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Comment by baroffoos | Hacker News Reader

>even though most of our “old” phones are capable of running newer versions.

Its astounding what older devices are capable of with the right software. I installed the community supported version of ubuntu touch on a nexus 5 phone which is about 7 years old now and was stunned to see it was buttery smooth. This device was running faster than my pixel 2. Even web browsing and web youtube worked fine. Apart from the horrible camera and lack of an sdcard slot you could actually use this as a main phone quite easily.

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> ou could actually use this as a main phone quite easily.

except it has none of the apps you need if you belong to 99% of typical users.

> the apps you need

People don't really need most installable apps. Just about every tool I use has a mobile website/PWA.

Snapchat? Instagram? Say what you will about these closed networks but they're a non-starter if you don't have them. It's why Huawei is doomed to utter failure in US/EU.

I was replying to the part about whether "you could actually use this as a main phone quite easily."

Some users might "need" Snapchat and Instagram (if we really stretch the meaning of "need"), but not 99% of them. A person who is willing to use old phones is probably more likely to not use those apps. I'm sure that many people wouldn't use them if it made their old phones work better. People who want those other kinds of entertainment apps can still spend money on new phones if they want.

Most phone apps don't actually have any real purpose other than time wasting. The primary useful functions of a phone are the camera, phone calls, IM, navigation, and calendar. Almost all of these functions can be done on this OS other than maybe IM depending on what you do so I would call this functional.

You would probably find your days more productive and enjoyable if your phone didn't support the general garbage people install.

You’ve heard of a little service called Uber?

Not needed in my area. Google maps shows public transport directions pretty well.

So now we are judging what is useful to the entire phone using population by what is useful to you personally?

Literally no phone is suitable for the entire phone population so I am not sure what the point of this comment is. For me and likely many other phone users, uber is not an essential app.

Well, I didn’t mention a particular phone, but since the worldwide penetration of adult smart phone users is close to 90%, don’t you think you might be the outlier? Obviously most people find a use for them.

And since smart phones can run different apps, it’s not about the “one true phone”.

It’s like the old Slashdot feigned ignorance meme “Do people still watch TV? I haven’t owned a TV in 10 years”.

I really haven't owned a TV in 10 years!

Do you watch videos on a computer monitor or a tablet or a phone? They are all the same thing these days.

Not really. I don't see ads on monitor (thank you UBlock Origin and Pi Hole) and don't see news either.

On monitor I choose what to watch, on TV I am forced to watch what someone else chosen.

I didn't own a TV ever (well, since I went to college), I see it only in my parents house when I visit.

That’s what I meant by it’s the same thing. All TVs are just monitors with small embedded computers with your standard streaming apps.

Well, the difference between TVs and computer monitors is about as big today as it was in the 90s, right?

Back then, they were also essentially the same technology (cathode ray tubes), but the TV had tuner and some analog circuitry to decode the signal.

The TV in the 90s didn’t have a computer built in where you could download apps nor did have an internet connection. You unfortunately can’t buy a TV today that isn’t “smart”. The same video sources that you watch on your computer, are usually available on TVs - YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc.

Seems to me like the focus of his comment was the phone, not the OS. You could just as easily install a custom ROM like Lineage on it and it’ll run perfectly fine (aside from maybe the camera, which is quite outdated and poor in comparison with new phones and I guess in our modern culture is probably a severe negative).

It really is a shame that it is not realistically possible to upgrade phones. Its somewhat simple to remove the camera and replace it with the same one but it is just about impossible to put a different camera in.

The only way I see this could be done is if every oem committed to standard shapes for every part but that would never happen because they shape and layout of a phone is the only way they can make visual changes so people know its a new phone.

Agreed. Even just a phone where only the camera is modular would be a fantastic step. I've had 4 year old phones that run just fine but the camera is unbearably bad. While I do have a DSLR, it's not something I have with me very often.

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