Which keyboard is most likely to replace the AOSP keyboard on GrapheneOS?

rkeenan

Have the maintainers of GrapheneOS considered replacing the AOSP keyboard with FUTO keyboard? FUTO is the best keyboard I've tried and I've tried them all, including FlorisBoard, Fossify Keyboard and HeliBoard. The text prediction is VERY good, almost on par, if not as good as GBoard.

What is wrong with FUTO keyboard? It's open source and very privacy friendly.

DeletedUser87

rkeenan I don't know if there might be licensing issues. FUTO is not open source; it's source available with an according license.

Open_Source_Enjoyer

rkeenan Have the maintainers of GrapheneOS considered replacing the AOSP keyboard with FUTO keyboard? FUTO is the best keyboard I've tried and I've tried them all, including FlorisBoard, Fossify Keyboard and HeliBoard. The text prediction is VERY good, almost on par, if not as good as GBoard.

What is wrong with FUTO keyboard? It's open source and very privacy friendly.

de0u "Open Source" does not mean the same thing as "the source is on GitHub".

The current FUTO keyboard license is here. It is different from licenses recognized as "open source" by the OSI because it forbids people from doing things that are allowed by the OSI-approved "open source" licenses.

The current FUTO license isn't necessarily bad in an absolute sense. But it is very possible that the GrapheneOS developers won't accept it.

Doesn't the licence allow the ship the keyboard app with GrapheneOS?
I looked into their licence and it seems like its allowed to modify and redistribute it, as long at is none comercial and doesn't interfer with FUTOs own payment stuff.
https://github.com/futo-org/android-keyboard?tab=License-1-ov-file#readme

The security related benefits of source code availability are given if the source code is good to read and corresponds with the actual binary (reproducible binary)

rkeenan

DeletedUser87

What does that mean? The source code is on github. What does the license mean?

[deleted]

FlorisBoard +1

de0u

rkeenan The source code is on github. What does the license mean?

"Open Source" does not mean the same thing as "the source is on GitHub".

The current FUTO keyboard license is here. It is different from licenses recognized as "open source" by the OSI because it forbids people from doing things that are allowed by the OSI-approved "open source" licenses.

The current FUTO license isn't necessarily bad in an absolute sense. But it is very possible that the GrapheneOS developers won't accept it.

billbutter

de0u
I've always subscribed to the GNU definition of FOSS.

(0) to run the program, (1) to study and change the program in source code form, (2) to redistribute exact copies, and (3) to distribute modified versions.

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

And this license tracks. The limitation being that you can't take the software then sell it (or remove their licensing or copyright stuff)

[deleted]

rellhom I installed FlorisBoard and I loved it! It don't needs Internet and it don't learn what you type. It has incognito mode which I really like. And it feels better. I don't know how private the voice to text is but yea, I would recommend it, more than AOSP Keyboard. But if your on GrapheneOS you could keep the Keyboard too, since you could turn the Internet for that off.

Byku

Hehels Had some good experience with Heliboard myself. I've managed to recreate all Gboard functions in it including a multilanguage keyboard with prediction, swipetyping and voicetyping. Plus it works with FUTO voice input while Gboard doesn't. The default settings on Heliboard are kinda crap though. It looks like AOSP keyboard out of the box.
For a Gboard-like experience:

enable key borders
set size to 120%
set colors to dynamic
set style to rounded (or leave at material, up to you)
add number row
turn off key hints
enable vibrate on keypress
enable autospace after punctuation
enable always show suggestions (fixes them not showing in some apps)
for multilanguage typing add mulingual typing to languages
add language switch key (if using multi-language)
enable add words to personal dictionary
download and add gesture typing library in advanced settings
This will give very similar experience to Gboard. Swipe typing on par with Gboard. Dictionary is good for english and kinda lacking in my own language but it learns new words automatically so keeps getting better.

rellhom

Byku

wish this forum had a bookmarking feature, great post

treenutz68

Byku

Thanks for this, one question for you. Where do you adjust the size to 120%? I see a setting for keyboard height scale and bottom padding scale in the appearance settings but not sure if this is what you're talking about...

de0u

billbutter I've always subscribed to the GNU definition of FOSS.

If FUTO wished to subscribe to that definition, they could use a GPL license. But the current FUTO license forbids others from doing what FUTO is doing.

As I understand it, the FUTO keyboard is a fork of an earlier project, which FUTO is investing in and wants to be paid for. That is fine, but their license forbids others from forking it, investing in it, and shifting any payment stream their way.

What if FUTO as a company shuts down? Eventually most companies do. Or what if they decide to end development of this one program, or sell it? Companies do that, too.

When SimpleMobileTools was sold and changed direction, the code was forked as Fossify. If FUTO were to change radically (as sometimes happens with companies, and non-company organizations), the software can't just be forked by a different organization that wishes to continue the previous model.

Regardless of whether FUTO's license model is a good one, it genuinely isn't the same as GPL or MIT or Apache, which are symmetrical. The FUTO license restricts some benefits to FUTO.

Byku

treenutz68 Yeah, I meant the Appearance->Keyboard Height Scale setting.

Dumdum

A recent official statement on the topic from the Mastodon account:
https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/113444455911152130

Additional thread (via DefaultKevin's and Hugo's replies) with more detail on the keyboard as well as licensing broadly:
https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/113444555346758882

TGOS

Thanks to this forumthread I managed switching to Florisboard which has everything what I need &much more. There was recently a release.
Looking forward having it in GOS. AOSP Keyboard was heavy to digest.

DeletedUser127

TGOS the simplicity of AOSP Keyboard amazes me, I switched back to it from Florisboard (which regularly exhibited buggy behaviour) after I upgraded from 6a to 9 Pro XL. All I needed for more accurate typing was larger screen :)

TGOS

DeletedUser127
Having the keyboard changing function not twice but three times and no option to hide the black bar on the bottom was pain to look for me sry.

I hope the recent release will make it for me. First day and I can't see the slightest issue. But will update.

Eagle_Owl

DeletedUser88
Thank you for this recommendation, this is great for people who don't need/want a spell checker.
I like the design (with borders, very neat!), but I have missed dictionary and word suggestions.
And a black keyboard would be even better.
That's why I had to uninstall this otherwise very nice keyboard.

trashaccount

Open_Source_Enjoyer Having a paid keyboard built into the OS for sure sounds like a great idea.

de0u

Open_Source_Enjoyer Doesn't the licence allow the ship the keyboard app with GrapheneOS?

I believe the GrapheneOS team has previously indicated that they don't plan to ship any GPLv3 code because it would preclude certain deployment scenarios (for example, devices with the software permanently locked, which may be appropriate for some security devices such as cameras). If I have that right, and understand the FUTO license, I suspect the GrapheneOS team would be averse to shipping code with a mandatory Internet payment system embedded, aside from more-philosophical questions about the nature of open source.
Some time back people were upset when the Simple Mobile tools were sold to a developer with different practices; the response was the Fossify fork. What if FUTO were sold to an entity that people found distasteful? It seems as if that code would be unforkable -- it would be necessary to support paying the new entity, no?

I don't think this is going to happen.

Please note that I do not speak for the GrapheneOS project.

Open_Source_Enjoyer

trashaccount Having a paid keyboard built into the OS for sure sounds like a great idea.

FUTO is not a paid keyboard.
The payment function seems to be mainly for donation purposes.

de0u I believe the GrapheneOS team has previously indicated that they don't plan to ship any GPLv3 code because it would preclude certain deployment scenarios (for example, devices with the software permanently locked, which may be appropriate for some security devices such as cameras). If I have that right, and understand the FUTO license, I suspect the GrapheneOS team would be averse to shipping code with a mandatory Internet payment system embedded, aside from more-philosophical questions about the nature of open source.

The keyboard wouldn't be a system component but just a pre installed app.

de0u Some time back people were upset when the Simple Mobile tools were sold to a developer with different practices; the response was the Fossify fork. What if FUTO were sold to an entity that people found distasteful? It seems as if that code would be unforkable -- it would be necessary to support paying the new entity, no?

The FUTO licence allows forking.
"You may modify the software only for non-commercial purposes such as personal use for research, experiment, and testing for the benefit of public knowledge, personal study, private entertainment, hobby projects, amateur pursuits, or religious observance, all without any anticipated commercial application.

You may distribute the software or any part of its source code only if you do so free of charge for non-commercial purposes."

It would be nice if GrapheneOS provides additional advanced installations optional to the very minimal standard app set.

There should be a install that directly ships with an advanced keyboard (like FUTO), Stock Android Wallpaper a option to device between Google Play Store or F-Droid + Aurora Store etc.
If you can use a template to settup the phone it would be even better.

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