If Apple users have their own ecosystem: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods…
Why can’t we Linux users build an open source ecosystem of our own?
This is my final plan for that possible “doomsday”.
Open source Linux ecosystem, together, strong.
The phone is Linux, the tablet is Linux, and the computer is also Linux.
They are, respectively, Xiaomi Poco F1 + postmarketOS, Microsoft Surface Go 2 + Debian, and MSI Modern 15 + Fedora.
Although the distributions are different, they are all GNU/Linux free software systems, not Android and not ChromeOS, and they all run Wayland desktop environments.
Originally, Ubuntu Touch seemed more likely to realize the old dream of a unified cross-platform UI. Today, maybe we can do it with the Phosh desktop + GTK. Personally, though, I do not care that much about making the cross-platform design language perfectly consistent. KDE Plasma’s QT desktop on the computer side is not bad either.
The three devices can connect to each other through KDE Connect. Cloud syncing can be left to Nextcloud.
I am considering putting Linux on a smartwatch and Bluetooth earbuds too. If I buy a game console someday, I will install Linux on that as well. The Steam Deck is already a qualified Linux gaming machine. If I get a PS5 or Switch, I would also flash Linux onto them (assuming emulators work properly; otherwise it is better to leave them alone). In reality, though, Bluetooth earbuds and smartwatches are technically not very likely to run Linux… RTOS is more common there. Well, anything open source is welcome.
Ideally, the hardware should also be made by companies that support Linux. Unfortunately, they cannot deliver good full-stack hardware without charging an absurd premium. So I can only use third-party hardware and rely on community effort to make it run Linux.
Among companies that release hardware for a full-stack Linux ecosystem, the closest are probably Pine64 and Purism. Pine64 in particular has released a pile of cheap ARM devices assembled from Chinese components, much cheaper than Purism’s boutique gear. I almost bought the whole Pine64 family bucket. Then I learned about their product quality and decided: never mind.
This is the final plan I prepared for “doomsday”. If Android and iOS both get ruined, turn into mass surveillance machines, and strip people of their freedom, I will switch fully to Linux.
In reality, among the three Linux-running devices at the start of this article, only the computer side with a keyboard attached is relatively mature. After all, the average Linux user is a keyboard warrior, typing vim commands at disturbing speed. As for mobile devices with touchscreens, Linux is still maladapted. In other words, Linux cannot survive without a keyboard.
So for now, on mobile devices, I still mostly use an Android phone (near-stock system) + iPad.
