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Comment by kfrzcode | Hacker News Reader

Anyone here have a pro-Google stance? Because at this point I'm vehemently against the company and most of its products.

There's no good replacement for Calendar or Docs/Sheets as of now, that I'm aware of. Microsoft's suite as mentioned by therealdrag0 is an obvious alternative, and perhaps less advertiser-oriented, but still not a great in-browser option IMO.

Especially when considering the interoperability of the "platform," it's clear Google is streets ahead of the competition.

It's a shame that the best featured tools in this space are also not open-source, and used (probably) to mine massive amounts of data.

I'd be ok if you mined my data while I'm on your servers, but only if you allow me to host my own version of your software for when I don't want to be on your servers.

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I have a pro-Google stance, but I usually wouldn't talk about it on HN because people just love to assume the worst about Google and anyone defending them just gets attacked. Personally, I think that Google's pushing websites to use HTTPS has done more to improve privacy than anything else I can think of in the last decade.

HTTPS is a great thing for privacy, but Google was just one of many doing that pushing! Personal attacks aside, I think it's plain now how evil the management culture there is. I have friends who work there, and they concur that the evilness flows down from the top. It's hard to defend that evilness, which I imagine is why you get so much grief.

- HTTPS eliminates proxy based ad blocking.

- DoH eliminates DNS based ad blocking.

- eSNI eliminates the last network level option for host based ad blocking.

- CDNs eliminate IP based ad blocking.

- Chrome eliminates browser based ad blocking.

IMHO they're securing the web _against_ us, not _for_ us.

Pro-google stance: They provide tools millions enjoy for free.

As for alternatives have you tried Microsoft's Suite?

Good point, I have some blinders on - but the "millions enjoy free" line doesn't justify all the data-slurping and advert-pushing that ABC does, in my opinion. Too large of a marketshare, there's gotta be some serious anti-trust issues going on behind the scenes.

Not to mention the thoughtcrime and influence/propaganda potential.

If you think it's free, then you're not counting right. They're making off you by monetizing your eyeballs, steering you towards the highest bidder, and letting them cajole you into buying something you wouldn't otherwise, either now or down the line. It's a tax on your online experiences that you don't see because the money doesn't leave your wallet and go directly to Google. It's indirect. The bidders get their money from you, in the end.

Yes, I get it. I think most people (esp on HN) know that Google is an Ad company. But at a certain level many many people prefer ads to paying directly. Advertisement supported media has a history going back long before the internet.

I own a Google Pixel 3 and use Hangouts and other Google services like drive, photos, and notes everyday. I find that it's super convenient to have all of my data (including search/location history) integrated in a single account and synced between my desktop, laptop, and phone. ex: I misplaced my pixel recently and was able to find it from a Google search providing an immediate option to have the device make noise. That said, I also dabble in using inconvenient software for moral and learning reasons: I use Gentoo on my desktop. It feels better to use open-source software, but often I'm exhausted because things just don't work by default.

Of course, Search has viable alternatives but it's really not the biggest thorn in my side.

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