FUTO just launched their privacy focused keyboard app. I know there have been quite a few posts about keyboard recommendations, so this might be worth checking out if you’re not happy with your current one.
Finally an option that is not just a dumb keyboard, this one has some local llms and local speech to text, so that’s pretty cool. Currently there’s no multilingual mode and I can’t find a way to adjust the height, but once these features are there I’ll happily switch.
How was the speech to text? This is the one feature I’m missing with the various keyboards I’ve tried
Phenomenal
Its great, same as their standalone Speech-To-Text Application.
It’s great, I’m not sure if it can be tweeked like the FUTO speech to text app but it’s fast. I have had it miss a couple of words but that may have just been coincidence.
Well you can use sayboard for that.
Thank you, I’ll check that it out as well!
The height is under theme for some reason.
Oh, interesting, thanks!
FYI: this is another FUTO app that uses their proprietary “FTL” license, so it’s not open source.
It is open source. But they supposedly keep some rights (they say for some time) so people dont produce fake versions of their software like has happened with newpipe (newpipe versions on google play store bundled with malware). I dont like a license like this but I think I want to trust Louis Rossman. He looks like someone who is truly commited tto his mission.
You sure? Section 2.1 miss an important keyword: modify. If I can’t modify and distribute my modified version, it can hardly call OSS.
The well known term for this is “source available”.
Huh, thanks for the heads up. Section 4 makes it look like they can close-source whenever they want.
I’m just glad FUTO is still letting Immich use the AGPL instead of this, though.
This license while not the most permitting does not appear to hide the code behind any proprietary shielding though.
Source available ≠ open-source
Ah. Of course. Something being open source doesn’t make it open source. It all makes sense now thank you for clarifying.
That also wasn’t technically a response to my comment, it was an ideological defense mechanism to avoid addressing the content of the license.
May you explain how it is OSS when the license Section 2.1 doesn’t grant me the right to modify the code?
Calling source available an open source is like calling shareware an open culture.
Yeah yeah, it’s open for everyone… For not for list of small but still exceptions…
Ah. Of course. Something being open source doesn’t make it open source. It all makes sense now thank you for clarifying.
If the license doesn’t meet the OSD, then it isn’t open-source, but just source-available. You are welcome.
That also wasn’t technically a response to my comment, it was an ideological defense mechanism to avoid addressing the content of the license.
It was. I pointed out, that FTL is a proprietary license. Because: «Open source doesn’t just mean access to the source code» © OSI
Yeah I don’t agree with the osd being the only approach to being open source. Turns out people have differing opinions on that. You’re welcome.
It wasn’t a response to my comment because you didn’t respond to my comment. You said is proprietary. I point out that it’s not a terrible license. Then you resort to a sound bite non response.
You could have pointed out for example that ftl 3.2 and 4.1 are pretty shitty limitations to impose.
Yeah I don’t agree with the osd being the only approach to being open source.
Well, it isn’t the only one. FSF also has requirements for free-software licenses and FTL doesn’t meet them.
It wasn’t a response to my comment because you didn’t respond to my comment. You said is proprietary. I point out that it’s not a terrible license.
I was answering that statement: «does not appear to hide the code behind any proprietary shielding», 'cause it does.
You still shouldn’t dismiss these sorts of licenses as “free software” has done an alright job for user freedoms but not getting developers compensated for their efforts—which is why licenses like these pop up sharing the source code, but not letting their work be exploited.
2fer on this one - got a fun new keyboard and discovered Obtainium, which I’m quite excited about!
Awesome. Every so often I try a few different keyboards but always go right back to SwiftKey because the predictions are so good. I’ll give this one a shot
no fdroid?
Add the FUTO repo and you can download it on fdroid
Every day I get more frustrated with swiftkey. This sounds worth a try.
Aaaaaand not available for iOS. Womp womp.
Hard to believe anyone makes apps for iOS, considering the hoops you have to jump through just to make it available to download.
They keyboard is one big reason I left iOS after only ~3 mos. trying it. It’s absolutely atrocious and I can’t believe anyone uses that…
Gboard is amazing, and this app (in pre-Alpha) is a close second. They just need to nail down Swype typing and prediction.
It also has FUTO Voice built-in, which is fully offline voice transcription using Whisper, with punctuation added as well. Works amazing.
Truly a phenomenal product.
Hard to believe anyone makes apps for iOS, considering the hoops you have to jump through just to make it available to download.
This is something I’ve heard, and assume is the case, but I don’t know the specifics of. What kind of hoops are there?
Please correct me if am wrong since I have never made any mobile OS applications.
There’s the $100 fee or whatever to join the developer program even if your app is free. There is a slow manual review process. You have to share a 30% cut with Apple of any profit. Most of the tooling for iOS requires a macOS machine which is another massive money sink as well as being proprietary with no source available. I believe GPL or similarly licensed code isn’t allowed on the App Store either due to ToS conflicts.
Most privacy-friendly things take an source available, open source, free software, or other (post-open, copyfarleft) approach that conflicts with Apple’s model for software, but also developers are likely to be on Linux or BSD + a Linux or Android phone where everything will be more arduous to build & test while not even being a device they or their friends would use so why both building if likely you aren’t even getting paid for it.
Privacy and Apple are two opposites
please dont say privacy focused then drop a google play link 😂
Sorry, was the only way to share the app. I know it’s not optimal, personally I use Aurora Store to grab it.
It’s also on FDroid and available via Obtainium/Github
It’s also on FDroid
Actually, it doesn’t seem to be there https://search.f-droid.org/?q=futo&lang=en
and available via Obtainium/Github
IDK about obtanium, but IIUC the sources are on their gitlab instance https://gitlab.futo.org/alex/latinime
You have to add the FUTO repo https://app.futo.org/fdroid/repo/
If you’re adding another repo, it’s not vetted by fdroid.
Yea I’d prefer to wait until it’s on fdroid proper
It can’t be included in the official F-Droid repos, as it is not Open Source.
It’s hardly better than any other proprietary software as the FUTO Temporary License does not allow users to make modifications and share them with non-programmers. They could include ads or spyware and no one would be allowed to strip that out and share the result with others.
They also clearly forbid redistribution “directed towards […] monetary compensation”. But F-Droid has to be compensated for their server costs as well, and they ask for donations as they should be. That’s why limiting commercial redistribution alone is a huge issue that would keep it from ever being called “Open Source” or “Free Software”.
It’s not open source it’s source available, it won’t ever be on fdroid main repository
How is this app better/different from OpenBoard?
Been a while since I tried open board, florisboard, or anything else but I remember they didn’t have one of a few mandatory features (for me):
- adjustable height
- number row
- long-press layer
- Swype typing
This has them all. Plus an awesome voice transcription using Whisper.
It’s free to try (they ask to pay $10 for a lifetime license but you can use it without paying, though you shouldn’t). It has no internet connectivity. Give it a go.
Just FYI, Heliboard (continuation of OpenBoard) has all of the above. Just note that you’ll need to import Google’s Swype library once to use Swipe-To-Type.
I’d say the main benefit Futo has over Heliboard is that it has native swype typing with its own model (and also own voice typing model).
Still a bit light on customisation (certainly compared to Heliboard), but a nice first release certainly.
Openboard is dead and hasn’t been developed in years. If you want an updated version of that, go with Heliboard. Futo also has voice to text capabilities. I currently have heliboard and futo both installed, buy may just switch to futo.
thanks
I’ll give it a try
But please release on f-droid tooIt can’t be included in the official F-Droid repos, as it is not Open Source.
It’s hardly better than any other proprietary software as the FUTO Temporary License does not allow users to make modifications and share them with non-programmers. They could include ads or spyware and no one would be allowed to strip that out and share the result with others.
They also clearly forbid redistribution “directed towards […] monetary compensation”. But F-Droid has to be compensated for their server costs as well, and they ask for donations as they should be. That’s why limiting commercial redistribution alone is a huge issue that would keep it from ever being called “Open Source” or “Free Software”.
Thank you for the recommendation. I’ve been dying to get rid of Swiftkey. 🙏🏾 So far, it seems to work well.
WARNING Anti-libre software, FUTO Keyboard and Google Play, bans us from removing malicious source code.
I use heliboard and futo for speech to text. I was using sayboard for stt, and it worked OK, but futo just seems so much better at it. So far in liking it, I didn’t know they released a keyboard as well, I won’t be giving it a try but I hope it works out, I’d prefer FOSS.
Just use heliboard (openboard’s fork to accept multiple languages spelling-correction), you dont have to search further
Id use it but the hindi keyboard sucks and I dont know how to fix it (inscript with “capitalized” underlay)
Why is it 103 mb?
It’s the voice recognition model probably. Plus there are machine learning models in it as well to predict text.
129 MB for a keyboard? Why?
I’m guessing the local llms
