Over five years ago, I published an article about abandoning my “smartphone” and detailing some reasons why as well as some observations after having done so. For the last five years, I have used three separate “dumbphones” including the one mentioned in the post. Just this week (as I write), I have begun using an Android mobile phone.
Something else I did about a month back was install Windows 11 on my computer which the author of this article (also me), would have found somewhat shocking. The short story here is I was having a lot of trouble doing what I was used to doing on Nobara Linux and found a guide to making Windows 11 tolerable; at least for now. I have retained Linux on my other computers though and still eventually intend to make a permanant switch.
Given these changes, I would be doing a disservice if I didn’t explain this betrayal and I will do so below.
The first thing to address is why I have a smartphone again and what my life was like for five years without one. For the most part, it was no problem but society now assumes everybody has one and this is certainly by design. One early annoyance was with businesses that require you to verify a code sent by SMS while on a call to them to verify your identity. I was not able to do this on two of the models so had to go through additional hoops to get assistance with things like my electricity bills or car insurance. This sort of thing was minor but it was still an annoyance. Other businesses (increasingly including restaurants), really want you to order using one though they still have more difficult but still impersonal alternative methods available.
It wasn’t just this aspect but also my interactions with others. I sometimes couldn’t receive or view certain messages sent by family, friends and acquaintances. Sometimes I had to have things re-sent to me in plain text or in multiple messages to even see them. It also meant I didn’t have a decent camera readily available which meant borrowing a phone from someone else to take photographs or buying a dedicated camera for the times I occasionally need one. There were a number of other issues that meant putting the burden on someone else for something I wanted or needed to do. This extended to some issues at work too.
One other issue that cropped up that was completely beyond my control is the shutdown of older networks. Five years ago the 3G network was still active but now it has been shutdown and all devices using it do not work anymore. This includes the replica Nokia I bought which is now electronic waste. It is unlikely the same fate won’t befall 4G in the coming years; assuming the march of technology continues. This also affects many perfectly functional smart devices and retail electronic payment systems.
So with all this and being in possession of functional 4G Smartphone that had been given to me, I decided I would try using it. This phone had been sitting unused for two years or more and the alternative was to buy yet another new “dumbphone”. I hasten to add that this is not a permanent change but a trial of sorts.
It has only been a week and I haven’t fallen back into the old habits. It mostly sits on my desk or in a bag. I am still reading books on my commutes to work and not using it for browsing or much outside the basics. It has only been a week but old habits may begin creeping after a time.
As for Windows 11, this change came back in June after months of frustration with Nobara but I had the same issues on other distros.
Nobara mainly does what it says it does and I found I could install and play almost every game I attempted to install. Some needed to be fiddled with but the majority worked really well. The major issue I had was a number of games would send the GPU fans spinning extremely fast and I couldn’t narrow down why. I think it was because the framerate was not being limited which some games don’t have an option for doing and so the card was always working hard. AMD Adrenaline and the Nvidia equivalent on Windows allows you to implement limiters outside the game but I was a bit more stuck on Nobara. I didn’t even work out this could be the issue until after I’d gone back to Windows and found it was still an issue with one game in particular. For all the faults Windows 11 has, the games work mostly fine.
Still, I could get by without games, couldn’t I? Yes, but I had more problems.
The major one that I could not find a fix for was MakeMKV being unable to recognise my optical drive on every distro I tried it on. I know many people don’t use them but I still do and I could find absolutely no solution to this. There were also a few other programs I couldn’t find easy equivalents for such as MusicBee. One other oddity was the Bazaar application I used for downloading and installing apps just stopped working and I had no way to re-install it. I found a workaround that could run it through the terminal but it wasn’t ideal. It was clear I was going to have to do a fresh install to resolve the issue. Long-time Linux users might scoff at these things but I am a simple man with simple needs and I can’t even use the terminal without a guide.
The short of it is that Windows 11 does do basically everything I want it to with minimal irritation. Having been able to install it with a local account and much of the bloat stripped off helps a lot but it still does have its issues. And even were I to persevere with Linux, it is clear that this isn’t going to be left alone as the malignant powers in the world of tech continue to spread their influence. As a less capable user, I am prepared to compromise when there is a reasonable solution.
I don’t consider either of these changes permanent but I thought it best to explain things as they are for the moment.
UPDATE: (19/09/26)
I switched back to the dumbphone earlier this month. I still have the SmartPhone but it will mostly just sit at home to be used for some different services or programs that require it.