I'm very happy to see how my 3-year journey replacing big tech with privacy-oriented, humane platforms is shaping:
Gmail: Tuta and Proton
Google Calendar: Fossify
Google Maps: Organic Maps
Twitter: Mastodon
Facebook, Instagram: Pixelfed
WhatsApp, Telegram: Signal
Android: GrapheneOS
Windows: Linux Mint
It was overwhelming, it took time and research. But I can tell you that another digital experience is possible.
Now I'm thrilled to have devices that belong to ME, like in the old days.
I shall add that what started my big-tech liberation journey was a Mastodon blog series by a lady doing a 30-day big-tech cleanse: each day, one service to ditch and alternatives.
Granted, itβs taken me much longer than 30 days. Iβm nearly 3 years in.
Nonetheless, wherever you are, thank you for sparking the curiosity, and to this amazing community for existing.
I never imagined that leaving Twitter and trying out this Mastodon thing would be such a wholesome, transformative experience.
US-based companies and products certainly have a hard time understanding the concept of walking. π
One day at a time!
Looking forward to DiDay. π
Tuta was the first switch I made, it ticked all boxes for my primary email account whereas Proton didn't. Later on I created a few Proton accounts (one for online payments, one to drop when an email was address required, etc). It was also a conscious decision to diversify and not have all the information in one place.
None of their calendars convinced me, and in the spirit of diversifying, I didn't want to have my emails and appointments in the same place.
Fossify was easy to set up on a server and comnect via DAVx5.
I don't use either. Most of the writing I do is either via email or in a LibreOffice document (stored on my device).
Gerne βΊοΈ
I don't drive, so it has fulfilled my purpose up until now. π€·π»ββοΈ
Thanks for the tip!
Checking it out now π§
@linguistgoneforeign @bash2
Iβve been happy with Magic Earth
I do pay a little for the premium version but itβs worth it to me to no βbe the product.β
Havenβt used it for directions but I love being able to record my walks/runs and get time, distance, and elevation data.
Iβll take a look at CoMaps too.
Shots out to #purelymail for us .xyz degenerates too.
What do you use nextCloud for?
Thank you! I'm very happy with Fossify synched across devices, it's color-coded too! βΊοΈ
@linguistgoneforeign Did you have "Sign in with Google"? How painful was updating those?
Also: There's Kagi to replace Google. Although paid, it's many times better!
Fortunately, I rarely did the SSO with Google. πββοΈ
That would add some friction when trying to delete an account, but not impossible!
@linguistgoneforeign I want so much to get rid of Gmail, but I don't think I would be able to get G Suite (or whatever they call it now) again in case something goes sideways.
Also I have a few places I SSO'd. π
But I'll look into tuta! Maybe someday I get off this sinking ship. Thank you! <3
You can do it! The grass really is greener on the other side. βΊοΈ
@vito
> I don't think I would be able to get G Suite
The basic office suite is avaliable with @protonprivacy subscription and it can be used as younglings supposed an app to be β in the browser ;)
That said you can also use LibreOffice if you need a heavyweight combo.
P.S. If all you need is to take a text note and be really proudβ you should try the console and type:
vim textnote.txt
Then tap 'Enter' ;)
β that you found the way out :))
@ohir @protonprivacy @linguistgoneforeign
Oh, per G Suite, I mean the business one. I don't use Google Docs or whatever else they provide, just Gmail and Google Calendar with a custom domain.
> vim textnote.txt
> Then tap 'Enter' ;)
Do you give this recommendation to anyone? How many people have you trapped for eternity in vim? :P
(heavy vim user here)
Merci! π
You can flush GrapheneOS on Google Pixel phones. Aaah, the irony of getting a Google phone to get rid of Google entirely. π¬
Do you mean as a search engine? I've tried a few. I've been using DuckDuckGo for a while and can't complain.
@linguistgoneforeign Yay! Condragulations on getting so far! I'm still early in my journey, but so far:
Gmail (phasing out): Mailfence
Google Calendar: Mailfence / The Good Cloud (NextCloud)
Google/Apple Maps: CoMaps
Twitter: Mastodon
Facebook, Instagram: Pixelfed, Loops
WhatsApp: Signal (tbc: SimpleX)
iOS: tbc (hopefully a de-Googled OS on Fairphone)
macOS: tbc (hopefully Mint or similar)
[Unavoidable on work device: Microsoft/Windows and Google suite]
@linguistgoneforeign .
I've read the responses here with great interest because I have been doing the same here. I just can't pay $149 for an OS and oh by the way I don't own it and all of your data on your machine is mine!
Linux Mint is awesome, both Ubuntu and LDME versions.
Email: Betterbird
Browser: Waterfox or Librewolf
Search: StartPage but I'm looking since I saw Ed Snowden's endorsement.
Social Media: Mastodon, not perfect but hands above the rest. Much worth my time!
I really do feel liberated but my eyes are always open!! Best of luck to all. I see smart choices here.
Best of luck! π
@linguistgoneforeign
Was your guide the opt - out project?
I'm not quite as far or deep as you, but overall, it feels so much better even if it's not quite as seamless.
Yes, it was! Thank you for reminding me, I'll send her a thank you message. π
Best of luck in your journey.
Scott Williams
Linguist Gone Foreign π
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