maleficiumIt took some time but I finally did it
https://lemm.ee/pictrs/image/846e8450-36c8-4c5d-ad85-9a757422daa4.png
I was already used to Debian Linux.
I was already used to Firefox + uBlock.
I was already used to having a dumbphone instead of a smartphone.
I decided to start financially supporting free open source software like VLC, Krita, Gimp, Qbittorrent. For far too long, I have taken these amazing software for granted.
I started buying Signal (Unilever) instead of Colgate (USA). Until I find a brand that is actually even smaller than Unilever.
But Google was the real challenge.
I had another email account, but my Gmail account had a ton of stuff on it. Youtube ? I liked it. But I can put my favorite channels in my bookmarks.
It took some time to sort out everything.
But I actually did it.
It's over.
Finally.
FINALLY
Fuck the US social model. Inhuman bastards
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/10/inhaler-cost-death-optum-rx-walgreens/
Increasingly, this cancer is spreading. Starting - as usual - with the Anglosphere.
According to multiple sources who spoke to their favorite newspaper (The Financial Times), UK CEOs are now asking their friends on their boards to be paid exactly like American CEOs:
Resist US corporations. Resist multinationals.
Support non-profits and small busineses.
Way to go! I'm still working on that, but I'm close as well :)
Bit envious on the dumb phone part. I just can't live without my bank app, browser and signal. There were these "half dumb half android" phones from Nokia and they seemed to work well with messaging apps but bank/browser was bit clunky.
after ~20 years of being tangled up in google and even longer with microsoft, i'm in the process of doing the same. sooo many accounts, it's hard to realize how embedded you are until you start removing all those tendrils
It’s time to depoison!
Nice!!
I'm super close. I'm most nervous about my photos. That said, I've backed them up to Immich and have a second backup on an external drive.
I moved my email to FastMail for now and preserved the data in an external archive. Once I feel confident about my images, I'll delete the data, then do the same for Gmail.
I'll keep a burner Gmail account, but it'll be for spam or throw-aways.
Impressive
Congrats! This is a huge milestone.
Can I ask what you replaced google maps with? I'm trying to degoogle also but finding that tough as I rely on crowd sourced reviews of restaurants and attractions a lot.
I honestly don't think there is a replacement for Google Maps, I use Organic Maps from time to time but it is more difficult to use, rarely can I just input the name of a business and it finds it.
I suppose using it like a directory for restaurants and attractions could be done through the browser without an account but it is hard to deny Google Maps is a fantastic resource and hard to replace.