I’ve been ingrained as deeply as I want to be with open source and alternative tech for over 6 months now. I’ve experimented with tons of different apps, app stores, home screen layouts, app widgets, and worked on really trying to hone in on the core essentials of my digital experience. I’ve challenged tons of ideas I had about computing or that others have about computing. I’ve embraced my core values so much more and explored trying to support them in a cohesive digital system. I let go of Google as the end-all of tech and design and tried to build my own digital identity and ecosystem (or at least started the foundation for it).

It’s been interesting though, cuz there’s still a ton I love about Google, their hardware design, the Android platform, Material Design and other things. Also, I’ve looked at the space more broadly and while some like Nothing are taking some really interesting steps that I love, I don’t think we’re to a point that I’m interested in letting go of more. There’s parts of the systems that I simply can’t control or don’t want to control because the effort and maintenance and niche skills I would need to have outweigh the satisfaction and “magic” I would feel from changing. I’m looking for things that feel magical, special and that can continuously evolve with me, not things that are an extra burden.

One thing, for example, that’s not quite ready even with Google is using my pocket computer (phone) as my only and primary computer device. But foldables just started getting three displays and desktop mode is just barely starting to get the attention I think it deserves. With these things, I feel like I could actually start to have the digital hardware to create my dreams. 😻 I could have a device that’s large enough to take notes and draw on and would have a stylus, but could also be used at home with a display, and then would fold up to fit in my pocket and go with me wherever I want.

If I want to really shake things up, something like GrapheneOS are too cumbersome to set up for someone who’s very limited with a terminal (like me). I don’t want to constantly use that to update my device and install strange workarounds like Magisk to keep some apps running that need Google Play Services. And, trust me, I tried successfully rooted a device with LineageOS (and also added Magisk successfully too) and it hasn’t been as magical as I wanted it to be. This is mostly because even if I go with non-Google apps, there’s roughly still about the same. I don’t want a super app that does everything cuz that would be a UX nightmare unless we radically change the OS. But I do want clusters of apps that group related functions better. Something like calendar, email, and contacts. Or maybe even all messaging including email so that contacts can be centrally managed by one app. I’m super impressed with how deep I’ve dived and that I was able to install a rooted Android OS and Magisk with super limited technical and coding skills. It wasn’t easy but I got it and it helped me learn valuable things.

I want to remove anything that’s not a core essential. I want to streamline file management and, if possible remove the need for cloud backups, so that I don’t have my files stored in multiple places and some on device and others in the cloud and not much control over the organization of either place.

I’ve learned so much though and explored so much deeper than probably most people do with tech, which is really rewarding for me! I’ve tried out so many different services and discovered areas where Google definitely is lacking. Things like email masks/aliases, the horrendous state of the Chrome browser especially on mobile, and how frustrating it is that I can customize my digital identity and presence more to match me. Instead I’m forced into the Google box of what they say is best. They’re specific layouts, their specific features and options. Seriously, every time I open Chrome on my Chromebook (which I’m trying to get rid of, but again, no desktop mode yet 🤌) it’s such a nightmare. The ads 💀 they’re so horrendous and I’m always so glad I have Firefox to calm my web browsing experience with a genuine ad blocking experience. And it’s not even the ads, I think ads are great cuz they can help me find cool stuff that match my preferences. But it’s how atrociously designed they are in our current digital world. They flood every page with tons of banners, videos, pictures, you name it and I can barely focus on what I actually came to do. It’s a nightmare. So, please, if someone wants ads to make money, go for it, but don’t throw trashy ads in my face cuz I’m always out when that happens. And, Chrome’s part in this is that it doesn’t offer any possibility of ad blocking extensions like Mozilla and so it instantly degrades my web experience. I put up with it for too long and it such a dream to finally have a space that feels calm and focused. I actually enjoy visiting everywhere on the web now! 😁 I actually want to read articles and learn things from the web, and I’m feeling much happier about that side of my digital experience, which is huge. It sucks, cuz Google does sometimes bake in some great features with Chrome, and so far Firefox does have some areas that are much worse than Google’s alternative, but we’ll see.

So anyway, I guess I feel like I’m in a sort of limbo state where a lot of pieces are improving in ways I love, but many other pieces are still missing. 😞  And as much as I might try to break away and do my own completely individual digital system, it’s not fully possible yet with the way I want to do it, the things I value, and the constraints I’m building with. I’ll figure it out cuz I always do, I just don’t enjoy these limbo states much. 😅