this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2023
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It’s far easier to just not use Amazon than it is to not own a phone or computer.
Yes, it sucks there are no good options to buy an “ethical” phone, but phones are basically a necessity. Instead of shopping from Amazon you can shop from tons of other places.
Yeah, I try to buy stuff from brick and mortar stores. I figure that even if it’s a big box store at least there are actual employees working there who live in my area.
But I can’t even find the kind of underwear I like at any physical store near me. Even online, Amazon seems to be the only place that stocks it.
The same goes for the style of jacket that I prefer. I’ve spent months looking everywhere, and the only place where I've found even an approximation of what I want is Amazon.
I’ve noticed that even in big box stores nowadays the selection is pretty limited. You'll see a wall of racks full of the same item. I don't know if it's supply chain issues or if they've just decided that it's not worth the trouble of trying to stock a variety of items that only appeal to a relatively small number of people.
I went to Home Depot store looking for some (admittedly kinda weird) hardware and after browsing around for a while the store associate told me to buy it on Amazon.
Oh god. You're one of those people who act like raising kids wasn't possible without all the modern luxuries. You'd have failed as a parent 30 years ago.
Because the idea that kids are so difficult to raise without next day delivery is a pathetic thing to imply.
That is all.
Is this AI or were you having a stroke?
Either way, I go to a store and buy one. It's pretty easy.
Actually there are. Look up Fairphone and Shiftphone
As someone who recently tried the Fairphone 4 out to replace an absolutely dying OnePlus 5 I've had for years as well as the guy who uses open source everything/advocates for the same - It's not a mainstream option at all yet. If they could decouple the software from the hardware better maybe people would be willing to deal with the bugs but eOS and Lineage, while awesome projects I support, don't play with many "secure" apps at all due to how Google decided to lock them down and that alone is a deal breaker for anyone working where you need access to say...Outlook. Banking apps can have issues (depending on the bank) which while maybe easy to work around for you and I is a huge pain in the ass for most folks who just want their phone to work. Having to jump through hoops to get the Play store on there in the first place is not going to work for anyone who isn't fully committed to the de-Googled experience. F-Droid is the first thing I install on a new phone but there's no way it's going to be my only portal to apps I need.
They are certainly meeting their own set goals, and the hardware while bulky doesn't feel cheap or anything, so that's great. I really love how easy it would be to replace most of the phone if/when broken, and the commitment to fair labor practices and control of the supply chain is tremendously commendable. But for a tool most humans rely on for day to day life, the honest truth is neither project is quite there yet to be adopted in the mainstream.
If it sounds like I'm shitting on either of these companies that isn't my intent at all. I'm following the progress with FP5 and really look forward to seeing the ideas set here grow if they can.
That's a bummer. Hope they manage to iron out those issues because I was planning on getting one when my Samsung dies.
I mean... get one and try it out! They have a fair return policy.
It does. The style of your argument makes the situation more complicated. No one said mainstream. From the sound of what you're saying, monopolistic companies hindering compatibility will keep it that way. Apps will have bugs that need to be worked out, that's just a given. Stating don't get it because it's not viable atm just makes this cyclical since there will be no consumer push to work the kinks out or let people learn about alternatives.
I think his point is it's a big ask to ask people to deal with buggy/less feature-rich hardware for a product they use - arguably depend on - every day. It's a valid point bring up.
I never said don't get it, I was replying about viable alternatives. It's just not for the majority of the market right now. It sucks, and I'd buy some future Fairphone or equivalent in a heartbeat once I can actually use it as my daily driver phone and not need to carry a second one for business use.