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ASK-Solutions works with people and organisations in ways that follow from its objectives. Depending on the collaboration, this may involve sharing knowledge, practical support, independence and participation, or rights and freedoms relevant to the subject concerned.
Our involvement varies: from direct collaboration to donations, support for campaigns or practical contributions. When considering makers and suppliers, we look at products, documentation and working practices that leave room for repair, local control and further development. Below, we explain what connects us to each organisation or initiative.
These collaborations relate to the objectives of ASK-Solutions. Some take practical form at locations where ASK-Solutions implements the shareable work model of the project The Owl's Nest. Within that practical environment, space, materials, tools and knowledge are available. People can engage in practical activities, discover skills and rebuild confidence or rhythm at their own pace. This can complement therapy, coaching or other professional support, but does not replace it.
Merk Hoe SterkWe work with Merk Hoe Sterk when practical activities can contribute to goals someone is working towards within a guidance programme. At our locations, someone can start doing practical things again from their existing knowledge and interests, try things out and experience what does and does not suit them, without being expected to deliver a work-related performance in return.
Raoul van Noort is involved in this collaboration on behalf of Merk Hoe Sterk and also contributes personally to the foundation through advice.
Totem BodymindWe work with Totem Bodymind when a practical environment at ASK-Solutions can complement professional support. There, someone can engage in practical activities, gain experience, explore their own capabilities and rebuild confidence. That practical environment is not treatment or therapy.
Sandra Klein is involved in this collaboration on behalf of Totem Bodymind and also personally supports the foundation with advice and administrative work.
De Nieuwe LenteWe work with De Nieuwe Lente from the same complementary perspective: a practical environment at ASK-Solutions can exist alongside professional support. This allows someone to do things at a human pace, practise, build experience and discover how goals take shape in practice.
Saskia Beukman is involved in this collaboration on behalf of De Nieuwe Lente.
Kees Hoogenbosch SchoenenASK-Solutions has a long-standing local relationship with Kees Hoogenbosch Schoenen. We help one another where practical, and the shop is also a place where people can easily drop in for coffee, a conversation, a question or to help with something.
That reciprocity, involvement and room for human contact form the core of the relationship. The collaboration has grown over many years and reflects the importance ASK-Solutions places on cooperation and mutual involvement.
These organisations and initiatives work on subjects that directly relate to our objectives, including digital rights, free software, privacy and the right to repair. Our contribution differs by organisation. It may include donations, support for campaigns, drawing attention to their work or another practical contribution.
Bits of FreedomBits of Freedom stands up for privacy and freedom of communication in the Netherlands. The organisation investigates the effect of technology on our rights, follows legislation and helps people gain more control over their own digital lives. That work directly relates to our concern with privacy, digital independence and control over technology.
We have supported the work of Bits of Freedom through donations, contributions to campaigns and by helping draw attention to those campaigns.
Freedom InternetFreedom Internet is a Dutch internet provider committed to a free and open internet. Privacy, free communication and access to information are set out in its corporate charter. Stichting Appeltaart safeguards these principles.
Our involvement with Freedom goes back further than using an internet connection: ASK-Solutions and people involved with the foundation at the time were among the co-founders of Freedom Internet.
EDRiEuropean Digital Rights brings together organisations defending digital rights in Europe. EDRi works on issues including privacy, freedom of expression and protection against indiscriminate surveillance. This international work matters because digital rights, technology companies and legislation do not stop at the Dutch border.
We have supported the work of EDRi through contributions and by helping bring campaigns and issues to wider attention.
Free Software FoundationThe Free Software Foundation defends the freedom to use, study, modify and share software. Free here refers to freedom, not necessarily price. This relates to our principle that people should be able to understand and modify their technology without being completely dependent on the original supplier.
Repair Preservation GroupWe support the work of the Repair Preservation Group for the right to repair and the availability of repair knowledge. Someone who owns a device should be able to choose who repairs it. Parts, tools and documentation should not create unnecessary barriers. That principle applies to a phone just as much as it does to a machine.
Consumer Rights WikiThe Consumer Rights Wiki is a collaboratively edited knowledge project of the FULU Foundation. It documents, among other things, repair restrictions, loss of digital purchases and other practices that affect users’ rights.
We consider it important that such information is collected in an accessible way. Concrete examples and sources can help people better understand what a product or service does and does not allow them to do.
Companies and independent makers can also make choices that enable repair, preservation of knowledge and technical independence. For the organisations below, we are interested in specific aspects of their work, such as documentation, availability of parts, open software, the ability to improve existing equipment or the sharing of practical knowledge. This is not a general endorsement of every product or every business decision.
Prusa ResearchPrusa makes 3D printers and publishes extensive assembly, maintenance and repair manuals. Kits, spare parts and upgrades are available for various models. The company also develops open-source software such as PrusaSlicer.
This attention to building, maintaining and improving equipment yourself fits our way of working. The parts and designs made available differ between models; these practical possibilities are precisely what matter to us.
Rossmann Repair GroupLouis Rossmann shares repairs, fault diagnosis and the obstacles faced by independent repairers. This makes visible what is needed to restore devices and where manufacturers make that more difficult. His practical knowledge and advocacy for the right to repair relate closely to our objectives. A successful repair helps the owner; an explanation of that repair can help many more people.
FillamentumFillamentum develops filaments for 3D printing and publishes material data and processing guidance. That combination of material development and knowledge sharing is relevant to us. For a useful part, it matters not only whether it prints well, but also how the material responds to load, heat and the environment in which it will be used. Good documentation makes it easier to make that choice deliberately.
Damen CNCDamen CNC supplies components and solutions for building and modifying CNC machines. The ability to build a machine from suitable components or adapt existing technology fits our principles. The combination of parts, technical information and practical machine knowledge helps makers make their own choices.
Dalibor FarnyA book can explain what a Nixie tube is, but that does not mean you can make one. You also need machines, knowledge of materials and practical experience: which tools do you use, how do you set them up, and how do you recognise whether the process is working correctly?
Dalibor Farny has rebuilt the production of Nixie tubes. That work interests us because it preserves not only the tubes themselves, but also the practical craft knowledge required to make them. Knowledge only remains genuinely useful when people can continue working with it.
Rob BraxmanRob Braxman provides privacy education and works on alternatives to services that collect large amounts of user data. His initiatives include BytzVPN and BytzTOR and Brax.Me.
His efforts to explain tracking and help people become less dependent on large platforms relate to our objectives. It remains important, however, to assess what each tool actually protects: a VPN by itself does not make someone anonymous.
When making technical choices, we consider what people can continue to manage, maintain and modify themselves. Documentation, software support, repair options and dependence on external services all matter. In some cases, we can go further and make our own modifications or patches using firmware or source-code components made available by a manufacturer. Not every product meets every criterion; we therefore assess the possibilities for each device and software version separately.
UbiquitiUbiquiti makes networking equipment. For equipment we work with, we have been able to create our own modifications and patches based on firmware and source-code components made available by the manufacturer. The possibility of investigating equipment and adapting it for our own applications is important to us.
This does not automatically apply to the entire product range. What is possible depends on the specific device and software version used.
MikroTikWe use MikroTik in our own office network and data centre. The equipment offers extensive capabilities for routing, firewall rules and network monitoring. For certain applications, we have also been able to create our own patches or modifications using source-code and firmware components made available by the manufacturer.
This combination of local management, insight and technical freedom is why we use the equipment; the possibilities and limitations differ by model and software version.
NetgateNetgate develops pfSense and supplies equipment for firewalls and routing. For us, local management, transparent configuration and extensive documentation are particularly important. These make it possible to determine for yourself how a network is protected and maintained.
When making a choice, we distinguish between the open-source Community Edition and pfSense Plus, which has different licensing terms. Hardware, software and support need to fit the intended application.
AxisWe use Axis network cameras because of their possibilities for local management, integration with other systems and long-term software support. A locally configured camera system can operate without sending footage to a cloud service. That is an important principle for us.
Axis also offers cloud services, so the chosen configuration and specific model remain decisive. We look at the published support period and the possibilities offered by VAPIX and ACAP for our own integrations.
System76System76 builds computers for Linux and develops Pop!_OS, among other things. What matters to us is that Linux is not an afterthought, but part of the company’s support and development. On models with open-source firmware, greater insight into operation below the operating-system level may also be possible. We check the available firmware for each model.
Pogo LinuxPogo Linux focuses on Linux servers, workstations and storage solutions. This is relevant when a system needs to fit into an environment that we manage ourselves. We consider support for the chosen Linux distribution, the hardware configuration and the possibilities for replacing or expanding components later.
PurismPurism develops computers and mobile devices with attention to free software and privacy, including through PureOS. Several models have physical switches that can disable particular components such as the camera and microphone.
This direct control over hardware fits our principles. The available switches, firmware and software differ by device. It is a reason to consider a particular model, not a guarantee that a device protects against every form of tracking or misuse.
Star LabsStar Labs makes computers designed for Linux. For us, the choice of operating systems and the availability of open-source firmware are relevant. This allows the software choice to fit the user better rather than forcing the user to fit the software. We assess the available distributions, firmware and maintenance options for each model.
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