I finally installed LineageOS on my old Nexus 5x. I’m not entirely sure why I did it, seeing as Lineage dropped support for the 5x over a year ago, but the simple act of deGoogling one of the most Googley of the Googled devices I have felt surprisingly cathartic. Sometimes it’s fun to do a thing just to do it… okay, maybe more than just “sometimes.”

Getting LineageOS installed was an adventure in itself – one I don’t feel like recounting just now – but after all the effort, the fresh-out-of-box experience was actually quite nice. Get the phone on the wifi, setup some basic configs, and it is good to go. Decent privacy defaults, no “log into your account” nonsense, and a solid selection of basic apps to get you started.

To be honest, I’m disappointed that I didn’t give it a try years ago. Now all I have to do is figure out an actual use for it. I think I’ve hit my quota on “things to do gopherey stuff on.”