If a company is particular about me using Windows for work, I’ll be particular about choosing a company that uses Linux for work. But I’m in a unique/privileged position in this regard; my job involves making it easier for people to use Linux for business or personal use.

I’d consider it a significant advancement. Phones have much tighter regulations than many consumer devices and this may not necessarily align with Valve’s long-term business objectives, however, so I have some skepticism but would be pleasantly surprised if they pursued such an endeavor.

Just a single sliver of indirectly-related memory-paraphrased context which may hopefully be helpful:

I worked for the U.S. government from 2010-2018. In my new-hire handbook, government employees and contractors were directed to not portray a political alignment while working in an official capacity (say, while wearing a uniform or other identifying clothing, while using a government vehicle, etc) regardless of political party. We were allowed normal civilian rights if presenting as a civilian. Some form of administrative action was mentioned if this rule was broken, presumably up to and including termination of employment.

Like the backpedaling of Trump’s T1 phone to initially be claimed as “Made in America” until being publicly called out, not only by inquisitive people but also by a company furthest along in producing a fully “Made in USA” phone. The T1 phone marketing has been relegated to featuring a “proudly American” design.

There are alternatives to Google and Apple products. I recommend the MNT Pocket Reform if you’d like a full keyboard, or a Librem 5 if you prefer a more typical smartphone form factor.

1st amendment of the U.S. Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

As of early-2000s, both novels were required reading in my high school central Texas curriculum.

I’m staying with my boyfriend because of his dog. Am I horrible?

Is there a Parisian who doesn’t do rock climbing, Pilates, or ceramics?

I’m going to the Maldives but I’m composting, does that make up for it?

Just between you and me, who’s ever bought fruit on the metro?

So, what do we do with the people on the wrong side of the escalator?

Has anyone ever found the exit at Chatelet, or is that a myth?

In the meantime, the Liberty phone seems to be the closest option for a US-made smartphone. While not entirely comprised of US-sourced components, the PCBs are manufactured in California, as well as device packaging and assembly.

April 10 update: Right on time, the author of the OP’s linked article has now published an article on the Liberty phone.

If anyone remembers the Mycroft Mark II Voice Assistant Kickstarter and was disappointed when development challenges and patent trolls caused the company’s untimely demise, know that hope is not lost for a FOSS/OSHW voice assistant insulated from Big Tech…

FAQ: OVOS, Neon, and the Future of the Mycroft Voice Assistant

Disclaimer: I do not represent any of these organizations in any way; I just believe in their mission and wish them all the success in getting there by spreading the word.

There is also a NewPipe flatpak available on Flathub.

The Librem 5 offers hardware killswitches on the side of the phone, and the Pinephone offers hardware killswitches in the rear of the device after removing the backplate.

Purism is slowly correcting course regarding refund policies, but meaningful improvements take time. Also, the letter from “Purism” to Rossmann came from a Purism volunteer who had no authority to publicly represent the company.

Let me tell you a story.

December 2017. I was moving across the United States with my gf (now ex) from Maryland to Oregon. We were packing up a 1600sqft 3br house where 90% of the stuff belonged to her. About half of the way through packing, she took a 1-way flight to Oregon to start looking for houses to rent. I wasn’t happy about this but I vastly underestimated the remaining work to be done and couldn’t convince her to stay.

I rented a 26’ Penske truck and car trailer and, after discussing the timeline and general itinerary, convinced a friend to drive my Miata to roadtrip with me since I can’t tow 2 vehicles at once. I then spent the next 4-5 days alone (friends weren’t available to help), sleeping about 3 hours at a time and making as much progress as I physically could before collapsing. I was behind on time and had to extend the move-out day with the landlords 3 times. My gf was sympathetic over the phone but couldn’t help at that point. Two days before the move, my friend asks if he can bring his gf along. I said it wasn’t ideal since this was gonna be a fun roadtrip as bros where we make an event out of it together, but he’s doing me a huge favor, so… fine.

Now the day of the move, my friend and his gf arrive and we eventually load the last 20% of the trailer and get my gf’s Prius on the tow dolly. It’s now nighttime but I can’t stay to the following day, my landlord said. But wait, there’s an issue with the trailer brake. While inspecting the trailer, a neighbor yells at us and threatens to call the cops because we blocked her driveway while trying to pull away. I responded “great! You think they could help us with this?!” This only set us back maybe 20 minutes and we hit the road, driving through the night.

The next day was relatively uneventful as we cruised through the miles. My friend and I chatted a little when stopping at gas stations, but he wasn’t super talkative with me; I assumed he was chatting with his gf most of the time. I had expected him to stay with the truck to help alert me if I was looking drowsy, had any breakdowns, etc, but to my dismay, he darted off. I called, asking where he went off to, and he said that he’d meet up with me later. Uhhhhh… not OK, but what else can I do? I can’t afford the $3k to have my car hauled to Oregon at this point. Fine… I guess.

Many more hours go by and I don’t hear much from my friend. I pulled over onto the hard shoulder to give him a call and… he’s in an entirely different state! (I think I was in Iowa at this point and he was in Missouri.) He said that he got a hotel in Kansas City and invited me to stay there as well. It was about a 45-minute detour (IIRC) but I hadn’t had good sleep in over a week, so I said I’d meet him in the room. Of course, as I was pulling back onto the road, the right-side tires veered slightly into the soft shoulder and felt the trailer lean drastically to the right as they sank into the soft embankment. I managed to correct onto the hard shoulder and felt the wave of frustration wash over me: I’ve never driven anything remotely this large and this is exactly why I was hoping to have a travel buddy!

I eventually met up with my friend and his gf in the hotel room and slept in a bed for the first time in a week.

The following morning, we met for continental breakfast and I managed to keep my cool about how everything had been going, but did make it clear that I’d expected us to stay together. That is, until he and his gf expressed how they wanted to reroute to go through the mountain roads (they’re in my Miata, after all… but it’s December) and then visit family in Salt Lake. What… my truck was overloaded and had difficulty making some of the hills already - I didn’t feel comfortable traveling on the narrower mountain roads. The details of the subsequent conversation are fuzzy but we were at an impasse. They’d made up their mind and, despite my reasoning, them ditching my car in Kansas City and leaving seemed a much worse option than going alone.

So I went it alone.

I got very good at backing up such a large trailer (with a Prius on a trailer behind me) as I navigated the Pac-Man-esque parking lot, then was back on the interstate. With no one else to account for, it was just me and the road ahead of me. The hours flew by. Until… I got a panicked call from my gf. She was having a panic attack with the whole housing situation and felt like she needed me as soon as possible. She felt lost and I felt helpless. At this point, a switch flipped in my mind. New objective: get to Oregon as quickly as possible.

I drove through Kansas, through Colorado (not through mountain passes), through Wyoming (and saw a spectacular meteor shower in the jet black sky), and Utah. Another panicked call came while driving through Idaho, only more tense. The pressure was getting to her, and my cumulative stress and exhaustion was getting to me. The call went very poorly and we were on each others’ last nerves.

Night fell as I drove through the Cascades. Snowfall was blinding as I gained elevation. I would call this a whiteout; the only thing I could see were the flashing red hazard lights from a semi in front of me. If the semi were to drive off the road, I was sure to follow. To my bewilderment, a bold BMV driver blazed past the semi and me. Even more astonishingly, they used their signal when passing. Not having had any positive human interaction in a long time, I started a Signal video chat with my parents. I showed them the whiteout I was driving through, which understandably made them extremely nervous. What made it worse is that the call dropped shortly after. I can only imagine how they felt…

I reconnected with my parents and my gf as I drove along the Columbia River. I drove from Missouri to Oregon in a single sitting and I was the most tired I have ever been; I apologize to anyone else on the road while I was driving. I eventually arrived at the Airbnb after what felt like an eternity. I shared an unenthusiastic greeting with my gf as the tension had not yet dissipated, and my friend (and his gf) met us for coffee. The next day or three were spent looking for a place to call home, which we did eventually find, but I have not heard from or spoken to my friend since. Nor have I paid him back for the gas charges he left for me in the center console.

Shoulda just hired movers.