Late stage Weimar Republic vibe.

The first amendment is just (on) a piece of paper. Will it be enforced against a constitution breaking executive? That is the question.

So is Putin’s Governor of Hungary now trying out the Barbara Streisand effect?

The license is a one time payment for third party models. All of them are already aging. The C2 was a white label phone for Sailfish OS, the first dedicated Sailfish OS device in years and does not require any license nor does the new to be launched “Jolla Phone”. Most people ordered the Jolla Phone at 580 EUR. Whatever “postmarketOS-capable” phone you were thinking about but for 58 EUR it can’t be that great. Even cheaper Chinese competition equivalent hardware will cost around 200 EUR. The only Dimensity 7100 device I could find at this point was 260 EUR or so, with a worse screen.

I do agree that they should go fully open source but they are at least gradually opening up those parts that are still closed (mostly UI and some few stock apps). Sailffish OS is light years from mainstream adoption, at the very least. But that is not the game they are playing. This is a niche product for people that either want to get away from Google or Apple, or some that actually like the fairly unique UI of Sailfish OS or like to tinker with its Linux base (whatever you think about Sailfish OS and its not entirely open nature, it is still the most functional Linux based alternative out there, when it comes to functioning as a phone, including VoLTE, camera etc, at least in Europe).

Jolla has been years out of the wheel when it comes to own hardware. The crucial thing they need to prove now is that they are capable of delivering what they announced at maybe 15-20k sales.

Happy little accidents …

Mad? Entertained.

Peculiar indeed.

You probably don’t understand German (well, even if you do, possibly won’t help you either). A pity, this song is a perfect fit of exactly that kind of person your comment describes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDeFYKmgePQ

As it happens, Austrians do know quite a bit about this kind of people. You may or may not guess why.

Why do you travel then? Peculiar.

The EU does complicate Gleichschaltung of the kind we see in the US indeed. This could be observed in Poland and Hungary, that the EU is at least an obstacle to some extend. However, like I said. Even that can only take so and so much erosion of institutions, especially once the populist authoritarians, energised by Russian support take over a majority in the EP and the Council (with the help of voters of course).

No democratic entity can survive voters persistingly voting for the end of democracy. No matter how it is set up.

As long as Brussels has not fallen to the same forces, yes. But it is dangerous to believe that Brussels can lastingly secure democracy when a majority of local voters persistently push for dictatorship.

It boils down to how independent Canadians want to be. Also, the EU is not a guarantee against populist autocrats. There is a rising wave of those in the EU and its member states as well, just like in basically any democracy nowadays. But in most member states they aren’t in power yet and also on EU level they still lack a majority.

It is not about that though. Joining the EU means joining in common political institutions, accepting that EU law is above national law, that decisions on EU law are made together in common political instiutitons. It also means that one can be outvoted by others and still be bound by the result. Most areas (major exceptions being defense and foreign policy) of policy making in the EU are nowadays majority decisions with individual member states having no veto power on their own. Joining the EU is not joining some free trade zone or even some defense alliance, it is half way to joining another country (with the key difference that one can indeed leave anytime again).

It is not so much that Canada and the EU would have that many conflict points it. It is again, the level of commitment. Just because you are best buddies, doesn’t mean that sharing the same bedroom is the next logical step. Unless you are serious about that of course.

“what allies, do the US have any left ?”

Russia and North Korea?

Joining the EU is a committment. It is not only an economic free trade area, it is a political union. It also means “pooling sovereignty”, see it as something halfway to a proper federation. I am not saying that this is out of question regarding Canada but I doubt that either Canada or the EU are really aspiring that.

Looks like the coin of some authoritarian banana republic, pretty much on point therefore.

Insulting? He was threatening with invasion and annexation of territory.

Not to be confused with openSUSE though, even if there is some overlap. Maybe that one is down another step.

Tumbleweed somehow gives me the newest Plasma with neither configuration nor manual dependency resolution exhaustion. It is not perfect either but it squares the circle of a stable rolling release distro surprisingly well.

It is a fact that they “could” join. There is nothing in the treaties excluding them if all member states really support that. That doesn’t mean Canada should do that. A stronger aliance bereeen EU and Canada with deeper economic cooperation would likeky be the better option.