Tagged: Free Open Source Software

The Tor Project

Non-profit organisation that maintains the Tor network, which allows people to communicate anonymously over the internet thanks to a special network that scrambles any attempts to trace connections. The easiest way to use Tor is with the Tor web browser, which you can download from their website.

Fediverse address:
@torproject@mastodon.social

Senfcall.de

A free open source video conferencing site which aims to provide a privacy-friendly alternative to proprietary services. Calls are made through the web browser using the BigBlueButton platform.

Fediverse address (in German and English):
@senfcall@chaos.social

Snikket

XMPP-based free open federated messenger project. It aims to make XMPP into a more viable alternative to Whatsapp etc by providing consistency in design and terminology, while still maintaining compatibility with other XMPP apps and servers. (It’s a similar plan to how Mastodon made ActivityPub more mainstream while still being compatible with other ActivityPub server types.)

Fediverse address:
@snikket_im@fosstodon.org

FreeTech Project

Non-profit initiative helping people use technology in a more financially, socially and environmentally sustainable manner, mainly relying on FOSS wherever possible. Provides help to everyone, regardless of technical skill level. Based in South Yorkshire, UK.

Fediverse address (main):
@freetechproject@floss.social

Fediverse address (videos):
@freetechproject@tilvids.com

LibreOffice

The most popular free open source office suite, it includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software etc. It’s very widely used by businesses, governments, organisations and individuals, and is available for Linux, Mac and Windows.

Fediverse address:
@libreoffice@fosstodon.org

There are also user groups on the Fediverse:

Fediverse address (in Spanish):
@LibreOfficeEs@mastodon.social

Fediverse address (in French):
@LaMouetteODF@framapiaf.org

WriteFreely

Free open source federated blogging platform. The interface and options are minimalist, with the focus on reading text with as few distractions as possible. It’s part of the Fediverse, so you can follow WriteFreely blogs from Mastodon etc. You can host a WriteFreely server yourself, or sign up on an existing server.

Fediverse address (main):
@writefreely@writing.exchange

Fediverse address (blog):
@writefreely@blog.writefreely.org

Collabora Office

Online fork of the LibreOffice productivity suite aimed at businesses, including long term tech support, admin tools, smartphone apps and cloud collaboration.

Fediverse address:
@CollaboraOffice@mastodon.social

Its development company, Collabora, is one of the biggest upstream contributors to LibreOffice’s source code, and has a close relationship with the FOSS community.

Fediverse address:
@collabora@floss.social

Manyverse

A new kind of social network which works peer-to-peer, and all personal data is stored locally on your computer or phone. It’s part of the Scuttlebutt network, but has a user-friendly interface, features and branding that are aimed at a more mainstream audience. There are free open source apps for iOS, Android, Linux, Mac and Windows.

Fediverse address:
@manyver_se@fosstodon.org

The Open Source Programme Office (OSPO)

Part of a European Union initiative to transition to free open source software, OSPO handles the commission’s relationships with the libre software community. This account is not just a feed, they do actually interact, boost, reply, follow etc.

Fediverse address:
@EC_OSPO@ec.social-network.europa.eu

Fediphoto Lineage

An app for Android phones available through F-Droid which makes it as easy as possible to share photos on the Fediverse. It’s based on an app by PLA, who enjoyed sharing pictures on the Fediverse while out and about. PLA sadly died in January 2021, and Fediphoto Lineage aims to honour his memory by keeping his project alive.

Fediverse address:
@fediphoto_lineage@libranet.de

E Foundation / Murena

The E Foundation develops and maintains a free open source privacy-friendly de-Googled version of Android, which you can either install yourself on your existing phone or buy pre-installed on a new phone. They sell pre-installed phones through the Murena brand, all of which are manufactured by established companies like Fairphone, Samsung etc.

Fediverse address (E Foundation):
@e_mydata@mastodon.social

Fediverse address (Murena):
@murena@mastodon.social

Matthias Pfefferle

Creator of the “ActivityPub for WordPress” plug-in which turns WordPress blogs into Fediverse servers. When it’s active, people will be able to follow your WordPress account from Mastodon etc, and when you post a new blog entry it will appear as a post on the Fediverse.

Fediverse address (in English and German)
@pfefferle@mastodon.social

GoToSocial

A new type of Fediverse server software which runs on cheap lightweight hardware and emphasises user safety and privacy. It supports both allowlists and blocklists, imports of lists from other servers, non-federated servers etc. To keep it lightweight there is no built-in web app at all, it is used entirely through third party apps compatible with the Mastodon API. It’s still in alpha testing but the official account is already running on a GoToSocial instance, and it’s a public alpha so others can have a go too.

Fediverse address:
@gotosocial@superseriousbusiness.org

KDE

Worldwide free open source software community which creates all kinds of popular useful projects such as the Plasma desktop, Kdenlive, Krita and lots more.

Fediverse address (main):
@kde@floss.social

Fediverse address (videos):
@kde_community@tube.kockatoo.org

Fediverse address (conference videos):
@kde@conf.tube

Fediverse address (Spanish language community):
@kde_espana@floss.social

PublicSpaces

A non-profit coalition of Dutch broadcasters, museums, arts organisations etc. campaigning for an ethical internet. They organise conferences on this topic, and run their own Fediverse servers.

Fediverse address (main, in Dutch and English): @publicspaces@publicspaces.net

Fediverse address (videos, in Dutch and English): @publicspaces@video.publicspaces.net

Fediverse address (podcasts, in Dutch and English): @TheTimeIsNow@podcast.publicspaces.net

The Small Technology Foundation

Researches, develops and promotes online services designed for human beings rather than corporate profits.

Fediverse address (live streaming):
@fedi@owncast.small-web.org

Fediverse address (co-founder Laura Kalbag):
@laura@mastodon.laurakalbag.com

Fediverse address (co-founder Aral Balkan):
@aral@mastodon.ar.al

The Prototype Fund

Funding initiative of the German government promoting development of open software. Anyone can apply for funding who lives in Germany, is self-employed, pays German taxes and publishes their source code on some sort of source forge. (You don’t need German citizenship.)

Fediverse address (in German):
@PrototypeFund@mastodon.social

Grow Your Own Services

Website from the creator of Fedi.Directory (that’s me!) which helps non-technical people create their own online services through managed hosting providers. Managed hosting means the hosting company does all the technical stuff behind the scenes, but you own and run the service. This allows anyone to make their own Fediverse servers, personal clouds, music streaming services and much more.

Fediverse address:
@homegrown@social.growyourown.services

Gancio

A free open source collaborative online calendar. It allows local communities to share a common calendar that anyone can post events to, even people without an account. (Posts are moderated to prevent spam though.) You can also interact with Gancio through the Fediverse, and it has RSS support for people who want to follow through feed readers.

Fediverse address:
@gancio@mastodon.cisti.org

YunoHost

Version of Linux which makes it as easy as possible to install and maintain your own self-hosted online services. There’s a really easy graphical interface, it works on home servers or remote ones, and it supports older and lower powered computers too.

Fediverse address (main account in English and French):
@yunohost@toot.aquilenet.fr

Fediverse address (video account in English and French):
@yunohost@cinema.yunohost.support