News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by zppln on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:12AM (#43319167)
While I do find it an interesting exercise to reflect over my own choices of products and services and consider how I could divest myself from relying on ones provided by US companies (and I do agree Europe is too reliant on the US in some regards), it is a bit sad to see how quickly things are spiraling here. People really love to have a clear enemy...
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by dns_snek on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:30AM (#43319349)
I don't think anyone loves this but it's the most rational response to the threats made by the US government against its former allies.
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by ccppurcell on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:22AM (#43319256)
I'd always rather, if possible, give my money to a company that pays their tax where I do. That's simple self interest.
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by Asraelite on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:51AM (#43319522)
Self interest is not something to be proud of.
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by throaway1989 on Monday March 10, 2025 @11:49AM (#43321849)
It is when its the most ethical choice.
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by Asraelite on Monday March 10, 2025 @01:05PM (#43322609)
When the actions you would take if you were acting entirely out of self interest and the actions that are the most ethical align with each other, then it's okay to take those actions, which is the case here and that's fine. I just mean that the primary reason shouldn't be self interest.
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by ramchip on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:42AM (#43319447)
The US is threatening to take my home country by force and subjugate us. Maybe that context helps understand?
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by tuetuopay on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:27AM (#43319306)
Well, it's not really to have a clear enemy. It's an effort to avoid having one.

The day the US drops the Cloud Act would be the death of all European CSPs. Until then, cloud offerings not subject to it will thrive, and the US will be seen as hostile.

And for all other subjects, it's a simple matter of not putting all of your eggs in the same basket. Having privileged trade partners is a good thing, but it becomes a bad one when it's a partner (singular). Today, the US has full power on Europe's tech landscape, which is concerning, even if it's a friend country.

Oh, and I say a "friend country", but given the latest announcements where the US Govt. clearly targets Europe and wants to sanction it (e.g. tariffs on French exports), the friend is turning around.

TL;DR today Europe does not see the US as an enemy. But it does everything for it to never happen, and this include reducing the dependency on the US.

Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by Al-Khwarizmi on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:48AM (#43319503)
You don't need an enemy for this sort of campaign to make sense. It should be common sense to prefer local products, and even more so to avoid extreme dependencies like the one most of the West has on American tech companies.

In my view, we (Europe) have long been acting foolishly by passively sitting in the back seat and allowing the US to drive for us, thereby creating a radical dependency. This wouldn't be healthy even if the US were the most loyal ally. What Trump's antics are doing is trigger a return to what should have always been the norm.

Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by Yeul on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:20AM (#43319244)
If you walk into a European supermarket, fashion store or MediaMarkt there is very little coming from the US. The giant container ships are coming from the East not the West.
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by zppln on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:31AM (#43319354)
Sure. My microwave from 1988 is about the only thing made in the US in my home (interstingly an Electrolux). However, every purchase I make is with a Visa card. Most services I use are American. And as I'm typing this... anyone know a European alternative to SwiftKey? :P
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by simongray on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:46AM (#43319480)
> anyone know a European alternative to SwiftKey? :P

Sadly, SwiftKey is/was actually a UK company that was acquired by Microsoft. Most successful European tech start-ups seem to end up being acquired by one of the American tech giants. Perhaps this is will be ending now.

Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by lentil_soup on Monday March 10, 2025 @11:37AM (#43321735)
Electrolux is Swedish though. Or you mean it was actually built in the US but sold by Electrolux?
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by zppln on Tuesday March 11, 2025 @02:12AM (#43329647)
Built in the US and sold by Electrolux, yes.
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by FirmwareBurner on Monday March 10, 2025 @07:23AM (#43319276)
The chips and software in a lot of those products are coming from the US, even if the final products are manufactured in the East.

The US makes the biggest margins from valuable IP and software services, not from mass produced widgets coming in shipping containers.

Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by BlackFly on Monday March 10, 2025 @09:06AM (#43320180)
Chips made with Dutch chip fabrication technology to English chip designs...

The software situation is grim but maybe open source somewhat ameliorates that...

Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by FirmwareBurner on Monday March 10, 2025 @09:19AM (#43320291)
>Chips made with Dutch chip fabrication technology

Using american EUV light sources....this train of who makes what in the supply chain can go on forever, the point is who's making the highest margins from the end product and it's not ASML nor ARM but Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm, Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc.

Hence my point that while EU has some IP, its value is dwarfed by the IP the US makes. Just look at market cap of US vs European tech sector. It's not even a competition. ASML can't offset that. I think Apple has enough cash in the bank to buy ASML if they wanted to.

Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by BlackFly on Wednesday March 12, 2025 @09:16AM (#43342924)
The profits aren't the point. The questions that Europeans are asking themselves as shown in the featured article is how far away they are from independence from an untrustworthy trading partner.
Re:Go European: Discover European products and services by throaway1989 on Monday March 10, 2025 @11:49AM (#43321845)
Trump isn't really giving anyone the choice with talking about annexing its allies. You seem to be blaming the victim here.