> Sounds a bit pedantic to me, but okay :).

Ah, the distinction is important indeed :-) The expectation is that things are improving.

I think many people in the mobile Linux do think Android is doomed, or at least is not an interesting path anymore for the long run. That's what drives them. Android works, but has some flaws this ecosystem can't see being avoided. Being stuck with the custom kernel and the proprietary drivers is one of them.

Personally, I'd be happy with an Android phone that can run free of proprietary drivers with the mainline kernel.

Thanks for the discussion :-)

>Being stuck with the custom kernel

Android already works on the kernel. You don't need a custom kernel.

>and the proprietary drivers

If it uses proprietary Linux kernel modules they will still be proprietary kernel modules without the rest of Android.

> You don't need a custom kernel.

Most Android devices use a downstream kernel that has modifications that were made specifically for the device. In other words, most Android devices are not mainlined. I guess it is reasonable to call "custom" anything that is not the mainline kernel, isn't it?

> If it uses proprietary Linux kernel modules

Librem 5 doesn't use them.

What's your point? If free drivers are available you have the freedom to use free drivers. If they aren't available you don't unless you make them yourself.

My point is that for Linux phones you are free from those Googe-created problems of the long-term support. You simply use the mainline kernel and your device works forever.

> unless you make them yourself

You almost never can write free drivers yourself, because the hardware specs are closed. You would need to do reverse-engineering, which is too costly.