open source

Android has the lion's share of the smartphone market partly because of the wide variety of devices available and the wide range of prices they carry. There may also be one other factor influencing those numbers: early obsolescence of devices. Android phones are guaranteed two to three years of software updates and that is if they're lucky. If you have a five-year-old or older phone that's still working, you can only hope there's an Android ROM for that or, if you're more adventurous, support from Linux-based postmarketOS.

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News today is filled with stories of how Big Tech, companies like Facebook, Google, or Amazon, repeatedly violate their own users' privacy, intentionally or otherwise. One big problem, however, is how we've become so dependent on their apps and services that it's nearly impossible to break free. And while there are indeed more privacy-focused alternatives, setting those up sometimes feels like you need to be a computer scientist first. That is why Purism, a startup whose business is providing "ethical" laptops and software, has launched Librem One, a suite of services to do all of the dirty work for you. At a price, of course.

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Linux runs the computing world. It is by far the most used operating system on servers and perhaps the only OS on supercomputers. It has taken over much of the mobile world thanks to Android and is on the cusp of taking a majority share in education via Chrome OS.

The one area where it has had difficulty expanding year after year is the desktop. Not because it's terrible at it but because it needs a few missing pieces that will stop the Year of the Linux desktop from being a running joke.

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Had enough of Windows 10's hassles? Unless you plan to install Windows 7, which is going to lose support from Microsoft on January 14, 2020, or have the cash to spare for an Apple device, there aren't many other options for a computer operating system except some flavor of Linux.

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With the rise of always-listening smart home speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home comes a greater worry about the privacy of their users. While Google and Amazon have maintained that their smart home speakers are only ever listening for their wake words, the fact that you're putting a mic that's live 24/7 in your house is unsettling for some people. Enter Project Alias, which is a new accessory that attempts to keep the mics on those smart home speakers in check.

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This week the creators of postmarketOS came out of the shadows to show what they've been making for the past year. The software system they've created takes old Android devices - and some new - and boots an alternate operating system. This is a Linux distro that boots working software to Android devices that would otherwise be long outside their final official software update.

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There is no shortage of calls for electronic devices that respect and protect users’ privacy but there are extremely few that bet their money on it. One such company is Purism, a social purpose corporation (SPC) based in the US that has made a name for itself with its brand of privacy-focused open source laptops three years ago. Knowing that such laptops need not only be open but also functional, the company is announcing version 4 of the Purism Librem laptops with slightly upgraded hardware at the same price tag.

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You can pretty much tell that we’re living in an app-centric world when we take note of and celebrate how many downloads they have achieved. But it isn’t just bragging rights, though there’s definitely some of that involved when you reach 3 billion downloads and you’re not Microsoft, Google, or Apple. But more than just the numbers, VLC’s milestone also speaks to its business model or, to be more precise, the lack of one that, in more than 20 years, has made the world’s most popular media player a household name.

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With all the privacy issues popping up left and right, you’d think people would be more concerned about the things they put online or even just on their phones. But without options that protect users’ privacy and security, they really have little choice anyway. Companies like Purism are taking steps to fill that need and it has just taken one major step forward by finally shipping the development kits to its backers, which could be good news for a promised April 2019 launch of the Librem 5 smartphone.

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It will probably be a long while before Evernote disappears if it does at all. And it will also be some time before any open source software will be able to fill in those extra large shoes. Some alternatives, like Turtl, just stick to the bare minimum while others like Standard Notes try to find sustainability by offering features as part of a paid subscription. Joplin takes a rather different approach. In order to provide a note-taking interface and experience that matches or even surpasses Evernote, it mostly offloads one functionality to others: synchronization.

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Some people fear that the Evernote ship has too many holes and too few crew members to stay afloat. Others have already started their exodus, looking for comparable services. While there’s no shortage of that, there’s something to be said for open source solutions that have the higher chance of surviving bankruptcy, hacks, and governments. Last time we took a look at Turtl, which turned out to be more of a Google Keep Notes alternative than an Evernote replacement. Now we try Standard Notes for a spin which places an even heavier emphasis on privacy and longevity.

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Evernote, considered one of Silicon Valley’s unicorns, recently released its first major update in years. While templates have definitely been a much-requested feature, it is one that the community has long found ways around. And before that, Evernote made a big splash about redesigning its logo. These two events have caused many Evernote users to review the company’s recent history, the sustainability of its business, and possible alternatives. Now while there is no shortage of Evernote replacements out there, users may want to consider some from the open source world. In this three part series, we present such options, starting with the simplest one of all: Turtl.

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