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The Browser Wasn’t Enough, Google Wants To Control All Your Software (hackaday.com)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 164 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (13 children)

You can stop using all Google products. Now I understand their market share on the web means they’re going to continue to shape the web.

But make no mistake. There is something, however small, that you can do. De-Google.

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  • [–] 69 points 11 months ago (10 children)

    I will help hand hold anyone who wants to build servers or services (to the best of my ability) to replace Google services with their own.

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  • [–] 16 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    There are a lot of alternatives out there. What service or services are you stuck on?

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  • [–] 24 points 11 months ago (8 children)

    For me, MitID in Denmark. 100% required for society and life here, requires Google Play Services now :(

    I tried e/os on my Fairphone for a bit. I think I could make it all work okay enough besides that. I should write people at the government or something I guess?

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  • [–] 23 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    Yes! Being active politically is always important.

    Be civil and polite at first, you want these people on your side after all. But don't be afraid to hold back if they respond with bullshit either. They are your representative, make them represent you and hold them to account if required.

    Encouraging friends and family to write is usually a good idea too.

    Not being politically engaged, I feel, is one of the main reasons for the downfall of democracy throughout the globe. Too many people think ticking a box every 4-5 years is all they need to do.

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  • [–] 8 points 11 months ago (10 children)

    Got any advice on alternatives to Drive? I keep considering nextcloud, but people I know have said it's a resource hog and finicky at best.

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  • [–] 17 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    Syncthing

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  • [–] 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    This is the answer unless you consider setting up a DIY home server fun, which often the kinds of people who recommend options for this kind of thing do... so just keep that context in mind here with recommendations.

    Syncthing is a great solution and it is wayyyyy less a headache than any other DIY method I have done for replacing cloud/filesharing purposes.

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  • [–] 64 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    You can stop using all Google products.

    My public school -- that my children are basically required by law to attend, remember -- is badgering me to sign a consent form so they can have Chromebooks.

    This fight is a lot fucking larger than mere individual boycotts!

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  • [–] 28 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    And my kids school requires every parent to have a Google account to track progress and share information.

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  • [–] 11 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    What happens if you refuse?

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  • [–] 8 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    They probably would have to find accommodation for you, although I’m sure it’d be very inconvenient. But still technically there.

    As to if you refuse to have your child be issued a Chromebook and Google account, probably not much you can do, as they are providing everything.

    My personal answer to this question is the same as if it were an employer issued mandatory Chromebook; me the employee (or my child the student) is a different entity than me the individual. Me the individual refuses to have anything to do with Google, and that’s enough of a fight for me.

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  • [–] 6 points 11 months ago (4 children)

    cant you give your child a cheap laptop, or they require thier inhouse shitty ones, use only?

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  • [–] 14 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    I don't know yet; I'm about to email the media coordinator to find out what happens when I refuse to sign the form.

    My kids already have Raspberry Pi 400s (might upgrade them to 500s soon), and I have about half a dozen other computers (not including old retired stuff or my pile of other Raspberry Pis), all running Linux. This house is not at all lacking in technology, and I no longer tolerate proprietary shit in it.

    What's really fucked up is that the school district makes all these decisions basically unilaterally -- not just for Chromebooks, but for other proprietary nonsense like ClassDojo and Remind and MySchoolBucks -- and just assumes every parent will be cool with unquestioningly entering contracts with all these third-party entities. And even worse, most parents are cool with it!

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  • [–] 51 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    De-Google

    The complaint is side loading is being restricted and the only long term alternative Apple. Google already began the process of shutting down Graphene by cutting drivers out of AOSP.

    https://www.androidauthority.com/google-not-killing-aosp-3566882/

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  • [–] 18 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    Hang on, as somebody who knows enough to be looking into switching to graphene, but not entirely enough to know what AOSP is, what exactly is happening?

    Am I going to fuck myself over? If I do end up switching to a custom rom? Should I just wait on the Linux community to build something better?

    All I want is a working device that isn't selling all my shit to Mark Zuckerberg

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  • [–] 25 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    G is restricting the factory images/source (I believe) that graphene uses to build their system, so they are having to work backwards, take more time, etc. It's a shitty thing to do but afaik it's not a blocker. I'm typing this on a gos pixel 8 pro right now.

    Linux phones are still in their infancy, and are pretty shit if you need anything more than the ability to call and text (sms) on specific carriers (limitations applies to the USA, AUS, and a couple more I believe). I have a pinephone 1st gen and it's... Cool for messing with, absolutely, but jesus christ it's painful to actually attempt to use. I bought that 3y ago and not much has changed, from videos I've seen (my pinephone screen is lifting and failing so...). From a developer - like, bringing Linux to the phone platform - sure, grab one. As a user, unless you understand that you very likely will not daily this device (or any similar device) because shit just doesn't work/isn't ready and are OK with that... No, don't. A few more years, maybe.

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  • [–] 28 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    GrapheneOS is still moving ahead albeit slower, as you said. They are also working on a deal with a phone manufacturer to bring a more secure phone to market. I dunno whether it will just meet the same security levels of the Pixels and ship with stock Android, or if it will be a full GrapheneOS Phone. I'm hoping for the latter, but it will more likely be the former. Fingers crossed.

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  • [–] 9 points 11 months ago

    Yeah, I've heard rumors about that in the works but it'll take a while. I try not to get excited before any product is released, but it will be something I investigate if/when I can pick one up. It's been frustrating that other similar phones are EU-only, so I hope that won't be the case with their attempt.

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  • [–] 25 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    You can stop using all Google products.

    That may be true for you, but other people face different realities. When Google implements the sideloading block it will eventually be pushed to everyone who doesn't use a custom ROM.

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  • [–] 12 points 11 months ago

    Honestly Googles products are terrible these days. I have been pretty lax about my privacy but after so much enshittification I switched my services to something that works and doesn't harvest my data for the privilege.

    When they kill off Graphene/Custom ROMs I'll switch to a linux phone or brickphone.

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  • [–] 9 points 11 months ago (12 children)

    Uhh... how do we stop using Android? I mean, these recent attacks by Google seem like they're going to break GrapheneOS and friends, no?

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  • [–] 6 points 11 months ago* (2 children)

    I was thinking of switching to Proton. I use Gmail, Google Photos, Google Messages, Drive, Keep, Maps, Docs, Sheets. I pay $2 a month for 100gb and unlimited photos on Google. It's a good deal. The fact that I would have to find out out to make a server, buy storage, piece meal a bunch of open source software that will inevitably not work without tinkering all makes it so easy just to pay the $2 a month.

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  • [–] 5 points 11 months ago

    i pay $20 a year for basically all of that and even more stuff but open source provided and maintained by a local server company in my country. of course i don't use half of their offerings because some stuff has alternatives more suited for the platform or its simply not needed. but e.g. their service offers nextcloud which has most of the stuff you listed bundled into the platform by default. and then they have another 50 services added on top available for use.

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