Technology

Graphene is Android based. Not sure what it'd mean for them in case Android fully locks down.

if apple can profit and survive from a walled garden, google is only now seeing that as a PLUS.

I make sure to only buy phones that can be rooted. This change still irks me, because it's just another notch on the slide toward control and surveillance under the guise of security theater. If AI winds up being as effective as prognosticated, perhaps it's less theater and more valid. Script kitties could then do a lot of damage.

My concern with sliding toward surveillance is rooted in principle, FOSS ideals that seek to empower users rather than plug them into a matrix. I admit that my idealism is likely naive, depending upon the realities of burgeoning technologies. In any case, I will continue to choose software that allows me to carefully curate what information reaches my brain. I'm in a weird place where I long for transparency, but I have little trust in existing systems. I want the world to be more open and less insular, yet I oppose recent pushes to force identification by limiting user choice. It feels rapacious; I need to trust the system sufficiently in order to consent. A society built upon trust would be far more resilient than one built upon coercion. Coercion is where I draw the line in most areas of life.

As long as you can build a computer from off the shelf parts we are fine in that regard. They can't stop FOSS OSs from working.

Because emotional maturity requires being comfortable sitting with yourself and your thoughts without any noise. A surprising amount of people can't cope with the lack of noise.

Yes.

Edit: Appoxo is right, technically you can still use f-droid on any phone. Check my comment below.

They'll push the update through Google Play Services, so if your phone is Gapps free, you'll probably be able to continue to use F-Droid.