what

But that is simply stupid! Most other 3D printer brands do not needlessly restrict the hardware you purchased. This is the same story as Google restricting third-party app stores because they want a stronger software monopoly on Android! And non-Bambu printers are very good nowadays, exceeding Bambu in value (see Elegoo Centauri Carbon offering an enclosure, CoreXY, etc. for about the same price as the non-enclosed, bedslinger Bambu A1 I am stuck with) and reliability (Prusa is the gold standard obviously, but even other brands have gotten very good!)

Also, Bambu attacking tiny open source devs is simply not cool. I would rather not give my money to a company that does that when there are good alternatives >:/

Hell yeah! The Elegoo Centauri Carbon (and 2) are awesome! It’s super nice to see convenient 3D printing becoming more accessible to everyone!

Oh, I didn’t know that! The Snapmaker U1 is looking pretty good then if you want multi toolhead

Specific issues? I’ve already mentioned my printer is out of commision due to a bad clog, filament has spewed out to cover the whole nozzle. I can’t get the nozzle out since it’s trapped in a solid chunk of plastic.

The Prusa Core One does not have “twice the price for the same features”, it’s about a couple hundred dollars more than the equivalent Bambu for: European manufacturing, immense repairability (not based on “feelings”, they have the option to ship the printer as a DIY kit so that you can know each part inside and out, and time and time again Prusa has allowed users of upgrade to the next version), reputation for reliability (I know friends who have been using a Prusa for the past decade that are still going strong!), and an awesome attitude to the community.

And yes, Elegoo has a better value printer! So why position Bambu as the “affordable” option, if it has less features (no enclosure, no CoreXY) compared to the Elegoo CC (and others, you have Qidi doing heated bed chamber for a great value), while not being as reliable/repairable as a Prusa? Plus them being awful to FOSS projects and closing down on their software is generally bad. Obviously, don’t contribute to e-waste and bin your printer, I haven’t, but for newbies, I would strongly advise against Bambu.

Yes, Prusa has made bedslingers for long time, but the Core One has been out for a while now, and it’s recently received the optional INDX upgrade for multi-toolhead. Prusa isn’t falling behind, they are still doing very cool stuff and innovating, not to mention everything is STILL upgradeable despite becoming CoreXY, and that is an achievement! (e.g. you can upgrade a MK4S to a Core One + INDX if you wanted too)

It’s a lie to say that Prusa is not innovating, because they really are :D

They have also contributed a lot to the community, the opposite of which is true for Bambu.

You have not addressed the main points against Bambu:

• attempting to take down small FOSS projects (which, by the way, are not violating any of Bambu’s licenses, Bambu Studio is open-source and the fork is not “abusing their services”)
• the existence of much better values options (e.g. Elegoo CC, and many of Qidi’s machines are good too)
• the locked down software ecosystem, I have bought the printer and have happily used OrcaSlicer for a while, why should it be blocked via software patch? What reasoning is there to block third party hardware (literally just a screen attachment for the P1 series, “security” my ass) aside from screwing with everybody? Bambu cannot be trusted to keep their promises
• the “just works” excuse isn’t good enough, since Bambu machines do have reliability issues. Maybe it’s because I live in a more humid climate, but I have experienced as many issues on the A1 as other nom-Bambu printers
• Prusa machines are very well regarded in terms of support and repairability, that is one of their key strengths and you are dismissing that completely

And instead, you are focusing on the higher prices of Prusa machines (while ignoring that higher end Bambu printers are also very expensive, if not more so for their dual nozzle thing compared to, say, the Snapmaker U1 others have already mentioned), are ignorant that Prusa Core One is CoreXY, assumed I was positioning the Core One as a competitor to the A1 (any sane person would immediately see that’s just wrong, I did word it a bit weirdly and that’s been edited to be more clear, but it doesn’t change my point that Bambu Lab machines are not super reliable like you suggest)

The Prusa Core One competes with the higher end Bambu Lab machines, mate! And you have ignored that Prusa machines are way more repairable and reliable. Also, the Core One is a COREXY machine, what are you on about with bedslingers. The A1 is also a bedsligner but I don’t see you complaining.

Also, you seemed to have ignored the Elegoo Centauri Carbon (which is similarly priced, CoreXY, enclosure, super awesome in general)

I did not say Prusa was super competitve in the low end, that’s why the Elegoo Centauri Carbon was mentioned!

I have an A1 and I hate it. It’s so stupid that they are locking down on their ecosystem, and I fervantly despise that they are trying to take down that fork of OrcaSlicer (despite their own software being a fork of a fork!)

it’s affordable

Elegoo’s Centauri Carbon has an enclosure and is CoreXY, so objectively much better value than the A1

works great

Until it doesn’t. The nozzle of my A1 has clogged, and it is difficult to fix. The Prusa Core One is more reliable and repairable for a similar price and performance to the equivalent Bambu machine (edit: to higher end Bambu machines, obviously it doesn’t compete with the A1’s price bracket. My point still stands that Bambu machines are not the end all be all for reliability).

I have a Bambu Lab printer, but I would not recommend them to newbies anymore. They did a software update to block third party software (like OrcaSlicer, which I was using…), hardware accessories became paperweights, and they are trying of take down a small fork of OrcaSlicer (despite their Bambu Studio software being a fork of a fork too)

You also just have much, much better options nowadays. The Elegoo Centauri Carbon is WAY better value than the A1 I have (CoreXY, enclosed, not actively attacking tiny FOSS projects…), and the Prusa Core One is more reliable, repairable, and generally more awesome to the FOSS community than the pricier Bambu Lab machines (+ the INDX upgrade for multi-toolhead functionality!)

edit: If you want multi-toolhead specifically, the Snapmaker U1 might be a better option (cheaper than both Bambu and Prusa too, and their software is a fork of OrcaSlicer!)

ah ok

It worked for me, so dunno if this is a widespread issue. I now use Sable though since I prefer it over Cinny (it’s a fork with extra bits I think)

For me, I would first replace the smartwatch, since that’s the most intertwined with the “ecosystem” (more like a hellish prison, but whatever…), then try and replace the computer(s), since Linux devices will work better with iPhones than Mac does with Android (and mobile Linux) devices.

I used to use an iPhone, and moving to an Android device was relatively smooth bar WhatsApp, which was incredibly annoying to deal with. It is possible to transfer message history though, and my family (now on Android) are very happy to get much better battery life!

If you need specific recommendations, I would go for the Fairphone if possible, else Sony Xperia and OnePlus devices are pretty neat too (former if you like headphone jack and notchless display, latter if you want top spec mobile gaming). You also have mobile Linux being a real option nowadays with the Jolla Phone (SailfishOS) and Nura devices (OnePlus 6/6T, Pocophone F1, Fairphones, etc.)

As for smartwatches, you have WearOS watches of course, but jumping into another ecosystem isn’t great. Pebble is really fun, and if you are into fitness Garmin has lots of options, and both work for iOS and Android (nice!), meaning it is an easier transition.

For Android tablets, OnePlus ones are pretty good though, and GrapheneOS can run on the Pixel Tablet. You of course have the various x86 tablets that can run Linux, as well as many ARM devices that support Nura (formerly postmarketOS), the latter usually being some sort of Chromebook (please don’t use ChromeOS)

And of course, the laptop. If it’s an M1/2/3 Mac, Asahi Linux could be an option, then you don’t need to buy any hardware! Old Thinkpads are awesome on budget, and you have a variety of Linux oriented laptops (System76, Tuxedo, etc.), and most Windows laptops will run Linux just fine as long as you’re not running an old kernel (e.g. Debian) on very new hardware.

As for desktops, you have endless amounts of Windows mini PCs and old workstations to choose from, buy used because memory prices are insane. Go for the ones available on the nearest used marketplace for cheap! It’s amazing how compatible Linux is with older devices, even more so than Windows.

If you need good alternatives to proprietary software, you have LibreOffice, Pinta (or GIMP if you are fancy), Inkscape, Kdenlive, Audacity/Tenacity, an endless number of code editors, etc. If you want to game, Linux is a lot better than Mac in this respect nowadays with Proton and such, Steam, Lutris (all-in-one, super customisable), Heroic (for GOG), and Minigalaxy (also for GOG) are awesome

Pixel, Sony, OnePlus (mentioned already in the post) and Fairphone are the main ones. You also have several of the older Motorola devices, as well as a couple from other brands (like Nothing), usually older devices (newer devices are not supported nearly as well)

Many of the Sony Xperia devices are supported by LineageOS (not often you see that outside of Pixel and Fairphone), you have the beloved audio jack, front speakers w/ no notch, microSD expansion, and they’re just very cool devices :D

The Pixel 11 has introduced: nothing useful! In fact, it has actually regressed with the reduced amount of RAM. The only marketed feature is the silly Gemini light on the back of the Pro models, that can only be used for five contacts (and only calls! Not notifications!) or as an indicator when Gemini is thinking. Skip the Pixel 11, plus GrapheneOS is not supported yet. 25W wireless charging isn’t supported by most chargers and most people charge wired anyways (faster, more efficient, and not really less convenient)

Personally, I would get the Pixel 9 over both the 10 and 11, the main upside is the magnets (which can bd solved with a case) and a zoom camera (in which case the 9 Pro is pretty good and also the same size). Realistically, I would probably get a 9a over any of them, because you really don’t lose anything going with it besides camera quality (plastic will not crack easily like glass and will get covered by a case anyways)

If you already have the 9 or 10, don’t upgrade! It’s very silly and you get basically nothing extra. The only thing is maybe the zoom camera, if you have a base 9, in which case the 9 Pro (or even 10 Pro) is cheaper + supports GrapheneOS

And of course, you have non-Pixel devices as well. Fairphone has been awesome in European markers, and their recent Fairphone 6+ has also released in the U.S., which is pretty cool! They make very nice devices that are pretty competitive for what you’re paying honestly, and they support right to repair and fair working conditions! You don’t get GrapheneOS, but LineageOS, e/OS, CalyxOS, iodeOS, and even many flavours of mobile Linux support Fairphones! It’s really cool stuff, and Nura (formerly postmarkerOS) is being worked on for the latest Fairphone 6!

You’ve also got the cheaper Jolla Phone that runs SailfishOS, and that might be fun to play around with

Cinny is an awesome desktop client, as is Element, Fractal (GNOME, no spaces support though) and NeoChat (KDE)

For mobile, I personally prefer FluffyChat, but there’s other options too.

edit: I currently use Sable (a fork of Cinny I think), still using FluffyChat on Android.

For one to one chats and the occasional group chat? XMPP is pretty awesome and has lots of good clients (Conversations on Android, Monal on iDevices, Dino, Gajim, etc. on Linux)

If you want something closer to Discord and host public communities or very large chatrooms, Matrix is very good. You can self-host it with Continuwuity, and there are lots of clients too (Cinny, FluffyChat, Element, Fractal, NeoChat, etc.)

If you just need voice chat, Mumble is simple and works well.

Oop ok!

Blender is already open-source, no?