[FreedomToCreate]

The issue here is ecosystem. Googles advantage is everything syncs together across there platform seamlessly. Going the no google routes fragments my ability to share photos, share docs and sheets, access easily across platforms.The trade off is being locked out and tracking (which you can limit in privacy settings).

Edit: also want to add that there is also a risk with using smaller platforms as they have a high chance of going bust. I employ a strategy of keeping files on both google, iCloud and a personal drive to have redundancy in case of issues. Of course this does make sense if you want to be absolutely invisible

[ocdtrekkie]

We need open ecosystems then. When I started using a Sandstorm server, it became a method I could share access to things from all sorts of applications through a single interface... but all of the apps and the platform itself are open source.

But the problem with locking yourself into a proprietary platform, be it Apple, Google, or Microsoft, is that in order to use service A, that you like, you may also have to put up with services B, C, or D, which suck. For example, you might love Google Photos, but if alongside sharing Google Photos with your friends, you have to deal with Google's endless stream of terrible short-lived chat services, that seamless ecosystem platform isn't really doing you any favors.

[khrbrt]

First I've heard of Sandstorm[0]. Very interesting, I need to give this a try soon.

0: sandstorm.io

[mark_l_watson]

I use Google Workplace, less friction for getting things done.

Just my opinion, but if you want a one-stop-shop for a Google replacement, probably Fastmail is your best bet: email+calendar+notes. ProtonMail is less well integrated, but in a year I would bet their email+calendar+vpn+secure data storage will have a better workflow. In addition to Google Workplace, I am also a paying customer of ProtonMail and Fastmail - I just don't use these alternatives right now.

Lots of choices is a good thing.

[8note]

Google's making it harder for me to share photos nowadays. Instead of just sending the picture, it sends a link to a website with the photo

[blacklight]

Install SolidExplorer or similar, share the photo, select SolidExplorer (or any other file explorer) and it's downloaded. From there you can share it anywhere else. It's one more step in the middle though - and it's the reason why I have migrated all of my photos away from Google and to a RPi4 with NextCloud and 7 TB hd.

[asdfk-12]

Limiting tracking with google is performative, as they still retain and use all of your data within their system to continue to 'improve our results' (generate revenue).

There are enough self-hosted options and third-party paid alternatives that the Google ecosystem lock-in isn't as useful as it once was to me.