Why there’s no European Google, and why that's a good thing. Great stuff by @ploum
https://ploum.net/2026-01-22-why-no-european-google.html

h/t @Tupp_ed

#software #Europe #FOSS #tech #capitalism #CopyLeft #internet

Why there’s no European Google, and why that's a good thing. Great stuff by @ploum
https://ploum.net/2026-01-22-why-no-european-google.html

h/t @Tupp_ed

#software #Europe #FOSS #tech #capitalism #CopyLeft #internet

#XMPP @ #FOSDEM

Impressions from the XMPP talks in the #Decentralised #Communication room:

What are you listening to now?: Implementing "Now Playing" feature in modern XMPP - Özcan Oğuz - (not affiliated but it's based on @dino

#chat #jabber #interoperability #opensource #federation #opensource #Brussel #europe

#XMPP @ #FOSDEM

Impressions from the XMPP talks in the #Decentralised #Communication room:

Building a #Decentralized Social Network on XMPP - Timothée Jaussoin
@movim

#chat #jabber #interoperability #opensource #federation #opensource #Brussel #europe

🥔 Germany: Record harvest sparks mass giveaway of free potatoes across Berlin

｢ Named the Kartoffel-Flut (potato flood), after the highest yield in 25 years, the bumper crop has inspired one farmer to organise a potato dump on Berlin, with appeals going out around the German capital for people to come to various hotspots and pick them up for free ｣

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/31/record-harvest-berlin-giveaway-potatoes

#germany #potatoes #europe

🥔 Germany: Record harvest sparks mass giveaway of free potatoes across Berlin

｢ Named the Kartoffel-Flut (potato flood), after the highest yield in 25 years, the bumper crop has inspired one farmer to organise a potato dump on Berlin, with appeals going out around the German capital for people to come to various hotspots and pick them up for free ｣

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/31/record-harvest-berlin-giveaway-potatoes

#germany #potatoes #europe

Find Your XMPP Chat Provider!

https://providers.xmpp.net/

Come by to the XMPP/Jabber #Realtime Lounge at #FOSDEM! #ULB, AW building, Level 1

#chat #messaging #xmpp #jabber #standards #interoperability
#decentralization #operators #service #EU #europa #opensource #EuropeanUnion #europe #FOSDEM
#Brussels

Find Your XMPP Chat Provider!

https://providers.xmpp.net/

Come by to the XMPP/Jabber #Realtime Lounge at #FOSDEM! #ULB, AW building, Level 1

#chat #messaging #xmpp #jabber #standards #interoperability
#decentralization #operators #service #EU #europa #opensource #EuropeanUnion #europe #FOSDEM
#Brussels

"The official European joke", by @ploum
https://ploum.net/the-european-joke/index.html

Hilarious. Because it's tragic. Because it's true.

#jokes #EU #Europe

"The official European joke", by @ploum
https://ploum.net/the-european-joke/index.html

Hilarious. Because it's tragic. Because it's true.

#jokes #EU #Europe

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)

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)

@EUCommission We have to be #united. We also need to be #independent. We have to free ourselves from #American #survaillence software, which we use everyday. We have to secure the #privacy of #Europeans. Many #people and #companies in #Europe already diversify their #digital solutions - e.g. we lead the effort as 100% of the digital tools we use are either #opensource or fully #European. Though, we need the courage of our representatives

We will fight for #democracy.