• lemmy_user_838586@lemmy.ml
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    11 months ago

    Been keeping an eye on postmarketOS, have been wanting to use it with a more modern phone in the USA, like a Pixel 4a or something. How has droidian been? Haven’t really heard too much about that project, its a full Linux distro? You can apt-get stuff?

    • smileyhead
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      11 months ago

      Droidian uses vendor’s Linux/Android kernel and patch it a little, then uses binary-only drivers taken from Android through libhybris translation layer (something similiar to Wine or Box64). It is the same tech that Ubuntu Touch uses, but Droidian gives you root access and uses normal desktop Linux stack (Flatpak, GTK, Qt, Pulseaudio, APT, etc.). So yes, you do “sudo apt”.

      It is more of a mess than upstream-first PostmarketOS and the kernel do not get updates after manufacturer drop the device, but it works. On my OP6T everything hardware works (including day-long battery and reliable waking up on a call or alarm), but there is still a long list of things to polish.