Trying out UT on Pixel 3a XL for review article
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@theprivacydad Hi!
First, it is strongly recommended not to install apps via apt. More technical users could explain this better, but my understanding is that it's because of the immutable root file system. Installing via the Open Store, Libertine, or Snaps are the recommended ways.Not sure why the keyboard pops up when long-clicking to paste, but maybe cause some people are used to using copy/paste from the swipe-up menu at the bottom of the keyboard? I do love that menu for text selection.
Browsers are of course one of the main pain points right now. Morph is slated to get a major update to Qt6, but this may not happen for some months.
In addition to uWolf, there's also uFirefox, which isn't in the Openstore, but can be installed via a click package. This seems to be the most recent: https://gitlab.com/debclick/uFirefox/-/jobs/11063789436/artifacts/file/build/aarch64-linux-gnu/app/firefox.fuseteam_142_arm64.click
Download the .click file, and open with Openstore.
Not being IN the Openstore means it's not reviewed by the Openstore.. all I can say is that my impression is Fuseteam has been around UBports a long time and seems to be a trusted member of the community.
Not sure if one can make webapps from non-Morph browsers or not.The full system access warning that you see for uWolf in the Openstore is by comparison to most apps being confined - sandboxed by default. This is a major feature of Ubuntu Touch, almost all apps are, and need permissions to access things from other apps, via ContentHub. Privacy-wise, it's a huge asset. I'm sure it makes things like KeePass harder to implement though.
My two cents, as a non-technical user who's been using UT as his sole phone since 2020, is that the longer you use it the easier it gets. There's definitely a learning curve, and sometimes it's just a question of finding other ways to do a thing that doesn't work the way you'd hoped. Some things are lacking and imperfect, but I've always found it incredible not just that there was a true Linux OS for phones that's so usable, but that it's so pleasant to use.
To my mind, as data collection grows and grows, (and as authoritarianism rises worldwide) the need for smartphone alternatives starts to seem kinda dire. AOSP-based ROMs are good until Google decides not to share anymore, which it kinda sounds like they're already starting to do.Thanks for checking out and writing about UT! Whatever your review, good to get the word out.
Hope it winds up being a good, useable OS for you! -
@kugiigi said in Trying out UT on Pixel 3a XL for review article:
What was the problem with copy pasting your password from Keepass? The Keepass app from the store didn't work on your database? Had troubles copying? The OSK showing when long pressing doesn't seem an issue since I would expect the menu to paste would stll show. Also, you can long press on the spacebar or swipe up from the bottom of the OSK. You can move the cursor from there and also access buttons like paste
It was difficult to get my Keepass database downloaded from my Nextcloud server, to begin with. I tried the UBsync app but the database file never showed up locally. When accessing my server via Morph Browser, you can long-press and select download on specific files, but they don't download. Eventually I got the file downloaded, I think via uWolf and logging into my server there.
The open store Keepass app doesn't work. When I 'pick DB' and go to file manager to pick the database file, nothing happens and it just goes back to the previous screen.
I discovered Keeweb via one of the contributors on this forum and made a webapp using the Webber app from the Open Store. This opens my database ok.
I can long press the password in my Keepass database to copy it, but when I long press to paste it into the Tuta.com login screen in uWolf, the password is not pasted in, and the keyboard appears. When I flip that keyboard up and select the 'paste' icon there, the password is still not pasted in.
So I thought I'd open the Notes app with a yellow icon (not sure if that's a default app or where that came from) in order to paste the password into that, but it just shows a white screen with no functionality.
I opened my Jotit Cloud Notes app connected to my Nextcloud notes, which is something that works really well, and paste my password in there, so I can see it, and then copy it by hand into a notebook, so I can type it into the Tuta.com login screen.
This gave me access to my emails, but on next login, the password wasn't remembered, even though I'd ticked that box. Typing the username and password manually into the passwords section on uWolf also didn't work.
There were some other issues with the keyboard after I'd adjusted opacity, but those were resolved by a reboot of the device.
Anyway, that was an example of a bad hour with UT. I was running Linux mobile OSs on a PinePhone previously, so I am familiar with these types of hiccups, but given that all the boxes are ticked green for the Google 3AXL I wasn't expecting this type of headache.
On the other hand, Nextcloud integration with notes and music works well, as does the podcast app, taking photo's, connecting to a bluetooth headset, and so on. So it's a mixed experience so far.
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@wally said in Trying out UT on Pixel 3a XL for review article:
To my mind, as data collection grows and grows, (and as authoritarianism rises worldwide) the need for smartphone alternatives starts to seem kinda dire. AOSP-based ROMs are good until Google decides not to share anymore, which it kinda sounds like they're already starting to do.
Thanks for your detailed response. There is a lot of useful information for me there and I've been learning a lot.
I'll try the uFirefox link. I was happy to learn that Open Store files are sandboxed - a good thing!
The paste issue persists on my device, which basically means I won't be logging into my tuta.com on that device for now, but that's ok, because I usually access mail on desktop. But when traveling, this could be an issue.
I agree 100% with what you wrote in the quote above. I like that UT is working on different phone models and not as dependent on Google continuing to share information, as for example GrapheneOS, my current daily driver, is. It would be great to have a mainstream Linux mobile OS that 'regular' people can try out.
You mention UT is a 'true Linux OS', but I've read that it still requires some aspects of Android to communicate with the hardware (unlike something like PostmarketOS). Any thoughts on that as a vulnerability to the UT project?
Using the Nextcloud integration apps has been mostly a great experience. I get more out of my home server with UT than I have with other operating system. But the dated browser is a real barrier to user-friendliness, since having an up-to-date browser is essential to most online actions, whether your use Webber to make a webapp or just work in the browser.
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@theprivacydad Bad news is that uFirefox (and I think also uWolf?) doesn't have copy/paste integrated with the rest of the system yet
It's a solid work in progress, but not fully featured. The lack of up-to-date browser is just gonna make things clunky til its remedied.And y'know, my "true Linux OS" comment is super unclear. I have no idea what makes something a true Linux OS.
With notes that I'm faaar from being among the more knowledgeable around here.. aside from Pinephones and maybe some other devices of which I'm not aware, most UT ports use Halium, an abstraction layer that's able to talk to the Android firmware involved in the components of the device. My understanding is that Postmarket OS, when used on an Android phone, is in a similar boat and uses libhybris to talk to hardware.
I'm sure it's not perfect, but I struggle to imagine a serious privacy/security risk given the sandboxed nature of UT.
As for vulnerability of the project though, I take your point, and it's a good one. I hadn't thought of that while running my mouth about the vulnerabilities of AOSP based projects
Does Halium make use of code that is at present open-sourced by Google, but could become not so at Google's whims? I don't know. But I bet somebody does.. -
@theprivacydad I see. There's a couple of things here.
First is that clipboard doesn't work yet on apps running via Wayland/XWayland which uWolf is. So sadly you can't copy paste there.Second, what version is your Nextcloud? I believe mine is NC 30 and it works fine and I can download files.
Lastly, you're most likely using Beta version of Ubuntu Touch 24.04 Noble. That one isn't released yet and most of your issues seem to be because of that. For example, Notes app is still not compiled for Noble hence the blank screen. UBsync might also need to be recompiled to work properly. OpenStore allowed focal (20.04) apps to be installed in noble (24.04) to allow users to use apps that hasn't been rebuilt or adjusted for noble. Many apps will just work but sadly that's not the case for every app.
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Hi @theprivacydad Developer of uWolf here.
LibreWolf is focused on privacy and security, By default LibreWolf will delete cookies when closed you can change that in about:settingscopy/paste as mentioned already is one of many symptoms of being forced to use XWayland there is a fix on the way but until it is merged no dice unless you want to install it through the qa tool and remove the XWayland flags from the launch script in uWolf but I would not recommend that.
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@ChromiumOS-Guy said in Trying out UT on Pixel 3a XL for review article:
By default LibreWolf will delete cookies when closed you can change that in about:settings
Thanks, useful to know! I and thanks for the work you are doing!
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Thanks for the good info. I'm running NC 31.
@kugiigi said in Trying out UT on Pixel 3a XL for review article:
you're most likely using Beta version of Ubuntu Touch 24.04 Noble
Oh, wow. You are right. I will have to start over with my notes, most likely, after installing the stable channel.
I have now found this page: https://docs.ubports.com/en/latest/about/process/release-schedule.html via the small link in the installer.
I don't know who to report this to, but if the UBPorts installer is designed to lower the barrier for non-tech people, can I suggest putting the stable channel as default in the drop-down menu? Someone new to all of this will read 'daily' and not understand what that is. I read right past it and continued the installation.
Thank you! I'll reinstall today sometime.
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@theprivacydad I haven't used the installer lately but I would think the stabl channel is the default and I think the noble channel was still hidden but maybe now it's not?
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@kugiigi It's no longer hidden, no. And channel sorting has always been an issue with the installer when new channels become available. Now the sorting is probably from newest to oldest as a way to default to noble when it became the default.
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@arubislander It looks like that, yes, from newest to oldest.
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@arubislander An easier fix might be a highlighted warning message in that particular window of the installer to newcomers to choose the latest 'stable' version. That way the changing order doesn't matter.
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@theprivacydad I think defaulting to the current stable version, whichever that might be is the correct way to go about it.
Opening an issue about it on the Installer's issue tracker will keep the info from getting lost.
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@arubislander said in Trying out UT on Pixel 3a XL for review article:
Opening an issue about it on the Installer's issue tracker will keep the info from getting lost.
Done! https://github.com/ubports/ubports-installer/issues/4177
