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F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

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Re: F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

#21

Post by microtonal »

echelon wrote: post #11
microtonal wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even with Google's changes, F-Droid will continue to work with Android phones that do not use Google GMS. If you care about your actually owning your device, install something else than stock OS. I would recommend GrapheneOS, since the security of some/most other alternatives is pretty bad.

This piddly open source effort pales in comparison to what we should really be doing: Horizontally splitting Google into multiple companies. Not division via department splits, but equal partitioning across the company into multiple horizontal businesses that compete on the same offerings. The EU and next DOJ/FTC need to force this.

I agree, but the probability that this is going to happen anytime soon is near-0. The current US administration is not going to rein in the tech broligarchy and if they did, it would be done out of spite and the pieces wold sold to administration-aligned oligarchs (e.g. Ellison), which might end up being worse.

The EU is not going to force this, because it has enough fights to pick with the US, and this is not the hill that they are willing to die on. It would be far more likely for them to financially support an AOSP-based OS.

Re: F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

#22

Post by wafflemaker »

kgwxd wrote: post #17
scrollop wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would love to ditch google and use grapheneOS, however have so many banking and (stupid) outlook for work.

Can you not setup your work email through a regular email client? I thought the days of being locked into Outlook specifically went away with Exchange. Everywhere I've worked since has been able to. Also, what kind of banking are people doing that requires an app? I genuinely don't know what it could be.

It's way more comfortable to login with fingerprint and not going through a longer login to the website.

Especially since in many countries it requires a national e-ID that is an app on your phone.

Re: F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

#24

Post by lukan »

microtonal wrote: post #21
echelon wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This piddly open source effort pales in comparison to what we should really be doing: Horizontally splitting Google into multiple companies. Not division via department splits, but equal partitioning across the company into multiple horizontal businesses that compete on the same offerings. The EU and next DOJ/FTC need to force this.

I agree, but the probability that this is going to happen anytime soon is near-0. The current US administration is not going to rein in the tech broligarchy and if they did, it would be done out of spite and the pieces wold sold to administration-aligned oligarchs (e.g. Ellison), which might end up being worse. The EU is not going to force this, because it has enough fights to pick with the US, and this is not the hi…

The EU simply is not (and should not) be able to split up google who operate international. But they can regulate the EU market and declare that a monopolist cannot operate there as a monopolist and introduce any arbitary rule achieving it.

Re: F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

#25

Post by duozerk »

kgwxd wrote: post #17
scrollop wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would love to ditch google and use grapheneOS, however have so many banking and (stupid) outlook for work.

Can you not setup your work email through a regular email client? I thought the days of being locked into Outlook specifically went away with Exchange. Everywhere I've worked since has been able to. Also, what kind of banking are people doing that requires an app? I genuinely don't know what it could be.

> Also, what kind of banking are people doing that requires an app? I genuinely don't know what it could be.

Close to every bank in the EU requires their user to have an app, for MFA (both for logging in and for validating transactions - transfers, payments). They use the smartphone's TPM. I have yet to see one that allows you to use your own MFA app.

The few I've seen that don't require it will validate the same through text messages (not everyone has a smartphone); though if you associate their app even once, you're screwed - the app it is from now on.

Re: F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

#26

Post by microtonal »

lukan wrote: post #24
microtonal wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but the probability that this is going to happen anytime soon is near-0. The current US administration is not going to rein in the tech broligarchy and if they did, it would be done out of spite and the pieces wold sold to administration-aligned oligarchs (e.g. Ellison), which might end up being worse. The EU is not going to force this, because it has enough fights to pick with the US, and this is not the hi…

The EU simply is not (and should not) be able to split up google who operate international. But they can regulate the EU market and declare that a monopolist cannot operate there as a monopolist and introduce any arbitary rule achieving it.

Yes, though I think that is what echelon was aiming at - the EU saying either you break up or you cannot do business here.

Re: F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

#27

Post by ekjhgkejhgk »

scrollop wrote: post #7
microtonal wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even with Google's changes, F-Droid will continue to work with Android phones that do not use Google GMS. If you care about your actually owning your device, install something else than stock OS. I would recommend GrapheneOS, since the security of some/most other alternatives is pretty bad.

Would love to ditch google and use grapheneOS, however have so many banking and (stupid) outlook for work.

> Would love to ditch google and use grapheneOS

grapheneOS only works with google phones.

Re: F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

#28

Post by ekjhgkejhgk »

scrollop wrote: post #7
microtonal wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even with Google's changes, F-Droid will continue to work with Android phones that do not use Google GMS. If you care about your actually owning your device, install something else than stock OS. I would recommend GrapheneOS, since the security of some/most other alternatives is pretty bad.

Would love to ditch google and use grapheneOS, however have so many banking and (stupid) outlook for work.

Why do people need banking on their phones though? Banks have websites too.

Re: F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

#29

Post by RealStickman_ »

microtonal wrote: post #20
miroljub wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GrapheneOS works only with Pixel devices, which doesn't make it much useful for the vast majority of Android users.

Indeed. Sadly the reality is that most other Android devices are simply not secure enough. Many Android phones do not have a separate secure enclave (outside Pixel and IISC Samsung flagship and A5x range), so they are vulnerable to breaking PIN-based unlocking, side channel attacks, etc. Besides that they often only provide old vendor kernel trees, old firmware blobs, etc. So, you have to wonder whether you want such…

Perfect really is the enemy of good when it comes to GrapheneOS

Re: F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026

#30

Post by gyulai »

ekjhgkejhgk wrote: post #28
scrollop wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would love to ditch google and use grapheneOS, however have so many banking and (stupid) outlook for work.

Why do people need banking on their phones though? Banks have websites too.

> Why do people need banking on their phones though? Banks have websites too.

2FA. I was a smartphone hold-out for longer than anyone I know, but banks mandating 2FA with no options for doing it in a standards-compliant way or any way that doesn't involve the app stores was what finally broke my resistance.

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