Hans-Christoph Steiner @eighthave@librem.one

Just finished a 10 hour day doing volunteer work on #DigitalMarketsAct #AndroidDeveloperVerification and related #policy things. It is really important work, especially for #FOSS @fdroidorg and more. It is quite interesting, I only wish I could get paid to do it so I could engage more. The #EuropeanCommission and others would certainly welcome more input from people like me.

#Apple says the #EU #DigitalMarketsAct delays features by a couple months, and advises other governments not to follow the #DMA example.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgj9kjmvzzo

Perhaps. What is clear is that the DMA brings real gains in interoperability. For example, because of the DMA, #AirDrop now can work between #iOS and #Android

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/the-eu-made-apple-adopt-new-wi-fi-standards-and-now-android-can-support-airdrop/

I think this same pressure also got Apple to implement #RCS to provide encrypted text messages between the #mobile #duopoly operating systems.

Also, in the UK the competition regulator is pushing Apple and Google to open up https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c626rng1v63o

So if the Epic vs. Google settlement is global, its basically moot in the UK since the CMA is already on Google to open up.

for more details on all this, see https://www.theverge.com/23945184/epic-v-google-fortnite-play-store-antitrust-trial-updates

The #EpicVsGoogle settlement has shifted to apply globally while watering down the terms. This is worse for #US users without providing much in exchange. Why would #Google accept global scope? Because it is clear that #DigitalMarketsAct and laws like force them to open up anyway, so Google doesn't lose by agreeing to global applicability. In exchange, Google gains weakened terms in the US, which is not pursuing something like the DMA

#EpicGames #DMA #EpicVGoogle #Android #GooglePlay #AntiTrust

This #PlayIntegrity stuff is really questionable. My banking app won't run on a #GoogleFree #LineageOS running #Android 16 with all the latest security updates. But a #GooglePlay device running Android 10 that was last updated in 2021 is approved. This is not a real #security check. This looks like a #gatekeeper #monopoly check.

So the current #Republican administration in the #US is cutting #taxes and cutting all sorts of services like Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What is so crazy is that the one other party, the #Democratic party, just seems to whine about it. Many states are controlled by the #Democrats. States tax people. Why are they so ineffective? Don't they realize they could seize a bunch of power from the Federal government by just taxing the people at the state level who now pay less Federal taxes?

I just found this info graphic, I think it is quite good. I'm curious what people think about how understandable this is for non-technical people http://www.gnu.org/graphics/amihud-4-freedoms.html

#FreeSoftware #FOSS #GNU #FourFreedoms #InfoGraphic

Given the current political tides, it remains an open question which system will provide better outcomes. But it should be interesting to watch at least 😉

A central theme in my life is a constant comparison between #USA and #Austria. One notable difference is how #FreeSpeech is considered. Both countries value it highly. #US has the very strict #FirstAmendment while Austria allows some kinds of #government #regulation of #speech. More and more, US's strict #rights look like a product of their time: #Democracy for an #elite minority resisting a #king. Austria's 20th century approach puts more power in an educated populace to decide some regulation

Just arrived in Brussels for #FOSDEM, hope to see y'all soon!

@mattdm it is great to have more resources explaining the value of distros. It feels like it is cool right now to talk about eliminating distros and going straight to the upstream. There are so many valuable things that approach leaves out. Do you know of any other good resources out there that explain the value of distros?

An popular idea in #OS development now is that the ideal system would have a #sandbox that allows users to install even untrusted apps safely. It is important to point out that this is pure fantasy. No system has ever come close to providing a sandbox good enough for that standard (e.g. #NSOGroup has maintained zero-click exploits to #iOS and #Android for years now). Having pure fantasy as a goal means other features will be broken in the name of trying to achieve the unachievable

#security