@be4foss@floss.social cover
@be4foss@floss.social avatar

be4foss

@[email protected]

The KDE Eco project advances sustainable software design in Free & Open Source Software.

Boosts do not necessarily mean endorsement.

For toots posted before 1 November 2022, see https://mastodon.social/@BE4FOSS.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. View on remote instance

be4foss , to KDE
@be4foss@floss.social avatar

Bring it back to life again!

Revive your old laptop and reduce toxic e-waste with at tomorrow's drop-in workshop in with the KDE Eco and community.

Free of charge. Beginner friendly, no technical knowledge needed!

When: Friday 28 June 2024, 18:00-21:00 CEST

Where: Moosdorfstr. 7-9 (S Treptower Park)

This event is organized with as part of a weeklong exhibition on digital sustainability.

@kde

The image shows the flyer for the event. The text reads: """ Bring it Back to Life! Friday 28 June 2024 18:00-21:00 Moos Moosdorfstr. 7-9 (S Treptower Park) Revive your old laptop and reduce toxic e-waste with Free & Open Source Software at this drop-in workshop with the KDE Eco community (eco.kde.org). Free of charge! Download me: https://invent.kde.org/teams/eco/opt-green/-/raw/master/workshops/2024-06-28_flyer_moos_berlin_workshop-bring-it-back-EN.pdf The most environmentally-friendly device is the one you already own! Beginner friendly, no technical knowledge is necessary. 18:00 Welcome / Introduction 19:00 Laptop upgrade workshop. Bring any laptop for step-by-step help. (Have an old Android smartphone†? Write us!) Questions? Email: alistair@reclaimed.systems or joseph@kde.org †Apple’s policies mean iPhones will not work. """
ALT
  • Reply
  • Expand (12)
  • Collapse (12)
    • be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    Have an old Android smartphone*? Come on by! We may be able to upcycle it with an Android/Linux alternative or even a full GNU/Linux OS.

    Friday 28 June 2024, 18:00-21:00 CEST at Moos, Moosdorfstr. 7-9 (S Treptower Park).

    *Apple’s policies mean iPhones will not work.

    @kde

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @Niall @kde

    In the project we are embracing and onboarding participants to the many choices one has with Linux, meaning we can tailor the software to the needs of the users themselves!

    For newer devices we suggest Fedora (KDE / GNOME) or Linux Mint. For 10+ years old devices Linux Mint XFCE or Lubuntu.

    We will try to understand what they want / expect (classic feel? consistent interfaces? newest features? etc.). We will have some demo computers to try out.

    Other ideas are welcome! 🙂

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @bitfucker Over the next 2 years we plan to organize events like this with volunteers around the world. If you would like to get involved, be in touch!

    As part of the "Opt Green" project we are also creating info materials about software-driven e-waste (https://invent.kde.org/teams/eco/opt-green/-/blob/master/materials/leaflets/kde-eco-umweltfestival-flyer-EN_final.jpg) and providing Linux installation help and generally documenting what we are doing so others can learn from what is working (and what is not) 🙂

    But you don't have to wait for us: check out your local Linux User Group!

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @MylesRyden @kde

    I agree! You may want to check out projects like ComputerTruhe (@computertruhe) and Free Geek.

    https://computertruhe.de

    https://www.freegeek.org/

    They have been active in upcycling hardware with Linux for some time now.

    If you know of others, let us know in the replies.

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @Satiah @kde A quick look online turned up some results (see, e.g., https://www.xda-developers.com/asus-rog-phone-5-bootloader-unlock-tool-kernel-source/), but nothing I can help with.

    That's a shame you are so far away. Maybe you'd be interested in organizing an installation event yourself 500kms from Berlin? 🙂

    Here's some info about our plans for worldwide events: https://floss.social/@be4foss/112688236048262165

    be4foss , (edited ) to KDE
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    Explore KDE and Free Software, learn about e-waste, and register for the upcoming "Bring It Back!" workshop!

    Visit us this Saturday at "Long Night of the Sciences" () in , Germany.

    joins the German Environment Agency and 60 other scientific institutions hosting exciting experiments and science shows.

    Where: Umweltbundesamt, Corrensplatz 1 (U3, )

    When: Sat. 22 June, 17h-24h!

    @kde

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @kde

    Old hardware with new software at "Long Night of the Sciences" () with German Environment Agency ().

    The oldest: 21 years old with and up-to-date version of for children to play.

    The newest: 11 years old with Spin.

    In 1st image you can see the handbook (2023) in :

    https://eco.kde.org/handbook/

    In the 2nd the e-book "20 Years of KDE (2016) in :

    https://20years.kde.org/book/

    Amigurumi dolls and a had fun with us too!

    A second image from KDE Eco's stand at the "Long Night Of The Sciences" at the German Environment Agency offices. The computer on the left is 17 years and is running Linux Mint. If you look closely, you can see a cat video playing. The computer on the middle is 21 years old, running Haiku OS. An up-to-date version of GCompris was running on it, which children could play when coming to the booth. The computer on the right is 11 years old running Fedora KDE Spin. The e-book shown is the "20 Years Of KDE" book, which was presented on Arianna e-book reader. The smartphone is a FairPhone 4 running Ubuntu Touch. A cuddly stuffed animal Gnu is seen on the far right of the table. "Environmentally-Friendly Software" leaflets and amigurumi Konqi dolls are distributed around the table. A KDE drop cloth can be seen on the table.

    Image from KDE Eco's stand at the "Long Night Of The Sciences" at the German Environment Agency offices. The computer on the left is 21 years old, running Haiku OS. An up-to-date version of GCompris was running on it, which children could play when coming to the booth. The computer on the right is 11 years old, running Fedora KDE Spin. The PDF shown here is the KDE Eco handbook. The left smartphone is a PinePhone running postmarketOS with Plasma-Mobile. The right smartphone is a FairPhone 4 running Ubuntu Touch. "Environmentally-Friendly Software" leaflets and amigurumi Konqi dolls are distributed around the table. A KDE drop cloth can be seen on the table.
    ALT
  • Reply
    • be4foss , to KDE
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    MacBook Air owner?

    2018/2019 models are losing support.

    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/06/the-case-for-and-against-macos-15-sequoia-being-the-final-release-for-intel-macs/

    with / to keep your device in use! These machines will run beautifully for many years to come.

    Not only wallet friendly, keeps CO2 emissions out of the atmosphere. Ca. 75% of Apple's emissions comes from production alone (details in alt text).

    Sustainable, independent : Better for users, best for the .

    @kde

    Title: "The most environmentally-friendly device is the one you already own." The image shows a pie chart with Apple Corporation's CO2 emissions. In the center are the total emissions from 2018: "25.2 million metric tons of CO2". The pie chart illustrates the following (from lowest emissions to highest): - End of life treatment accounts for less than 1% of emissions - Corporate facilities account for 2% of emissions - Product transport accounts for 5% of emissions - Usage accounts for 19% of emissions - Production accounts for 74% of emissions The original report from Apple is: "Environmental Responsibility Report: 2019 Progress Report, covering fiscal year 2018": https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Responsibility_Report_2019.pdf. The full KDE Eco leaflet from which the image was taken is available at: https://invent.kde.org/teams/eco/opt-green/-/blob/master/materials/leaflets/kde-eco-umweltfestival-flyer-EN-8.jpg
    ALT
  • Reply
  • Expand (41)
  • Collapse (41)
    • be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @GravitySpoiled They may provide security updates for a couple of more years, but as the article points out, Intel Macs in the Apple Silicon era are on their way out.

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @phoenix It looks to be statistical inference based on sampled and modelled data. On p. 57 of the report: "To model customer use, we measure the power consumed by a product while it is running in a simulated scenario. Daily usage patterns are specific to each product and are a mixture of actual and modeled customer use data."

    The number of devices for the statistical inferences is: "In fiscal year 2018, we sold 217,722,000 iPhone devices, 43,535,000 iPad units, and 18,209,000 Mac products."

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @phoenix Regarding the assumed operating life of devices:

    "For the purposes of our assessment, years of use, which are based on first owners, are modeled to be four years for macOS and tvOS devices and three years for iOS and watchOS devices. Most Apple products last longer and are passed along, resold, or returned to Apple by the first owner for others to use."

    Hope that helps!

    be4foss , to KDE
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    Opt out? Opt in? Opt Green!

    50% of consumers buy new devices due to unsupported software, while the "tsunami of " continues to rise.

    can keep those devices in use and out of the landfill. Today!

    Say hello to the new project ": For Sustainable Hardware".

    https://eco.kde.org/blog/2024-05-29_introducing-ns4nh/

    You don't need new hardware for a secure, up-to-date device; you just need the right software!

    @kde

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @d3Xt3r @Bro666 These are, in fact, good examples of how Free Software makes it possible to extend hardware operating life. Though the "Opt Green" project falls under the KDE umbrella, the driving force of the project is that the inherent virtues of FOSS make it possible to support hardware for years and even decades after official support ends. And transparency and user autonomy mean you can contribute to make KDE/FOSS even better! That is simply not possible with proprietary software.

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @d3Xt3r @Bro666

    KDE Plasma has been reported to work well on computers up 15 years old, and other FOSS projects run on devices even older than that!

    At our stand in April at the Umweltfestival, we had a Dell computer from 2003. Debian with LXQt ran on it, but the BeOS-based Haiku ran even more smoothly ... and many KDE apps have been ported to Haiku. So we could demo GCompris to families with kids on a device that is 21 years old.

    That is the power of transparency and user autonomy!

    be4foss OP ,
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @edison23 @kde You may find some helpful information from the "Upcycling Android" project from @fsfe

    https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/howtoupcycle.en.html

    be4foss OP , (edited )
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    @MageInBlack @kde Some background: KDE Eco has funded projects supported by the KDE e.V. and community. The name is derived from the website eco.kde.org, originally created for the FOSS-oriented project "Blauer Engel For FOSS" (BE4FOSS). Since 2021 we've been in contact with many FOSS projects/communities as well as people working on measuring software's energy consumption, digital sustainability, etc. Much is still work in progress and as newsworthy things happen we make sure to post about it.

    be4foss , to KDE
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    Digital sustainability workshop in Berlin 3 June!

    KDE Eco and the Berlin groups of (@fsfeberlin) and (@bitsundbaeume_berlin) will host an installation workshop from 18-21h CEST at @cbase in .

    At the workshop we'll dive deeper into the topic of digital following our joint table at the in April.

    To accommodate all participants, contact us to confirm your attendance.

    See you there!

    @kde

    The flyer for the workshop distributed at Umweltfestival. The text in German says: "Digitalisierung nachhlatig gestalten. Erfahre mehr darüber: 1. wie man alten Smartphones und Computern mit Freier Software ein längeres Leben schenken und damit die Elektroschrottberge reduzieren kann, 2. wie offtene Standards helfen den Lock-In Effekt zu verhindern und was das mit Sozialen Netzwerken zu tun hat. 3.6.2024 ab 18 Uhr c-base, Rungestrasse 20, U+S Bhf Jannowtizbrücke." The English translation is: "Making digitalization sustainable. Learn more about: 1. how to give old smartphones and computers a longer life with Free Software and thus reduce the mountains of electronic waste, 2. how open standards help to prevent the lock-in effect and what this has to do with social networks. 3 June 2024 from 6 pm at c-base, Rungestrasse 20, U+S Bhf Jannowtizbrücke." At the bottom are the logos for Bits & Bäume, FSFE, and KDE Eco.
    ALT
  • Reply
  • Expand (1)
  • Collapse (1)
    • be4foss , to KDE
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    FOSS - ensuring even new hardware stays in use when vendor-support eventually ends!

    Whether or not you install GNU/Linux on it today, your new will eventually lose support. Thanks to the impressive work of project (@AsahiLinux), it will not need to end up in the landfill once it does.

    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/05/fedora-asahi-remix-40-is-another-big-step-forward-for-linux-on-apple-silicon-macs/

    Great to see as the default desktop environment!

    @kde
    @fedora
    @kde

    be4foss , to KDE
    @be4foss@floss.social avatar

    You don't need a new computer for up-to-date software ... just the right software!

    Come to 2024 in to learn about the role of independent in the sustainable use of hardware.

    🗓️ Sunday 28 April, 11-19h
    📍 Straße des 17. Juni (Brandenburg Gate)

    together with (@fsfe) and Bits & Bäume (@bitsundbaeume_berlin) will be there! Some in the and community may be joining as well :)

    @kde

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • kbinchat
  • All magazines
    •