Ok so I decided to take the plunge and let my #protonmail subscription lapse and give @mailbox_org a try.
They're running a "2 years for the price of 1" offer right now which came out at the perfect time to convince me, as it sets the price for their standard offer down to 1.5€ a month.
I'll need to live with it for much longer before I can attempt a fair comparison of their service vs Proton, but so far, here is what I have to say:

• Their web portal for the service feels a tad janky at times, with some screen not even properly localized, and an overall lack of polish. This is especially unflattering compared to Proton's web interface, which is really snappy and slick (and not in German -- unless I want it to be...).

• On the other hand, I truly appreciate that they went for a sober -- if entirely forgettable -- design language for it, compared to the black and purple infosec mall ninja aesthetic that Proton decided to go for. So there is definitely that!

• IT. DOES. NOT. FUCKING. SAY. "AI". ANYWHERE!!!! Not once! Yay!!! Please keep it up, @mailbox_org !

• Configuration for advanced features isn't as user friendly as Proton's, but on the other hand their documentation is very complete and detailed. I'm fine with that, but I certainly can understand not everyone would be.

• Feature-wise, the custom domain support is very good (that's the one thing I needed the most, tbh). Even with the standard plan, it does not limit the number of external domains you can bind, only the total number of aliases you can have which is ample (50 aliases for external domains + 25 aliases on their mailbox.org domain), and it supports catch all addresses. This is plenty for a single user (it is for me, at least), and much better than Proton, which limits you to a total 10 aliases, and a single external domain.

• I have not yet dived into their encryption options, but it looks like that they offer several modes, including one that does not involve sharing the private key with them, which, aside from the obvious, also 1) doesn't force you to use their web client 2) Isn't orthogonal with using your own GPG key client side (without having to share that key with them too). All in all, I don't know if I'll bother with that at all (since, like with Proton, all of this doesn't mean much if the people writing to you / that you write to don't use encryption on their end), but it's worth looking into, IMO.

• As for everything else (instant messaging, video conferencing, vpn, office suite, free pony, etc...) I don't care about any of it. Just like with proton before, I need email. That's what I'm paying for. The rest I don't give two shits about. YMMV.

So anyway, as I said I'll need more time before I can form a viable opinion on the service but so far I like it. It's no doubt a "nerdier" option compared to Proton (and that's saying a lot, I guess), but not nearly as much a hosting your own mail server.
The feature set is really good (for me anyway) and the price is right (even without the discount, 2.5€/month is still cheaper than the competition).
If, from a technical standpoint, it just works (i.e. it sends and receives emails), I think I'll have found myself a winner!

#email #hosting #selfhost #protonmail #mailbox_org

@protonblog

How the Proton Pass CLI works?

The article mentions this question but doesn't quite answer it. But I want to know exactly this.

#protonpass #protonmail #proton

@ftrc Easy question … e.g. #protonMail + #vivaldiBrowser = happy again 😉

https://vivaldi.com

@cubeofcheese That's weird: I've used #protonmail seamlessly with Thunderbird for 7 years on my laptop, no problem. I've never used any of their desktop apps tho I do use their mail and calendar apps on my phone.

Thunderbird has a great ecosystem of extensions. I totally rely on Quickfolders for effortless filing and folder navigation by keyboard.

(Linux news in previous posts of thread)

FOSS NEWS

After Nearly 10 Years of Building Mastodon, Eugen Rochko Steps Into Advisory Role:
https://itsfoss.com/news/mastodon-ceo-steps-down/

TABS API is Mozilla’s Latest Bet on the Agentic Web:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/11/mozilla-tabs-api-ai-web-agents

Firefox recent updates improve tab group handling:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/11/firefox-recent-updates-improve-tab-group-handling/

Firefox 147 Will Support The XDG Base Directory Specification:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Firefox-147-XDG-Base-Directory

A great showcase of open source - Blender 5.0 is out with completely overhauled colour management:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/11/a-great-showcase-of-open-source-blender-5-0-is-out-with-completely-overhauled-colour-management/

GIMP 3.2 RC1 launches with proper SVG export, improved text editor, and UI enhancements:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/11/gimp-3-2-rc1-launches-with-proper-svg-export-improved-text-editor-and-ui-enhancements/

Signal to add pinned messages feature for chats on all platforms:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/11/signal-to-add-pinned-messages-feature-for-chats-on-all-platforms/

Bluesky adds new moderation tools with expanded categories & a unified enforcement system:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/11/bluesky-adds-new-moderation-tools-with-expanded-categories-and-a-unified-enforcement-system/

Proton Mail apps update adds navigation features on iOS and Android:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/11/proton-mail-apps-update-adds-navigation-features-on-ios-and-android/

diVine is Vine back from the dead, thanks (in part) to Jack Dorsey:
https://betanews.com/2025/11/17/divine-is-vine-back-from-the-dead-thanks-in-part-to-jack-dorsey/

Spotube 5.1 released with audio source plugins, NewPipe integration on desktop, and more:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/11/spotube-5-1-released-with-audio-source-plugins-newpipe-integration-on-desktop-and-more/

Servo Announces Sponsorship Tiers To Get More Organizations Backing This Browser Engine:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Servo-Sponsorship-Tiers

Cryptomator 1.18 desktop now lets you restore lost or damaged master keys & vault config:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/11/cryptomator-1-18-desktop-now-lets-you-restore-lost-or-damaged-master-keys-and-vault-config/

Earth 2140 remake on OpenRA engine OpenE2140 gets a first release:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/11/earth-2140-remake-on-openra-engine-opene2140-gets-a-first-release/

Zork I, Zork II and Zork III are now officially open source:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/11/zork-i-zork-ii-and-zork-iii-are-now-officially-open-source/

(more FOSS news in comment)

#WeeklyNews #OpenSource #FOSSNews #FOSS #OpenSourceNews #Mastodon #Fedi #Fediverse #Firefox #Blender #GIMP #Signal #Bluesky #Proton #ProtonMail #Vine #diVine #Spotube #Servo #Cryptomator #OpenE2140 #Earth2140 #Zork #Zork1 #ZorkI #ZorkII #ZorkIII #BrowserEngine #Browser #WebBrowser #SocialMedia #Chat #ChatApp #Email #EmailService #Gaming #FOSSGaming #OpenSourceGame #FosseryTech