Migrating off Google and the big boys

[TheIronKnuckle]

I'm migrating off Planet Google. I couldn't imagine myself doing this 6 months ago, but I've finally exceeded my change threshold, decided to flip the table, pack up and walk out. Wanted to post this somewhere, but I don't have a blog, don't have Facebook and don't want to be a Linkedin douché, so I'll wack it here. Feel free to flame me and my opinions: I'm totally aware that I'm in a minority

Googledrive Alternative: Bittorrent sync. [spoiler]A free, fast and infinitely more secure alternative to Dropbox/Cloud Storage-In-General which effectively provides unlimited space. It utilizes the fastest path it can find, so if you're syncing two laptops that are connected to a switch, it won't even bother going to the router/the wider internet. If you then disconnect one of the laptops and take it to another network (eg. work, uni); the client will find a path through the intertubes in order to maintain the connection (and it's weirdly fast, I haven't quite wrapped my head around how it pulls this off yet.).[/spoiler]

Google Search replacement: DuckDuckGo.com. [spoiler]If you're ticked off by Google's increasingly aggressive movements to force Google+ upon us, give duckduckgo.com a go. It's what Google would have been if they had continued refining the traditional, minimalistic design which they employed in the early years. DDG focuses only on search, rather than diversifying into email, maps, social etc. The privacy policy is also rock solid: They log next to nothing, which makes it significantly harder for America to spy on you.[/spoiler]

Gmail replacement: Undecided. [spoiler]I'm trying to get off Gmail as I'm sick of Google trying to force me into making a Google+ profile every time I log in. Unfortunately I haven't come across a better alternative. I was keen on Lavabit.com. But the fact that they had to shut down in order to avoid handing over userdata to Obama illustrates the problem with any American-based email provider which employs central mail servers (pretty much all of them). There are some distributed mail systems in the works, however none of them seem mature enough yet to warrant serious adoption, and as far as I can tell they aren't able to communicate with standard email addresses.[/spoiler]

Windows replacement: Linux Mint. [spoiler]I'm also looking to distance myself from Microsoft. I've been a Linux user since 2009, but I've had to reinstall Windows 7 seeing as there aren't any effective UNIX webfilters: They all are too easy to bypass if you've got the root password and my self control is atrocious . Macs are expensive and while the UI is mathematically elegant (Apple practically have a patent on Fitts law ) I can't swallow the "One-size-fits-all" philosophy. I'm not a Grandma.
Unfortunately the Linux side of things has taken a turn for the worse. Ubuntu has gotten all slimy over the past 2 years with Unity/Amazon integration and the GNOME team have totally dropped the ball with GNOME 3. Arch is entirely loveable but entirely too much work. So I've decided to go with Mint + MATE on my "away from home" desktop and that's been enjoyable so far.[/spoiler]

MS Office Alternative: Libreoffice, Vim, LaTeX. [spoiler]I try to use LibreOffice wherever possible and it gets the job done, however I've recently been drawn back into MSO 2010, gotten used to the ribbon, and am finding it hard to go back (damn it!)
I try to use Vim, and introduce vimlike keybinds into my other programs wherever possible as the efficiency gains of doing everything with the keyboard are obvious to me, (despite a steep learning curve. 3 years on and I still feel like a novice!). LaTeX is also a great way to make professional documents, even if time consuming (this too is challenged by MSO, as I find I can get comparable results in less time with WYSIWYG on modern word processors).[/spoiler]

Itunes/WMP Substitute: VLC, Rhythmbox, MusicBee. [spoiler]I used WMP for ages, but then I realized that it didn't have a working shuffle feature, so I moved to iTunes. I liked iTunes for a long time, but then I accumulated over 10000 songs and its performance suddenly hit the floor. VLC can play anything so that's a keeper. MusicBee has no problem with millions of songs, performing well no matter what the load, shuffling properly, is theme-able, has great tagging facilities etc. Only downside is there's no Linux build. For that I just use Rhythmbox, which gets the job done.[/spoiler]

Skype, Googlechat, MSN alternative: Nothing. [spoiler]I'm not a fan of instant messaging in general. You can't see the other person face-to-face, see what they're doing, read their body language (there's only so many ways you can sit in a chair and hunch over a keyboard in front of a webcam) etc. Emoticons don't cut it. Also I have privacy concerns. Everything has to be routed through a third party, Chatlogs can be stolen, chats snooped in on, etc. If I absolutely have to IM, I prefer using IRC. Apparently there's a chat system in the works that's based on bittorrent sync and has all the associated benefits. I hope it develops to a point where I can easily deploy it when I absolutely have to chat with someone[/spoiler]

Twitter/Facebook/Google+ Alternative: Nokia 3315 and Actual Friends [spoiler]I've heard people say they only are on Facebook due to pressure/the snowball effect/Everyone else using it and I can definitely feel that pressure, but I honestly don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by opting out. If a party is worth going to, I'm going to get a real invite or hear via word of mouth. I can also filter out "friends" from friends: If someone can be arsed actually calling me to organise a hang out sesh/invite me to stuff/catch up, I know they're a keeper. I might not be in constant communication with my whole social circle, but at least I know it only includes people who respect the relationship enough to put a little effort in.[/spoiler]

I'm looking at this resumé of my rejection of mainstream stuff and realise it makes me look like a nerdy, tinfoil-hat wearing hipster who's just doing it to stand out or make a statement (I also shun digital photography, wield a Polaroid and sometimes wear Emo skinny jeans with a flatcap if you want to go there ). However these are some honest opinions and choices. Can probably sum my stance up as "I hate technology but get high learning how it works"

[ebd]

Richard Stallman is giving speeches in my area later this month about threats to our software and internet freedoms, citing such issues as non-free software and web services. I'm sure he would be proud of your efforts. Software wants to be free!

...but both you and Stallman still sound a bit like curmudgeonly old men to me. Google has positioned themselves to be giants and there isn't much than can be done about it by the average consumer. I can only hope they continue to act responsibly when they can. It is fortunate for them that they provide many services to users, because without that, they'd be inexcusable (though I suppose they might not have grown so large).

I'm also not really bothered by VoIP, IM, BBS, and other messaging services. Not everyone is a social butterfly you know! There is also something very freeing about not being forced to respond to people immediately, or at all. Maybe this is just me, but I also tend not to call anyone (via cell or other phone service) unless it is urgent or requires steady back-and-forth conversation with advance notice. If I'm just letting someone know about something I feel it is more polite to use email/text/im as that doesn't demand an immediate response. I didn't get a phone so people could interrupt my life on a whim and I assume the same of others. VoIP services with a server in the middle (Ventrilo, Teamspeak, others...) don't bother me since in my experience they are more often used like chat rooms than phone calls and thus do not carry the same sense of urgency.

But they can drop the whole Google+ thing, really, as well as tying every account to a real name which is forced to be publicly visible. I know Facebook is doing it, but I'm also pretty sure Facebook is run by sociopaths. For social interaction on the internet to function in a healthy manner, people need multiple identities. Christopher Poole (moot) has given some very good talks about the importance of anonymity.

(Also as a license, the GPL is vague in a few key areas and can lock projects into GPL forever therefore putting freedom of the end user before the freedom of the developer when they should be equal! It is also really long and I'm 99% sure most people never read it. For these reasons I prefer licenses that are brief and truly free, such as the MIT license.)

[Shivaxi]

I think you deserve a medal TIK xD

[Raven]

For gmail alternative You can create your own mail server (AFAIK it should be even possible with raspberry pi) there are lots of very advanced mail servers like http://roundcube.net/. If You don't expect huge traffic pi should do just fine.

[Draco Nihil]

Isn't the BIG problem with that is, you need to make your ISP not blacklist you or otherwise block traffic to your mail server in order for it to even work properly?

I would of done so myself ages ago were it not for this possible fact. What's the point in setting up a mail server if your ISP thinks you're going to send spam and blocks the traffic specific to mail servers.

[Raven]

Probably depends on ISP. Back at home ISP never blocked anything (besides doesn't blocking port 25 also prevents You from using mail soft?). Besides You can always change ports or ISP.

[TheIronKnuckle]

Yeah I'm seriously considering setting up my own server. The only thing is I don't have the capacity to obtain a static IP. I could use a VPS but I've got this old, spare computer which I'm now extremely keen to transform into a mail server.
I was just reading an article about a Dynamic DNS service. I could probably use that to get around the issue. Definitely a fun hobby/project for after exams. (They're also changing from wireless to wired some time around then at my uni, will make it easier to ensure a constant connection and hog the same address)

Reliability + availability is something I'm concerned about, I'm looking forward to it as an experiment either way though

EDIT: After reading various articles concerning servers, webhosts, emails etc; I'm starting to see how I could run a small business from my basement. I always wondered how people could do that. I don't think it would be too hard to set up some old computers/buy some el cheapo boxes and start up my own webhost/email service/Cloud Storage/seedbox farm. (Explains why there's so much competition, everyone and their dog can do it with just a little effort) As usage grows, just buy/upgrade more boxes. As bandwidth increases, just upgrade to a better plan. Assuming the money is scaling up proportionally to your electricity bill etc it shouldn't be a problem.
Ensuring competitive quality and getting a foot in the door/market would be the biggest challenge imo.

[Carbon]

Richard Stallman is giving speeches in my area later this month about threats to our software and internet freedoms, citing such issues as non-free software and web services. I'm sure he would be proud of your efforts. Software wants to be free!

...but both you and Stallman still sound a bit like curmudgeonly old men to me. Google has positioned themselves to be giants and there isn't much than can be done about it by the average consumer. I can only hope they continue to act responsibly when they can. It is fortunate for them that they provide many services to users, because without that, they'd be inexcusable (though I suppose they might not have grown so large).

I'm also not really bothered by VoIP, IM, BBS, and other messaging services. Not everyone is a social butterfly you know! There is also something very freeing about not being forced to respond to people immediately, or at all. Maybe this is just me, but I also tend not to call anyone (via cell or other phone service) unless it is urgent or requires steady back-and-forth conversation with advance notice. If I'm just letting someone know about something I feel it is more polite to use email/text/im as that doesn't demand an immediate response. I didn't get a phone so people could interrupt my life on a whim and I assume the same of others. VoIP services with a server in the middle (Ventrilo, Teamspeak, others...) don't bother me since in my experience they are more often used like chat rooms than phone calls and thus do not carry the same sense of urgency.

But they can drop the whole Google+ thing, really, as well as tying every account to a real name which is forced to be publicly visible. I know Facebook is doing it, but I'm also pretty sure Facebook is run by sociopaths. For social interaction on the internet to function in a healthy manner, people need multiple identities. Christopher Poole (moot) has given some very good talks about the importance of anonymity.

Where to begin?

Just because Google is a giant doesn't make them trustworthy, nor I a curmudgeon. This is a thinking trap, something you should Google yourself. With Google, you are the product, and you had best not forget that. There is big money in your profile and this is precisely how Google rose to the place they are today: keeper of the Big Data. Facebook provides what we willingly surrender, Google provides everything we don't. It is no wonder the NSA had taps in their arteries, so to speak.

There is a lot that can be done, and easily. The tradeoff is that you will have to re-learn systems that you are comfortable with. This is enough of an obstacle for the apathetic and lazy masses to just keep using what they use. You hope they continue to act responsibly? Are you joking? "Do no evil" became an ironic joke a long time ago. You say it is fortunate that they provide so many services and that is what helped them to become what they are today....mate, those "services" are "free" if you don't mind the exchange; it isn't monetary, but far more personal. Those services are all targeted at you because again, you are the product that Google sells to advertisers. Seriously, do you even know what Google actually does as their core business or how they indeed got to be so huge?

The bottom line in the modern era is that you cannot trust anyone with your personal information and to assume otherwise is just naive. I am no tin-foil-hatter but to not know this one would have to be living under a rock or just willfully ignorant. The Internet has been monetized through the discovery and manipulation of the users personal information; tastes, likes, wants etc. There was a quiet coup some years ago after the dot-com implosion; nobody quite knew what to do with the net...how to make it make money, how to make it work for business. At that time, it was a service-based entity; pay for porn, software, etc. Torrents and piracy changed that to a degree and the shift went to a less overt sales pitch, almost subliminal. This required more detailed information that just assuming that everyone who went to Ars Technica was a technophile; this needed a much more honed system and that is when data harvesting became the default Internet use. Now, instead of broad strokes, the ads are altered and tuned for each of us, and that is where Gmail comes in; the sidebar ads are the product...the mail service is just the bait. Google search is likewise just chum that lures people into ads...that is Google in a nutshell. Everything they do is designed to put ads - personalized ads - in front of your face. This is how Facebook monetized itself and exactly why Zuckerturd was initially wholly against...but he sold out under massive pressure from agencies for his oh-so-rich store of data.

The Internet is an ad. Those ads need you and everything they can get from you about the details of your desires. All to get your money. Follow the money and you will find billions of paths to wallets like yours and mine. That is Google and that is reason enough to get the heck outta Dodge. Kudos to those that make the jump; there will come a day when they will be the ones truly themselves, off the grid for real and without the fears that most certainly will grip those who live out loud on this invasive monster that has become the internet.

:shrug:....:afk:....

[ebd]

Where to begin?

Just because Google is a giant doesn't make them trustworthy, nor I a curmudgeon. This is a thinking trap, something you should Google yourself. With Google, you are the product, and you had best not forget that. There is big money in your profile and this is precisely how Google rose to the place they are today: keeper of the Big Data. Facebook provides what we willingly surrender, Google provides everything we don't. It is no wonder the NSA had taps in their arteries, so to speak.

There is a lot that can be done, and easily. The tradeoff is that you will have to re-learn systems that you are comfortable with. This is enough of an obstacle for the apathetic and lazy masses to just keep using what they use. You hope they continue to act responsibly? Are you joking? "Do no evil" became an ironic joke a long time ago. You say it is fortunate that they provide so many services and that is what helped them to become what they are today....mate, those "services" are "free" if you don't mind the exchange; it isn't monetary, but far more personal. Those services are all targeted at you because again, you are the product that Google sells to advertisers. Seriously, do you even know what Google actually does as their core business or how they indeed got to be so huge?

The bottom line in the modern era is that you cannot trust anyone with your personal information and to assume otherwise is just naive. I am no tin-foil-hatter but to not know this one would have to be living under a rock or just willfully ignorant. The Internet has been monetized through the discovery and manipulation of the users personal information; tastes, likes, wants etc. There was a quiet coup some years ago after the dot-com implosion; nobody quite knew what to do with the net...how to make it make money, how to make it work for business. At that time, it was a service-based entity; pay for porn, software, etc. Torrents and piracy changed that to a degree and the shift went to a less overt sales pitch, almost subliminal. This required more detailed information that just assuming that everyone who went to Ars Technica was a technophile; this needed a much more honed system and that is when data harvesting became the default Internet use. Now, instead of broad strokes, the ads are altered and tuned for each of us, and that is where Gmail comes in; the sidebar ads are the product...the mail service is just the bait. Google search is likewise just chum that lures people into ads...that is Google in a nutshell. Everything they do is designed to put ads - personalized ads - in front of your face. This is how Facebook monetized itself and exactly why Zuckerturd was initially wholly against...but he sold out under massive pressure from agencies for his oh-so-rich store of data.

The Internet is an ad. Those ads need you and everything they can get from you about the details of your desires. All to get your money. Follow the money and you will find billions of paths to wallets like yours and mine. That is Google and that is reason enough to get the heck outta Dodge. Kudos to those that make the jump; there will come a day when they will be the ones truly themselves, off the grid for real and without the fears that most certainly will grip those who live out loud on this invasive monster that has become the internet.

:shrug:....:afk:....

You are reading waaaaay too much into my post.

[Delacroix]

*long anti-ad rant snip*

1. One word: AdBlock. And they can pretty much kiss your ass.
2. What is WRONG with you people being so anti-commercial. Companies don't make money off their businesses, they go bankrupt and that means no ready-to-use product for you. You want to go back to the times where you had to do everything yourselves? Be my guest.

Plus, I really don't mind companies knowing what I like. It gives them a fighting chance to provide a product that almost feels like tailored to my needs. Look what happens when companies don't listen to people properly. You have an example right there: Epic Games. Compare UT3, GoW or Bulletstorm to Unreal or Unreal Tournament. I dare you. I double dare you. Compare this. It is obvious they don't listen to what people want from them.

At least they listen to companies interested in their engine and that's why stuff like UDK exists.

But yeah: giving those marketing specialists info on what you like, you give their employers a shot at tailoring a product to you specifically.

[TheIronKnuckle]

Yeah, I've installed adblock and I was surprised at how effective it is (I always assumed that the porn, spam and popup companies would have found a way to bypass it). Only exception I've made is for duckduckgo, which only ever has one ad at a time and it's hardly noticeable + I want them to survive so if that one, non-intrusive ad really helps I'll let it pass.

I was super-surprised and impressed when adblock started ripping the ads out of youtube videos. Haven't looked back since.

edit: Every now and then I use someone elses computer with a vanilla chrome, IE, Safari, firefox, gasp really loudly and go "what the hell happened to the internet?". Without things like noscript, flashblock, adblock etc, the internet really is one big vibrating advertisement. (Not to mention the ad/spy/malware which has no doubt infected most of the other peoples computers I come across: Seriously, since when does Google feature a flashing "YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED!!!" dialog right below the search box?)

[Carbon]

@ebd: Only the first two sections of my reply were directed at your post specifically. I am not reading into anything; my reactions are based on what you wrote, not what you didn't write.

@Delacroix: To each their own. I think that choosing Epic as an example is a bit hyperbolic; they aren't our concern in this discussion; clearly not as they won't make my Unreal 3, which anyone looking close enough would clearly see that I want to buy! No, what I speak of is far more nefarious than that my friend and one has to wonder how I ever found and bought what I wanted before they started reading my emails and following me around the web. As benign as it all may seem, there are forces at work that aren't on anyone's team, as it were, playing a game I choose to sit out.

Also, believing that they are making the perfect deodorant for you or something is just wearing blinkers mate. These people don't want to build products specifically for me (is Del Monte going to make "Carbon's juice"?), they seek to manipulate me into thinking that I need what they are selling. Don't think "for you" but more "to you" and you will probably be more correctly interpreting their marketing tactics. Remember when it was "If you are thirsty, OJ is the answer!"? Now we drink OJ to fight cancer and not die. The innocent rhetoric is long gone and they are playing for real now...and I am not - literally or figuratively - buying it.

@TheIronKnuckle: Yes, I run all of those add-ons in Firefox and my web experience is thankfully dull. I only see what I came to see and I only show what I want to show. I maintain that I am far from paranoid - anyone who knows me can attest to this fact - but I am also not naive. I simply choose to not be part of the statistics and opt out of being targeted for things that I didn't ask for and wasn't asked if I wanted, but are otherwise forced on me. I use Gmail because I am simply too apathetic to make the shift; they count on this as well and I guess they have me where they want in that regard. There will come a day however and I think it will be soon.

[Z-enzyme]

On a side:
Do you know that every newer Google Android featured phone tracks your position and sends it to Google?
You can even check where have you been last weekend.

Really, what? I wonder if Windows 8 does the same...
That is why I'm gonna stay with my Linux Based mobile and never buy a new one.

[Jigoku]

I could say so many things about big companies like this, I think I will. I feel like companies don't give a shit about their customers and throw whatever they want in, like these fast food places, they just throw tons of shit in that's not good for you at all to make money. Could go on but dun feel like it.

[Gizzy]

Good move TiK! I find myself using facebook less and less to the point where I post about once a week. Trying to avoid the drama and narcissistic crap-filled posts from the same people, I begun to remove people about a few weeks ago, some of which happened to be my sister and my parents which was a BIG mistake because not long after (Few days I think) I got some angry messages/phonecalls demanding to know why I unfriended them. Unfortunately my mum is the kind of "vaugebook" drama poster (My sister never uses it) and I don't particularly want to see any of that crap, but they both seemed convinced that facebook was the ONLY means of communication between us, despite the fact I have a phone that can call/text/skype. I feel like i'm stuck in the stupid generation where parents can get hold of facebook and use it as a tool against their children eg: losing their shit when their kids won't accept their friend request or unfriend them.

tl;dr I can never delete my facebook without the threat of being cut off from the rest of my relatively small family. Also people should have to pass a stupid test before signing up for facebook.

/rant