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In this episode, we look at how to get a free smartphone operating system on the Fairphone 3 (and many other phones), thanks to a great free OS called /e/.

Shownotes

The LXCast episode #2 on the Fairphone 3 when it came out

 

Two solutions for a free OS:

1 lineage OS – free android with the Gapps removed

2 the /e/ project !! A „de-googled“ operating system – actually a fork of lineage OS – this is what I‘m going to talk about here.

 

Background articles

An article about /e/ on ZDNet (2019)

The research paper on Google Data Collection by Professor Douglas C. Schmidt, Vanderbilt University (2018) – learn how and how often normal Android phones send your data to Google servers.

Another background article on tracking (in German) based on research from a Norwegian journalist

 

More about /e/

/e/ uses MicroG services, a replacement for Google’s libraries on /e/ with purely open-source implementations.

The man behind the /e/ project: Gael Duval, pioneer of Open Source, Mandrake, Ulteo…

Gael’s article outlining his vision for /e/

You can buy a FP3 and an FP3 + with /e/ pre-installed here

 

Installing /e/ on your phone

Over 110 devices supported: from Asus to Google, to Oneplus and Xiaomi

https://doc.e.foundation/devices/

How to install it on the FP3

Privacy ratings of apps: https://exodus-privacy.eu

 

Alternative Android Launchers:

KISS launcher

Simple launcher

 

I recommended you add these apps:

Antennapod – podcast client

FairEmail or simple email

Fennec (Firefox)

Signal

Newpipe for watching youtube without being tracked

 

Backup and Recovery

Backup via adb is apparently broken… Not the fault of /e/!!

You cannot simply flash a new recovery, such as TWRP, to flash images or backup, instead, you can use this method launching TWRP from your PC

 

How to support /e/ OS

Donate or become a member to keep the project going

 

That’s all for this episode, feel free to add any comments below!

Credits: Theme Music: Jazzhar, “Room with a View” CC-BY-SA, check him out on Jamendo and on Free Music Archive

 

 

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The Fairphone 3 (photo: Fairphone CC-BY-SA)

In this podcast I take a look at the Fairphone 3, a few months after its launch, share my first impressions, and take an outlook at free operating systems hopefully soon available for it.
The new Fairphone was announced in late August, supposed to ship mid-september, and finally arrived in mid-october in my mailbox. The Dutch company aims for recycling of materials, fair working conditions for the employees in the Taiwanese factory that produces it, and on the rare earths coming being mined in areas without war and without child labour.

The problem though: Currently the Fairphone 3 only works with Android 9 with the full Google Apps, which means Google is regularly looking over your shoulder when you use the phone.

Not great for privacy-aware users! We look at alternative OSes and when they may be ready for installing.

Shownotes

Contents of the FP3 box: Headphones, phone and screwdriver, catchy slogans

Fairphone forum post on alternative OSes

FP3 discussion thread

 

Background on the Fairphone philosophy:

Interview of Fairphone founder Bas van Abel on the Team Human Podcast

TechCrunch Article on the Ethics behind the Fairphone

 

Where to look for alternative OSes:

UBPorts, the community port of Ubuntu Touch (Unity)

the /e/ foundation

 

(Lineage OS and Jolla do not have pages on the Fairphone 3 yet.)

PostMarket OS

… And a Tin-foil hat setup, if you really don’t want to be spied on by Google

 

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Just before the British elections, I had the opportunity to return to Northern Ireland, to Derry, and to talk to people involved in a wonderful Peace Project, the Derry Playhouse.

Playwright Damian Gorman

I met playwright, writer and poet Damian Gorman, who has written extensively for television, radio and the stage. He is currently preparing a project focusing on 1972, the worst year of the Troubles. He is working with a broad range of members of the public from all walks of life (and both sides of the community) to share their experience of ’72.

I also talked to Greta McTague, who participates in Damian’s writing workshops at the Playhouse, and works as a teacher in Derry. They both offered valuable insights on life in Derry in 2019, the threat of Brexit and the return of a hard border, and the divisions, but also signs of hope in Northern Ireland.

Links

The Derry Playhouse

Damain Gorman’s Workshop

The Playhouse in Derry

History of the Northern Ireland Conflict 1968-1998 (quite in-depth)

tldr? Then try this summary by the BBC

The Northern Ireland Assembly

 

Music credits: Jazzhar, “Room with a View” CC-BY-SA, check him out on Jamendo and on Free Music Archive

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Interviews at the Free and Open Source developers meeting FOSDEM 2015 in Brussels.

A few interviews from the largest meeting of Free and Open Source Software developers, users and supporters in Brussels. I made this episode for Hacker Public Radio.

Aaron Williamson

Free Software Law Expert Aaron Williamson held a brilliant talk on the history of internet surveillance in the USA at FOSDEM 2015. After the Paris terror attacks, many politicians want to increase surveillance. British Prime Minister David Cameron wants to read all our emails – even the encrypted ones. Is this the only answer to terror attacks? Aaron has a very strong opinion on this.

free software foundation stand Mathias Kirschner, Free Software Foundation Europe

Matthias is the Vice President of the Free Software Foundation Europe. In our interview at Fosdem 2015, he explains the work and the goal of the foundation and how they do lobbying for Free Software in parliaments and government bodies.

Torproject – nos ognions

A member of nos-ognions.net, which is part of the Tor project, explains about exit nodes, transparency and surveillance.