Hacker News Reader

Comment by tpush | Hacker News Reader

What? You don't need to sysadmin an Android phone anymore than an iphone while still being able to install anything you want to.

View on HN

My past experience with 6 different Android devices doesn’t support your argument. All of them were Samsung devices with various Android versions. Maybe it’s different with official Google devices. However, if that’s the case then we need to stop making comparisons between iPhone and Android.

I don't understand why your particular experience matters in this argument.

There are billions of people using Android phones, from little kids to grandmas. Essentially none of these people know what the word sysadmin even means.

Why do some people on HN portray Android phones as some nerdy devices when that impression doesn't reflect reality even a little bit? So weird.

Yeah, I don't get it either. The US is very iPhone-heavy, but Android has a majority market share in most of the rest of the world. That'd be pretty impossible if using Android was like maintaining a Linux server.

> I don't understand why your particular experience matters in this argument.

It doesn’t matter. We are having a very enlightening discussion based on my opinion. I’m simply sharing my experiences and an opinion based on those experiences. Nothing more, nothing less.

> I’m simply sharing my experiences and an opinion based on those experiences. Nothing more, nothing less.

Repeating that doesn’t make you immune from criticism.

Because that's how it is in the Silicon Valley, respectable product managers buy iPhones and nerdy developers buy Android.

Perhaps it is; I've used Pixel devices for the past five years and haven't had to do anything even remotely like sysadmin'ing. I had a Sony Xperia phone before that, and I did have to fight with the SD card sometimes. Nexus phones before that, and, again, no sysadmin'ing required.

And my past experience with Samsung devices doesn't support your argument either. I had to use an iPhone for a few weeks once when my phone broke and the experience was abysmal. It's much easier for me to remain on Android.

So Android is not an alternative to iOS, why do you keep suggesting that it is?

I've owned a mix of Android devices. Some Samsung, some HTC, some Pixel, and a few Motorolas.

I've sysadmined a couple of them (root, bootloader unlocks, etc) for fun, but that was years ago. I've also in stalled termux for fun.

But I've also done none of those things on some of them. It just isn't necessary.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com