Split /e/ OS into separate components for core OS, Apps and UI changes, Cloud services

Summary

Split the current 'all or nothing' implementation of /e/ OS into separate projects / components for

• the core OS
• /e/ apps and UI changes
• /e/ cloud services

Users choose at install time whether or not to install the last two components

Description

The /e/ foundation home page describes what /e/ consists of

/e/ consists of:

an installable mobile operating system for smartphones, which is forked from Android and completely “ungoogled”

a default set of open source applications that have been improved and optimized for the user

various online services that are linked to the mobile operating system, such as: a meta search engine for the web, a cloud drive with data synchronization, mail, calendar, notes, tasks.

At the moment, potential /e/ users must take all three parts, even if they do not want some of them. For example, some users do not wish to keep any data in the cloud, and do not want or need an /e/ Cloud account. Other users would prefer to use existing applications, rather than /e/'s improved and optimised versions.

The proposed approach is to split /e/ OS into three parts, corresponding to the three components of /e/:

• /e/ Core - the operating system - the 'minimum' /e/ installation
• /e/ UI - the /e/ apps, including the Bliss launcher
• /e/ Cloud - the online services linked to an ecloud.global account (or other NextCloud account)

Who will use the new feature?

• Users moving to /e/ from stock Android, or from other Custom ROMs, who wish to continue using the apps they use already, would use /e/ Core (and optionally /e/ Cloud). They would be able to install only the apps they wish to use - default apps, launcher / homescreen app. /e/ Core would need to include a minimal set of default apps, and a means of installing others. To minimise unneccessary work, /e/ Core could include the launcher and default apps (including F-Droid) that come with Lineage OS for microG, on which /e/ is based.
• Users who do not wish to use cloud services, perhaps because they wish to keep all their data local or private, would use /e/ Core and /e/ UI, but not /e/ Cloud.

What is the target of the new feature for this user?

• /e/ users would not have to install apps and services for which they have no need, or which they do not wish to use.
• /e/ developers, particularly community developers, could focus on those parts of /e/ which particularly interest them, or in which they have particular expertise.

Reflection

• Choice of which parts to install could be implemented with
  • Checkboxes (along with explanatory text and/help options) in Easy Installer
  • Each component shipped in separate zip files, for installation from recovery
• For users who have installed /e/ UI, the First Time Setup Wizard would offer a choice of launchers: Bliss, or the launcher / home screen app from /e/ Core
• For users who have not installed /e/ Cloud, FTSW would not ask for account details

There is more work to be done to decide exactly which bits of the current /e/ implementation go into which component. Some changes might need to be made to /e/ apps (e.g. Tasks) to allow them to work without /e/ Cloud services.

This feature proposal is based on discussion in this post in the forums, and this response to it

I have created a new forum thread focussing only on this feature proposal

Validation

To be decided if this proposal is accepted