postmarketOS

postmarketOS is Alpine Linux on a phone: a full distribution with ordinary packages and ordinary tooling, as opposed to an Android derivative with a Linux userland bolted on.

Why we still choose it

The project’s stated goal is a ten-year support horizon for devices that manufacturers abandon after two. For an organisation buying a hundred handsets, that is the difference between a capital purchase and a subscription.

Of the three mobile systems we work with, it is also the most straightforward about what it is. You get a Linux system with a package manager, you can install what you like, and there is no open-core boundary to run into later. A technical team already has the skills to run it, which counts for a lot.

Where it fits

Long-lived deployments, technical users, and devices with good mainline kernel support. It is also becoming a good option for purpose-built devices, where the handset is used as an appliance more than as a phone.

Where it falls short

Device support varies enormously, and it decides the whole evaluation. A device with good mainline support works very well; one without is a research project. It is less mature than Sailfish, and calls and modem behaviour on some hardware still have to be checked.

We treat the evaluation itself as the deliverable. Often the most useful thing we give a client is a report on which two of the three systems are wrong for their hardware, and why.