@humanetech@mastodon.social @jayrope @the_white_wolf @frank@linuxrocks.online
re devs using libraries for... no good reason?
I just noticed during the #rc3 that the #jitsi client on F-droid is no longer supported on android < version 6. I can't even express in words how bad this feels on so many levels.
Forcing people to acquire new devices creates electronic junk, promotes exploitation of humans and limited physical resources.
@keith @humanetech @the_white_wolf @frank did #rc3 report on this as well?
@jayrope @humanetech@mastodon.social @the_white_wolf @frank@linuxrocks.online
So the commit message for the commit that denies access to the #jitsi app for Android versions lower than 6 is:
"android: bump minimum API level to 23
Android < 23 is currently less than 3% for us so let's try to lower the
maintenance burden. Users can still download an older version no problem."
I wonder where they get their stats from.
@keith @jayrope @humanetech @the_white_wolf @frank it seems that Android Studio gives you those stats, according to https://9to5google.com/2020/04/10/google-kills-android-distribution-numbers-web/.
@keith @humanetech @the_white_wolf @frank Keith, i sympathize with you, am on Android 6 myself, so i will be next to be dropped.
I want to broaden the case massively:
I've many friends in poorer countries who can't afford technology updates frcing thm nto OS or even hardware updates. They are basically left with what they got without any option to be taken care of later.
Technology development in Western/rich countries, especially #FOSS, should really keep this in mind and cater to them & us.
@humanetech@mastodon.social
The problem that I do not know how to deal with is 3-fold
1st there is #android itself, the main problem - that illegitimate robot spawn of FOSS+capitalism.
2nd are the portable computing devices and the culture of feeling somehow incomplete as humans without them, calling them "phones", with their locked bootloaders, closed propriety chips and firmwares et al.
3rd, as @jayrope alluded to is the complexity and the many layers and frameworks that modern software is based on.
@keith
I chat a bit about the situation around Android & updates in this thread
https://sunbeam.city/@handle/107552785093298305
Also link to a posts in another thread with more
tldr- its about the resources available to do a good job of developing and maintaining hard & software. Android has big security & privacy improvements in the last years. Theres only so much app dev resources to put into supporting old Android versions, makes ever less sense as the OS hasnt had security updates for years. @humanetech @jayrope
@dazinism
Many thanks. I tried hard to avoid boosting the entire thread. 
@humanetech@mastodon.social @jayrope @the_white_wolf @frank@linuxrocks.online
There may be some kind of valid reason for the version bump, if I find time I might look at the commit log and see if it is documented.