I'm new to Android just this month, previously coming from Symbian. Whereas before I thought of my phone as a phone now I look at it like a computer and I can't help but compare just how unlinux like it is.

At first I thought it was great. But then I realised that a lot of these apps I'm I stalling are only open source. Then I noticed how encryption apps are strangely thin on the ground. look at the guardian project and moxie marlinspike projects. still lacking a simple encrypted notepad that can be trusted because we have the source. It's just a bit too mainstream.

Then also I was looking into wake locks and I realised that processes like gtalk are Google's thing. I found that they ate coding like Microsoft not realising resources properly and also not documenting. I want to stop tuns process but I have no control. it feels a little like windows in this respect... hard to get involved.

so now I'm wondering how Linux like an android experience can be and whether its possible to maintain some of androids advantages without going to gnu extremes... which appears not to be a workable option on phones... or am I mistaken?

I found the fdroid repository, that's good... but what else is there? the main this gs I need are sat navigation, email, voip and a way to save things securely.I don't want every app to be able to read my SD card send to tswebsite. .. but many important apps arecloe say j take hdrcam as one example of this. tbc because this phone is running out of txt box entry cache...

A problem for me is that Foss projects seem to get mixed in with closed source. other than fDroid is there another way to find projects?
I was a bit shocked at it all.

I guess I could turn my back on android if there was an alternative with the basics?

as for running linux on top of android, that sounds interesting. if we have that running on a custom android kernel I guess then we're getting free of google now? but the 4gb limit and no phone is a problem. surely there's still the problem of no drivers.

By the way, yes I have looked at permissions and I watch and alter these but I get the impression that its far from watertight.

Finally, how's about getting a linux command line other, what's the low down on that. I have busy box only at the moment.

Batterylife is a consideration in all this and I wonder if there's a project in android like LinuxFromScratch. I'd love to build it up slowly, understanding it a bit at a time and noting battery life along the way.

How do the linux on mobile projects compare? Is there a compromise... like an android in linux emulator?

How does iOS on iPhone look from a linuxer's point of view too?