Who can make the best video to simplify the installation process for normies?

/e/ Smartphone Operating System
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#1

We’re all probably here because we believe big tech has gotten out of hand. We’d like to see more people opt out, and build better, decentralized solutions.

But this plan has 2 major obstacles right now.

== First, people aren’t convinced they need a new solution. For this we need to get the word out there… and that’s already happening.

== And second, and more importantly, people need an easy and simple process otherwise the barrier to entry is too large to make the switch….

‘adb, fastboot, debugging, TWRP, Heimdall, flash’ ??

Ok sure… might be simple for some of us, but most people aren’t that technical with this stuff.

Must admit, I’m still confused about that installation process myself… (I am indeed one of those normies trying to figure that technical process out! You caught me red handed lol)

So who amongst you could make the best screen capture or in person video on a regular PC so that more and more regular non techy people could get on board with this great movement?

Show us your genius and simplify the process so we can all dump big tech for better solutions!!!

Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/ the unGoogled mobile OS and online servicesphone

#2

Basically you want a manual in video form and thus you start this “competition”?
There are many phone models and one video won’t solve this.

But I think your idea has charm for some user.

I personally like written manuals better. Also there’s the easy installer which will become the better, universal and always up-to-date solution.

#3

“Basically you want a manual in video form” - Not exactly. It would be nice if this process didn’t require a manual to understand it, because 95% of people don’t have the time, energy or motivation to read a manual. If it isn’t easy, most people won’t do it. I’m a bit more determined to figure it out, but most people won’t be.

“There are many phone models and one video won’t solve this.” - As far as I understand, the files will be different but the process is the same, right?

“I personally like written manuals better.” - From the popularity of instructional videos on youtube, I don’t think the majority share this opinion. We’re descended from apes - monkey see, monkey do. By showing them how do do it, it becomes easy.

#4

No, the process is different for different phones.

There are at least two very different general install processes I have seen.
One process is used on phones on which installing a custom recovery program (TWRP or /e/ recovery) is a common and feasible practice, and where the custom recovery is then used for the process.
The other one is used on so-called A/B devices which use a different partition layout than the other phones, resulting in a different process using Fastboot Mode instead of a recovery program.

Example: Compare the instructions for Fairphone 2 (custom recovery process) and Fairphone 3 (Fastboot Mode process).

Even when using the same general process there can still be differences in detail.
For instance, it might be necessary to unlock the bootloader, or not.

Example: Compare the instructions for Fairphone 2 (custom recovery process, unlocking not needed, phone comes unlocked by design) and, I just picked that randomly, Google Nexus 4 (custom recovery process, unlocking needed).

In the end you can start with shared basics, but you’ll have to refine that into a working process for the individual device.

And then the fun starts because steps using a computer are involved, too, with subtle differences in how e.g. Windows, Linux and macOS might handle things.

The way I see it your best bets are …

  • incorporating all the necessary processes and device peculiarities into the Easy Installer, so every supported device can be installed with it successfully … which is a lot of work somebody with access to respective testing devices will have to do to make it happen. Thanks to anybody adding supported devices to the Easy Installer. It helps.

  • diligent community members documenting the process for a particular device/ computer OS combination with lots of explanations and screenshots. Example: [HOW-TO] Flash /e/-OS on Fairphone 3 using Debian based GNU/Linux
    Thanks to anybody doing that. It helps, too.

  • empowering users to be able to install manually. The less your phone and install or troubleshooting software are black boxes doing miraculous stuff, the more you own the phone and not the other way around :wink: .
    Search the internet or ask in a forum how to boot your phone into Recovery Mode and into Fastboot Mode, and how to force a shutdown or reboot when the device seems stuck.
    Get to know the terminal/cmd/command line. Here’s a really good and short 1 page introduction … https://tutorial.djangogirls.org/en/intro_to_command_line/ .
    Get to know what ADB and Fastboot are and what they do. https://wiki.lineageos.org/adb_fastboot_guide.html is good for a short start.

1 Like
#5

Ok then fair enough, from what you’re saying there may be no way to simplify the process to allow people do it for themselves without someone who’s very computer savvy with this technical stuff.

Would it work to go through the the Custom Recovery process and Fastboot Mode process in separate videos, just as a general outline?

Anyways the one I’m trying to do is a custom recovery I think… https://doc.e.foundation/devices/a3xelte/install

As far as I know the main steps are:

Look up tutorial on enabling adb and fastboot
Enable USB debugging on your device.
Download TWRP
Download and install Heimdall
Installing the custom recovery

Is this process possible on a mac too? And I should enable adb and fastboot on that as well?

I think theres a way to make the process a bit more easy to understand at least. Not sure, perhaps I’m way in over my head with this process, someone mentioned it was very simple but it doesn’t seem that way from the description…