What open source OS options can I use instead of Android?

[omatai]

I'm new to the Android world. And Smartphone world. And touchscreen world. And so what follows may sound like a case of "I went to Spain and I hated it because there were so many Spanish people there". But...

There is so much I dislike about my Android experience so far - it seems to be a case of trying to be everything to everyone, and ending up with an awkward, cluttered and compromised design - and so I want to know if I can change my Galaxy S4 operating system to something else. At least then I can program up my own apps that do exactly what I want - and ONLY what I want - without constantly chewing up my time, patience and phone credit.

Are there any options? Preferably open source ones?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I know next to nothing about how easy it is to install, but you could look into installing an Ubuntu port: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Touch/Devices/i9505

 

[omatai]

OK - judging by the status page, that does not look like much of an option - not enough of the devices on the phone are going to work satisfactorily. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and learn what I can safely disable (Flipboard?) or write my own Android-based alternatives for.