gohug.eu : nice new portal with aggregated resources of European alternatives!

https://gohug.eu/join

Speaking of #EuropeanAlternatives, is there any for #TransactionalMail ? Not email providers, not newsletter providers, but those third parties that offer you a mail server to send email notifications and etc from your website.

In my case, it's for #Discourse instances. I'm still using #Mailgun which, well, may or maybe not count as European given its owner #Sinch, but also I'd like to migrate to a more fair and social option if possible (also not to just a brand cover with AWS underneath).

Podcast-Empfehlung: Peer Heinlein im Gespräch

Unser Geschäftsführer Peer Heinlein war kürzlich zu Gast bei Ralf Hersel im Podcast von GNU/Linux.ch. In der Folge gibt er spannende Einblicke in die Entstehung und Motivation hinter Projekten wie @mailbox_org, @OpenTalkMeeting und OpenCloud, aber auch zur digitalen Souveränität.

Wir bedanken uns herzlich für die Einladung und das angenehme Gespräch!

https://gnulinux.ch/ciw130-podcast

How ethical is the search engine Ecosia?

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/technology/how-ethical-search-engine-ecosia
#ecosia #SearchEngine #ethics #EuropeanAlternatives #BuyEuropean

Donations to The Debugger are temporarily down, which in the case of #Ghost rely on #Stripe by default. Now, Stripe decided to cancel The Debugger's account, just right after we published our article on #privacy . Coincidence? Probably yes. But we're looking for #onlinepayment alternatives out there, so if you have any suggestions (especially stuff that is not just Stripe or PayPal under the hood) they'll be much appreciated!

The following article provides data on the growth of interest in European clouds since the start of the year.

Main points:

- Opencloud: 62% increase in users since January
- Magic Earth: Over 250% growth in six weeks
- Nextcloud: Three times more inquiries
- Ionos has experienced an increased demand, particularly from the security and defence sectors
- Leitzcloud: Customers are seeking enhanced security

Is there more data about other companies?

It'd be great to find out how much of an impact this movement is actually having. :)

https://www.golem.de/news/abgesang-von-us-clouds-eu-tech-firmen-erleben-aufschwung-durch-us-handelspolitik-2504-195297.html
#BuyFromEU #BuyEuropean #EuropeanAlternatives

Our latest European shiny alternative is Pixii , a French camera manufacturer.

The company was founded in 2017 by David Barth, an entrepreneur who worked on Linux development for Ubuntu for almost 10 years, helping to develop and make Ubuntu more accessible.

He couldn't find the photo camera he wanted, so he decided to make one.

Pixii cameras are designed and made in Besançon, a city famous for its watchmaking and precision engineering. The final assembly of the camera happens there, but the parts that make up the camera come from different places. The mechanical parts are made in the Vosges region of France, while the electronic components are sourced from Germany and China.

The company's graphical designer, Isabelle Colas, has experience from the luxury and watchmaking industries, and she is responsible for the #Pixii cameras' elegant design. Her work has won the company awards like the Red Dot Design Award.

Pixii is competing with Leica , but it works with #Leica's lenses. It's aimed both at #photography fans and the "Instagram generation". Despite challenges in increasing production, Barth's approach has attracted international attention and financial backing, including investments from people with experience in the industry.

https://pixii.fr
#EuropeanAlternatives #BuyEuropean #photography

Well then, let me give a tip of the hat to another splendid European app @Tutanota The team behind this one is doing a bang-up job, and they deserve a pat on the back. I've personally given their email app a whirl, and they've got a calendar app too. It's the perfect blend of usability, privacy, and security, all without costing an arm and a leg. Absolutely top-notch, and I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a go.
#europeanalternatives #emailapp #privacyprotection #datasecurity #privacyandsecurity #tutanota #tutamail

European startup landscape:

You may not be familiar with Rocket Internet , a German company founded by the Samwer brothers, that is the driving force behind numerous digital platforms, including Zalando, Delivery Hero, Foodora, Hellofresh, Dafiti, Home24 etc.

Previously, Rocket Internet was criticised for its approach of building platforms to compete against other companies ("copycat" strategy). They also have achieved growth through the acquisition of foreign companies or the sale of their own to major competitors.

Some people may not like this kind of strategy, but this has provided people with more European alternatives. (see the images for an example although some of those companies may no longer exist).

Rocket Internet is also an incubator of online business models and invests in start-ups through its venture capital arm, Global Founders Capital. They support early-stage startup founders with $ and strategy. According to their website, they have a portfolio of over 200 companies in various stages of development, employing approximately 42,000 people worldwide, with a total valuation of EUR 30 billion.

Official website: https://www.rocket-internet.com
Their VC arm: https://www.globalfounderscapital.com
The founders: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samwer-Brüder
Images source: https://www.medialem.com/rocket-internet-marketplaces

Comment Qobuz s’impose comme le “Hermès de la musique”
(How Qobuz has established itself as the “Hermès of music” - article in French)

https://www.forbes.fr/business/comment-qobuz-simpose-comme-le-hermes-de-la-musique/
#qobuz #music #streaming #EuropeanAlternatives #BuyEuropean #BuyFromEU

Why isn’t Vivaldi browser open-source?
Their explanation:

https://vivaldi.com/blog/technology/why-isnt-vivaldi-browser-open-source
#vivaldi #browser #opensource #EuropeanAlternatives

Why Threema Instead of WhatsApp ?

https://threema.ch/en/why-threema

European search engines

Czech Republic
#Seznamcz https://www.seznam.cz

France
#Qwant https://www.qwant.com
#Karma https://karmasearch.org
#Lilo https://www.lilo.org
#ZoTop https://zotop.fr

Germany

#Ecosia https://www.ecosia.org
#Metager https://metager.org
#Fireball https://fireball.com
#Ghostery https://ghosterysearch.com
#GoodSearch https://good-search.org
#Monocles https://monocles.eu

Scandinavia
#Leta https://leta.mullvad.net
#Stract https://stract.com
#Marginalia https://marginalia-search.com

Switzerland
#Swisscows https://www.swisscows.com
#Etools https://www.etools.ch

UK
#Mojeek https://www.mojeek.com
#Oscobo https://www.oscobo.com

Nachdem Zoom sich 2023 den "Big Brother Award" redlich verdient hatte, wollte ich mal nachfragen, wie denn aktuell der Stand ist?

Haben sie aufgeführte Mängel beseitigt oder ist Zoom nach wie vor nicht empfehlenswert?

Ich frage für ... vermutlich zigtausende Unternehmen, die auch Alternativen nutzen könnten ...

bigbrotherawards.de/en/2023/zoom

cc @digitalcourage @padeluun

#Zoom #BigBrotherAward #UnplugTrump #UnplugUSA #EuropeanAlternatives

STAGE+: Deutsche Grammophon one of the world's oldest record label, has just launched its own high-resolution streaming service for classical music. It includes:

- Music (audio and video)
- Long concerts and operas
- Documentaries and behind-the-scenes interviews
- New audio releases and classic albums from Deutsche Grammophon and Decca

Everything is in high-quality audio with Dolby Atmos, available on TV, mobile, and web apps. Many videos will be in 4K with Dolby Atmos Music.

One of the main struggles that classical music lovers have with other mainstream music services is the search functionality. It's tricky to track down the definitive recordings of some of these composer-led works.

STAGE+ promises their search functionality uses optimised metadata to bring you the exact result. So, no more sifting through endless versions. :)

You can try it out by streaming the free content or enjoy a 30-day trial.

https://www.stage-plus.com
#classicalmusic #music #streaming
#EuropeanAlternatives #BuyEuropean

Except THIS is not how any of this works!....

• All it will do is see the #USA as #unpredictable, #unstable and less #trustworthy than the "P.R." #China or even #Russia under #Putin.

#Trump literally lashing out against friends and neighbours will only backfire hard, and I expect @EUCommission and @europarl_en to enact #PrizeFreezes for #US #products & #services whilst forcing #Retaliatory #Tariffs on all US #products and espechally #services, demanding 100%+ in all #fees, and #revenue of #GAFAMs' services and products to the point that they'll effectively cancel half their revenue that flows back.

• Plus forcing all products and services to be processed and sold via a #EU-based #corporation and adding a 30% "#AlienTax" as the #USA already does for i.e. #App #developers that ain't from the US even if they never sold a single license to a US customer.

Not to mention cancelling any #DataProtection agreements that only stalled the foreseeable court decision that #CloudAct is incompatible with #GDPR, thus banning #Office365 / #Microsoft365, #iCloud et. al. from the EU!

• And yes, this level of #retaliation is not only just, but #overdue, as we need @european_alternatives / #EuropeanAlternatives to #VISA, #AMEX, #MasterCard, #PayPal, #Steam, etc.

Given #Trump can't be assed to even fake any #loyality or #allied status even for the cameras, this is a #ForeseeableConsequence.

• As only with #Accountability and #Consequences will we see change, and punishing the GAFAMs is a neessity in this regard.

Unless we want to end up #downgraded into the state of a US-occupied overseas possession without statehood, like #Guam, #PuertoRico or #AVI...

Falls jemand #Google #Maps ersetzen möchte, kann sich #MagicEarth ansehen.

Kommt aus Südeuropa, hab ich nun mehrfach eingesetzt und funktioniert zuverlässig. Integriert sich auch perfekt in Android Auto.