Hello! We are at #FOSDEM 2026 in Brussels – come and say hello, let us know what you think about #LibreOffice, and get cool merch: https://fosdem.org/2026/stands/ #foss #openSource #freesoftware
Seth of the Fediverse
boosted
#FOSS “Just Fork It” Delusion // OMN
｢ Forking code is cheap, sustaining a living project is not. What “just fork it” quietly ignores is that software is only a small part of what makes a project work. The hard parts are social: users, trust, shared norms, governance, maintenance, conflict resolution and long-term care ｣
#FOSS “Just Fork It” Delusion // OMN
｢ Forking code is cheap, sustaining a living project is not. What “just fork it” quietly ignores is that software is only a small part of what makes a project work. The hard parts are social: users, trust, shared norms, governance, maintenance, conflict resolution and long-term care ｣
LibreOffice
boosted
Stats time! 📊 Our "State of the #LibreOffice Project" for 2025 counts downloads, Git commits, Bugzilla submissions, translations Ask LibreOffice activity, and donations: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/01/21/state-of-the-project-2025/ #foss #openSource #freesoftware
Music Channel
boosted
@schmaker and MakerTube are streaming selected rooms from FOSDEM to the Fediverse this weekend! Here are the playlists to the available streams:
➡️ https://makertube.net/w/p/tH91FM3JdSe7b3cnqsfhmW
➡️ https://vhsky.cz/w/p/ixCUdbv6dmPVgeWLc
Are you missing any room in particular? Please reach out, I'm thinking of adding one or two rooms to the list.
If you are a Peertube admin you can follow these channel handles to promote them on your instance:
➡️ @fosdem@makertube.net
➡️ @fosdem@vhsky.cz
#fosdem #peertube #makertube #fediverse #opensource #foss #live
@schmaker and MakerTube are streaming selected rooms from FOSDEM to the Fediverse this weekend! Here are the playlists to the available streams:
➡️ https://makertube.net/w/p/tH91FM3JdSe7b3cnqsfhmW
➡️ https://vhsky.cz/w/p/ixCUdbv6dmPVgeWLc
Are you missing any room in particular? Please reach out, I'm thinking of adding one or two rooms to the list.
If you are a Peertube admin you can follow these channel handles to promote them on your instance:
➡️ @fosdem@makertube.net
➡️ @fosdem@vhsky.cz
#fosdem #peertube #makertube #fediverse #opensource #foss #live
Em :official_verified:
boosted
⏳ Just one day until @fosdem !
The XWiki team is heading to Brussels from all across Europe. We’re excited to meet the open-source community, share ideas, and explore how XWiki supports flexible, open collaboration.
See you this weekend!
#FOSDEM2026 #OpenSource #XWiki #fosdem #oss #foss #news #community
⏳ Just one day until @fosdem !
The XWiki team is heading to Brussels from all across Europe. We’re excited to meet the open-source community, share ideas, and explore how XWiki supports flexible, open collaboration.
See you this weekend!
#FOSDEM2026 #OpenSource #XWiki #fosdem #oss #foss #news #community
Ericka Simone
boosted
I wish I knew about this when I was giving my #PocketPortal workshops: WobbleWeb / wwwobble, an open-source drag-and-drop visual site editor.
You can also export the static site to host it on Codeberg or the host of your choice.
#wwwobble #WobbleWeb #CandideFindings #staticsitegenerator #staticwebsite #staticwebgenerator #staticweb #HTML #FOSS
I wish I knew about this when I was giving my #PocketPortal workshops: WobbleWeb / wwwobble, an open-source drag-and-drop visual site editor.
You can also export the static site to host it on Codeberg or the host of your choice.
#wwwobble #WobbleWeb #CandideFindings #staticsitegenerator #staticwebsite #staticwebgenerator #staticweb #HTML #FOSS
Mastodon Migration
boosted
#DeGoogle list with best private alternatives
#DeGoogle list with best private alternatives
Q for my tech-competent friends here: my old but functional Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablet no longer supports Dropbox, which I need for my work. If I jailbreak the tablet + install a #FOSS Android OS, could I use Dropbox on it again? Or is the hardware itself the problem? Asking so I can know whether I need to buy a new tablet.
RE: https://mastodon.social/@Sarahp/115974108816433123
Apple is prioritizing making sure they get their cut from independent creators, but still have yet to do anything about X spreading CSAM via their App Store.
Cowards. https://www.theverge.com/policy/859902/apple-google-run-by-cowards
@quillmatiq While I still use Apple products, I’m set to never buy anything new from them… the rate at which they are enshittifying is too extreme. Also openly supporting extreme right? I cannot accept such behaviour.
The good news: I finally learned to install Linux on some old computers and all my prejudices were wrong: there are plenty “just works” distros even I can set up and have running incredibly smoothly.
Alex, the Hearth Fire
boosted
Does anyone know, is @thegoodcloud okay? I haven't seen recent updates here (since August) or on their blog (since July), and the password re-set function doesn't appear to be working for me.
Which is kinda making me nervous..
(cc @nextcloud)
Pretty sure LibreOffice help-folks in forums are gaslighting the users saying that #LibreOffice Write style application problems are user error. I've got the same problems as several help-seekers in forums as recently as a few months ago, and the "helpful" forum replies just keep insisting that what the user is saying they did or didn't do is false.
I'm convinced LO Write has some bugs in this department, so it feels borderline aggressive for the help-folks to keep insisting that there can't possibly be bugs; it must be the user.
Edit: A less serious but still frustrating thing: LO helpers online repeatedly state the precedence rules for formatting text (paragraph style, character style, direct formatting, etc.) and simply lament that users can't handle such an advanced and user-friendly system.
Then they tell someone with a 400-page novel including thousands of paragraphs that, instead of suggesting LO adopt a system where styles might (if users choose) override direct and paragraph formatting, this person should quadruple-click each of their thousands of paragraphs, one by one, then press CTRL+M to remove all formatting, and finally apply the LO style.
If you have to work this hard to ignore a repeated feature request, there is something wrong.
2/3
THE PROVEN TRACK RECORD:
France isn't experimenting—they've been doing this successfully for 20 years. The French Gendarmerie (national police, 100,000+ employees) pioneered this approach:
TIMELINE:
• 2005: Migrated from MS Office to OpenOffice
• 2008: Started Ubuntu desktop deployment (GendBuntu)
• 2014: Majority migration complete
• 2024: 97% of workstations running Linux (103,164 computers!)
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
• €2 million/year in licensing cost savings
• Additional savings from eliminating 4,500 servers
• Total 2004-2008: ~€50 million saved
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT:
In October 2025, France became the FIRST national government to officially partner with the Matrix Foundation—not just using it, but funding its development and participating in strategic decisions. This ensures the protocol evolves to meet European government needs.
So when we say France is "building bundles," they're really packaging, hardening, and supporting mature upstream FOSS (Linux, PostgreSQL, Matrix, etc.) with French hosting, governance, and integration—not reinventing everything from scratch.
GendBuntu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GendBuntu
Gendarmerie case study: https://canonical.com/blog/la-gendarmerie-nationale-upgrades-85000-pcs-to-ubuntu-desktop-edition
#Matrix
(2/3)
3/3
HOW EASY IS IT TO MOVE FROM MICROSOFT?
TECHNICALLY: Very feasible. Strong FOSS alternatives exist for everything:
Windows → Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora)
Office → OnlyOffice, LibreOffice
Exchange/Teams → Matrix/Element, Nextcloud
SQL Server → PostgreSQL, MariaDB
Benefits: No per-seat licenses, data sovereignty, transparent security, longer hardware life, no forced obsolescence.
THE REAL CHALLENGE: Organizational, not technical
Legacy Windows-only apps & VBA macros (need rewriting or VMs)
User retraining & change management (people lose muscle memory)
Political will & leadership commitment (critical!)
External partner expectations (.docx, Outlook, Teams)
SUCCESS FACTORS (proven by Lyon & Gendarmerie):
• Strong political backing at highest levels
• Adequate budget & realistic timeline
• Comprehensive training programs
• Willingness to maintain hybrid systems during transition
• Local/regional procurement (Lyon: 100% French contractors)
CURRENT MOMENTUM:
Denmark, Germany (Schleswig-Holstein), Netherlands, Italy, and Slovenia are all pursuing similar digital sovereignty initiatives through FOSS
Bottom line: #France proves that digital sovereignty through open source works at massive scale (103K+ workstations). They're not reinventing wheels—they're making smart use of mature, proven technology with European hosting and governance.
Lyon Register article: https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/26/lyon_leaving_microsoft/
#OpenSource #DigitalSovereignty #Linux #FOSS #France #Lyon #PublicSector #Ubuntu #Matrix #GendBuntu #Europe #Microsoft
(3/3)
Cory Doctorow
boosted
@Jueltrae Enabling end-users to control their hearing aids with #FOSS software reminds me of @pluralistic book #enshittification.
Does anyone know, is @thegoodcloud okay? I haven't seen recent updates here (since August) or on their blog (since July), and the password re-set function doesn't appear to be working for me.
Which is kinda making me nervous..
(cc @nextcloud)
@Jueltrae Enabling end-users to control their hearing aids with #FOSS software reminds me of @pluralistic book #enshittification.