Yesterday I spent a decent amount of time looking for a cheap way to run a server (nothing more than $100), I just have this script that I want to keep running 24/7, so naturally 1st thing came to my mind is the Raspberry Pi 5, but I didn't go with it right away because I always make sure that I am getting the most bang for buck, so I looked at the alternatives which was a mentally overwhelming task, so many Pi clones, some better some worse, then I looked at the used/refurbished pre-built PC and mini PCs on Newegg, eBay, and Amazon, then thought about whether building a pc myself would be a better value, in the end I decided on a used/refurbished pre-built PC… fast-forward a couple of hours later I remembered “wait I still have my old phone lying around, and its HW is more than enough to run this script without breaking a sweat, maybe I can use it!” of course I already realized that this is an unreliable solution as this phone is about to be 7 years old, so the battery will die someday and the idea of using this as a server will kill the battery in a short time, so I decided on using it as a temporary solution until the PC arrives, so I installed Termux and started setting things up… Before I started setting up Termux I remembered there are some Linux distros for smartphones and even one dev managed to port one of them (postmarketOS) although I also remembered that it was full of bugs and far from being usable, so I already knew that my chances are virtually zero but nonetheless I looked up online for a way to get Linux on this phone… I even thought okay why I do not do it myself? (port a Linux distro)…
Now here comes the explanation to why I started to hate android and the current smartphone landscape and why I think this will properly never change, the matter of the fact is, I could have used this computer (the phone) as a server if only android wasn't so damn limiting and so constraining and so unreliable as an OS or if it was easy to install any Linux distro on the phone, either way I could have bypassed the battery and the aggressive app-killing power management (or remove it if it was removable), I have a fucking computer lying around that I can't use any longer because well these companies do not want to, fuck them all, from the bottom of my heart fuck them all.
I am even considering the Fairphone 5 as my next phone as it has near perfect support for Ubuntu touch, although I will be keeping an android phone for banking apps, etc…
Note: I considered flashing a custom android ROM but that too wouldn't be reliable, if I can't rely on it as a permanent server then what's the point, I will just go buy something I can rely on.
I completely agree - not detracting from your points at all, but I hate that not only can you not put your own system onto an iPhone but you can't even downgrade. Hell you can't even put your own apps on it without dumb restrictions.
I still had an iPad 3 that would have made an excellent smart whiteboard/todo device velcroed to the wall, but iOS 9 doesn't cut it (in fact, nearly bricks the iPad in performance). I could easily write up something that would run as a full screen to do app on Linux and that hardware would do it, but Apple doesn't let you.
Gave that hunk of shit away and still am keeping an eye out for an Android tablet I can set this up with.
This is also why I love android, not the google part but the open system it has. I have an old tablet that's on Android 4.4 and I can still watch YouTube (skytube), download torrents, watch movies (VLC FTW) and use a browser (Bromite, if I really really need too). MiXplorer can run a ftp or http server for file transfer, so most basics are covered.
Thanks to f-droid and a few tweaks^1^, its not e-waste yet. It's slow but is usable.
I just use it as a media device when I'm out traveling. Honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't just fried itself yet.
If you were in Australia I could give you a lenovo tablet
Hilariously I am, even have @JustARegularNerd@aussie.zone registered.
I appreciate you offering, if you truly have no use for it yourself and don't know anyone else in your life that could use it, I'll be happy to turn it into a digital whiteboard
PM me
I'll take it if it's up for grabs
What is your use case?
I was kinda joking as I wouldn't expect an internet stranger to simply give away a peice of tech that could otherwise be sold. However just incase you're actually serious, my 6 year old just started school this year and we don't have a tablet in the house for some of the learning apps she'll need next year. So that would genuinely be my use case.
Unfortunately it would be unsupported for your use case as it's got Android 4.2, no updates and no custom rom. Also OP is in Australia and gets first choice. Thanks for your reply and good luck finding a suitable tablet.