Lemmy seems like the right place to ask this. Personally I’ve really enjoyed Gurgle, which is a FOSS Wordle clone app.
GrapheneOS
LineageOS
Python!
Xtreme Download Manager. Cross platform clone of IDM and insanely valuable if you are a regular downloader. (Though I would argue IDM is better and more polished if you mainly use Windows.)
JDownloader. Cross platform. Do you have dozens of annoying file sharing website links (1fichier, MediaFire, MEGA, Gofile, Sendspace, Turbobit, UploadRar) with even more annoying time limits between downloads? Do you find file sharing websites with ads and popups annoying? Throw all your links into this tool. Start. Go sleep. Do your work.
MediaInfo. Cross platform, and allows to view every possible detail about video and audio files. This is for nerds and media encoder nutjobs like me.
Calibre. Cross platform. THE BEST E-BOOK READER AND ORGANISER ON EARTH.
Bonus for Linux: Thunar is the best file manager, if you do not want a complicated dual pane TC style tool. Nautilus is a close second, because they refuse to have Backspace key as directory up shortcut.
Calibre rocks
PCManFM with custom theme work for me
@Sigmatank
Open source projects that are best-in-class, rather than imitators if commercial softwareRStudio: just an everything box for software development in R, version-controlled website creation, and scientific publishing via Quarto.
Zotero: open-source, shareable citation management.
Joplin, a Markdown-based Evernote that let’s you self-host your private notebook instead of giving it to a corporation to hols onto.
VLC: the video player that plays everything.
Every other classic board game should have a game client as good as lichess.
But, speaking of games, Simon Tatham’s puzzle collection.
I recently learned that all of Lichess is FOSS and suddenly it all made sense.
I have so much respect for it
Really going to plug KeePassXC. I think there are several forks for different platforms/slightly different implementations of the KeePass family of password managers, but I prefer the “app that creates a file” paradigm of KeePass to Bitwarden’s “server that hosts a database” paradigm.
RedNotebook. It’s not 100% what I was looking for in journal software, but it’s the closest I tried. For the longest time I kept a journal in plaintext using basically any text editor that fell to hand, but RedNotebook lets me use some formatting and rich text (apparently via YAML or similar markup notation?) and adding pictures/links etc. I do sometimes use my journal to kind of stream-of-conscious-brainstorm, and checklist functionality would be handy for that but any app I’ve found that provides that is also incomprehensible. I also like that RedNotebook respects my system theme.
AutoKey. You’re aware of AutoHotKey for Windows? Well AutoKey runs on Linux, and it uses Python for its scripting language instead of its own proprietary weirdness. I use it all the time.
Gonna mention FreeCAD. FreeCAD probably has the worst case of FOSS disease I’m aware of; it’s UI is a klunky mess, it’s perpetually unfinished, but if you can survive the utter pain in the ass it is to live with it’s extremely powerful. Just the fact that it’s a CAD program with a built-in spreadsheet is a total game changer. There’s a lot to dislike here, but I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it.
Firefox. Everyone reading this already knows everything I’m going to say.
Thonny. A pretty basic Python editor/IDE aimed at beginners and students, but I’m quite fond of it, especially when playing with Micropython on various little microcontrollers.
- Vim
- Void/Alpine/Debian Linux
- Ublock Origin
- Sauerbraten
This app isn’t fully ready yet but Accrescent is a secure and private app store for Android. It aims to be a better alternative app store on Android rather than using the Google Play Store. It currently has 11 apps right now and more to come soon.
Highly recommend to check out and support this project cuz this appstore is the best out there right now security and privacy wise.
Try F-Droid instead.
F-Droid has many security vulnerabilities and has many issues such as:
- Hosting an outdated APK client.
- Utilizes an obsolete installation method.
- Does not take advantage of modern appstore features.
- Has no moderation.
- Has no old app deletion.
- Has an arbitrary FOSS only rule.
- Does all building and signing themselves.
If you want more details about these issues read this:
#2 can be solved by using one of several alternative clients with root permissions. Yes, manual APK install is tedious but not inherently insecure, and the only option for nonroot devices without an ADB host.
#4 is not really true. They are just very lenient, mostly just flagging apps with problems (known vulnerabilities, telemetry, non-FOSS services/assets/libs, ads).
#5, #6 and #7 are actually advantages. It’s nice to know that all apps are FOSS and correspond to source, and I can install old apps / earlier versions on old phones – as opposed to Google Play, which denies an app’s existence if your device is incompatible, resulting in shady alternatives and adware typosquatters topping search results.
2 - Manual installation methods can be insecure because a lot of people don’t update their apps all the time. Obviously rooting a phone is insecure, but having no auto updates in 2023 is crazy.
4 - It is very true, having zero quality control on new apps. The flagging of apps with problems is just following the FOSS philosophy. Any FOSS app can be added to F-Droid.
5 - Not sure why you would want to install abandoned apps on F-Droid, let alone use an EOL device. A lot of people don’t check if apps are maintained because they trust their app store.
6 - FOSS doesn’t automatically mean its secure or private. Also, why is it that I have to install proprietary apps only on the Google Play Store?
7 - FDroid signing keys isn’t an advantage because it requires an extra layer of trust. I’m already trusting the developer by installing their app, so the developer should be signing the keys. This is a reason why Signal is not on F-Droid.
2 - You cannot really fix this unless an alternative F-Droid client is installed as a system app by the manufacturer, or they allow relocking the bootloader. Good luck convincing them.
5 - I can run anything of any age on my devices, accepting the security risk. I want to be able to factory reset and use one of my Android 4.4 phones with an unmatched speaker as an Internet radio receiver instead of throwing it out. F-Droid explicitly tells you how long it’s been since the last update and ranks old apps low in lists and searches.
This is why Accrescent is amazing. It has automatic updates for Android 12+. Also leaving the bootloader unlocked is a security risk. Using stock or GrapheneOS (better option) on Android is best because you can lock the bootloader.
I don’t mind Fdroid being around. If you’re okay with the security risk, I have no problem. I’ve explained to you the security issues and the misinformation that people give that FDroid is secure. I was just explaining their security vulnerabilities and explaining why Accrescent is a much better option for installing apps.
The point of free software isn’t security, but freedom. For people who want control of their computing, this is not an “arbitrary restriction” but rather a basic requirement. Just because you don’t particularly care about a concern doesn’t make it “arbitrary.” I’m not a vegan or vegetarian but I don’t complain about the “arbitrary restriction” of a plant-based diet.
I think your thinking im against FOSS but you’re not understanding. Many people in the FOSS community only care about privacy and ignore security. A developer can implement security benefits to FOSS but many people don’t care to do it.
Accrescent is FOSS and it has much higher security benefits than F-Droid. Accrescent allows both open and closed sourced apps because there’s no benefit being exclusive to having FOSS apps in their catalog.
If the user chooses to not use proprietary apps on Accrescent, they don’t have to install them.
It’s a misconception to say that free software is “about privacy.” Many people in the free software community care about having the four freedoms (the freedom to use, share, modify, and share modified copies). We don’t like free software because we think it’s more secure, we like it because it’s free software. Freedom doesn’t need a justification other than freedom itself.
For us, a catalogue offering only free software isn’t an “arbitrary rule” that’s the whole point. If F-Droid carries an app I know I have the four freedoms with that app, because they put in the work to verify that, by building the app according to their (relatively strict, not strict enough IMO) standards. Accrescent and Obtainium fans have different priorities, which is okay, but I don’t understand why they spend so much time shitting on F-Droid and the free software movement.
Security is important in free software, but security in proprietary software is often user-hostile (for example, DRM and WEI). Often times the only way to regain freedom in a proprietary environment is to exploit a security hole, so sometimes we prefer that proprietary software actually not be very secure.
As for F-Droid’s and the free software’s community towards “old” apps, we understand that software does not lose value simply by being unmaintained. Of course, if something is particularly security-critical and/or has a large attack surface (for example an operating system or a web browser). I would stay away from anything unmaintained. That doesn’t apply to all software, though.
Home Assistant. If you ever want to do home automation properly, this is the way. Works with pretty much anything—Zigbee, zWave, BT LE, MQTT—while keeping things manufacturer agnostic, local, private and highly responsive (your commands don’t need to go through some server 3000 km away and won’t have ugly 1 second latency as a result).
DAVx⁵ and Radicale to sync contacts and calendars between devices without snooping middle-men.
Syncthing to sync any files between devices. Works remotely, too, thanks to Syncthing relays.
Navidrome for your personal music streaming service.
Debian, Docker, Docker Compose and Portainer as the backbone to run all your services.
And many others.
Syncthing to sync any files between devices. Works remotely, too, thanks to Syncthing relays.
Wait, does this mean I don’t need a VPN to sync remotely? That has been the doubt I have had since I heard about such software.
Yes, you can sync between two on devices anywhere in the world as long as a connection path can be found.
The downside of this is that both devices have to be on. If not on the LAN it may go though some unknown gateways too which makes me nervous (though it should be all encrypted). It can take some time too for the devices to find each other and then do the transfer (even on the LAN).
Some people place syncthing on their NAS so it is the always on device. Also if you do not want your connection to go through other peoples bridges then you can disable that feature (and loose the global WAN transfer capability), or you can put up your own bridge in a VPS on the WAN.
I am no expert on this. For me I use syncthing only sometimes and only on my LAN. Mostly I use SSH, Nextcloud, or Bitwarden Send myself. I’d like to play more with some of the other options though. Seafile or placing Send on my VPS for example seems interesting to me.
Yeah, you don’t need a VPN as their is also a relay component that forms a sorta sync thing network. While the data is always encrypted, with the relaying you are using external servers to route the traffic. The relaying also isn’t required, but ensures data can be synced even when a direct connection isn’t possible (e.g. You arent home and aren’t on your VPN).
One of the best things about HASS is the counterweight it applies to the home automation industry.
When everyone is trying to lock people in to proprietary systems, the hass community is keen to find alternatives.“To use this temperature sensor, you must use our hub and app”
2 days later: ‘Good news everyone, it’s manchester coding on 433Mhz, and I’ve written a direct integration for rtl_433’Wait a minute, is FLOSS home automation really this robust? Having avoided most wifi enabled gadgets, I’m pretty out of the loop here
It’s pretty good, honestly!
I also avoid wifi gadgets where possible, I try to go for Zigbee, Z-wave, or 433MHz stuff.
For things that “have” to be IP, I put them on a separate vlan, then interface through them using hass.
You can check what it supports. Though there are some stuff that people have created support for that aren’t on there yet as well
I’d actually recommend Podman over Docker nowadays. It’s basically a drop in replacement and embraces open source while Docker’s moving more in the direction of a closed monetized model.
I really want to use podman, but the compose part in it is still a bit too far behind
I guess I’m pretty basic with my compose files, what did you end up running into with that?
I was searching for some nice way to keep my KeePass files in sync across my phone + pc. Tried Syncthing as soon as I saw your comment and it’s a life saver :D Thanks so much!
I’ve been seeing Home Assistant mentioned a lot lately.
Can it control smart plugs and switches that are made for Tuya/Smart Life?
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/tuya/
(I only own older Tuya devices that I flashed with Tasmota before setting them up with Home-Assistant. But I think what they sell nowadays can’t be flashed with a free and open-source firmware. So the Tuya integration should work. But I haven’t tried it.)
Yeah I saw that. It doesn’t help me in trying to break free from those cloud services if I still have to integrate them into my setup.
Unfortunately with the smart home stuff, you’re often stuck with some vendor and their decisions. You have to pay close attention before buying devices. There is a chance your Tuya devices are supported by something like the mentioned Tasmota. They have a long list. But flashing a new firmware on some lightbulb is a bit cumbersome and you can brick the devices easily. It’s probably not something you want to do unless this is your hobby.
I can recommend buying Zigbee devices and a supported gateway, or something alike. That works without some cloud service.
I have a zigbee gateway. I use it for physical buttons that control other smart devices using the scenes in the Smart Life app.
The zigbee stuff has been the devices to give me the most trouble, plus they cost more.
Most of the affordable plugs and sockets are all compatible with Smart Life (which is just Tuya with another brand label). Quite a number of real cheap devices that have their own apps are also just copies of Tuya so they all end up working with Smart Life.
I am going to start looking into flashing firmwares. There’s SO MANY devices running hardware for those platforms, it would be great to break them free of the cloud apps.
https://templates.blakadder.com/
Unfortunately things once have been easier. The first Tuya devices contained ESP8266 microcontrollers and had a vulnerability that allowed users to just upload a different firmware. But at some point they started using some cheaper microcontrollers that aren’t as easy to program. So there is no custom firmware available for many/most of the recent devices. Beware if the supported devices repository says “soldering required” or “module needs to be replaced”. I don’t know why they do this, but it requires a hot air soldering station and proper soldering skills.
Regarding Zigbee: I bought some Ikea stuff. The lightbulbs work fine. But I also had issues with the buttons.
Fucking GREAT info! Thanks!
It does work although breaks occasionally and you seem to need a (free) token from tuya to get it running now. That said it let’s me use my tuya devices through homekit now which is pretty handy.
- Hugo has been a phenomenal tool for building light-weight, static websites as I’ve been working to drop WordPress
- KMyMoney is a life altering personal finance manager that has made budgeting and saving so much more achievable
- KeepassXC is what I use for all of my passwords and important information relative to accounts
- Aegis is also a tool I’ve been using for 2FA after seeing the benefits of that kind of model
DaVinci Resolve. It’s insane to me that you can get that much video editin functionality for free.
Edit: I somehow missed the open source-part. Nvm me.
deleted by creator
That’s not even free, and more importantly not free and open source.
inkscape. awesome vector drawing program
Except CMYK 😔
Hopefully next year
:(
Obtainium - - app with which you can download & update apps (apk’s) directly from github/gitlab/etc. (and even f-droid).
Absolutely awesome 👍
-
KeePassXC, it is a client for KeePass password management, works great
-
Krita, KDE’s awesome drawing program
-
