Hi guys, long time Apple sheep trying to break out of big tech. From the UK, and a lot of the headlines this year in particular have really made me reconsider how safe and private even Apple is, and how easy it is for the government to truly pry its way into whatever it wants when it’s on someone elses cloud. If it’s on my devices locally, privately then they need to do a lot of work and only with sufficient reason / warranted to access it… so the answer to me is clear, get out of the grip of big tech and its insistence on having everything stored on the cloud.
It’s really difficult though. The convenience is real.
I am currently using an old pentium HP laptop on Ubuntu and slowly moving my stuff across. I pre-ordered the new Jolla phone the other day - if we don’t support this stuff, it will never have a chance, right? I’ve always been aware of the old community phones but the best real sentiment on them was ‘cool but not ready for the average user’. This new model excites me as this might be the first one to recommend to others. Finally, a decent third option outside of Apple and as I found, outside of the no-better Android world. It is disgusting Google’s use of Android to recently completely kick the AOSP to the kerb.
I am thinking of buying something like a NUC mini PC, using it as a server to host a Nextcloud and using that to sync this PC and the Jolla Phone. Thankfully in the meantime I have my iPhone 16PM, iPad Pro M4 1TB and iMac M4 but these will one by one get phased out and sold once I have viable replacements in the future.
Although I’m in the UK, I still feel quite proud that this project OS and phone is a Europe part of the planet project. I remember my first Nokia phone as a kid. I remember some of the weird and wonderful designs and ideas. It’s quite cool that these could someday be big players. Apple was such a cool company when it was the underdog under SJ, innovating and iterating and making technology cool and seamless. Now I think there is some of that DNA remaining but under the influence of keeping an unrealistic momentum going for shareholders. Looking at how they comply in the likes of China gives me zero hope that they will be able to put up much of a fight with the UK and other gov’s. Hopefully if it ever came to it, Jolla can remain committed to privacy and freedoms.
Has anyone got good advice in terms of syncing the basics privately - mail, contacts, calendar, some files like a KeePass DB between Ubuntu and the Jolla phone?
When might we begin to see the new phone get into peoples hands, my guess is next Spring?
Not only a new phone helps someone to get more privacy. Changing habits helps even more.
On the one hand, people want to achieve digital data protection and security with an alternative OS. On the other hand, however, they are not willing to change their user behavior and believe that an alternative device will do the trick and that they can continue as before.
But that is not the case. This step also requires a consistent rethink.
A “small tech smartphone” will always have small, little bugs. You’ll have to deal with that. Therefore you will be on a good, interesting new trip towards privacy. … welcome on board and happy sailing.
The biggest thing in “small tech” is this big and helpful community here.
Saying this, I wish everybody good holidays and a happy new Year.
You even mentioned Nextcloud on your post. So Cloud Storage, Photos, Backup, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks and Notes is possible, even Passwords and Device Location (okay, for some of that you will need AppSupport, but you can get all the needed android apps Google-Free from F-Droid). Only “problem” is eMail - I recommend using a provider from your country or at least from Europe. Setting up an own mail server is surely possible, but much more complicated than a self-hosted Nextcloud to my mind…
The first step was for me to get rid of all services that are tied to some fom of platform dependency: what cannot be operated with a browser (on my Linux laptop) gets sorted out: e.g. if my bank strictly requires iOS or Android or Windows: I am not your customer anymore.
At home a small microserver can store files, e.g. photos, keepass file, sys updates, etc.
Synchronization can be done with freefilesync running on a Linux machine in the network, FTP on the microserver running Openmediavault (Debian based OS on tge microserver) and WunderFTP in SFOS. With this setup you can sync everthing very conviently, from small files updated (e.g. updated keypass password manager database) to extensive gigabytes of media files.
All you need is Linux on the microserver (openmediavault), potentially other Linux machines in your local network; openmediavault can be configured via a standard browser, means, laptop, smartphone or anything else.
The microserver can be switched on and off, accessibility from internet is potentially possible (while traveling).
The advantage is that this configuration requires only Linux (I use Linux exclusively since some 25 years and I am simply too stupid for other operating systems) and you can easily back everything you want. If my phone crahes for some reason, I always have my backup and can recover on another phone very quickly, completely independent from big tech…
If you are not locked into some services of them…
I’m born ‘67, got my first computer when I was 28, my first mobile phone (Nokia 3210), when I was 32. I’m old school: I use web mail, but besides that I have everything locally on discs: documents, music, films, photos, Python-files, etc. I activate ‘Mobile traffic’ and WiFi-sharing when I want to go online (and turn it off when I’m done), use USB to move files around, and I try to backup (on hard drives) regularly. It takes some extra time here and there, but I never forget “There is no cloud, only other people’s computers” - for me that is real. So, I save MY files on MY computer. What I’m trying to get at, is that it’s not only about technical solutions, but also about habits. And those habits run through all my use of computers and phones. For me, a Jolla with Sailfish OS fits perfectly, and I’ve been using it as my primary, everyday and only device since summer of 2014 (Jolla1, Xperia X, Xperia 10 III). I have ordered the Jolla2 and am very much looking forward to it, and of course Sailfish OS 5.1. Welcome on board!
I have quite similar dreams to get rid of or at least less jail with big techs. If my dream come true one day, I will have linux based and privacy focused phone and frame.work (or similar idea) laptop running with some Linux distro for daily basis works and personal tasks. Let’s see, if it comes reality. A lot of apps or solution to use services like EV car charging, banks etc. need to be resolved.
I have had desktop computer with mainly Ubuntu distro since 2007 and Nextcloud running in Pi4 as cloud server. But strongly Apple still: phone, laptop, tablet, apple tv. Conveniency drove me to this point, quite many might have same basic reason. But time to time I am thinking to have de-google Android (like /e/ or similar) phone but now Jolla came to the picture and I am happy about that and pre-order made.
I am in same situation. I am thinking a lot about configuring sailfish environment for maximum security and privacy. I often encountered situation whereby I had to compromise or striking a balance between privacy and functionality.
For this reason I decided on having two smartphones. Because there is just no way banking apps or even government app is going run on it. And I do not want to compromise my sailfish phone.
I’m on the exact same boat.
Work stuff and whatever else I can’t get rid off + bank on work iPhone and my private phone with sfos has only the things I need.
It just makes my life so easy and I can enjoy pure sfos experience except for few minutes per day, instead of having a hard time 24/7.
The question should also be whether you really want to have a government app running on a device you carry around with you everywhere.
Even with sandboxing on Sailfish, having a dedicated phone without a SIM card, that is only ever used in one place on WiFi and stays powered off 99% of the time to run such apps sounds more and more like a compelling idea.
First of all I wouldnt have a issue with a (optional) government app
but second, currently I dont need one. Also dont know for what it would be required exactly?
Governments are inherently evil, simply because of the character traits a person needs to become a successful politician. Do you really think such an app would stay optional for long?
Not yet. This topic is about getting a privacy orientated solution and running overnment or GAFAM or banking stuff on such a device is at least questionable. The thin line between both worlds and the question of a golden cage or a rough ground is imho important.
I thought the topic was about getting away from big tech? If you want to talk about politics and about how much you should or shouldn’t trust governments, that sounds like another topic
I thought that if there is one universal thing both sides of the political spectrum can agree on, it is that it is better not to trust governments. If only for the simple fact that every four years the other guys may come to power.
But if this is still seen as injecting politics into the thread, I will stop, of course. I do not want to attract the usual suspects into it.
while i do understand what is a GAFAM app fron whree i live, France, i have trouble to understand what you call a “governement” app
can you give some example?
Here in germany i also dont know what that exactly is or should be? I’ve also never seen any speech which proposes to introduce such for necessary tasks (or use a app at all)
