Hey folks, We have been working on a project called InlineStyle
A European, open-source, fediverse based alternative to the Google ecosystem.
It’s a single platform with these services:
- 📧 Email address @inlinestyle.it
- 📹 Video sharing via PeerTube
- 🎵 Music streaming with Funkwhale
- 📝 Docs and Drive via Collabora/NextCloud
- 📒 Markdown based notes
- 🎮 Browser-based FOSS games (Celeste Classic, Tyrian, SuperTux, etc.)
- 🌍 Static personal site hosting
All hosted in Europe. No telemetry, no ads, no corporate BS.
It’s not a startup pitch, just something we built because we got tired of being locked in.
The idea is to keep it sustainable with a simple support plan (€1.90/month) that unlocks upload features and personal email/webspace. Free tier available too, no login needed to browse.
🔗 https://mastodon.social/@inlinestyle
Would love your thoughts. What should I improve? What’s missing for you to consider switching?
Our goal is to try to build a real #DeGoogle fediverse based path that doesn’t feel like a downgrade. It will take time, but we are willing to try and stay committed to the mission.
static personal site hosting
name the thing “inline style”
Pretty good catch there!
Other than that while the overall idea sounds good, there are a few concerns, I’d like to have your feedback on these even if it’s not a definitive word - sometimes, “I don’t know” is the correct answer!
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.itdomain is kinda worrying given their recent stance on blocking or deleting parts of the internet to support the shareholders. Well, at least it’s not Spain, but do keep an eye on that.The idea is to keep it sustainable with a simple support plan (€1.90/month)
Are there any considerations towards a one-time life payment on the horizon? It’s what ultimately drew me to SDF compared to the rest of the enshittifying internet, and they do provide similar services to what your roster seems to be so far.
📝 Docs and Drive via Collabora/NextCloud
May I recommend also Cryptpad? From my understanding NC+Collabora is a PITA to set up and prone to random failures (tho I would disclose the last time I tried the combo myself was on 2022). Cryptpad, while a lot simpler and less-featured, provides a leaner experience that approaches that of eg.: a pastebin.
Others
Some comments have mentioned chat. A XMPP server, like Prosody or ejabberd, is quite cheap and simple to run compared to “nu-protocols” like Matrix, and without having to go too far back into the 90s with something like IRC. Has good support for clients across the board as well, on Linux, Android, web, etc.
Other than that the only differentiating factor I could think of offering that I have seem almost no one else do, is some sort of “math service”, something like an Octave or Maxima online if such thing exists, or like what Wolfram Alpha has online, where people can run calculations, plot function graphs, perhaps with support for spreadsheets and charts too, which would also function as an alternative to google charts and the like.
XMPP chat accounts on the same address as Email would be nice.
We’ve been exploring the idea of adding a chat service. But we haven’t yet decided which protocol would provide the most value for most people.
Right now, we’re considering XMPP and Matrix — both are solid, privacy-respecting options. Our goal is to offer something that lets people communicate with their existing contacts, not start from scratch.
We’d love your input: what would you actually use? What works best in your daily setup?
Great idea! Two things
- E2EE is a default in privacy by design so consider CryptPad for docs instead
- change the name. Inline Style is terrible (sorry but to a native English speaker it sounds lame). How about just Inline?
