KDE Eco’s “Opt Green: Sustainable Software for Sustainable Hardware” project aims to rethink our relationship with hardware obsolescence.
Laptops, smartphones and other devices quickly become outdated. Software plays a role. 3-5 years after purchasing a device, you may have seen a warning that you need to buy a new device because the hardware does not meet the minimum software requirements. Or the app you want to install requires an update that you can’t install. But the device still works. This is frustrating for users.
Using unsupported software is a ticking time bomb. All software has program errors, so-called bugs, many of which are still undetected. Once discovered, updates are the best way to repair them. After security updates end, critical errors remain unrepaired and users remain at risk. Unsupported software exposes you to a variety of threats with scary names like viruses, ransomware, Trojans, spyware, cryptojacking, etc. What is often overlooked is that a problem with your software can spread and worsen these threats to others. For this reason, government agencies such as the Federal Office for Information Security publish warnings about the end of life of software such as Windows 10. Updates are important not only for individual users, but also for broader society.
Software can render a working device unusable and create more e-waste. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world. E-waste is toxic and harmful to people and the environment in which they live. Worse, throwing away a working device means producing a new one. The manufacture of a computer or smartphone is responsible for over 75% of CO2 emissions over its lifetime. Production often comes at enormous social cost under miserable working conditions — some of which are illegal, such as the use of child labor in cobalt mines.
The “Opt Green” initiative aims to change this. It’s time to end software-driven hardware obsolescence. This is good for the users, for society and for the environment. Free open source software already offers users what they want; But most people don’t know that yet. What if you could make your current devices fast and secure again? When you install free, open source software, you can continue to use it for years to come. Transparent code enables lean, high-performance software even on much older devices. At the same time, autonomy of use guarantees the right to repair if software is no longer supported by manufacturers.
The most sustainable computer is the one you already own. Consumers don’t need a new computer to get secure, up-to-date software. You just need the right software. Find out more on KDE Eco’s website: https://eco.kde.org.
Check out the End Of 10 campaign to learn more about how to keep your soon-to-be-unsupported Windows 10 computer running free and open source software if it doesn’t upgrade to Windows 11! https://go.kde.org/endof10. KDE Ecos “Opt Green” founded the campaign and is one of its supporters along with many other free open source software communities.
Who is behind the “Opt Green” initiative? The software development non-profit KDE ev! KDE is a global community of software developers, artists, translators and creatives dedicated to the development of free open source software. We are a cooperative company. We work together to achieve the common goal of developing the world’s best free and open source software. Everyone is welcome to join and contribute to KDE — including you.
The “Opt Green” project was funded by the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. The funding is made available by resolution of the German Bundestag. Responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors.
You might also be interested in:
* Opt Green blog post: “Opt Green: The new sustainable software project from KDE Eco”
* KDE Eco Handbook “Applying The Blue Angel Criteria To Free Software”
* Blue Angel “Resource and energy efficient software products”
* Open Source Initiative blog post: “End of 10: The Open Source alternative to forced obsolescence”