I don’t have to explain to this audience why one would want to avoid “big tech”, that is your Google, Amazon, Facebook, and so on.
I’m working with a group to create a skill tree for dropping big tech, but could use some more ideas. A skill tree is a chart with actions and skills, ordered from easy to advanced, where you can check which skills you already have and be inspired with other skills. An example: https://github.com/sjpiper145/MakerSkillTree/blob/main/Makerspace Skill Trees/Makerspace Skill Tree.png More Maker skill trees: https://github.com/sjpiper145/MakerSkillTree
We want to make it easy for people to switch, and motivate people towards a more open and ethical (tech) world. We already have a list of general actions for the tree, ranging from general concepts like “learn what Open Source means” to specific actions like “search with DuckDuckGo”.
I want this to be a good list that actually helps, that is fun and interesting, easy to use, and inspiring, which is why I’m asking you for help. Can you think of things that should definitely (or definitely not) be on this list? I would appreciate all the help I can get.
–edit: here are some of the items we have so far:
- learn about federation and decentralisation
- understand the Free Software Definition
- find out the difference between “Open Source” and “Proprietary.”
- learn the difference between “free” and “libre”
- research how popular free services make money
- find a recent list of privacy-respecting software or Open Source applications
- switch to a privacy-focused search engine like DuckDuckGo and set it as your default
- install an ad blocker in your browser
- try a privacy-respecting email provider
- use a privacy-friendly browser
- start using a privacy-focused messaging app
- install LibreOffice for office documents
- download an Open Source app from F-Droid
- share a document using the OpenDocument format
- find and follow friends on the fediverse
- delete accounts on big tech platforms
- talk to a friend about why they should try Open Source
- experiment with chat solutions like IRC, XMPP, or Briar for offline mesh communication
- host a small group video call using Jitsi
- organise a “Switch Party” to help friends adopt new platforms
- de-Google your phone by installing a custom ROM (e.g., GrapheneOS, LineageOS, /e/OS)
- use an encrypted email client
- set up your own cloud storage with NextCloud
- compare two privacy-friendly email providers
- discover how to report issues in Open Source projects
- write to a company or government agency asking for documents in OpenDocument format
- host your own Mastodon server
- develop or contribute to Open Source tools
- find and explore the source code of an Open Source project
- replace the battery in your phone
- bring an old device back to life with Open Source software
- try a “dumb phone”
- find a device manufacturer who shares the source or design of their hardware/software
- spend two days without social media
- shop at a physical store instead of online
- use cash instead of digital payment methods
- convince a coworker to share a document in an open format
- convince your employer to share documents in an open format
- give a talk about the importance of public services and open technologies
- write or share a guide for switching to privacy-respecting software
- organise a local meetup or workshop to help others switch
why one would want to avoid “big tech”
if this is the case, I wonder why your project is on github
protip- check out Codeberg, SourceHut and Notabug
Hey that’s a great idea! Actually, the GitHub repo could stick around for visibility, but link to the actual live source elsewhere, with some instructions (for people who only know Microsoft’s GitHub) on how to contribute there.
Who is this list intended to target? I’m asking because a large number of those points will fly WAY over the heads of most people, while others seem to ignore existing social circles
The only points I see that could be shown to the general populace, and that they’d show some interest in, are:
research how popular free services make money
I’d put this at the top of the list, followed by “how your data is used against you” - how scammers, spammers and other bad actors can use and abuse your data, including by committing crimes.
install an ad blocker in your browser
This would be number 2. With google going crybaby over uBlock Origin, it easily leads to “use a privacy-friendly browser”
Big and small tech steals control over our own computing, anti-libre software.
- Check each app for a libre software licence text file
Also, I would completely avoid the very ambiguous, confusing, phrase ‘open source’, which looks cleverly engineered to derail libre software. That phrase makes it too easy to scam.
Separate single player (replace text editor) and multi-player (replace chat and socials). Target multi-player more. This spreads faster.
Teach others how to spread these ideas without trying (see my posts).
I think I’ve written down a few like “find the license in the menu of your TV” or “find out which Open Source software your TV uses”, something like that. The idea was to have the user find out that many devices use Open Source, and to give a sense of what open software is used in commercial products,
I agree with your sentiment on the “free” part. It can be confusing to spot the difference between free, libre, Open Source, and FOSS. I’m not sure how to make this easy and interesting for the user. Maybe a single item “Know the definition of FOSS/FLOSS” would lead the user into a small rabbit hole that explains the whole thing.
Once the user knows the difference, they might go look through their [device/app]'s license again to get a perspective and find any violations.
Target multi-player more. This spreads faster.
Good point.
Teach others how to spread these ideas without trying (see my posts).
I’ll take a look, thanks.
99% will look at you chart for 5 seconds and move on with their life, so it must be blatant.
You seem to be missing the entire PC OS side of things? “Bring an old device to life” could cover it, but people still use home computers too don’t they? And that would lead to experimenting with Lutris with whatever games the hardware supports, if the person is a gamer.
Would still do the first desktop Linux attempt on a secondary device though.
Edit: I’d also move “delete accounts” way further down. Sure it’s technically easy, but IMHO it should be done when you feel ready. Maybe divide into “go without for a day… a week… a month… 6 months… delete” or something.
Edit2: Maybe move the apps into a work profile meanwhile.
bring an old device back to life with Open Source software
it’s in the list
I think “try a Linux live distro” was on the original list somewhere, I’ll check.
The list is not ordered right now, so it’s all mixed up. The idea of repeating items like “for a week, a month, etc” is nice. It’s relatively easy for the user, gives them that goal to achieve, and it’s an easy way to fill more of the boxes. :)
Maybe move the apps into a work profile meanwhile.
What do you mean by that?
Maybe move the apps into a work profile meanwhile.
What do you mean by that?
On Android, not sure if iOS has something similar. Install Shelter from F-droid to create a work profile and control whether the apps in work profile are active or not, install WhatsApp, Facebook etc. in the work profile, disable work profile. That way launching the app becomes a 2+ click process (enable work profile, launch app) that registers and can’t be done out of habit. Plus it adds some granular control to your systen, you could disable location, have a shorter/no contact list, or stricter VPN/NetGuard rules for the apps in the work profile so they have more limited access to track you.
Linking this with shit pulled out the trash does not help us influence others and spread these ideas. Start with very high-end hardware, success, luxury, power.
connect this with shit pulled out the trash does no’t help us influence others.
…okay? One of the OP’s suggested points is literally
bring an old device back to life with Open Source software
And I would not do my first Linux installation on my main computer anyway. Except as dualboot, that would work for anyone who has the device and space. Or on a non-upgradeable device when Windows10 security updates end in October, but I guess those are “trash computers”.
Best time is when you are already getting a new main device, before transferring data to it.
I forgot one: “brush Richard Stallman’s beard”. That probably goes in the “advanced” area. ;-)
