All features, full flexibility, no bloat -- one simple solution!
On the one hand, it is frequently being suggested to build into Lineage various apps and features. Most of these suggestions are required by some users only, would bloat the core ROM, or have other downsides. On the other hand, these apps and features are usually already implemented somewhere, most users want incremental updates and many would prefer a fully-featured ROM without GApps installed.
To satisfy those wishes and yet avoid the downsides, I suggest simply supporting F-Droid and microG instead:
Idea outline:
Provide API for and build in F-Droid Privileged Extension
Thus have a Store, with automatic updates, and all bells and whistles
Ship with (rebranded fork of) F-Droid pre-installed and a custom LineageOS repository pre-configured (like Guardian Project in F-Droid)
Add AOSP apps, Lineage apps and Lineage-specific versions / branches of apps to LineageOS repository
Use "unstable update" marker in F-Droid to beta test new versions, e.g. of launcher, locker, ...
For additional, bloating apps and features, have users install what's already there (for instance, Location Services: UnifiedNLP with LocalWifiNlpBackend)
Add to Lineage Wiki a curated list of well-tested app suggestions for basic tasks (for instance, WebDAV: DAVdroid, Tasker, Etar, ...).
Key Advantages:
Developer effort most efficiently used
Faster time to market, because much is already implemented
Higher quality, less bloat, more features by referring users to existing apps and joining efforts
Easier innovation, because versions of pre-installed / system apps are publishable like regular apps
Developers happy, because LineageOS is clean at its core
Enthusiasts happy, because they can built on a minimal ROM
End Users happy, because they can easily use ROM, using curated list of apps
Regular, normal app updates for all system apps and pre-installed apps through Lineage repository
Does not prevent using GApps, but improves life without
Major step towards fully featured ROM, and yet without any proprietary apps or services
For good reasons, it's what Google does, it's what GNU/Linux distributions do.
One framework will solve most problems, provide most features ever suggested.
This will make everybody happy.
tldr
Bump!!!!
1, 2, 3 - Fully agree. If I had a proper Play Store alternative I wouldn't need Gapps at all.
4 - Essential in what way? I'd say its best to have only AOSP apps and to let every user download the apps he uses.
There would be practically no bloatware available and the ROM would truly give users the best choices.
8 - Additional preinstalled apps? Rather not.
9 - Rather AOSP mail. Someone might not want to use K-9, but for those who do they can always download it.
10 - Same as 9, avoid preinstalling apps that are already provided by AOSP.
11 - Eleven is OK for me, but still I find it somehow way underpowered. I really miss Apollo from early CM days...
14, 15 - I agree on ROM type. Allow users to select nightly, weekly or stable update channel through settings. Regarding basic preloaded apps, it would be OK only by means of AROMA installer where you could choose which ones you actually want/need.
Cheers!
In this thread it is being suggested to build into Lineage various Launchers, Themes, Widgets, Apps, WebDAV support, et cetera. As a contrasting response to that, I suggest simply supporting F-Droid and microG instead. A Lineage repository for F-Droid could include all AOSP apps; F-Droids own repository would supplement this.
It appears to me, almost everything which has been popularly requested would thereby be solved.
dj_chapz said:
4 - Essential in what way? I'd say its best to have only AOSP apps and to let every user download the apps he uses.
There would be practically no bloatware available and the ROM would truly give users the best choices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here, "essential" refers to, more or less, what's needed to install other apps (launcher, browser, file manager),
but could be thought of as to include functions, which were typical for feature phones, too (basic messenger, dailer, calendar).
dj_chapz said:
8 - Additional preinstalled apps? Rather not.
9 - Rather AOSP mail. Someone might not want to use K-9, but for those who do they can always download it.
10 - Same as 9, avoid preinstalling apps that are already provided by AOSP.
11 - Eleven is OK for me, but still I find it somehow way underpowered. I really miss Apollo from early CM days...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These were just written-out to illustrate what would be possible.
I'll adjust the original post for clarity.
Anybody can fork it and add their ideas. Some people do not want to support fdroid. Keep it clean + gapps.
goorek said:
Anybody can fork it and add their ideas. Some people do not want to support fdroid. Keep it clean + gapps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if F-droid wasn't preinstalled, could be a Lineage repo for it?
LineageOS IMHO should really seek to become the ROM for professional PIM, self-employed, small-business or even big-business device users which seek to avoid GApps and rely on a clean slim ROM. So I like many of grefnab's ideas but currently have no clear idea what the stakeholders of LineageOS have as main goals for the midterm.
Having everything App based in an "FOSS App Package" (as GApps and commercial/device App replacement) with advanced support by LineageOS and/or other main CustomROMs would be geat. See my post in What features would you like to see in Lineage that CM didn't have?
support 1-3
I really hope that this thread will get recognition. I really like the idea of having priviliged F-Droid build into the ROM.
That would make everything much easier.
I fully support the three first points
Provide API for and build in F-Droid Privileged Extensio
Thus have a Store, with automatic updates, and all bells and whistles
Ship with F-Droid pre-installed and a custom LineageOS repository (like Guardian Project) pre-configured
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rest is nice but I would put emphasis on the first three points. They seem like a real advantage to have.
Rephrased some sentences to clarify
This seems like a very good idea to me :good:
I mean it is basically the same procedure Google has in place to keep its apps up-to-date without people having to update their firmwares. Being able to update the apps independently from the rom would be a huge benefit in my opinion. While I don't use gapps on my phone at all, I understand, that some people find it essential. Therefore it would be a bad idea if this interfered with installing gapps in any way.
herrritschwumm said:
While I don't use gapps on my phone at all, I understand, that some people find it essential. Therefore it would be a bad idea if this interfered with installing gapps in any way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would not prevent installing GApps, it would simplify and improve usage without them, though.
+1 for having LOS F-droid repo and bundling F-droid and having fewer other preinstalled apps.
I think this thread is a very good idea!
Just a clarification on technicalities:
microG kinda requires signature spoofing. More specifically MicroG effectively has two principal frameworks inside -- location services and GCM. Location services would work regardless, but iirc for GCM to work properly the ROM itself would need a signature spoofing support. All other ways to enable spoofing employing needlepatch or whatever are ridiculously impractical and one cannot expect normal users to bother with them.
I have two phones (OP1 and OP3) and for both the choice is of exactly ONE custom rom only (based on LineageOS14.1) with a spoofing patch. Therefore applying spoofing patch into the main code base would be great. However the caveat here is that any app or framework like SafetyNET would most likely stop working. Since the developers decided to push for compatibility, I seriously doubt that they would implement signature spoofing.
They could try to implement the patch in a flashable zip like with root but I don't know if it is possible.
fully agree for spoofing support since we are out ot cm
Sent from my Nexus 5 CAF using Tapatalk
I would like to see signature spoofing built into lineageOS or an optional flashible zip, too. But right now a flashible zip could take a long time to flash. See: https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/issues/196
Sounds great.
dj_chapz said:
If I had a proper Play Store alternative I wouldn't need Gapps at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could try Yalp Store, it's there in the F-Droid repository.
@grefnab: My flashable zip help those that want to automatically without any effort: remove GApps, install microG and F-Droid Privileged Extension.
1plus said:
Just a clarification on technicalities:
microG kinda requires signature spoofing. More specifically MicroG effectively has two principal frameworks inside -- location services and GCM. Location services would work regardless, but iirc for GCM to work properly the ROM itself would need a signature spoofing support. All other ways to enable spoofing employing needlepatch or whatever are ridiculously impractical and one cannot expect normal users to bother with them.
However the caveat here is that any app or framework like SafetyNET would most likely stop working. Since the developers decided to push for compatibility, I seriously doubt that they would implement signature spoofing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tingle is very easy to use, if you find something impratical just tell me.
SafetyNet do pass for me.
I'm wanting to modify my 6P to increase my usage of free and open source software, and increase my overall security and privacy protection.
Unfortunately, I still have some proprietary Google dependencies, so I need to maintain access to the Play Store and a minimal set of GApps, so CopperheadOS is off the table (for now). Also, I want to be able to stay up to date, so something like Replicant is also out of consideration. Usability is a priority.
Currently I'm using OmniROM, with Brave for the browser, Silence for SMS. ProtonMail for email, and DuckDuckGo for search. I've gone back and forth between OmniSwitch and Trebuchet for my launcher---I'm not crazy about either, but haven't settled yet.
I'm currently rooted with SuperSU, but I'm planning to switch to phh's SuperUser soon.
Is Omni the most open source and security conscious ROM that is up to date, and GApps compatible? Are there other app substitutions you guys could suggest?
I bought a Kopset Optiumus Prime which has pretty good hardware; 3gb Ram, 32gb ROM, LTE, Ceramic bezel, etc...but the apps are unsat and about anything I install from the Playstore is barely usable if it all. I can't find a way to activate accessibility functions for zoom, so often times I'm stuck with being unable to access buttons that would render in the lower right of the screen.
I've seen several threads on how to install normal Android apks onto a WearOS device, my question is has there been a way found to do the opposite and force install a WearOS apk onto a watch running full Android 7.1? I would love to get the Telegram WatchOS apk installed and running on my watch and would pay a bounty of anyone could show me how to do it.
Also, I have a several WearOS devices and I'm not fond of them (battery life, lag, etc...) along with a Gear S3 Frontier which has its own issues. I see this Kopset or something similar as being potentially very good if I could run apps optimized for it.
No, WearOS is different OS than Android. Some (rare) apps wich do not use any WearOS library can sometime.
Hi,
Was looking on the supported device list for LineageOS, I don't see the Tab A SM-T307U (2020) anywhere.
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/#samsung
Does anyone know if it ever will be supported? How does one go about requesting support? What is required to support this device? Is it possible? Thanks
drjenk said:
Hi,
Was looking on the supported device list for LineageOS, I don't see the Tab A SM-T307U (2020) anywhere.
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/#samsung
Does anyone know if it ever will be supported? How does one go about requesting support? What is required to support this device? Is it possible? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too would LOVE to have LineageOS 18.1 on my SM-T307U. In fact, the reason I picked up a Galaxy Tab S5e was because I could not find any remedy for my SM-T307U. (I'm still happy about the S5e...ecstatic actually...but learned my lesson to check Root and LineageOS device lists first before picking up any new Android device.)
Anyway, it appears that they've locked down the boot loader on SM-T307U, and nobody has figured out a way around it yet. Don't know if they ever will. Best I can do so far is use "PackageDisabler" paid app (google store)to disable/remove all the Samsung Bloatware, and load my Nova Launcher config & Wallpapers.
The more important thing for me (over a working LineageOS build), would even just to have an Android 11 build for the SM-T307U. I have strong doubts we will ever see one from Samsung/ATT (I have the ATT version).
Ok thank you.
I got the tab a for free from a t-mobile promo. I would have done as you did and checked for support first if I actually bought one.
It does however say android 11 in the system info.
Mine is on Android 10 w/ATT. I did not add it to my ATT account (no Sim), so it is WiFi only. Sw update continues to say no update available for OTA. I just did a fac reset today to see if that may spur it, but still no joy.