Sorry, with WOW I meant the streaming service WOWtv. I think it was formerly known as Sky Ticket.

I’ve just downloaded the apps for Deutschlandfunk, Reuters, and the Guardian to explore them in more detail. Euractiv and Süddeutsche Zeitung are next on my list. Thanks for the thoughtful recommendations!

The UK may have left the EU, but Europe is more than just political structures… it’s about shared values, culture, and a common future. I’m confident that the UK will rejoin the EU one day, whether it takes five, ten, or more years. Until then, I’ll always see our British friends as part of the European family. Thanks for recommending Novara Media, I’ll check it out!

Glad my post is an inspiration for you :)

I will check out that Italian brand, thanks!

Well that wasn’t a criteria for me yet… but thanks for pointing that out. Gotta keep that in mind for recommendations in the future.

No, haven’t tried that yet. Still running on my Windows boot.

I’m also in similar journey to switch although still early. I started using Element in small circle and it works great.

For phones, you might want to check Jolla, its EU/Finish Linux phone.

And for the rest, being a open-source dev myself, I can only suggest open-source digital products:

For design work, see https://penpot.app/ its awesome and mature product.

If you need to publish videos, check https://joinpeertube.org/

You can find much more EU-based and produced digital services here: https://european-alternatives.eu/

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate it.

Jolla has actually been on my radar for a few days now. I came across it in another thread recently and I do think it is a very interesting concept, especially Sailfish OS. That said, I am currently leaning more towards Fairphone, mainly because of the repairability and the long-term hardware support. That aspect matters a lot to me.

What I might do, though, is take a closer look at Sailfish OS and see whether it could realistically be combined with a Fairphone instead of LineageOS. That really comes down to compatibility and everyday usability, so I will need to evaluate that carefully before deciding.

Penpot looks great. I had a quick look and really liked what I saw. I have saved it for later and will very likely use it for future web projects, so thanks for pointing that out.

european-alternatives.eu is also known to me. I have checked it a couple of times already, but I think I need to spend more time going through it more systematically, especially for areas I have not actively switched yet.

Thanks again for the input!

Yeah, thanks :) I’m gonna give Firefox a shot now.

Vivaldi is chromium based tho?

Indeed. I must have mixed that up. Sorry. I’m going to to give Firefox itself a shot now. Still gotta check out Librewolf :)

Yes, Netflix does work, but WOW sadly doesn’t.

I actually laughed out loud when I read your comment because it’s so obvious, yet I completely overlooked it. 😅

I’ve been so hyper-focused on finding Firefox-based alternatives (Vivaldi, Zen, etc.) that I somehow forgot to reconsider Firefox itself, even though it’s been sitting right there as the default browser on my Linux Mint Cinnamon setup this whole time. The last time I used Firefox seriously was years ago, and I don’t even remember why I didn’t like it back then. But now that I’ve taken another look:

• Native vertical tabs (no extensions needed. this is a game-changer for me)
• No Chromium
• Pinned tabs (works natively, just like in Brave)

The irony? I’ve spent hours hunting for workarounds in other browsers while the solution was pre-installed. Thanks for the reality check… sometimes you’re so deep in the weeds, you miss the obvious.

I’m testing it now with manual Widevine setup to see how DRM/streaming holds up. If you’ve got any Linux-specific tips (or warnings), I’m all ears!

(And yes, I’ll still keep an eye out for other alternatives like Ladybird, but for now, Firefox might just be the answer I’ve been ignoring.)

Good advice, thanks!

Yeah right?! They even offer different materials (PET, cotton, flax).

Glad my post was helpful to ohters :)

Yeah, Duolingo felt more like a game than a real way to learn a language.

As for TV and movies, I actually already watch most of what I watch in original language, whether English or now Spanish. Usually without subtitles, unless the accent or dialect is really tricky, then I turn them on. But I’ve been doing this for years, and I don’t really have any issues understanding. I don’t translate in my head, I think and understand directly in English.

The thing I’m really missing is the active speaking part. Traveling isn’t really feasible right now, and while I play games, that doesn’t really help much. Most of the time it’s just short call-outs or quick chat with opponents, which isn’t enough to really improve consistently.

I might give Babbel a try… I used Duolingo some time ago and wasn’t really happy with the way it tries to teach languages.
Right now my main focus is improving my English: my reading and listening are already around C2, but when it comes to speaking or writing, I often struggle to find the right words or get the grammar spot on.

I’m also dabbling a bit in Spanish for fun, but for now I’d rather put most of my effort into really getting my English solid.

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Haha, yeah, I can’t really argue with that 😅. The lack of solid EU streaming alternatives makes it tempting to… you know, set the sails.
I’m still trying to stick with legal European options where I can, but sometimes it’s just… frustratingly limited.

After going through all the suggestions in this thread, I think I’ll just order one and give it a try. I still want to do a bit more digging first… check out the company, see how they operate, that kind of thing. But I’m curious to see how it actually feels and holds up, so this seems like the easiest way to find out.

Indeed, I’m happy with Qobuz so far!
Only downside is the lack of custom playlist covers :(