My desktop runs NixOS, my phone runs iOS, and my laptop runs macOS. iOS and macOS are not free and open-source.
MacBook
The MacBook will dual-boot Asahi easily enough - it already does. It mostly exists for when looking at a phone screen or typing on a phone keyboard is too much of a pain in the ass. I don’t use any macOS specific apps so nothing to worry about there.
What I lose swapping to linux:
- macOS touch gestures
- maybe GNOME has something nice but I don’t like GNOME
- onboard microphone
- shocked this still doesn’t work tbh
- display output?
- unclear (workout room tv, zwift)
iPhone
Swapping the iPhone is a larger undertaking. Replacement device will have to run LineageOS or a similar distro - Android distros that come on all phones generally suck, from what I remember. Impressions circa 2018.
Plasma mobile still not worth considering as a daily driver.
What I lose swapping to LineageOS:
- iPhone camera
- less of a problem depending on the model of android
- iOS gestures
- maybe this is just muscle memory and not a problem?
- seems like latest android has similar gestures?
- iMessage
- facetime
- ability to configure airpods
- Could use work PC? Not a great long term solution - might switch jobs.
- Could dual-boot macOS on MacBook as well.
Biggest complication is trying to run an Android phone without Google Play services running constantly in the background.
Unless you drop those it’s still functionally a closed source system - there’s not much difference between a closed source OS and a nominally open source one which needs oodles of proprietary blobs with privileged access to function. Especially blobs for which their purpose is to support ad sales.
Pretty sure most major android apps won’t run without Google Play services.
GrapheneOS tries to get around this with weird sandboxing but it’s still got limitations:
Our compatibility layer has to be expanded on a case-by-case basis to teach Play services to work as a regular app without any of the invasive access and integration it expects. In many cases, it doesn’t truly need the access or we can teach it to use the regular approach available to a normal app. In some cases, the functionality it offers fundamentally requires privileged access and cannot be supported. For example, Android Auto…
Banking apps warrant an entire section apparently..
Does not seem reasonable from a effort versus gain point of view.
This judgement doesn’t even consider what it would mean to swap off of iMessage and trying to get my mother to use something other than FaceTime. Possible of course but is it really worth the squeeze?