I think it’s the odd mix of natural and unnatural.

It does. It’s called inflation.

Modern millionaires don’t hoard cash, just like ancient millionaires didn’t hoard apples or wheat. Sure, millionaires always had something perishable, but most of the wealth was/is tied in things like land, buildings, companies, ships, cattle, slaves, stocks, bonds, loans etc.

If only Linux phones became viable.

That still means that the rich kids can inherit land from their billionaire parents. Generational wealth can still exist.

It’s a matter of balancing practicality with philosophical values. I’ve already been in both extremes of that spectrum.

Yeah that’s a good clarification. If land and old paintings had had an expiration date…

Hardware and OS are there, and that’s a solid foundation to build on. A proper software ecosystem is still required to make the phone a viable daily driver.

For example, how do I use public transport if my phone isn’t compatible with the app? Should I just start carrying a physical card with me like it’s 2005? What about when I buy and sell used stuff, and everyone is using a local payment app that only runs on iOS and Android? Maybe I’ll just use cash like it’s the 1980s. The more you look, the more problems you’ll find.

Now don’t get me wrong, I would love to ditch American big tech today, but the alternative needs to be viable. Even barely viable would do.

Thanks for the update. Looks like things are moving in the right direction.

On paper, it sounds great. Last I checked, there were some issues though.

• Google is constantly making that harder. For example, people running GrapheneOS are facing more issues every year. This doesn't seem like a long term solution. More like a temporary workaround.
• Some android apps on Sailfish OS and GrapheneOS don't work properly, because the app knows it's not in a vanilla Android environment.

So, if you want to use your favorite calculator on Sailfish OS or GrapheneOS, it's probably fine. If you want to use a banking app in order to verify your identity to the tax office, it might not work at all, because those apps tend to be very picky. Also, you'll need the same verification thing when interacting with other government agencies, so this isn't just a fun little bonus either. Come to think of it, any office or company that asks for your ID is on this list.

BTW, the bank I use announced a few years ago that they will start phasing out physical code booklets. Good luck living in the 2020s if you still rely on tech from the 1990s. If only we had GrapheneOS or Saislifhs OS in 2005, it would have been awesome. The problem is, the world has moved on.

The way I see it, a fully Linux phone would be the next obvious step. If EU want’s to ditch American Big Tech properly, you need to run Linux with no ties to Android or Google at all. This means that you need to have native Linux apps for doing all the basic necessities of modern life. Either that, or the necessities need to function properly as a website, better yet, a web app.

Anyway, I would like to hear more about your experiences with GrapheneOS. Which types of apps had issues?

What I’m aiming for is best of the both worlds. A fully FOSS payment system would be convenient and severed from big tech. Cards are still fine since they are so reliable, but they are less convenient.

You’re not carrying around a dedicated camera, GPS, address book and an alarm clock, now are you. Granted, cards take less space and weigh next to nothing, but they are still extra clutter I would need to keep track of. The mobile phone has swallowed other bits of technology over the past 20 years, and there’s good reason for that. It’s just so convenient and the downsides are tolerable.

Well, apart from the privacy part. That’s intolerable, and now we’re stuck with Apple and Google because of consistently choosing convenience over everything else.

I wish I could tell you. Let’s just say that there’s a mobile app that can send money to other people in a very easy and convenient way. Everyone uses it here. Trying to resist the change is only going to make your life unnecessarily difficult.

It has some pros and cons. It works everywhere in most places and it respects your privacy. On the other hand, it’s less convenient compared to electronic alternatives. I haven’t carried a wallet in my pocket for many years because I’ve switched to more convenient alternatives.

Yeah, that’s true. There will be sacrifices either way.

That’s cool. Does it run Linux too?

People should find an old computer from 95/98 era and try it out. It’s not as great as many seen to remember. UX has improved a lot since those days, but so has the spyware.

What's the hassle with a phone? Don't you carry a phone with you everywhere anyway?

Just tried the website. It literally tells me to use the app for buying tickets, LOL. Oh, and the website doesn't even have that feature, so it's either a paper ticket, physical transit pass or phone. I prefer to use a phone, because I'm going to be carrying that with me anyway. The other options would be extra I can't be bothered with.

I don’t think that’s the right criteria here. Librem 5 already exists, but that alone doesn’t make it a viable daily driver.

You would need to be able to do nearly everything through the browser without installing any Android or iOS apps. About 15-20 years ago, you could live like that, but can you do that today? I would argue that you can’t, because the world has moved on. Of course, you could always sever your ties with the rest of the world and demand everything to work through a browser because you can’t install the apps everyone else depends on.

The old web is dead. The fediverse lives.