Lunduke
News • Science & Tech
Make Computers Fun Again - Linux, UNIX, Alternative Operating Systems, Computer History, and Retro Computing. Also dad jokes.
Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
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.

post photo preview
Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
"No Fascists Allowed!" Says Trans Lesbian Python Dev

Gatekeeping. Discrimination. Whatever you call it, the Leftist Activists within Tech have a message for anyone who disagrees with them: "You are not welcome here!"

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:18:30
November 19, 2025
Cloudflare Rewrote Their Core in Rust, Then Half of the Internet Went Down

53 days after Cloudflare announced that their service was now "more secure" because they had ported it to Rust... an error in their Rust code caused a massive outage.

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:23:43
November 18, 2025
Linus Torvalds, Communism, & The WEF

"I am one of those 'woke communists' you worry about," says Linux founder, Linus Torvalds. Plus: Why Free and Open Source Software is neither Socialist nor Communist.

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:15:37
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

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:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

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

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044
November 18, 2025
Reminder: Support non-Woke Tech Journalism, 50% off subs through tomorrow

Super quick reminder:

  • All subscription types for The Lunduke Journal (Monthly, Yearly, & Lifetime) are 50% off through tomorrow (Wed, Nov 18th).

  • Every subscription helps to keep The Lunduke Journal Big-Tech Free, Ad-Free, and fully independent. You make this work possible.

Plus: Every Subscription come with all of the perks: DRM-Free MP4 Downloads of all videos, full access to the exclusive forum, and a bunch of nerdy eBooks.

Scroll down. Pick the subscription type that looks the best to you — starting at $2.25 per month (not too shabby) all the way up to the Lifetime subscriptions (which is extra rad).

50% Off Yearly or Monthly Subscriptions:

Available via both Locals and Substack. (This includes full access the community Forum, and all other perks.)

That means $3 / Month. Or $27 / Year (which works out to $2.25 / Month).

Via Lunduke.Locals.com:

Via Lunduke.Substack.com:

Note: You can also grab a Monthly subscription via X, YouTube, or Patreon — and get all of the same perks. There’s no way to offer a discount on those platforms, but those are still good options!

The Famous Lifetime Subscription:

The “World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription” is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal. For life.

Now, through Wednesday, November 19th, you can snag one at a crazy discount. Normally these are $300… but you can grab one for $150. (You can also pay more if you’d like to donate a little extra.)

The Lifetime Subscription can be obtained via Locals, Substack, or using Bitcoin. All three options work great and are super easy (& all three include access to all of the perks). Scroll down and choose your option.

Note: The Lifetime Subscription only applies to Substack and Locals. Other platforms (such as X, Patreon, & YouTube) do not provide the functionality necessary to create Lifetime Subscriptions.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

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

  2. Select “Give Once“.

  3. Enter “150“ (or more) 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.)

How to 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.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • 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 (or both).

No matter which type of subscription you choose, thank you for your support!

Seriously. None of this would be possible without all of you.

-Lunduke

Read full Article
November 16, 2025
Interviews! YouTube Silver Award Thingy! 50% Off Subs!

This was yet another fantastic week at The Lunduke Journal!

Two great interviews — one with Ruby on Rails & Omarchy Linux creator (DHH), and another with the lawyer for 4chan & Kiwi Farms (Preston Byrne) — and now The Lunduke Journal’s YouTube channel has hit 100k subscribers.

Which mean I’m supposed to get one of those “I survived YouTube’s attempts to destroy my channel so now I get this silver plaque” awards. Which I may or may not have plans for.

How does The Lunduke Journal celebrate such a glorious week?

Why, by offering a super-mega-huge discount on subscriptions! Naturally!

50% off. Monthly, Yearly, or Lifetime. Through this next Wednesday (November 19th).

Every Subscription come with all of the perks:

Scroll down. Pick the subscription type that looks the best to you — starting at $2.25 per month (not too shabby) to full Lifetime subscriptions.

Every subscription helps The Lunduke Journal continue to do this reporting. This is only possible thanks to all of you.

50% Off Yearly or Monthly Subscriptions:

Available via both Locals and Substack. (This includes full access the community Forum, and all other perks.)

That means $3 / Month. Or $27 / Year (which works out to $2.25 / Month).

Via Lunduke.Locals.com:

Via Lunduke.Substack.com:

Note: You can also grab a Monthly subscription via X, YouTube, or Patreon — and get all of the same perks. There’s no way to offer a discount on those platforms, but those are still good options!

The Famous Lifetime Subscription:

The “World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription” is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal. For life.

Now, through Wednesday, November 19th, you can snag one at a crazy discount. Normally these are $300… but you can grab one for $150. (You can also pay more if you’d like to donate a little extra.)

The Lifetime Subscription can be obtained via Locals, Substack, or using Bitcoin. All three options work great and are super easy (& all three include access to all of the perks). Scroll down and choose your option.

Note: The Lifetime Subscription only applies to Substack and Locals. Other platforms (such as X, Patreon, & YouTube) do not provide the functionality necessary to create Lifetime Subscriptions.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

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

  2. Select “Give Once“.

  3. Enter “150“ (or more) 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.)

How to 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.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • 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 (or both).

No matter which type of subscription you choose, thank you for your support! Every subscription goes directly towards keeping The Lunduke Journal running well into the future.

-Lunduke

Read full Article
November 12, 2025
Lunduke Journal Update: Nov 12, 2025

Just a few quick Lunduke Journal-y tidbits on this fine Wednesday afternoon!

  1. Two fascinating interviews this week: DHH and Preston Byrne (the attorney for 4chan). Both are worth catching if you haven’t already.

  2. The 50% off Subscriptions deal has been extended through this Friday (Nov 14th). So many of you kept picking up new subscriptions… I figured… what the heck! Why not keep the party going? So Monthly, Yearly, and Lifetime subs are all half off at least through Friday!

  3. The “Lifetime Subscriber Wall” isn’t part of today’s (November 12th) shows. There have been so many requests to be added to the wall this week that I need to update the design a bit to fit everybody. The Lifetime Wall will re-appear at the end of new shows tomorrow or Friday.

Once again, thank you for your support! None of this would be possible without you!

-Lunduke

Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals