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Comment by mattnewport | Hacker News Reader

I've been mostly Google free for a while now, other than for some work stuff where I have to access some Google Apps docs. I also still use YouTube because that's where lot of the content still is sadly. What I'm using instead:

- Search: DuckDuckGo, occasionally Bing

- Phone: Windows Phone, pre ordered a Purism Librem 5

- Browser: mostly Firefox and Brave, Edge on mobile and occasionally on desktop

- Maps: Bing Maps (occasionally resort to Google Maps tho)

- Email: ProtonMail

- Calendar: Outlook.com, but I still use Google Calendar for some things

- Cloud storage and backup: Dropbox and OneDrive

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Same here, but instead of getting in bed with microsoft I've moved to using FLOSS components.

That's what I was thinking. Are people just leaving google to use all the microsoft products? That makes 0 sense to me.

Some of it is for support reasons.

What concerns about Google have you addressed by using alternative services from Microsoft?

To me Microsoft seems the least bad option these days when there aren't great FOSS options available. I've had a strict no Apple policy for many years so while I wait for the Librem 5 Windows Phone seems like my least bad option. I looked into some of the open Android based alternatives a bit (Lineage etc) but there don't seem to be really great options currently.

For maps I should probably look at Open Street Maps more but I mostly use maps on my phone where being on a Windows Phone with limited app selection the built in Microsoft solution is the simplest / laziest option.

I'm a VR developer so I'm primarily working on Windows for the foreseeable future. Microsoft options end up being the fallback there too (why I sometimes use Edge or Bing over my usual choices).

MS actually puts ads in the OS and also nags constantly to use Edge.

But then on top MS solutions less quality, imo, than Google.

We need to stop pretending Microsoft's the only company that puts ads on their OS.

The only consumer products I think Google does better are YouTube, Maps and search. Office+Outlook > Gsuite. Windows Phone > Android if weren't for the lack of apps. Windows > Chrome OS.

Outlook > Gmail probably comes down more to preference but I'd like to hear why you think Google's offerings are better.

No I mean literally in the OS. Never had an ad from Apple or Google inside the OS.

MS has gone someplace not aware of anyone else ever doing?

Ubuntu had Amazon ads. Google allows manufacturers to install apps that you can't delete. Apple and Google basically strongarm shove their new apps/services to you through apps you can't delete. Aren't those ads too? Maybe not in the most literal sense but it's not too far from it.

No. Those are things you do by choice. Just do not chose to add the apps.

When you put an ad directly in the OS you have gone somewhere new. So Microsoft putting ads directly in Windows to me is crossing a line that should not be cross.

Personally I never been a fan of Windows and was a big Mac user and several in my family but we have mostly moved to ChromeOS.

I have a Pixel Book and just love it. Wife replaced her iPad with a CB+. Fantastic machine. She is addicted to playing Animal Crossing on the machine with the stylus.

The problem is I have boys that need Windows for gaming. I just wish we would get some alternative.

With the new GNU/Linux support on ChromeOS and the new higher end machines coming with decent GPUs maybe we will get there finally and can remove the remaining Windows machines.

Curious on how would using Microsoft be better?

This is essentially just swapping out one perceived bad egg for other bad eggs. Microsoft is no better when it comes to privacy concerns.

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