Basically, what the title says. Do you use any app, that is proprietary, but either has no OSS alternatives or they’re all not good enough? If there is an alternative, what keeps you from switching?
Pedantic, but Google Messages’ RCS. And it’s all Google’s fault because they are holding the API hostage, probably because they want to create familiarity with the app so that people don’t switch once they finally open up.
Not pedantic at all. Google lied about RCS being an open standard.
The pedantic point would be saying that RCS, the protocol, is technically open, but the specific implementation that Google is pushing and being adopted is proprietary 🤓
So yeah. Totally fair point and fuck Google for their RCS bait-and-switch.
For anyone wondering:
RCS
Rich Communication Services. It is a protocol designed to enhance traditional SMS. RCS allows users to send messages that can include high-resolution images, videos, audio messages, and group chats, as well as features like read receipts, typing indicators, and location sharing.
nzb360. Amazing app and a great developer but I still want a great FOSS alternative.
Bitwarden. Most people think that their application is open source, but more and more of their code has shifted from the GPL/AGPL licensed code to code in their SDK, which is under a proprietary license. This led to their new Android app being disqualified from being hosted in F-Droid repos.
Keyguard was supposed to be an open source Bitwarden client, but the dev chose to use a custom proprietary license, so that is source available as well.
I’ve been a paying bitwarden customer for years but i through they were moving more towards free software and not away from it… Makes me consider quitting my subscription. Why do they do this?
Makes me wish Proton had their own password manager.
Proton Pass is a thing mate take a look it might suit your needs
Vaultwarden ?
Edit: Nvm, that’s just the server part
That’s actually a good point too: Vaultwarden is fully open source. The official Bitwarden server also has proprietary components.
Yea but I didn’t realize the vaultwarden project didn’t also release client software.
I had looked into running my own vaultwarden, but without open source clients it’s maybe a bit moot. Although I guess the web interface can be considered a client, OS or browser integration is a convenient feature.
Google Pay/Wallet
Right now tap and pay is completely and hopelessly corporate
The issue is that the digital tap-to-pay cards are actually reissued cards with their own unique numbers. They also require significant security measures to protect from cloning attacks.
So banks need a party that they can safely issue a digital card to, knowing that the card data will be stored safely.
Even a FOSS app that covers all the user’s needs is going to have a lot of trouble actually getting a card loaded into it under current standards.
I hate to say it, but crypto wallets are likely the closest thing we’re ever going to get to a FOSS tap-to-pay system. Banks are inherently corporate and capitalist, so it’s not really in their nature to make things open source.
Perhaps if there were an industry standard for issuing digital cards, instead of banks partnering with centralized wallet apps, we could procure our own digital cards to load onto our phones and watches, or integrate into other devices. But that’s a whole other battle that nobody is fighting right now.
A FOSS app for digital payments, must have a company front to sign deals with country retail store chains. Although customer kyc can be avoided, the payments from the front company to retail chains would be thru a corporate structure.
… maybe convenience is the wrong path
The advantages of PoW crypto, over digital (and PoS), it’s possible to force between seller and buyer:
- communication with end-to-end encryption
- privacy oriented marketplaces
With the goal of fostering our own private communities. Over time, might spawn a sub-culture, identity, and ultimately people hood.
A keyboard with swipe typing, multilingual autocorrect and speech to text support that actually works.
Other than that, my only proprietary apps are from commercial services I use and pay for (banking, Spotify, Carsharing and public transport). I’d love for them to become open source, but it’s probably not ever gonna happen, cause they rely on verifying my identity.
I went with FUTO Keyboard. It’s the only keyboard that ticks all my boxes to replace GBoard so far.
I wish the swiping predictions were a bit better though.
FUTO keyboard is proprietary.
It is not. FUTO calls it “source first” which just means “open source but with rules against bad actors”. Certainly far from proprietary.
If the license doesn’t meet the OSD and does not protect four freedoms, then it is not open-source.
Jokes aside, I find that attitude not very healthy. Whether you want to call it open source or not, as I said, it’s far from proprietary, and certainly more than just source available. Dismissing it for that reason is quite unreasonable.
FUTO changing the definition of open source to suit their business model is like that time US Congress decided that pizza was a vegetable because it has tomato sauce.
FUTO’s EULA may superficially resemble a true free software license (and may be good enough for you, personally) but it fundamentally undermines core tenets of the free software movement in order to preserve their business interests. All pseudo-FOSS licenses (whether of the “ethical” or the “business” variety) do this, because they prioritize the interests of the rightsholder above those of the community and the user. If important free software projects like Linux and Firefox were released under this license the free software world as we know it would not be possible.
As proprietary licenses go, it’s certainly far from the worst.
I’ve had a good experience with HeliBoard
Japanese has been an open issue for months now, so it’s a nope from me.
Tasker, because there’s no alternative.
MiXplorer (file manager), because even if not counting the features that should be a different app, it’s much better than material files.
Tasker, because there’s no alternative.
There are several automation apps in F-Droid, but I haven’t tried any of them.
they’re pretty basic compared to it, both in regards to triggers and actions
Honestly, Google Keep notes. Trilium server runs as a UWA on Android but it’s pretty ass. And things like Obsidian are way too much for something me and my (non-technical) SO use to share notes
Quillpad. It looks and feels like Keep, but sync to nextcloud
Obsidian is not open source any way
Google Play Services
MicroG works really well
A free-as-in-freedom re-implementation of Google’s proprietary Android user space apps and libraries.
MicroG works well if you let it leak some data to Google.
I would like a free-as-in-free-from-Google Google Play Services reimplementation that lets me use any app that depends on it without hitting any Google server.
OP asked about Open Source not about privacy.
MicroG minimises connections to google servers, here you can read what addresses it still connects to and why: https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/wiki/Google-Network-Connections
Free software (not open-source, it’s really free software that’s important) that depends on a single for-profit vendor is not free.
MicroG is open-source but it’s not free. It fails to address two problems:
- What do I care looking at the source code of a Google Play Services replacement when Google still holds my cellphone by the balls for certain critical functions?
- Why do I need permission from Google for apps to function properly on my cellphone?
I don’t think OP cares about getting the source of the apps they run so much as the apps being free-as-in-libre in his original question. Many people mistake open-source for free software and MicroG is not truly free.
(I reread ops question and I can only see the term open source 2 times, but whatever, I understand what you say, and I don’t want to debate about semantics.)
The point with microG is it’s still the best way if you want to use android. The other options are:
- Play services (GMS), or Huawei has some similar solution because of US trade embragoes.
- You can use android without play services but notifications won’t work for most apps, even if you can open them. (UnifiedPush tries to solve notification part) Wifi and cell based location won’t work
- I see microG as an acceptable middle ground. I still have to give up something to goog, but it’s not much compared to GMS, and I can use all available apps
There are so many. By usage however:
Smart Audiobook Player: None of the apps I tried had all the features in one, like reading my complex audiobooks folder structure and auto grouping the books based on that. Timer to pause audiobook that is automatically reset by moving the phone.
Maps: No foss solutions work better where I live than GMaps
YTMusic: So this is a tough one to beat because of the nature of the platform itself.
Notes: I am looking for a P2P syncable note app that can also have a web interface or atleast a Linux version of the App. Allows drawing your notes on an android phone or tablet using stylus, and other usual features. Can also use cloud storage as a backup or sync source. I know this one is a really tall order.
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Dating apps.
We need an open source completely free dating app.
No paying for matches, no limits …just they’re in your town, you look at their photos, you can talk, anyone can block anyone.
I don’t really care for online dating, but I remember coming across this. They claimed to be open source.
I’m honestly pleasantly surprised to see that this project seems to be rather actively developed.
Which is completely separate from having a meaningful user base (near you), so 🤷
@DarkCloud create a Mastodon instance, write your instance rules, moderate. That’s it. Plus you’ll be connected to the whole fediverse, existing client apps will work.
Obsidian
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logseq but without electron
That’s emacs with org-roam
ok, but on a smartphone, with touch screen?
Fair enough. But IIRC there’s a couple well made org mode android apps. I think orgzly was the name
Edit: also emacs does run on android!
