If designed well, there you mention it.


Thanks for your write up, as expected helpful and insightful from as can only be brought up by many a respected member here.

However, I am done being happy with what I already have, it won't help Jolla.
Here's part of why (tried to keep it short)


I should clarify that I never had problems to switch from anything key based to screen based to
WebOS (on the stillborn Pre 3 if I remember correctly) , Maemo (N900), Harmattan MeeGowhatever (Nokia N9)

Those were all prime examples of touch interfaces wich I got intuitively and the moment I used them I felt respected as a user and more a human.

Sailfish on Jolla the first one, Salfish 1.0 was also found in that very same row of OS i got intuitively,

although it being younger it was slighly and unexplainable below Harmattan which only featured some awkward back arrow here and there (if I remember correctly) to break its excellent consistency. Sailfish was just OK in comparison, no way a perfected version.

So by now you'll understand that I was talking about Jolla Sailfish 2.O that under pressure of some potential, temporary license taker has transformed towards a iOS type unintuitive interface.
The killer is in the details.

We don't need to praise Sailfish OS 2.0 multitasking abilities that have certainly improved, if the live tiles no longer exist but have become mere shortcuts to apps that may or not be still running.
I find it that normal after all those years and increasing RAM / power saving capabilities of chipsets less and less apps auto-close.


Its the interface: Sailfish 2.0 categorizes in the minority of OS that force me to study and think how to get basic some of its basic functionality.
Is it my own ageing, I doubt it. I was perfectly able after long years of resistance to make the best out of the "clumsy" Android 8.0
Being on the same frustration level with iOS is no compliment to Sailfish 2.0, that's truly bad.

People keep up struggle with iOS because other people also struggle with it so it must be good and they will never know how they are struggling.
And besides that, some of the (integrated) software is really good making up for a whole lot of things.

Take an up to date iOS iPhone 6s device anno 2018 try to take a picture.
Ok you framed the precious moment, held your breath, stabilised, pushed the shutter.
Then some menu pops up.
Surely, what did you expect; Apple knows you did not want to take that picture after all.
This is artificial intelligence at a higher level at work that decided to push that floating menu button(whatever it is called) exactly on top of the camera shutter button.
How an OS with "features" like that is being globally accepted and praised without having to quick fix this in uther shame, is testemonial to the sad state of affairs of mobile OSes.

Jolla has seen the competition get away with it and might have thought they can get away with their inconstencies as people will surely accept it like they do in iOS.

Wrong, the only weapon Jolla has is to show the inconsistencies and backwardness of iOS by offering polished, consistent interface that everyone falls in love with.

Jolla are so lucky that iOS and Android take many years to update their 200X inteface into one to kill all previous... but they can afford resting on their laurels.

What did Jolla do with this opportunity?
Comes the first Intex "partner", and they Android - iOS ify the thing. Should they have taken one community member into the meeting that would have not happened. Stand your ground for long term succes.


Remember Engadget on Harmattan running on the N9? The iOS and Android tiredness had set in already. The OS got praised even though everyone in the business know how the plot was going to end. Here I copy pasted it for you; I did not read it for years and guess what is being praised: integration, interface.

Quote:

MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan is such a breath of fresh air it will leave you gasping -- that is, until you remember that you're dealing with a dead man walking. It's impossible to dismiss what's been achieved here -- a thoroughly modern, elegant, linux-based OS with inspired design that's simple and intuitive to use, all developed in house by Nokia. Sure, it's at least a year too late, and it lacks a strong ecosystem, but still, it gives Windows Phone a serious run for its money. For one, it ships out of the gate with copy / paste and card-based multitasking. Additionally, it integrates a plethora of on-line services right in the core of the OS.


Jolla has not yet come to an end even though they do not seem to know where they want to take it before it all ends (preferably happy).

Thus it seems we have to guide them a little bit by being less forgiving.


"Wait, there is an app for that" should not be transformed in "wait, there is a patch for that"

Both of these should be optional but unnecessary for 95% of the users.


For the remaining part, I thank you for your patience and spirit to summarize the state of affairs regarding patches and communication networks that work and do not work even not on the Android level.

I am no longer looking to patch stuff if the basic interface remains.
Patches should not be necessary, those should instead be options.
The interface flow should be fully customizable to prevent a Sailfish 2.0 debacle.

Anecdote to illustrate. This very morning, I was still struggling to get my Jolla X out of flight mode -> back and forth through multiple screens of course the productively useless "themes" came multiple time up front.
Then after some fiddling around finally found the quick shortuct icons screen above the message area (compared to a simple pull down in Android). Flight mode nowhere to be seen.
So I think, ok must be there is no (longer) the optional shortcut for it.
So I went to shortcuts and yes, flight mode included.
Gave up and went for coffee. Yes I could have gone to settings and get the whole overview..
I might wel be in the denial phase for dimential, don't have purple hair and two rings in my face or a more up to date WW1 officer facial hair style to be matching the "be different" style.. but I can't explain this to my father, less my 87 year old uncle who now want a smartphone and whom i would gladly donate Sailfish if it just...


If some carrier wants to lock those options from its users in fear they will not "get" it or not to distract them from the main source of, well that should be possible. And at that point hacking and patching may bring relief to people with a locked Sailfish OS

Furthermore, returning to the basic communication functionalities, I can report that Wire Secure Messenger does no longer work on the Android version currently on Sailfish X (no network connection), same problem on an old tablet running android.

This Android version of Sailfish X is quickly descending into the "unsupported" area.

So there were are, major applications being abandoned, with the Android compatibility layer that was supposed to fade out when native apps came available no longer offering no longer relief for the missing native basic (communication) applications,

The should be even more incentive for Jolla to be unlike and throw away the "ecosystem" fight set by Elop's rules and get everything in place in a nice central communication hub.

Then invite a few (smaller, less arrogant) key partners like Telegram, Wire, Signal etc..all Facebook / Twitter alternatives including blockchain to connect / adapt their systems to this central communication hub.

Jolla once had ambitions with 3rd party Hardware 2nd half makers.

Why not simply expect the same for software in which they finally have settled as their core business after wasting precious time with their in house China hardware demo's.

Start with the European ones like Jitsi (XMPP) and Wire, see what they can offer to grow strong together.


As it stands:

1) the parties haven't met.. it seems easier to Jolla to hold partnership negotiations on the other end of the world than in iOS and Android infected Europe that still remembers it once had its own OS (at least developers should do)
2) when "connected" by idea's of simple users like me requesting integration the answer is: "we are too small to invest in.." (each other).

So they run their business totally convergent and most if not all efforts flow to Android, iOS.

Next time in partnership negotiations, bring some people who lived through all the hopes and downs in this forum. It will help the mobile phone industry much more forward than hire a "proven manager" from Microsoft or old Nokia to do that job.

Remember I reject everything Google, use Linux , search engines such as unbubble, startpage, qwant , ddgo, do test social network on blockchain before ever being on and then off facebook.
Mail with Protonmail etc.. I do my best to be different beyond my underwear and hair style.
Jolla makes it just a non exciting experience as long as they fail to do their part properly together with the indispensable partners & governments who are equally guilty of making the breaking of 10 years status quo impossible.