Opt out? Opt in? Opt Green!
Opt out? Opt in? Opt Green!
Opt out? Opt in? Opt Green!
50% of consumers buy new devices due to unsupported software, while the "tsunami of #eWaste" continues to rise.
#FreeSoftware #OpenSource can keep those devices in use and out of the landfill. Today!
Say hello to the new #KDEEco project "#OptGreen: #SustainableSoftware For Sustainable Hardware".
https://eco.kde.org/blog/2024-05-29_introducing-ns4nh/
You don't need new hardware for a secure, up-to-date device; you just need the right software!
@be4foss @kde
As hardware progress continues to slow down, computers last longer and longer. But commerical companies don't like this, so they introduce arbitrary system requirements. Linux saves the day and you guys are running a good cause.I'm happy I don't have to throw away my perfectly find 12 year old computer.
Really appreciate everything you and the entire #FOSS community are doing. I've used Linux for decades now, and it just keeps getting better. I recently installed Linux on a 10+ year old laptop that was barely running Win10, and it's back to totally functional, and even snappy! #KDE is of course the best DE ever :)
Fairphone is offering a solution to this by designing devices that are repairable and have guaranteed software updates, though it requires some compromises.
- because the phone is not sealed, its waterproof/dustproof rating is lower
- the specs are lower than other phones in the same price range - this is probably due to the modular design and the need to assure the supply of replacement parts
- the phone is only designed for the EU - it may not support the network bands used in other parts of the world
@NaibofTabr OK, this is awesome. If the company doesn't go down and holds up to what they promise, the phones are actually not pricey at all - 5 years warranty? 8 years of SW updates? Replaceable parts? All my phones went away because of SW, battery, or display glass. All that can be replaced with Fairphone. I love the concept, thanks for the link! <3
@edison23 @kde You may find some helpful information from the "Upcycling Android" project from @fsfe
https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/howtoupcycle.en.html
@be4foss @kde @fsfe Thanks for the link. The info there _is_ useful but I don't think it addresses the main issue with flashing (and thus upcycling with free SW) Android phones - it's very complicated, risky, and you forfeit the ability to use the phone for banking and such because the apps only support Android/iOS. And yes, I realize it's not within the powers of the FOSS devs to solve this; I guess they'd have to be EU/US government lol :/
Fortunately there are several brands now offering android updates for 5+ years.
@edison23
take a look at https://e.foundation ;at least mine works with my bank.
@be4foss @kdeGoogle is also offering 7 years of support
So, are there any plans to reduce the bloat in KDE, maybe even make a lightweight version (like LXQt) that's suitable for older PCs with limited resources?
Edit: Video proving that what you are saying is not correct:
https://tube.kockatoo.org/w/g9p72nNRHi6bArN4ABtSQM
I think that what you are calling "KDE" may be "Plasma", since you are comparing with another desktop environment.
To answer your question, yes, and the process started some years ago. It sounds like you may be a bit out of the loop, as Plasma now weighs more or less the same as XFCE, or thereabouts (these things are harder to measure than one may assume). I personally installed Plasma 6 on a Dell XPS PP25L from 2008 and it works flawlessly.
Edit: Screenshots proving that what you're saying is not correct:
I'm not talking specifically about Plasma, I'm talking about the "DE" part of KDE in general; and particularly in this context of repurposing and extending the life of old PCs.
I find it a bit ironic for KDE to be pushing this message, when it's a heavy DE (relatively speaking) - it's NOT what anyone would have in mind when when selecting a DE for an old PC.
For instance, take LXQt - run the default/recommended file browser, terminal and text editor, and compare it with KDE + equivalents - you'd see a significant difference in resource consumption. On a system with low RAM, that extra bit of free memory makes a big difference, as it could mean avoiding the penalty hit of the swap file, which you'd invariably run into as soon as you fire up a modern Web browser. So it's vital that the DE use as little resources as possible on such a machine.
Yeah, tell that to the phone companies. I have a perfectly good iPhone 6s that I can only use for the one game that still works. Apple killed that phone for everything else through lack of support. Some for my iPad Mini. My Android phones are all made with flimsy USB connectors that always break and sometimes within literally weeks. The phones are still good but killed by bad USB ports.
For what it's worth, there's the Upcycling Android project by the #FSFE.
@Bro666 Dosn't that need the phone to be unlocked by the provider in order for a new OS to be installed?
The trick with Android phones, I've found, is to charge wirelessly whenever you can. Otherwise the USB port does wear out quickly.
@floofloof Yes - if you phone has wireless charging. Most do not. My current phone has an almost totally broken USB port. I'm considering cracking it open to add wireless charging capability. Or I could just find another cheap phone.
@be4foss @kde Do you mind replying to https://diaspodon.fr/@krop/112331009754812504 ?
When will KDE relocate their servers to a country that doesn't heavily rely on coal for their power production?
Hetzner is getting nearly all of its electricity from hydropower https://www.hetzner.com/unternehmen/umwelt
Edit: wording
@MageInBlack @kde Some background: KDE Eco has funded projects supported by the KDE e.V. and community. The name is derived from the website eco.kde.org, originally created for the FOSS-oriented project "Blauer Engel For FOSS" (BE4FOSS). Since 2021 we've been in contact with many FOSS projects/communities as well as people working on measuring software's energy consumption, digital sustainability, etc. Much is still work in progress and as newsworthy things happen we make sure to post about it.