I’m kinda chuffed to get the DWD as a backend going. My app is still very WIP 
4 Likes
Just before I forget it again, i also keep forgetting about MDM in SFOS … Apple has a virtual monopoly in education (highschool tablets) in Germany, for instance. All because of the effective MDM. I wonder if this is something a madman like me should do. Try to compete with apple in the education market ! (perhaps that last coffee was one too many).
10 Likes
If you’re looking for mad people with to much coffee, this forum is the right place.
7 Likes
The Ausschreibungen very often specifically define the tablets to be iPads; one would need to be prepared to do considerable (huge) amount of groundwork to get the municipalities to open such Ausschreibungen where any other devices can be offered.
I was thinking of suing the province of Brandenburg since I don’t believe the State has a right to prop up a monopoly (ha, ha, ha). Of course, my partner began beating me about the ears with pointy instruments and I put a cork in it. Then I determined to hack the tablet (which we don’t have yet since my son is still in 5th grade), and use it as a backdoor to take over the administration of the network. Then I took a chill pill.
As you say, it would be a huge effort. The problem is not just smoothly functioning MDM but all the apps in that space. On the other hand, I remember when apple had a monopoly in education in Canada / US in the late 1980s. They didn’t hold onto that. But 2000 everyone (not me) had written apple off. Till the ipod.
So, maybe there is a battle that can be won with sheer economic force. IF the MDM works as well as apples (big question) and one considers the Android layer, maybe it can be made so competitive that the municipalities had no choice if they didn’t want to have the Bundesrechnungshof breathing down their necks.
Ah, it’s probably a fantasy. But, it’s worth a discussion with some other parents with more knowledge of apps in use…
Newly opened repositories are hidden again.
they found the money so they don’t need to open them anymore 
5 Likes
Is it even possible to ‘reclose’? AFAIK the ‘internet never forgets’.
Well, of course you can always close further development…
Someone who downloaded them at bsd can always publish their copy as bsd, jolla can relicense their code however they want if all contributors agree, but can’t retroactively cancel that (this is not a legal advice blah blah)
1 Like
Ouch, they have removed all of them… Let’s hope it’s a temporary situation due to some internal question raised on the relicensing. @throwaway69 is correct as far as I know, if all the copyright holders have given their agreement, the code that has been published can be redistributed under the new license even if the original piblisher removed it. Which make me think that some copyright holders have removed their agreement or didn’t give it at the start.
I’ve clones of some of the released repositories. If the issue is indeed an initial relicensing that didn’t gather all copyright holder agreements, then I cannot publish them. Otherwise, I guess Jolla themselves will republish them after the issue is sorted out. Hopefully : -/
7 Likes
I’m pretty sure that it’s illegal to specify a compnies product in an Ausschreibung
1 Like
WTF does Jolla do here? Originally a very positive move, but just to be retracted a little later. Oh, this is so Jolla-ish, specifically the complete lack of communication WRT both steps, the forth and the back one. 
As far as i could see, all contributors were Jolla employees, presumably creating the content of these now-retracted repos during work. Consequently Jolla owns all rights and decides how to license this.
And no, nobody has to be asked or agree to using the content of these repositories, if someone cloned them while they were still online: The content was clearly marked as BSD-licensed.
AFAIK the ‘internet never forgets’.
Unfortunately, “the internet” per se does nothing: If nobody copied / cloned / archived the content during the brief period the stuff was accessible, it is not accessible any longer.
5 Likes
I was so happy that so many repositories were created under the bsd license in the last weeks. I hope it is just a mistake and they re-open them again.
Thank you for the great work @Jolla , but I think a short notice why that happened would be great. So nobody is confused anymore
Maybe my MDM idea gave them a new business model perspective and someone went eureka and closed everything down again (ducks and runs).
5 Likes
It is at least somewhat grey area. However, having worked a bit with those, especially in tablets, specific models are requested in pretty much every of them. Most often iPads, sometimes others, too, e.g. SERVICE.BUND.DE - Aktuelle Ausschreibungen der öffentlichen Verwaltung Deutschlands (Bund, Länder, Städte und Kommunen) - Lieferung von Tablets der Hersteller Apple und Samsung and SERVICE.BUND.DE - Aktuelle Ausschreibungen der öffentlichen Verwaltung Deutschlands (Bund, Länder, Städte und Kommunen) - 25 iPads und Zubehör Gymnasium Neustadt both name the desired vendor(s) in the title (often it is buried a bit deeper in the requirements documents) I assume that if vendors are not specified, they will get quite a load of offers on various Chinese white-label devices.
(sorry for this diversion to Offtopic Lane)
1 Like
…like tried to sell the idea of self-governance to the EU and get funds for Europe-developped systems (that can be used in schools, etc.)?
One can hope.
(I mean, seriously: microG was sponsored at some point, in 2019, by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
3 Likes
The authority only has to establish a reason that corresponds to the procurement policy. Depending on the contract value, e.g. § 23 UVgO (5) - § 23 UVgO - Leistungsbeschreibung (vergabevorschriften.de). In this case, it could already be sufficient that the BSI declares the devices to be particularly secure - BSI - Presse - BSI bestätigt Sicherheitseigenschaften von iPhone und iPad They will be very creative I also think a good MDM solution will not be able to establish SFOS in the education sector at this point in time, as long as there are the known problems with the Android Layer.
Android layer should be actually not offered to schools, being as far away from american data-siphon like this is a selling point for any EU country for sure, think of the children (and their data)!!!
2 Likes
Although I agree in principle, it has nothing to do with the Android Layer. It’s a notable lack of developers in the space outside of Appledom at all. Since apple is defacto THE env. no apps are developed otherwise. Apps that are often encountered (Anton App) which are cross platform are a rare exception? With a bit of care, a company can use QT and target mac, ios, android, sfos, etc. But these companies seem to be more rare than one would think.
1 Like
Yes, you are right. Android Layer is just a stopgap solution to the real problem. Unfortunately, I don’t see the situation changing in the near future. It seems to be a kind of chicken and egg problem(Popular apps not available natively<>Low user base<>No willingness on the part of developers to port their apps). In elementary schools, apart from the Anton app, Antolin and MeisterCody are also frequently used, at least those are available for both iOS and android. But even there, it starts with the MDM solution at the latest. In the education sector, relution or jamf are often used, and the latter clearly focuses on apple devices. Nevertheless, I am convinced that if someone (you?) would offer a good MDM solution for SFOS, this would find a target group and thereby increase the distribution. Even if companies would not switch for privacy reasons, it could happen for economic interest, since Jolla updates devices for a comparatively long time. With appropriate certification from SFOS, interest would probably be even greater. Prowise has found a market in the education sector with this and their customized android version, and considering that there is a maximum of 8 years of support for the smartboards as of today, they are probably not doing a bad business once they have tied the customers to their ecosystem( Prowise liefert Digitale Tafeln für deutsche Klassenzimmer). Let’s keep our fingers crossed that things are looking up for SFOS 
1 Like