Dead Pixels Volunteer-based organization

Software that answers to you

We build open-source tools for people who want their technology inspectable, private, and genuinely theirs. No investors, no telemetry, nothing to sell you.

See the projects How to contribute
Structure Volunteer-based
Projects live 02 active
Development Open and public
Joining Open to anyone
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01Why this exists

Software should serve the public, not trap people inside closed ecosystems controlled by large corporations.

Dead Pixels is a volunteer-based organization dedicated to building open-source software for everyday users. The goal is transparent, community-driven tools that help people protect their privacy, control their technology, and understand the digital systems around them.

Through open-source development, clear documentation, and customizable tools, we want to give people more freedom and more control over the technology they use every day. Everyone here is a volunteer. There is no company behind this and nothing to buy.

Read how the organization works

What we refuse

  • Telemetry nobody asked for
  • Forced accounts
  • Dark patterns in an installer
  • Features you cannot remove
  • Roadmaps written behind closed doors

02Core values

Five rules we hold the roadmaps to

These are not slogans. When a proposal conflicts with one of them, the proposal changes.

  • 01

    Open source

    Every project is transparent, inspectable, and community-driven. If you cannot read it, you cannot trust it.

  • 02

    Privacy

    We design tools that help people protect their information and their digital lives, with collection off by default.

  • 03

    User control

    People should be able to customize and understand the software they use, down to the parts we would rather they did not touch.

  • 04

    Public power

    Technology should benefit everyday users, not only large companies with the budget to shape it.

  • 05

    Simplicity

    Our tools should be useful, clean, and accessible without unnecessary bloat. Restraint is a feature.

03Current projects

Two things we are building

Both are open source, both are built in public, and both have roadmaps you can read before deciding whether to trust them.

Project 01 In development Started 1 August 2026 9 stages planned

Developer tooling

Axiom IDE

A fast, customizable IDE that stays out of the way. No forced AI, no telemetry, no features you did not ask for.

  • Debugging that explains itself Breakpoints, variable inspection, call stack viewing and error tracing that shows where a fault started and what caused it.
  • Plugins you can audit An open API, a plugin manager that lists exactly what access each extension asks for, and community themes and language support.
  • Lightweight by rule Fast startup, low memory use, and no background processes added without a reason a user would accept.
Open project
Open source

Project 02 Planning Started 1 August 2026 12 stages planned

Operating system

Neptunium OS

A desktop built around speed, privacy, and customization. Precise, futuristic, and answerable to the person using it.

  • No unwanted tracking Transparent by default, with no telemetry and no background data collection bolted on after install.
  • Control surfaced, not buried App permissions, a privacy dashboard, verified update sources, and rollback when something breaks.
  • A desktop with an identity Themes, accent colors, wallpapers, and layout options built on a design language drawn from the element itself.
Open project
Open source

04How work happens

Open development, written down

There is no private roadmap and no internal decision log. This is the whole process, and every step of it happens where you can read it.

Proposed in public

Ideas start as a written issue with the reasoning attached. If the argument is weak, it is easier to see it early.

Built in the open

Work happens in public branches. Anyone can watch it take shape, and anyone can pick up a stage that has stalled.

Reviewed together

Every change is read by someone else. Scope creep and quiet data collection are what reviewers look for first.

Shipped and documented

Nothing is finished until someone who did not write it can install it, use it, and explain what it does.

05Get involved

Every role here is open

Dead Pixels runs on volunteers. Tell us which of these you want to work on and roughly how much time you have. Small first contributions are the normal way in.

Recruitment form

One short form. Pick a role, say what interests you, and we will follow up by email.

Open the form Or email us

Roles we are looking for