On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 10:31 AM Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
wrote:
I plan to get a non-smart phone to replace my smart phone.
By non-smart, i mean that it does not have a touch screen.
Could you clarify what you're looking for? I.e. is the presence of
a touch screen the problem, or is the absence of mechanical/physical keys
the problem, or is the risk of being spied on via the device the problem
(... or something else)?
I say that because the market is such that it might be easier to take
a cheap "normal" smartphone and adapt it to your particular needs than
to get what you directly wish for.
[ E.g. if you're looking for a good&cheap MP3 player, a smartphone is
most likely your best bet by a long shot. ]
It would be nice if it ran a free operating system, such as debian.
Which part matter most: the ability to tweak/configure it, or the
ethical aspect of it being truly Free, or the familiarity with Debian?
Thanks Stefan for your reply. Thanks also Russell and Deloptes for the
recommendations and leads.
As to what i'm looking for, well, i'm trying to figure that out. But as
far as the software goes, since i'm getting new hardware, i want to use
free software if possible: i think free software advances our civilization
and if my product choice can help that process along, that would be good.
If i were going to get a smartphone, i would very seriously consider the
Librem (puri.sm) running PureOS.
But i've decided that i don't really need or want a smartphone. I want
something that i can make and receive calls with (with very low frequency),
and which i inspect to get the time if i'm not near my computer or a
clock. I especially do not want a large, fragile touch screen. If it had
a wired connection, such as USB, over which i could ssh in and fool around,
that would be a nice extra. And it would be nice to be able to download
voicemail into sound files on my computer.
So i'm looking for recommendations or advice.
And thanks again, Stefan, Russell, and Deloptes.
dan