What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

I'm curious how y'all use your N900s, in this day and age? And do y'all still run Maemo 5 on them?

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

My own answer is that at this point, my N900s are basically pocket linux CLI computers.

I gave up on using the N900 as a phone back around 2016, when the T-Mobile cell towers in the US were transitioning in ways that were leaving me with no signal in several places.

I gave up on using the N900 for web browsing around the same year, because once I accepted having another phone, it was almost always easier to just browse on that other phone - vastly faster and most webpages actually worked.

But I continue to use the N900 regularly - it's just that the only windows I have open are X-Term. Sometimes I launch Emacs, mostly for the aesthetic, but then I close it again and go back to the `vi` that comes with busybox in an X-Term when I want to get real work done.

I've compiled new versions of the things I actually need - libressl, openssh, curl, git, etc. So I don't get TLS errors or whatever.

Point is, I barely care that what's running on my N900 is "Maemo 5" or remotely like it anymore.

In fact, I envision my future eventually looks like me booting into just framebuffer consoles, just as soon as I figure out how to do all the tricky and fancy stuff like "connecting to wifi" and "getting battery status" and "adaptive brightness" and "battery charging" on my own. Maybe when I need graphics I'll boot into a minimal X environment, perhaps with Emacs+EXWM as the window manager.

I mean in an ideal world I'd still have a modern web browser and chat/email clients on a device like the N900, but the world's moved on in a way that makes that harder to do on a device with the specs of an N900, so I've largely accepted the "pocket CLI box" role for the N900 in my life.

And having accepted this, I just want the N900 to be the best pocket linux computer with wifi for mostly CLI use that it can be.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Hi,

my answer is this: i use my n900 for running some of my python apps that are useful for me (mostly database apps such as tracking my water and electricity meters etc); run kali moto in chroot and use the camera to take raw images and then edit them in lightroom (i like the way the camera takes pictures). That is all... sadly... Sometimes i use it download and convert files but since i have a rooted phone with Termux; PyDroid3 and Tasker it is far enough for me at the moment...

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

I run Maemo 5 and I like it more than Meego or Sailfish or any another mobile OS. But I wait Maemo Leste to be good enough for everyday use.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

N900 still can:
CLI for SSH, Maebble for managing Pebble smart watch, OMC music over FM transmitter(for older rental cars), sony MH750 (using OMTP->CITA adapter) or mh755 with collar clip Jumbl BSR36 bluetooth, or bluetooth speaker tube; music managed with fwd/rev/pause/vol from Pebble watch, telephony, SMS(also bridged to watch), MMS, audio books.
HeySMS to bridge SMS via wifi/Pidgin to my laptop is still huge and without a replacement.

No longer:
No more browsing, email is pretty hosed, gps nav is wonky, rtl-sdr was always a niche use with the N900, finding web radio is not something I worry about, FM rx was never a big deal, I am not playing the old Palm Pre games though they are still as good as anything on android, I am just done with mobile games I think,

Tablet bridge:
If I need I bring either a Nexus7(flo) or a cellular-neutered S4mini (software disabled and disconnected antenna) running a cleaned up LineageOS with microG for web browsing, nav, Kodi streaming, and other mobile computer stuff like managing my NFC transit card. I bluetooth tether these devices to my N900 for internet access.

Future:
I am waiting for my Pinephone and then this N900 will either join my other 8-10 broken ones or go to a kid; that is once the Pine is ready to replace ALL of the N900 functions including heySMS and become my everyday phone. Until then I have a mirror SIM waiting for my Pine so they can both run on the same phone number. Hoping for all of the good stuff to work on Leste-4-Pine.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

biketool, I could never get heysms to work reliably so good on you. Have you looked at kde connect? Seems like it could fit in well with a pinephone move.

x

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Heists?
I have used KDE connect but it was not terribly useful on android, I use SCRCPY for android or VNC for the n900 and probably the pinephone with forwarded audio.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Funny, I guess I'm lucky or just have tons of penitence since I still use mine as my main phone daily.

No Longer:
Webbrowser: can still make something happen but it's really a crap shoot and not dependable. but now I need, the built in browser, opera, fennec to get to what little sites work. Mentalist Traceur, would love a set by set on how to compile openssl on the device :).

Skype: was sad to see the protocol eventually change and they kick most of the old one off the network. Especially since the n900 was one if not the first to use that platform on a mobile device.

Media player: I do watch something when needed, but it's usually to slow or choppy to view 720+ type videos anymore. I remember watching full movies on this thing ... crazy. So just short video sometime that ppl send.

VNC: I used to use this every day to remote into my home machine was so great. But once I got a Hires display the n900 can't keep up :(. Miss that one, was very convenient if I needed something off a machine.

Camera: I still use it when needed. But I need like 3 minute for it to get to the point of being able to shoot. Sllloooww. So not really spontaneous shooting anymore, only when absolutely needed. But it can still take a good pic with some effort.

pidgin: after AIM such down little use for it anymore keep it for hoping to get heysmsm running well and emergency.

Still:
Daily driver still with built in apps are Phone calls, txt, music (community), viewing images, pdf reader, alarms, terminal, contacts, calendar (community). Still using, maps work good enough when needed. Also for streaming music I just can copy and edit the config list with channels I find and play on the desktop.

Apps that make it still useful and use on a regular in no order: Convert is awesome, evince when needed, cowboy, coney, xournal, fm radio is great when your in a new place, leafpad as my goto editor, MyPaint, omweather (on it's last db), password manager, Angelmeter, firebox, mBarcode reader, VU meter, VN call history, TimeWorkshop, mobile hotspot, SMS (fmms), HXMTracker & eCoach (heart rate), vlcremote, Open media player, xchat IRC, sync evolution, owncloud, pebble watch with maebble, truecrypt.

It's can be annoying sometimes, mostly from speed slow downs. But Still love this device, especially the size ... it's just not in your way even though it's thick. Also random config corrupts can sometime be annoying if you didn't back up properly.

I think I can last a few more years pending it still works on US network in 2021 :(. But we are in a great state of development currently with all the distress of mobile linux now.

So I would see myself going over to maemo-leste, mobian, sailfish, maybe ubports eventually. The great part is with sailfish you could running anything in a vm it looks like. I think the linux phone future is looking bright.

Now if only fx would make a smaller version of there pro1, maybe called pro1s (s for small, sexy, special :D)

x

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

HAHA, auto correct to the rescue, I mean down fall.

x

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Hell yes, running latest cssu-testing. Waiting for stable maemo Leste though. But meanwhile, its been running:
Well
1. Telegram-cli
2. Prboom - don't know when i'll be bored
3. And the best thing is THIS

This beast is irreplaceable!

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Mine runs CSSU testing, too.
But after a few months I got very enthusiastic about SailfishOS, which is much more GNU/Linux than I expected.
So my N900 now waits for
a) me to check out the newest Maemo Leste beta
b) Maemo Leste to come out of beta
:D

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

I am still using my N900 running CSSU testing as a daily driver.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

+1 as daily driver, main issue being 'not working browser for current (ad oriented) web'
Phone, maps (somehow) and some CLI programs, mainly TaskWarrior!

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

A suitably restrictive hosts file could help with that?
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm (Yes, this is one fo the few things that work on Windows & Linux alike!)
The good thing: it's totally passive, and system-wide. Your web browser doesn't have to struggle with ads at all because the URLs are blocked (99% of all ads come from a limited number of 3rd party ad servers).

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

I use mine daily....

But only as an alarm clock. Phone stays in offline mode and battery lasts about 10 days. (The battery, assuming it is one of my most recent replacements, must be at least 6 years old by now.)

There aren't much of any other use. The Foreca weather widget still works. (OMWeather stopped working about a year ago.)

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

It is probably no longer a desire for you it seems, but you can get some of OMweather back by using the Russian database.

I got it working after removing and reinstalling the app and adding yr.no. But also removing weather.com db.

Even as just an alarm still cool you keep it running :).

x

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

I'm happy to use scrcpy on my N900.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

I use it to map with OSM2go exclusively.

Actually I use 2 devices for it: one has some damage so the system runs unreliable, and I have not properly reconnected the screen connector when I last opened it. This device is used for charging. The other device works fine, but has a broken USB connector: this is used for mapping with the battery charged by the other one.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

And even in 2020 I still use my N900 for Rockbox. Not so much for notes anymore though, I kinda lost interest in writing.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

I brick my N900. It was the 4th in two years. With water this time. Decided to wait for Leste calls and sms and then it will be my daily driver again. Have been using it for browsing, emails, calls, sms, telegram, movies, music, notes, playing pinball, taking pictures. Only thing missing has been whatsapp which my dear friends are not willing to abandon. Mainly one friend. And we have a tight group which has been together for over 25 years. So N900 can be enough for me cause with Leste I can have - if not something else - whatsappweb working. But I put money now on X1 which maybe was a mistake cause it was against my ideology of sticking with N900. A moment of weakness. But I may need more horsepower for upcoming things. Still N900 is the love of my life with gadgets so far.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

For Dakon: you may be able to get a working one from me cheap after I get the motherboards from usb socket fixer. I am selling them cheap for members and new users. Or if you have everything else working fine I can just sell the motherbiard. I still need about 20 backcovers and keyboards with frames to get all 50 to a working condition. Hoping to be able to bring about 20 new members/coders to the field if they would get 2 x N900 for cheap to play with Leste.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Do you also accept damaged back covers? I have some with damaged/torn out kickstands.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Yes, any backcover is better than no backcover

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

My N900 is still my daily driver phone. I can still make/receive calls/sms on it, connect to 3G data, access enough of the Internet (Google search, public transit journey planning, Nokia Maps being the main ones) and play some nice games on it. And I intend to continue to use it as my daily driver until A.It dies or has a hardware failure (e.g. charge port ceases to work), B.It stops working with my carrier or otherwise becomes unusable for the things I need to do with it (or I end up in a position where I need to do things on it that I am unable to do) or C.I find a device that is better (and no I don't mean something from crApple or Samsung or Google or whoever that is running all sorts of code underneath that I have no ability to control or change) that I can justify buying.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

I'll dig out what I have some time in the future.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Frankly I only use it (them) for internet radio. Hoping for Maemo Leste.

The Maemo 5 supplied Internet Radio "app" never disappoints, especially not excellent buffering on slow speed connections and with the additional bonus of FM Broadcast to x number of high end tuners that will like N900 never give up after consumer society tries to spit them out and trample over.

Other than that, I just like to hold it and move through it's interface, let my mind move over the fact that there is "little to do" just like a moment in nature, It's healing for anybody suffering the "disconnection syndrome" of modern Western style life & electronic devices.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Is it not a bit insane that the flagship phones still have the same flash space as the N900 as well as eliminating the SD card slot on most devices.
I have always tried to ensure that my devices are ready for digital survivalism, plenty of audio books, music, an offline copy of Wikipedia, some ebooks, datasheets, etc.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Its official, my N900 is no longer usable.
The USB port is completly broken (not just loose or comming off the board, actually broken) and finding anywhere in Brisbane that can fix it is nearly impossible.

The screen is also slowly deteriorating, the battery doesn't hold the kind of charge it used to, quite a few keyboard keys have come off (or are close to comming off) and the cellular modem is flaky (its getting the dreaded "no sim" error more and more now) so it just doesn't make any sense to try and get this thing fixed.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

:(
I have three of those (not that dead as yours), one flaky, but still one as 'new'.
What about looking on the bay for a replacement? There still are N900s out there still in good shape.

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

My 10-year old N900 is still my main phone - and I have spare ones in case this original breaks but it seems really unlikely, even battery is original one.

Overclock with custom profile, swap offload on sd card with flopswap, phone, sms, calendar, mail, GPS with modRana, public transport with Fahrplan (CH SBB), podcasts with gPodder and 1.8x playing on SMPlayer, 3G modem with USB tethering, BackupMenu...

But today I have a new requirement to access a customer's VPN with Swisscom Mobile ID and I discover "SIM application toolkit" and that N900 has no support for it. With hope I may port MeeGo code: https://github.com/meego-tablet-ux/meego-app-satk

Re: What is your N900 running/doing nowadays?
 

Mine is still my daily driver, which it has been since 2011. :-)