I just found this website on twitter and it looks like an amazing Mobile OS is missing
@GaelDuval can have a look and get in contact to be proudly included and why not mutually collaborate
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I think we had this discussion some time backā¦the reason they have not included /e/ is because we are a fork from LineageOS,
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I recall the discussion among the privacytools.io folks were they claimed e.OS was not as open as lineage OS and needed additional information in order to green light it.
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Why wouldnāt it be? Privacy tools offers a nice and trustworthy list of privacy respecting solutions. It would be a shame if /e/ couldnāt make it there. It would offer it needed visibility and recognition.
This is the full discussion about adding /e/ to the privacytools list of Android-based OS recommendations.
The closing comment is specific about the reason no not include it:
We donāt believe users should centralize on a single platformās services without considering their needs and/or competing services.
Weāre not adding every ROM, (just take a look at all the flavors on XDA-Developers), regardless of whether source code is available.
Even though I use /e/ daily I still think this is a fair point. Bringing in a drop-in replacement ecosystem for Google services is something the community needs badly, but also has itās downsides from a privacy perspective. Not to mention the technical challenge it involves, further slowing down development in other areas. On the other hand this is why Iām supporting /e/ because it goes beyond the ambitions of other ROM and attempts to provide this alternative.
However this is still much under development and I wouldnāt really consider it a success. Iāve been following /e/ from the beginning and Iāve seen the progress made, but that is not the case of many others who have pointed out many of itās flaws, which is does have.
I think only when /e/ becomes fully stable it will be ready to starting tackling those claims and clear itās reputation.
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Itās not like it would be any game changer.
I donāt get the shilling for this website.
There are tons of ways to get informed on privacy stuff on the internet other than this.
When you go to the famous social media platform beginning with an R, you see a lot of Ā«muh, this project is ****. Itās not listed on privacytools.ioĀ». Itās like a Bible for that echo chamber of drones. Iāve read them talking **** a lot about /e/ as well, always spamming the same websites. Sounds like a divisive community to me.
Even Brave specifically asked not to be listed there.
They are obviously not the solution to every question but their work is formidable and provide great insights on all things privacy ranging from hardware devices to self-hosting solutions.
It is completely up to you to trust what they say or not, but you can checkout the ongoing conversations about every recommendation that is added and removed, and other topics such as their sponsors. Very few organizations will go through the trouble of keeping a list of privacy recommendations as up to date as privacytools does, and in such a transparent manner.
This does not mean I agree with people talking badly of some project because is not listed in their site, though Reddit is far from an ideal place for having healthy discussions these days.
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I love both PrivacyTools.io and /e/. I also use LOS (my old OS) on devices I still own that are not supported by /e/, namely my Samsung tablets. I also use Macs and lean heavily on Brew but I never sign in with my Apple ID. I also have an X1 Carbon running Qubes, but honestly I donāt need that level of security or anonimity. Iām not paranoid, Iām just leaning how.
I also use a self hosted Nextcloud, Protonmail with my own domains, Bitwarden and I 2FA everything. I definately like to be free of any one ecosystem, but not everyone has the time, knowledge or the expertise to be that independant. Ultimately, we all want there to be something for eveyone, both services and knowledge platforms like privacytools.
Iām constantly reminded of the wisdom in my favourite Buckie Fuller quote, āYou never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.ā
Whether they be voluntary, community or commercial, I want to see more projects that make it easier and easier for everyone to āvote with their walletsā (even when using free but not really free services) and move away from anything that sucks life out of people and toward those services that genuinely add real value. Isnāt that what we all want?
So, I champion privacytools, /e/, LOS, Nexcloud, Protonmail and many others that help move as all towards a world with better choices for everyone. I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, and with my wallet too as I become better able to do so.
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Interesting, they avoid putting /e/OS because itās a fork of LineageOS, but still keeps Ubuntu as an alternative desktop OS which is a fork of Debian.
I know Ubuntu today is mostly āindependentā, but still, based off and dependent of Debian.
For me this is just a poor āexcuseā for not adding /e/OS.
Pure LineageOS isnāt as safe as is /e/OS. Why? Because /e/OS did this while LineageOS and/or LineageOS for microG didnāt.
Interesting videoā¦ about the issue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1B3SekvqnM
(Sorry, I havenāt found any acceptable front-end to Youtube on desktop since the end of Invidious)
Being a fork is not the only reason, please see my comment above for a link to the full discussion.
As for alternatives to Youtube, invidious is still ongoing but with a different team. Please see the linked thread for more information and great alternatives to Youtube and some other platforms, really informative.
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