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.
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?
Sounds interesting, what’s the state on E2EE?
What’s the encryption situation for personal side of the service ie email, docs etc?
What’s the encryption situation for personal side of the service ie email, docs etc?
Currently, InlineStyle uses encryption in transit (TLS) across all services. We’re working on implementing encryption at rest, to ensure data remains inaccessible even in the event of a server breach.
As for end-to-end encryption (E2EE):
- Email: Not E2EE by default, but we support GPG for users who wish to secure their messages independently.
- Docs: Currently no E2EE, and we don’t plan to add it for collaborative editing (due to the technical limitations it brings).
- We are planning to introduce a dedicated “Locker” feature, where users will be able to store files with stronger protection, albeit without collaboration features.
If strong E2EE is essential to your workflow, tools like Proton Mail and Proton Drive are great choices. Our focus with InlineStyle is more on access to fediverse content and everyday convenience: a suite that works out of the box for people looking for alternatives without giving up too much convenience.
Where possible I think E2EE should be the default. So if you want to collaborate on documents you have to explicitly check a box that might say, “By checking this box I understand that I am opting into additional features at the cost of encryption.”
I think encryption should be at the core of this project because it (1) protects the admins from some liability if/when a breach occurs and (2) the whole point of trying to get away from Google and similar hosts is to keep them from using our own data against us.
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?
I find XMPP much more useful for day-to-day communication with people I know. Matrix has more IRC like public channels, but only a few are sufficiently active compared to Discord or even IRC.
But running an XMPP server is also extremely hassle free and uses little server resources, while running a Matrix server is quite involved and will likely need a beefy dedicated server just for it alone.
Matrix!
