It is pretty important in that the House of Representatives and the Senate have their seats exchanged, and I believe they have the power to pass or reject laws (albeit the president can still veto). They can’t immediately fix everybody’s problems, but it is a step in the right at the very least! It’s also super exciting that many Republican “safe” states have swung Democrat, including Texas (the big one), South Carolina, Kansas, and Iowa (and others, like Florida, were a tight race)! People have truly voted “as if Trump was on the ballot”, and it’s a sign that they want change!

And Abdul Al-Sayed from Michigan is the first Muslim senator, and he achieved victory, despite the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby dumping tens of millions of dollars into the campaign against him and the Islamophobic rhetoric of the Republicans. He is advocating for universal healthcare (Trump calls this “communist”) and the end of U.S. military aid to the Israeli war machine.

Note that I’m not American, so I could be wrong in some aspects here.

This is why I don’t like the CPU duopoly…I really hope RISC-V takes off soon! Or at the very least maybe ARM chips from a variety of different brands, I dunno

Yay, another person using the Fediverse! That is always nice, it’s so amazing that people from different services hosted in so many places can communicate almost seamlessly!

As for communication stuff, Signal is quite good. Don’t let perfection become the enemy of good, it’s a hell of a lot better than WhatsApp and has the security audits to show for it. I would encourage more people to use XMPP (and for larger communities, Matrix) since you aren’t reliant on a central server (hosted in the U.S.) and a single client! All are better than being under the thumb of Facebook though.

Yay for the Firefox-based browsers! LibreWolf is awesome, though I personally am currently using Floorp.

Huh, I never knew that DeepL and SoundCloud were German! The more you know. I do prefer doing both translation (“Offline Translator” on F-Droid and the built-in translation feature on Firefox based browsers is very good!) and music (headphone jack forever!) locally though.

If you need other email recommendations, I know mailbox.org and posteo (both German 🇩🇪) are highly regarded, and if you’re fine with us Aussies 🇦🇺, Fastmail is awesome too!

The KeePass ecosystem is truly awesome, as is AntennaPod!

Have not heard of Bolt, will look into it, looks very cool (and Estonian 🇪🇪!)

Linux is the GOAT, and wish you all the best on mobile Linux! It’s so cool that Linux phones actually becoming a feasible alternative for many people (desktop Linux has been amazing for ages, especially with Proton making gaming awesome too)

And yay for supporting local businesses!

Ok that is weird…on my end the formatting is correct on the website, but incorrect on all three mobile apps I have installed (Interstellar, Summit, and Blorp). Very strange indeed.

“No stupid questions”, in this community at least, does not mean “stupid questions are bad! We don’t want them! Go away, stupid people!”

It comes from the phrase teachers say, “Remember, there are no stupid questions!”, to encourage discussion and curiosity in the classroom. When question-asking sorts of communities formed, they shortened it to just “no stupid questions” (context is lost if you do not know the phrase, a little ambiguous)

This community prioritises discussion and curiosity, so questions that are against that (e.g. attacking individuals or groups, personal arguments, unfounded conspiracy theories) are not what we want (so yes, the score number will become more negative)

As for me, I updoot the questions that I think are worth asking. Topics I’m not as interested in or am not familiar with I ignore, but if somebody is being unkind or generally awful, downdoot for them.

I swear to god if you’re that canal guy again…

Next time, please format the post to be more readable, it would be really nice if you did! (unless Frendica’s formatting is different? I dunno, but on Lemmy/Piefed it looks like one big glob of a paragraph EDIT: this appears to be an issue with the Lemmy/Piefed mobile apps, on the website it works fine. Weird!)

You can use " - " to create lists, and new paragraphs need a newline in between (e.g. line 1: paragraph, line 2: empty, line 3: paragraph). Something like this maybe:

Hello, people. I managed to settle on a few alternatives hosted/created in Europe, and I decided to make this post to serve as an inspiration for others into picking European alternatives to American Big Tech. I will also mention how close I am to fully commit using them completely. Here we go:

• Facebook ------> Friendica (99% of the time - I noticed it’s been weeks since I last accessed Facebook. Down from pretty much all the time at its peak)
• Instagram -------> Friendica and the Fediverse, via Friendica (75% of the time - I still have friends sending me reels and stuff, and nowadays, it looks like new people are more likely to connect with you on Instagram. However, I am aware of who owns that thing and how addicting it is, so I am trying to limit its usage as best as I can. I did create a pictures-only circle to compensate)
• Reddit -------> The Fediverse, via Friendica (70% of the time - Reddit still has native content for my own language and the old Reddit interface which makes it sane enough to use - even though the content gets more and more garbage. I created a circle called “Frontpage” on Friendica that I seldomly visit)
• YouTube -------> PeerTube, via Friendica (5% of the time I guess - YouTube has this talent of getting you through rabbit holes, and the content creators are paid, unlike on the Fediverse, where some PeerTube instances actually charge you to put their videos there, so probably not that enticing for them. Shout-out to some of the YouTubers I do follow who moved here though).
• WhatsApp --------> Signal (5% of the time, some friends are really starting to use that), XMPP (0.5% - seldomly enter for some groups, but no one is using this, sadly), Briar (0% of the time - literally not a single soul there. The concept is nice, since that’s why I’m still having that installed, but that’s the only reason I keep it. Getting people on XMPP seems easier than this imo)
• Goodreads --------> Bookwyrm (100% - fuck that shithole Bezos who owns Amazon and doesn’t give a crap on this platform)
• IMDB ----------> Moviebuff (100% - yes, that is a federated alternative to IMDB and Letterboxd; also fuck that shithole Bezos who owns Amazon and doesn’t give a crap on this platform)
• Last.fm --------> Libre.fm (40-50% I guess - great platform. Not so good when it comes to certain features, but shout-out to Matt Lee for keeping the lights on for so long, and for continuing to do so)
• Geocaching.com -------> opencaching.ro (0% of the time - sadly had no time to look for caches anymore. Bummer. I’d love to log something)
• Google Maps ---------> Organic Maps (60% of the time - in process of changing for CoMaps - the clanker-free version of Organic Maps, sorry), InfoTB (40% of the time - this is the local transit app. It is proprietary as fuck but since it is made by my local transit agency I can be 100% sure it’s gonna work properly and be more up-to-date than even Google Maps. And there are plenty of missing features from Google Maps itself compared to this afaik)
• Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box ---------> Nextcloud (99.9% of the time - I still have data there, but I seldomly use these. Also there’s no Linux client, so eff them), pCloud and Filen (whenever I want to transfer something larger - haven’t committed to storing all the stuff there. Will need to do some cleanup through my cloud storage accounts too), Mega (50% of the time - larger stuff goes there; got my account when they offered 50 GB for free)
• Google Contacts, also on Microsoft and Yahoo -------> Nextcloud contacts (65% let’s say - new contacts go there. Need to do some purge on the others whenever I have the time)
• Google Calendar ---------> Nextcloud calendar (10% of the time - have to move some recurring events there, which are 90% of how I use that service tbh; also need to do some cleanup)
• Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo -------> Eclipso mail (0% of the time - feature-wise seems good enough for me, but just like in the other cases, I need to do some cleanup - need some time to spare; I am thinking of leaving yahoo for good out of the other 3; I may leave the other two as well if I find a good aliasing service. IDK, thinking how to move things forward)
• Keepass (100% of the time - never used another password manager; used one of my cloud providers for syncing)
• Google Photos -------> My own laptop, backed up to an external hard drive (100% of the time - cannot get any more European than that) - I use Shotwell for organizing stuff
• Google Keep ---------> Nextcloud Notes (100% of the time); in the past I used Zettel Notes on Android, now I am only keeping it to read articles offline
• Microsoft OneNote --------> Nextcloud Notes (0% of the time - I need to move out some of the notes from there)
• Google Translate --------> DeepL Translate (100% of the time - never seen another product that was literally on par with the American product - even better); also I am looking for some dictionaries to use locally with Goldendict; I do have some, but not enough
• Chrome --------> Librewolf (100% of the time)
• Microsoft Office ---------> LibreOffice (100% of the time when I’m opening any document)
• AntennaPod (100% of the time - never used anything else for podcasting; currently syncing my podcasts with Nextcloud)
• Spotify --------> SoundCloud (0% of the time currently, have used it extensively in the past; this is pretty much the only service that I accept as streaming), I also currently mostly buy music, so most of the time I am listening offline (let’s say 100% of the time); there’s also Nextcloud music installed on one of the servers I’m on.
• Netflix ---------> local cinema (100% of the time - yes, I do have such a thing. Better to support your local business).
• Uber ---------> Bolt (100% of the time), I’m also using the public transport, and I’ve started riding my bike more.
• Windows --------> Linux (100% of the time - switched since almost 10 years ago; that shit belongs to the dumpster).
• Android ----------> Sailfish OS (90% of the time - wow, that’s such a fantastic system if you manage to around some of its shortcomings; can’t wait for the 5.3 version, that will have broader support for Android banking apps such as Revolut. Can’t wait for it!). Of course, I am using the new Jolla Phone, so another point for a European smartphone.
• Mastercard, Visa ---------> RoPay (0% of the time - it’s a recently launched thing in my country. How the hell does that shit even work?!? I tried to use it twice at a self-checkout in Auchan, and it was just not working), Wero, other European solutions (???% - the idea behind them is good, but those are not even available in my country, what the hell?!?).
• Amazon -------> eMag (30% of the time - Amazon is not even present in my country. But we fortunately have the same shitty version of it that tries to sell everything called eMag), brick&mortar stores (70% of the time I guess), I’m aware that I’m privileged to live in a big city, so I have plenty of options available, but if you do have the opportunity as well, why not go take a breath of fresh air on your way there.
• McDonald’s, KFC, other fast food chains -----> Hesburger (10% of the time - meh food but at more affordable prices), shawarma places (5% of the time - yes, there’s plenty of them here, but don’t want to spoil myself too much), pastry shops (are they called like this in English) such as Luca or the local mom&pop ones (10% of the time, Luca expanded into Poland too, that shit is good for a snack), regular restaurants (50% of the time).

And that’s pretty much it, I guess? If there’s anything missing it means I have found no alternative to it or haven’t thought of it. By any chance, did I miss something though? And how do you fare with your usage on European alternatives? Did you find your own Euro-Stack? Do you miss something yourself from it?

ah ok

It worked for me, so dunno if this is a widespread issue. I now use Sable though since I prefer it over Cinny (it’s a fork with extra bits I think)

For me, I would first replace the smartwatch, since that’s the most intertwined with the “ecosystem” (more like a hellish prison, but whatever…), then try and replace the computer(s), since Linux devices will work better with iPhones than Mac does with Android (and mobile Linux) devices.

I used to use an iPhone, and moving to an Android device was relatively smooth bar WhatsApp, which was incredibly annoying to deal with. It is possible to transfer message history though, and my family (now on Android) are very happy to get much better battery life!

If you need specific recommendations, I would go for the Fairphone if possible, else Sony Xperia and OnePlus devices are pretty neat too (former if you like headphone jack and notchless display, latter if you want top spec mobile gaming). You also have mobile Linux being a real option nowadays with the Jolla Phone (SailfishOS) and Nura devices (OnePlus 6/6T, Pocophone F1, Fairphones, etc.)

As for smartwatches, you have WearOS watches of course, but jumping into another ecosystem isn’t great. Pebble is really fun, and if you are into fitness Garmin has lots of options, and both work for iOS and Android (nice!), meaning it is an easier transition.

For Android tablets, OnePlus ones are pretty good though, and GrapheneOS can run on the Pixel Tablet. You of course have the various x86 tablets that can run Linux, as well as many ARM devices that support Nura (formerly postmarketOS), the latter usually being some sort of Chromebook (please don’t use ChromeOS)

And of course, the laptop. If it’s an M1/2/3 Mac, Asahi Linux could be an option, then you don’t need to buy any hardware! Old Thinkpads are awesome on budget, and you have a variety of Linux oriented laptops (System76, Tuxedo, etc.), and most Windows laptops will run Linux just fine as long as you’re not running an old kernel (e.g. Debian) on very new hardware.

As for desktops, you have endless amounts of Windows mini PCs and old workstations to choose from, buy used because memory prices are insane. Go for the ones available on the nearest used marketplace for cheap! It’s amazing how compatible Linux is with older devices, even more so than Windows.

If you need good alternatives to proprietary software, you have LibreOffice, Pinta (or GIMP if you are fancy), Inkscape, Kdenlive, Audacity/Tenacity, an endless number of code editors, etc. If you want to game, Linux is a lot better than Mac in this respect nowadays with Proton and such, Steam, Lutris (all-in-one, super customisable), Heroic (for GOG), and Minigalaxy (also for GOG) are awesome

Pixel, Sony, OnePlus (mentioned already in the post) and Fairphone are the main ones. You also have several of the older Motorola devices, as well as a couple from other brands (like Nothing), usually older devices (newer devices are not supported nearly as well)

Many of the Sony Xperia devices are supported by LineageOS (not often you see that outside of Pixel and Fairphone), you have the beloved audio jack, front speakers w/ no notch, microSD expansion, and they’re just very cool devices :D

I find it’s an in between of something like nano vs VSCodium or Zed. It works well for editing single files + has features like syntax highlighting and such, but it is not as powerful as other code editors. And the editors I have mentioned are a step down again from full IDEs (which do their job very well with all the features you could want for debugging and whatnot)

Kate isn’t a bad code editor, I think it does the job while being relatively lightweight compared to VSCodium and especially full IDEs. Zed is very quick so I’ve mostly replaced Kate (and VSCodium) with that, but Kate is an awesome piece of software too!

Personally, LLMs are too often wrong and overly confident to be useful for me. Plus, unless you’re running a local model, yet another subscription is not fun, especially by the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic. And you have all the ethical issues with LLMs that I’m sure you’ve heard about already.

It would be much better if you used the vast swath of online resources we are very lucky to have nowadays, don’t take it for granted as the internet becomes increasingly saturated with low-effort LLM generated garbage.

Again, the only scenario where LLMs are potentially useful is translation in my opinion, and even then, you have to mindful it is often pretty wrong.

If you want to try game development, game jams are always a fun experience! Godot is an excellent for this and is what I use (GDScript is very nice, less resource heavy compared to the proprietary options too). As for guides, GDQuest and HeartBeast are awesome!

There are a bazillion different online resources to learn programming, whether you want to make websites, mobile apps, whatever. As long is it’s not an obvious cashgrab (a small fee to support them is fine!)

Personally, I learnt Python by reading a book. Dunno which one, but it was a very good book!

And don’t be afraid to search for the answer (p.s. Google is not your friend, but Ecosia and Qwant are!), I still sometimes forget how to make a for loop in Python. Try to avoid using LLMs if you can, they often promote not so good programming practices or are simply flat out wrong (and confidently so!). The only instance where it could be useful is explaining concepts to you in your native language if you are not a first language speaker of English (not vibe coding, mind you, that helps nobody!), but again, you have to be mindful that it often gets stuff super wrong!

The Pixel 11 has introduced: nothing useful! In fact, it has actually regressed with the reduced amount of RAM. The only marketed feature is the silly Gemini light on the back of the Pro models, that can only be used for five contacts (and only calls! Not notifications!) or as an indicator when Gemini is thinking. Skip the Pixel 11, plus GrapheneOS is not supported yet. 25W wireless charging isn’t supported by most chargers and most people charge wired anyways (faster, more efficient, and not really less convenient)

Personally, I would get the Pixel 9 over both the 10 and 11, the main upside is the magnets (which can bd solved with a case) and a zoom camera (in which case the 9 Pro is pretty good and also the same size). Realistically, I would probably get a 9a over any of them, because you really don’t lose anything going with it besides camera quality (plastic will not crack easily like glass and will get covered by a case anyways)

If you already have the 9 or 10, don’t upgrade! It’s very silly and you get basically nothing extra. The only thing is maybe the zoom camera, if you have a base 9, in which case the 9 Pro (or even 10 Pro) is cheaper + supports GrapheneOS

And of course, you have non-Pixel devices as well. Fairphone has been awesome in European markers, and their recent Fairphone 6+ has also released in the U.S., which is pretty cool! They make very nice devices that are pretty competitive for what you’re paying honestly, and they support right to repair and fair working conditions! You don’t get GrapheneOS, but LineageOS, e/OS, CalyxOS, iodeOS, and even many flavours of mobile Linux support Fairphones! It’s really cool stuff, and Nura (formerly postmarkerOS) is being worked on for the latest Fairphone 6!

You’ve also got the cheaper Jolla Phone that runs SailfishOS, and that might be fun to play around with

Mum looks out for what’s best for you, while Claude looks out for what’s best for Anthropic’s shareholders (not you)

Oh, haven’t heard about that brand before! Looks like they do manufacture their mice in Germany 🇩🇪, albeit they focus on tiny fingertip mice.

I mean, BMW proposed a subscription to heated seats that were already in the car, turns out big corporations are often very greedy

I would recommend against Logitech, as it’s part American, and they floated the idea of a subscription-based “forever mouse” (not a good look at all)