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The Best Big Tech Replacements of 2021

Big Tech spies on you. Big Tech manipulates you. Big Tech treats you like a product instead of like a human being.

Let's face it... Big Tech sucks.

What follows are my current recommendations -- as for June, 2021 -- for replacing some of the most prominent Big Tech services and software platforms.

Note: I know there are others. These are the ones I recommend. And I recommend each for their own, individual reasons. Feel free to disagree with my list. That's your freedom.

YouTube Replacement

There are a few "YouTube Alternative" video sharing platforms out there. Some have good qualities. But only one of them hits all the right marks for me: Odysee.

Odysee is built on top of the LBRY network. And LBRY, itself, is a blockchain-y, Crypto-y, uncensor-y platform for sharing all sorts of content. Videos, blogs, images, and the like.

I publish nearly all of my content to Odysee (and, hence, LBRY) and it works like a charm. Lots of open source. Doesn't treat users like cattle. Can't go wrong.

GMail Replacement

Lots of email services out there. The one I have enjoyed using the most is, without question, Kolab Now.

It's a paid email service. Doesn't advertise to you or sell your data. Built on open source parts. Easy to back up and self-host (if you should want to).

I find paying a small fee for a high quality email service that doesn't spy on me to be well worth it.

Google Search Replacement

My current favorite search engine is Startpage. With DuckDuckGo right behind it.

But I'm also hearing great things about the upcoming Brave Search. Once that gets out of Beta I'm eager to see how well it'll work for me as my primary search engine.

Twitter / Facebook Replacement

Sure, you can replace Facebook or Twitter with an open, federated system like Mastodon (and "The Fediverse" )... but... why? It's almost as bad. Worse in some ways.

I say nuke the entire idea of a network like Twitter from orbit. We, as humans, were not meant to communicate with 5 Million strangers -- with 99.9999% not knowing or caring who you are -- at all times. It just doesn't work.

If you need a social network -- and there's nothing wrong with that -- I recommend smaller, focused groups. Locals-based social networks are the way to go.

Patreon Replacement

Patreon has some funky policies. And they've censored some people in seriously uncool ways. But the core idea is a good one: subscribe to and support independent creators. Podcasts, authors, artists, developers. This is good stuff! If only Patreon weren't so stinkin' yucky.

Locals. Locals is the way to go here, too. Lots of community options, no crazy censorship.

Dropbox / Google Drive Replacement

Dropbox. Google Drive. Microsoft One Driveinator (or whatever it's called). And there's Apple's thing. Used to be called iDrive (part of their .Mac / iTools suite).

Anyway, all of them are owned by Big Tech and have funky policies.

If you have data to store, you deserve to have control over that data. Keep away prying eyes... and make you responsible for, well, your own stuff.

Nextcloud -- preferably self-hosted -- is the way to go. Though there are some great Nextcloud hosting options out there as well. While those don't give you as much control as self-hosting... they're also a lot easier. And, honestly, are wildly more powerful and private than the Big Tech online storage options.

Microsoft Office Replacement

Don't use Microsoft Office. I used to work on Microsoft Office. And, let me tell ya, it's not what it used to be.

Need spreadsheets and presentation tools? The answer is simple.

LibreOffice. Just use LibreOffice.

Windows / MacOS Replacement

Looking to replace Windows or macOS? If you'd asked me two years ago, I would have said "Use Linux."

Nowadays? In 2021? There are some concerns there.

But Linux is still a better way to go. Regardless of which Linux distribution you choose. Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, PCLinuxOS... all great.

I replaced all of those! Now what?

Rejoice! Pat yourself on the back! You are now quite a bit more private, your data quite a bit more secure. There are now less companies treating you like cattle. Your humanity, at least partially, restored!

But aren't there more problematic Big Tech services and whatnot?

You bet! Tons of 'em!

But, think of it like this...

You don't need to eat 100% healthy for every meal... in order to get the benefits of eating a few veggies at dinner.

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Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
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Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
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Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

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Lunduke Lifetime Discount Ends in 1 Day; Zelda, Larry, SQ, & Keen Walls Available

TL;DR: Lifetime Subscription discount ends in one day. There are currently 4 “Lifetime Walls” with space available for more names (the Oregon Trail Wall is now full).

We’ve been running a massive discount on Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscriptions for the entire months of June and July. And it has been an absolute blast. There are now 21 (twenty-one!) retro computer walls overflowing with your names.

Pure insanity. Huge thank you to everyone who has supported The Lunduke Journal.

But the discounted price only runs through July 31st… and that moment is just about here.

When the calendar ticks over into August (just a hair over 24 hours from now), the Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription price goes back to normal.

  • If the calendar still says it’s July, the Lifetime price is still discounted to $125.

  • If the calendar says August… the price returns to $300.

There are, as of this exact moment, 4 retro game themed “Lifetime Walls” which still have some space for more names (check Lunduke.com for the full list):

  1. Legend of Zelda

  2. Commander Keen 4

  3. Space Quest 4

  4. Leisure Suit Larry

Grab a discounted Lifetime Subscription (scroll down for the details), then email Lunduke (bryan at lunduke.com) with which Wall you’d like to appear on.

 

First come, first served. Once a Wall is full, it’s full. So if there’s a specific Wall you’d like to be on, don’t dilly dally.

How to Grab a Discounted Lifetime Subscription:

There are 3 different ways to pick up a Lunduke Journal Lifetime sub. All of them work great. Choose whichever works best for you!

Remember: These discounted prices go back up to normal ($300) on August 1st.

Get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select “Give Once“.

  3. Enter “125“ into the amount field.

  4. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

Get a Lifetime Subscription via Substack:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Substack.com/subscribe.

  2. Select the “Lifetime Subscription” option.

  3. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

  1. Make a free account on Lunduke.Locals.com.

  2. Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the email address you use on both Substack and Locals (can be different email addresses).

  3. Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status on Locals.

Get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

Bonus: Save an extra $10 with the Bitcoin option, as Bitcoin processing has fewer fees associated with it.

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  • Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com or Substack.com.

-Lunduke

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Oregon Trail, Keen, & Leisure Suit Larry Lifetime Walls

Holy frijoles! There are now 20 (twenty!) Lifetime Subscriber Walls, filled with the names of roughly one bazillion Lunduke Journal supporters.

Just amazing.

Two super quick updates:

  1. The “Desqview/X”, “NeXTSetp”, & “TRS-80 Model 100” Walls are now full! (Check them out on Lunduke.com and at the end of new shows.)

  2. There are 3 new Walls available to put your John Hancock on… and, just for kicks, these ones aren’t from Classic Operating Systems… they’re Classic Games:

    1. Oregon Trail

    2. Commander Keen 4

    3. Leisure Suit Larry

 

I don’t expect space on these Walls to last long. First come first served.

A huge thank you to all of The Lunduke Journal subscribers. Your support is deeply appreciated. You make this possible.

-Lunduke

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TRS-80 Model 100 joins The Lunduke Journal Lifetime Wall party!

Buckle up, Buttercup. Because The Lunduke Journal is about to blow your mind.

  1. The “BeOS” Wall Lifetime Subscriber Wall is now full (see all of them on Lunduke.com)!

  2. We’ve added a new “TRS-80 Model 100” Wall (because we can)! That’s the 19th Lifetime Subscriber Wall! 19!

  3. The discounted Lifetime Lunduke Journal Subscriptions are still available through to the end of this month (July).

Which means there are, as of this exact moment, 4 Walls with space available (see Lunduke.com for the full list of Walls). But these fill up wicked fast.

  1. Emacs (only a few spots left)

  2. Desqview/X (a little less than 2/3rd’s full)

  3. NeXTStep (still plenty of space)

  4. TRS-80 Model 100 (just launched)

 

Nice, right?

Worth noting: The “TRS-80 Model 100” has very limited screen resolution (240 x 64), which means only a small number of names can fit on that wall. If you want on it, I’d let me know right away.

Grab a discounted Lifetime Subscription (if you don’t already have one), then let me know (email “bryan at lunduke.com”) which Wall you’d like to see your name on.

Huge high five to everyone who has already added their name to a Wall. At the current rate, we’ll have over 20 retro computer themed walls, filled with all of your names, by the end of the month.

And, doggone it, that’s amazing.

-Lunduke

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