ah ok

It worked for me, so dunno if this is a widespread issue. I now use Sable though since I prefer it over Cinny (it’s a fork with extra bits I think)

For me, I would first replace the smartwatch, since that’s the most intertwined with the “ecosystem” (more like a hellish prison, but whatever…), then try and replace the computer(s), since Linux devices will work better with iPhones than Mac does with Android (and mobile Linux) devices.

I used to use an iPhone, and moving to an Android device was relatively smooth bar WhatsApp, which was incredibly annoying to deal with. It is possible to transfer message history though, and my family (now on Android) are very happy to get much better battery life!

If you need specific recommendations, I would go for the Fairphone if possible, else Sony Xperia and OnePlus devices are pretty neat too (former if you like headphone jack and notchless display, latter if you want top spec mobile gaming). You also have mobile Linux being a real option nowadays with the Jolla Phone (SailfishOS) and Nura devices (OnePlus 6/6T, Pocophone F1, Fairphones, etc.)

As for smartwatches, you have WearOS watches of course, but jumping into another ecosystem isn’t great. Pebble is really fun, and if you are into fitness Garmin has lots of options, and both work for iOS and Android (nice!), meaning it is an easier transition.

For Android tablets, OnePlus ones are pretty good though, and GrapheneOS can run on the Pixel Tablet. You of course have the various x86 tablets that can run Linux, as well as many ARM devices that support Nura (formerly postmarketOS), the latter usually being some sort of Chromebook (please don’t use ChromeOS)

And of course, the laptop. If it’s an M1/2/3 Mac, Asahi Linux could be an option, then you don’t need to buy any hardware! Old Thinkpads are awesome on budget, and you have a variety of Linux oriented laptops (System76, Tuxedo, etc.), and most Windows laptops will run Linux just fine as long as you’re not running an old kernel (e.g. Debian) on very new hardware.

As for desktops, you have endless amounts of Windows mini PCs and old workstations to choose from, buy used because memory prices are insane. Go for the ones available on the nearest used marketplace for cheap! It’s amazing how compatible Linux is with older devices, even more so than Windows.

If you need good alternatives to proprietary software, you have LibreOffice, Pinta (or GIMP if you are fancy), Inkscape, Kdenlive, Audacity/Tenacity, an endless number of code editors, etc. If you want to game, Linux is a lot better than Mac in this respect nowadays with Proton and such, Steam, Lutris (all-in-one, super customisable), Heroic (for GOG), and Minigalaxy (also for GOG) are awesome

Pixel, Sony, OnePlus (mentioned already in the post) and Fairphone are the main ones. You also have several of the older Motorola devices, as well as a couple from other brands (like Nothing), usually older devices (newer devices are not supported nearly as well)

Many of the Sony Xperia devices are supported by LineageOS (not often you see that outside of Pixel and Fairphone), you have the beloved audio jack, front speakers w/ no notch, microSD expansion, and they’re just very cool devices :D

The Pixel 11 has introduced: nothing useful! In fact, it has actually regressed with the reduced amount of RAM. The only marketed feature is the silly Gemini light on the back of the Pro models, that can only be used for five contacts (and only calls! Not notifications!) or as an indicator when Gemini is thinking. Skip the Pixel 11, plus GrapheneOS is not supported yet. 25W wireless charging isn’t supported by most chargers and most people charge wired anyways (faster, more efficient, and not really less convenient)

Personally, I would get the Pixel 9 over both the 10 and 11, the main upside is the magnets (which can bd solved with a case) and a zoom camera (in which case the 9 Pro is pretty good and also the same size). Realistically, I would probably get a 9a over any of them, because you really don’t lose anything going with it besides camera quality (plastic will not crack easily like glass and will get covered by a case anyways)

If you already have the 9 or 10, don’t upgrade! It’s very silly and you get basically nothing extra. The only thing is maybe the zoom camera, if you have a base 9, in which case the 9 Pro (or even 10 Pro) is cheaper + supports GrapheneOS

And of course, you have non-Pixel devices as well. Fairphone has been awesome in European markers, and their recent Fairphone 6+ has also released in the U.S., which is pretty cool! They make very nice devices that are pretty competitive for what you’re paying honestly, and they support right to repair and fair working conditions! You don’t get GrapheneOS, but LineageOS, e/OS, CalyxOS, iodeOS, and even many flavours of mobile Linux support Fairphones! It’s really cool stuff, and Nura (formerly postmarkerOS) is being worked on for the latest Fairphone 6!

You’ve also got the cheaper Jolla Phone that runs SailfishOS, and that might be fun to play around with

Cinny is an awesome desktop client, as is Element, Fractal (GNOME, no spaces support though) and NeoChat (KDE)

For mobile, I personally prefer FluffyChat, but there’s other options too.

edit: I currently use Sable (a fork of Cinny I think), still using FluffyChat on Android.

For one to one chats and the occasional group chat? XMPP is pretty awesome and has lots of good clients (Conversations on Android, Monal on iDevices, Dino, Gajim, etc. on Linux)

If you want something closer to Discord and host public communities or very large chatrooms, Matrix is very good. You can self-host it with Continuwuity, and there are lots of clients too (Cinny, FluffyChat, Element, Fractal, NeoChat, etc.)

If you just need voice chat, Mumble is simple and works well.

Oop ok!

Blender is already open-source, no?

I have used GameNative and it works okay, but I don’t have a Snapdragon device so it doesn’t have the best results. I know there are lots of videos on Droid Deck on Android handhelds with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and indie titles run fine for the most part. Have not tried it myself though, but it seems neat and will only improve from now!

Nice, a webUSB installer is very cool! The new photo editing app looks nest too…

Neat! Waiting is fine on these kinds of things :D

Alternatively, I could get the Xperia 1 V (used) for a similar price, but apparently battery life on that model wasn’t great because of the 4K display (and used means battery could be degraded), and it’s a larger phone too (though with the slimmer aspect ratio)

The 1 V would be more powerful though with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and the cameras are certainly better (+ a telephoto!)

Or maybe the 1 VI, which has the more standard fat ratio (so the larger display is a bigger problem) but battery life could be better??

What do you all think?

If you didn’t know, CoMaps has a desktop Linux and macOS version! I believe GNOME Maps (also on Linux) recently got better offline maps support too

So I’m doubly wrong! That’s kind of neat

That’s actually pretty cool, I’ll be making an XMPP account then. Adding to my collection of chat apps!

Oh whoops, I didn’t know that! That’s kind of neat, didn’t know had encryption. I will amend my comment

Well, there’s also IRC and XMPP. Could those work better for older devices? Dunno, but neither are encrypted, so don’t use them for anything sensitive. Signal is good if you want security, they’ve been audited a lot, but they are based in the U.S. which isn’t great.

I’ve also heard of Stoat (formerly Revolt) and Fluxer, both are relatively new, but I would prefer Matrix over both since it’s more easily self-hostable (+ all those different clients to choose from!)

edit: I really didn’t know, but looks like XMPP does support encryption! (and it’s enabled by default on most clients!)