[gentoo-user] OpenSource Cellular

[gentoo-user] OpenSource Cellular

[james]

I have an expensive cellualr service and a Galaxy Note 9.
It SUCKS really bad. I spend way too much time, just dealing with
a close source system and way too many vendor traps. I'm done with with,
and am curious if others have similar experiences and are interested in
alternatives, that we the citizens control. In my newly forming 
approach, there is room for vendors and consumers and open source 
developers. I'm in the USA, but, there is absolutely no reason this 
movement I am proposing, could not sweep the globe, IP centric, free and 
open.  Here is my posting to gentoo-embedded, as embedded, secure 
devices, that are kept secure by the device owner, are central to what I 
am proposing. Strong filters and other technologies to keep criminal 
activity, defince by the governments, courts and citizens of the various 
countries, are paramount to my (our?) vision. But the inherent right to
security and hardware and software, is the right of the citizen, and 
must supercede corporate profit schemes, criminal activities and 
maligned actions of the collective governments.


Time for FREEDOM to reign! (spell checker on thunderbird temporarily 
broken...).

Be at peace,
James Horton, PE

Here's the gentoo-embedded posting::



Hello gentoo embedded,

I've had a galaxy note 9 on Verizon for a year. As a unix variant
user, since the early 80's, IT SUCKS, really bad; time to fix.


Since, I am addicted to most things gentoo centric, I have a new plan
to ease my cellular pains.....


What I'm thinking is a flip-cell-phone, just for robust converversation.
It'd be nice if it had a data-port (serial, ?) to tether any number of
tablet/laptop gentoo devices to as one pathway for mobile 
communications. A reliable, gentoo-friend wireless service, USA centric,
would be another great pathway to facilitate mobile communications.


Eventually, I intend to add other form of wireless connectivity, the 
more the better. Surely some work has preceeded this effort, links
and suggestions are most welcome. I intend to collaborate with others
that are just tired of the OS on top of most cell phones. They hinder
my thoughts and efforts, and imho, it's just time for the open source 
communities to pull together and create viable alternatives, so we
can control the software we use for wireless and mobile communications.
Surely others have already blazed this pathway?


I also have experience with embedded sytems communications devices and 
microcontrollers, running minimalistic codes, so prototyping an open 
source cellular device, is not a problem, just a lot of work and funding 
for the prototypes. Respond, or send me private email, if your 
circumstances warrant. I'm very tired of the hardware/firmware/software
offernings of the commercial vendors.


I'm so pissed, I just may run for public office, with the only goal is 
to fix our F.up communicaitons systems, and furthermore, bring privacy 
back to citizens that have no criminal past. I surely hope, and pray, 
that a few other talented hardware/firmware centric folks, feel the 
pain, and are ready to legally fix this bullshit of subversives 
controlling the airwave. There is plent of action where commercial 
entities can prosper, and we, the citizens in good standing, can have 
freedom of hardware and software, that WE control.  Time to action!




sincerely,
James Horton, PE

Re: [gentoo-user] OpenSource Cellular

[Walter Dnes]

On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 06:33:23PM -0400, james wrote
> I have an expensive cellualr service and a Galaxy Note 9.
> It SUCKS really bad. I spend way too much time, just dealing with
> a close source system and way too many vendor traps. I'm done with with,
> and am curious if others have similar experiences and are interested in
> alternatives, that we the citizens control. In my newly forming 
> approach, there is room for vendors and consumers and open source 
> developers. I'm in the USA, but, there is absolutely no reason this 
> movement I am proposing, could not sweep the globe, IP centric, free and 
> open.

  I think Lineage OS is what you're looking for https://lineageos.org/
Open source, etc.  The main problem is that OEM's are locking down their
phones, and making it harder to reflash firmware.  Plus, you've got to
find somebody who knows what they're doing, and won't brick your phone.
I'd be interested in anything you come up with.  Here's why...

  I'm in suburban Toronto Canada.  The CRTC (our equivalant of the FCC)
have gone full asshole mode and decreed that *ALL* cellphone alerts are
sent at the Presidential Alert level (it's re-labelled "Emergency Alert"
up here).  *ALL* means *ALL*.  Yes that includes missing kid or child
custody dispute several hundred miles away.  What doesn't help is that
the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) has a policy that *THE ENTIRE
PROVINCE* gets a Presidential-Alert-masquarading-as-an-Amber-Alert when
one is launched.  For the American audience, Ontario is intermediate in
size between Alaska and Texas.  To add insult to injury, an "Amber
Alert" often results in 3 (***THREE***) Presidential alert messages,
even in the middle of the night...

* The original unblockable alert, sent in English
* Oh yeah, Canada is officially bilingual, let's send out an unblockable
  message in French half an hour later
* an hour later the kid is found, so send out an unblockable "All Clear"

  Fortunately, the Canadian system is relatively new (spring 2018) and
is only designed to work with LTE.  By forcing my phone (Alcatel Go
Flip) down to 3G-only, I avoid these alerts.  Eventually, 3G will go
away, so I want a solution for that day.  So far in my neck of the woods,
there have been...

* 7 missing-kid alerts
* 2 test alerts
* 0 nuclear plant meltdowns
* 0 chemical spills
* 0 terrorist attacks
* 0 tornadoes
* 0 partidges-in-a-pear-tree-e-e-e-e-e

-- 
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications

Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: [gentoo-user] OpenSource Cellular

[Laurence Perkins]

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On Tue, 2019-09-10 at 20:47 -0400, Walter Dnes wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 06:33:23PM -0400, james wrote
> > I have an expensive cellualr service and a Galaxy Note 9.
> > It SUCKS really bad. I spend way too much time, just dealing with
> > a close source system and way too many vendor traps. I'm done with
> > with,
> > and am curious if others have similar experiences and are
> > interested in
> > alternatives, that we the citizens control. In my newly forming 
> > approach, there is room for vendors and consumers and open source 
> > developers. I'm in the USA, but, there is absolutely no reason
> > this 
> > movement I am proposing, could not sweep the globe, IP centric,
> > free and 
> > open.
> 
>   I think Lineage OS is what you're looking for 
> https://lineageos.org/
> Open source, etc.  The main problem is that OEM's are locking down
> their
> phones, and making it harder to reflash firmware.  Plus, you've got
> to
> find somebody who knows what they're doing, and won't brick your
> phone.
> I'd be interested in anything you come up with.  Here's why...
> 
>   I'm in suburban Toronto Canada.  The CRTC (our equivalant of the
> FCC)
> have gone full asshole mode and decreed that *ALL* cellphone alerts
> are
> sent at the Presidential Alert level (it's re-labelled "Emergency
> Alert"
> up here).  *ALL* means *ALL*.  Yes that includes missing kid or child
> custody dispute several hundred miles away.  What doesn't help is
> that
> the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) has a policy that *THE ENTIRE
> PROVINCE* gets a Presidential-Alert-masquarading-as-an-Amber-Alert
> when
> one is launched.  For the American audience, Ontario is intermediate
> in
> size between Alaska and Texas.  To add insult to injury, an "Amber
> Alert" often results in 3 (***THREE***) Presidential alert messages,
> even in the middle of the night...
> 
> * The original unblockable alert, sent in English
> * Oh yeah, Canada is officially bilingual, let's send out an
> unblockable
>   message in French half an hour later
> * an hour later the kid is found, so send out an unblockable "All
> Clear"
> 
>   Fortunately, the Canadian system is relatively new (spring 2018)
> and
> is only designed to work with LTE.  By forcing my phone (Alcatel Go
> Flip) down to 3G-only, I avoid these alerts.  Eventually, 3G will go
> away, so I want a solution for that day.  So far in my neck of the
> woods,
> there have been...
> 
> * 7 missing-kid alerts
> * 2 test alerts
> * 0 nuclear plant meltdowns
> * 0 chemical spills
> * 0 terrorist attacks
> * 0 tornadoes
> * 0 partidges-in-a-pear-tree-e-e-e-e-e
> 

Hardwarewise you might check out the Librem 5 and the "fairphone". 
Both are designed to give you more visibility into what's actually
going on and better ability to control what the blasted thing does in
the middle of the night.

LMP

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