You either use TOR (only way to browse without an unique fingerprint) or have a hardened Firefox without using most sites that could potentially track you.
Browserleaks is not extensive but it gives you a good idea of how to reduce that fingerprint https://browserleaks.com . Another option is to use https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js but be sure to read their wiki
I like to use this website when I want an alternative to what I’m using: https://alternativeto.net/software/github/
I think it’s absurd putting free software against tech giants in the same field. One is for profit and can pay to innovate, the other consist of volunteers doing it (mostly) for free. It’s not like FOSS applications don’t want to innovate, it’s just that they can’t for the most part.
It’s equally absurd to demand things like “you should do research and development”, like who are you talking to in particular? The FOSS community is not an organization.
Having a separate partition is a good idea and funny enough it can help you in this issue. If you try to reinstall the system, you can format the other partitions and leave /home untouched, so you will have a fresh system but keeping all your personal data as it is; that’s the main benefit of having multiple partitions.
Next time, you should just make /var bigger according to your own experience. Other people only have 2 partitions: / as a 20-40 GB one (or bigger, this is according your needs) and the rest of your HDD/SDD for /home. Another tip is that when you’re re-installing the system, use a new nickname, otherwise the new system will try to use all the old config files in your old account, and finally, if there’s very important stuff in /home, definitely make an outside backup, there’s always the chance of misreading something or ticking the wrong box.
It’s not dumb shit, nowadays if you create a company like that you need to rely on someone else’s servers, so your word of keeping your data safe means nothing. At least if they don’t keep their word with their own servers, they’d be going down on their own.
Also, the question “does anybody use their service” sounds very naive of what’s going on in the world, a lot of people uses Protonmail, it’s probably the first choice of people wanting to avoid big companies.
Use Ungoogled Chromium if you’re going to that route:
Are you not following the conversation? What was so hard to understand? This stance of “they’re taking my freedom away” is always ridiculous; as I already stated, allowing that kind of content will hurt the platform in the long run.
It’s an extremely easy decision, either prohibit that content and as a community agree it’s the only kind of stuff nobody wants to see, or blindly allow anything and see lemmy die.
I don’t see how filtering very few words could annoy anyone, none of them are used in normal circumstances (except b***h I guess).
Instead of filtering the words, you could change them for something nice. Like changing “idiot” for “dork”; sounds like it’d make it fun (and of course, still filtering the worst offenders).
Ah! the other day I was thinking I made an account in some reddit alternative years ago but couldn’t remember the name of it. Made like 2 posts until I realized it was just the same kind of politics everywhere.
Maybe not ready yet (can’t find it on Fdroid), but Berty also looks pretty good, should be down there with Briar:
https://github.com/berty/berty
“No internet connection required (uses the BLE technology and mDNS)”
You can’t convince them, this is a situation where they’re going to learn the hard way, when their data is stolen.
But the analogy is using nowadays is with how the safety of people in cars wasn’t a priority a few decades ago both by ignorance and saving costs. Today it’s unthinkable to have a vehicles without seat belt, airbags, ABS, etc, and in a few decades it’s going to be common sense to protect your data.
I feel everyone should be aware of alternativeto.net, in case you need an alternative to any piece of software or an alternative to a website. Like, if you type reddit there, you get this place.
Music player, fork of the now defunct Clementine. Lots of options to play around.