partial_accumen

I don't see how that rephrasing changes the outcome of the question. What's your view on it? What is the difference you're seeing with that modified question?

Even retail gas stations have to pay upfront before operating to have their underground tanks dug up and removed in case they go out of business. Why isn't this standard for petroleum extraction? If nothing else, the public government would benefit from investing those prepayments until the oil company successfully completes their properly secured inactive well and that money is returned to them.

As long as you're doing your own whole disk encryption, you have a valid path to still be secure. However, if you're running an unencrypted disk, you're much more likely to lose your data to a non-state actor.

A pocket computer that can call.

I held that same mindset for years in the prior generation of technology. I had a Sharp Zaurus and later a Nokia n700 for pocket Linux computing. It took a large amount of effort to make them useful devices. Most people simply don't have the time or ability to do that for themselves and products like iOS and Android deliver what they're looking for right out of the box.

I like the essay's highlighting European contributions to software and technology, but it doesn't quite answer the fundamental question of its title:

Why there’s no European Google?

The essay's answer is [paraphrased] "...because we don't need it.".

I don't quite understand that position because if a Google wasn't needed in Europe then Google could disappear from Europe and no one would notice or care. Yet that isn't likely the case. If Google disappeared overnight it would likely have massive impacts on business and personal lives across Europe.

I guess my answer to the article's question as to "Why is there no European Google" is that creating Google (or a European Google) is extremely resource and financially expensive. Unless the funding for that effort comes from somewhere, it won't just happen in Europe spontaneously without replicating the same private business model that many dislike about Google.

P.S. Another European created technology that should be added to the list for accolades is the creation of Deepmind machine learning/AI. This also lead to the creation of Google Gemini. While this is owned by Google, it was created out of the London offices.

I hope it succeeds, but history hasn't been kind to others that tried.

I want to see real Linux phones that don’t run Android and are somewhat competitive with Android phones, at least in the mid-range space.

There's a large graveyard of attempts at this. The most recent and successful is probably Tizen. Prior to that Firefox OS. People just don't buy them so there's no market for them.

Thank you for that link, I appreciate it. Here's what I searched, and as you can see your link doesn't show up:

Your direct link does indeed show China successfully tested it. Thanks!

I did search it before I wrote my original comment, thats what I cited about the anti-satellite satellite effort China did. So I've already taken the time and came up empty. You're saying it exists, but I didn't find it in my original search. So I'm asked you because you encountered the info firsthand and may have a better chance of finding it.

Except for the Nazi ringleaders, I’m perfectly ok with denying them due process

Sadly even Nazi ringleaders, otherwise Republicans will simply label those protesting ICE as "Nazi ringleaders" to deny them due process. I'm a big fan of the due process that Nazi's received in Nuremberg and the outcome of those trial against those assholes.

I haven't seen it. I'd happy to look at a link if you have one.

Maybe, but not guaranteed. Starlink satellites aren't very big (meaning not very large pieces if they blow up). Additionally, Starlink satellites have active avoidance systems that can "dodge" debris to a degree (its slow, but space is big). Lastly, because the pieces would be small, they'd experience more atmospheric drag and fall back to Earth faster. Whether that means weeks instead of years, I don't know.