Raspberry Pi – Micropython book

I now have a copy of the Raspberry Pi, MicroPython book which is aimed at users of the Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller board.

I will bring this to the meeting today, along with some other resources. I also bought a Raspberry Pi Pico. I can experiment with this at home before Saturday.

So hopefully, we can do some more hardware / software hacking with this.

#PaigntonLibrarySTEMGroup,#CodeClub,#Python,#Hardware, #Hacking

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Amazon's Ring used to spy on customers, FTC says in privacy settlement

Posted to the Fediverse yesterday. This is a stark warning about how technology can do what it wants, and how when we don't have access to the code that makes it work, we don't know what it is doing.

A good reason to support software freedom

• Amazon's Ring used to spy on customers

You are better off with a RaspberryPi and a Camera Module along with a suitable programming language such as Python and hacking your own.

We can perhaps discuss at a future STEM Group.

Tags

#Amazon#Ring,#Privacy,#Spying.#Alternative,#FreeSoftware,#Python,#RaspberryPi,#CameraModule,#Hardware,#Hacking

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Mobile Devices

Mobile Devices

I decided to write this article after reading the Free Software Journey article. This is part of the wider FSF Freedom Ladder

This article cites several projects that address Mobile phone freedom. There are different hardware options here, from dedicated phones running a FreeOS or ways to flash / install an existing phone with a new freedom respecting OS (sorry if the terminology is wrong here).

Android Based

• Replicant
• Lineage OS
• graphene OS
• Havoc OS

Other

• Pure OS
• Mobian – Debian Derived
• Ubuntu Touch
• Postmarket OS
• Sailfish OS

As you can see from the above list there are quite a few options, some are forks of Android, so I assume that Free Software repositories such as F-droid works and can provide a good range of Apps for users. See below as I am trying to find out about this.

However my area of concern is things like the Mastodon Apps It seems the only Freedom respecting app for Mastodon is Tooter, which is available for another OS called SailfishOS, so yet another option, so we have a really good, powerful social media replacement, but it seems rather limited connectivity from mobile devices, (unless you are running IOS or Android).

I don't feel this is very helpful. Sailfish, to its credit does have what looks like a very good section on development. I feel that for these alternatives to really take off, the apps need to be there, and not just in the hands of developers, but end users such as myself. I am not interested in using mainstream social media.

Also we need to make it clear if an app works on other systems that are derived from Android for example. (see below)

So we need several things

1. More developers for the actual operating systems
   • Help for people wanting to start with development
2. More development for the hardware
   • Again help for those who want to get involved
3. Testers, and help for testers
4. End users to actually use the system
   • Provide a very easy way for non technical people to report problems
   • Community need to LISTEN to concerns, reports and take action
5. Ensure ALL these apps are available on ALL the different mobile OSs or as many as possible.
   • This will need developers, testers and users being able to come together.

Links

• Paignton Library STEM Group

Free Software and Hardware

• Open Source Hardware Association
• Free software foundation
  • GNU
• Free Software Foundation of India
• Free Software Foundation of Latin America
• Free Software Foundation Europe
• Free Computing Movement
• F-droid

Working on some ideas

I have created a thread here on Fediverse Town to try and ask for some information on which apps work on which mobile operating systems, so Android and importantly Android derived Operating systems.

I have also split the OS list up, so that the OS's derived from Android are clearly identified.

I am not making the assumption they just work or that they are in F-droid.

Updates

31-1-2022 – https://codeberg.org/fediverse/delightful-fediverse-clients

TAGS

#Hardware,#Phones,#Free,#Open,#Privacy,#Mobile,#mobile

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