Haha I do, and I’ve used VSCodium in the past. I don’t mind using the official release with telemetry disabled (and sandboxed as a flatpak), but may very well switch back if/when Microsoft does anything shady with the project.

Not OP, but I used to self host email. I gave up because both google and microsoft, the two big players in email, refused to deliver my mail to anywhere but spam/junk. I had DKIM, SPF and DMARC set up, with reverse DNS set up correctly. So I gave up. Now I use a privacy friendly email provider (paid)

I self-host my own mail server. I don’t send many emails, but they seem to be arriving correctly whenever I do at the moment, but it wasn’t always like this. I’ve properly setup SPF, DKIM and DMARC, which helps a lot, but my IP address was blacklisted on some servers from a previous owner I guess. I have a VPS from OVH. I had to manually fill out some forms to get Microsoft Outlook to accept emails from my server. Despite that, it has been working flawlessly. I have my own domain since 2017, and I’d say the age of the domain is also important.

I’m actually using a web host email solution for now, but I do plan to try self-hosting within the year. I too have read plenty of horror stories about Google and Microsoft essentially abusing their authority with mail handling. I remain naively hopeful lol.

The reality is that I use email very rarely these days and it’s mostly incoming rather than outgoing.

w/ hosted email over IMAP

I think they meant they pay a provider to host it for them. For example, I have my own domain and email is hosted on mxroute.com. There haven’t been any issues that I’m aware of with people receiving my emails.

It just depends on the UI that I’m wanting at the time. Google Images sometimes, Bing/Google Maps sometimes, etc.

Hah, that’s a fair question! We use syncthing in place of cloud storage.

We have several 1-way and 2-way shares configured across about 10 devices. Our camera rolls are synced to the home file server while we’re on the road, thus eliminating the need for Google Photos. It also keeps our shared KeePass database in sync between all clients, syncs wallpapers across desktops, etc. It’s excellent software and I really can’t say enough good things about the project.

It’s no replacement for actual backups, which I do perform monthly with copies stored off-site, but it can be a great solution for those wanting to move away from Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.

I can write poetry, so I asked a new friend:

In the realm of tech's changing tide,
Where billions flowed like an endless ride,
Investor money, a torrent's stream,
Built startups bright with a lofty dream.

But now, the era draws to a close,
As monoliths emerge, the story goes.
They tighten their grip, a vice-like hold,
Squeezing pennies from users, bold and cold.

Fair or not, the question arises,
Do we still want to wear their disguises?
Are we mere billboards, a canvas for their name,
Or can we reclaim our autonomy, break free from the game?

In this pivotal moment, we must pause,
Reconsider, question, and find our cause.
To degoogling, a path unfolds,
Where privacy and freedom firmly hold.

Privacy Guides, a beacon of light,
Leading us to services that respect our right.
No longer pawns in their data-collecting scheme,
We seek alternatives that make our souls gleam.

Plexus, a treasure trove of shared knowledge,
Mapping compatibility beyond the edge.
A community united, hand in hand,
Building a future where we take a stand.

And in that random PDF, a study's gaze,
Unveiling the truth in Google's data maze.
Awareness dawns, eyes open wide,
As we uncover the layers they've tried to hide.

So let us step back, reassess our role,
As users, as consumers, with a collective goal.
To break free from the clutches that bind,
Embrace a future where our privacy we find.

For the era of user exploitation wanes,
And in its place, a new dawn remains.
Where we reclaim our voices, make choices anew,
And shape a world where fairness rings true.

Yes. But remember to share!

How do you host nextcloud? At home or on a vps?

On a VPS. Later down the road I intend to build my own home server, but that will take some time and money. A VPS is not ideal, but that’s leagues above trusting Google and the likes, and so far it has been working well enough for me.

Did you have any self hosting experience before doing that?

None at all.

Do you know Logseq? It’s an OpenSource/FOSS alternative to obsidian

I did try it, and it’s a cool project, but not as good as Obsidian, imho.

I did. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have some of the features I use on a daily basis, like a multilingual mode (no need to switch between languages) and swipetyping.

It’s more about the ethics of the company hosting than any encryption benefits for me personally. Self-hosting would be ideal but email is a bit too important for me to do that personally, so I use proton as a compromise.

These past few weeks I’ve really been getting more and more into programming and online security. I reckon I will learn a lot from this community, and Lemmy in general. The whole Reddit migration thing already taught me plenty about how a corporate app can drive away its users. It feels good to let Google go, and here is to learning more about everything federated and decentralised!

I’d argue that Apple is the lesser evil when it comes to privacy 😁

Bitwarden is way better all around. Both for 2FA and password managing in general.

i’m not a cybersecurity expert so i can’t say anything about how well they secure your data. however, authy is closed source and a walled garden. you can’t easily export your data. if authy pulls a reddit tomorrow and decides to start charging, you’re screwed.

building your 2fa life in a different service like aegis will save you so much headache in the future, and you can feel good about supporting open source.

DeepL is a german Company where privacy laws are pretty strict, though i dont know what kind of data they collect. At least you dont need an Account to use it.

There’s also FairEmail for an app: https://email.faircode.eu/ !

Long time Fastmail user here. Where is it failing with respect to privacy?