this post was submitted on 28 May 2024
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Technology

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to engage in a mobile ecosystem outside of the watchful eye of the Big Tech giants and gatekeepers? A system that includes everything from operating systems, to app stores, to cloud services, messaging apps, email servers and more? A system that puts your privacy first, believes in a democratic approach and healthy competition, and a system that relies on open-source solutions to drive its software? Welcome to Mobifree, a human-centered, ethical alternative, that champions privacy over profit and believes in collaboration, sustainability and inclusiveness.

Everyone is locked into a mobile phone ecosystem where the terms are dictated by a handful of Big Tech companies all located in a single country. From end users looking to download and use their favorite apps, to developers who run into roadblocks when trying to get their solutions published, to governments who are increasingly using apps as a way to provide services to their citizens, we are all impacted by the gatekeeping, data tracking, and railroading Big Tech is imposing on us in the current mobile ecosystem. A new alternative is required to shape a better future. And F-Droid is excited to be a part of creating that new mobile ecosystem, together with our other partners in Mobifree.

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[–] [email protected] 56 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (5 children)

Fuck Android, I want Linux on my smartphone. With working alternatives for:

  • Banking apps
  • Google Pay
  • Google Maps (live traffic)
  • Android Auto
  • Google Cast

Only the EU can pull this off.

Edit: added banks.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

An open alternative to Apple/Google/Samsung pay seems impossible.....

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Not if it's done with the EU backing

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I really hope they do but I'm keeping my expectations realistic.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

It's not happening, ever. But hey, dreaming is free.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

Theres the upi protocol in india thats opensource (like androids opensource)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Android is Linux. There are also open source versions of android like LineageOS and GrapheneOS. I have Graphene and it completely changed my relationship to my phone. No bloat, just what I want.

Banking apps work fine as they don't use google play services. Idk about the other features except maps, the open source version is OSMAnd, which is fine and works but takes some getting used to, and lacks many features/optimizations of Google Maps, which seems to get worse and worse every year.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Android is not Linux, it is derived from it. The two are not API compatible, and Android ripped out most of what made Linux Linux to be able to support binary blob drivers, direct Dalvik JVM support in the kernel and other funky stuff.

It's as much Linux as macOS' XNU kernel is FreeBSD.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Don't need any of those bullets, but Linux would be nice in my handy

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, as of 29.05.2024, carrying laptops in your pocket is still slightly too uncomfortable.

[–] realbadat 1 points 6 months ago

Nah, just have it be like a palmtop!

Going to have to build one of them one of these days....

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Waydroid is nice and even indispensable for me, but you can't use any banking apps, for example.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

My comment wasn't meant to negate yours. Waydroid was great to mention!! It is and can be very useful to accomplish alot. I just wanted to clarify that it, unfortunately, can't be used as a full replacement for Android or one of its derivatives.

edit: grammar

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

Yes, EU can pull off ChatControl, OpenAI and all those things. Betcha EU is the saviour.

[–] [email protected] 52 points 6 months ago (1 children)

What the fuck is it? There's no information on that page or the linked pages, just problem statements and blather.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

Seems like it's a coalition that will have app developers, app stores, maybe an OS, etc.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 6 months ago

This article is frustratingly non-specific. What are they actually planning to do? From the article it seems they're trying to create a mobile ecosystem to compete with Google and Apple, but on the Mobifree website the "What" section only mentions using "workshops and pilot-tests" with the aim of figuring out how to best improve some existing projects (with the only one specified being /e/OS).

[–] [email protected] 43 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

The Mobifree project was initiated and is coordinated by E Foundation, a European non-profit that develops of open-source mobile software (among others, /e/OS).

Trying to dig up information on the e foundation is a little difficult. The Wikipedia page mentions commercial organizations, I'm not clear if the foundation actually is a non-profit mission focused organization, or something else

[–] realbadat 16 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Gaël Duval.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ga%C3%ABl_Duval

The foundation manages /e/OS, ECORP SAS is their online sales/services. ECORP SAS is privately owned.

Edited to add:

The corporation: https://ecorp.solutions/

https://www.societe.com/societe/murena-840996516.html

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

/e/OS always seemed kinda pointless to me (the OS itself is just LineageOS + MicroG, which is easily available at https://lineage.microg.org), but I didn't realize they are actually being malicious, too.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Wait r u sure they are malicious. I use it all time congerm pls.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Well, you could just read the article. I personally find them to not be trustworthy. You would probably be way better off with just Lineage for MicroG.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Naah, I am asking about nextcloud they host at murena.io and their mail.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

That website is horrible, reads like somebody having a temper tantrum.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

Searching for "e foundation" gives only 2 results on duckduckgo, sus

[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Lot of people upvoting without even checking the content. Come on guys if we want lemmy to be a good place put some effort

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

What a pathetic joke