This story first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter.
A couple of months ago, I wrote a lengthy profile of Bitwarden, the password manager I use every day and have written about a bunch of times in my newsletter.
The story is mostly about Bitwarden’s origins, how it makes money, and what its role might become in a world where Apple’s and Google’s built-in password managers keep getting better. One angle I didn’t really touch on, though, is what software like Bitwarden means to me personally.
Yes, I use Bitwarden because its generous free tier was effective at getting me in the door, and because I’ve grown to enjoy some features such as masked email integration. But it also aligns with my values as a sustainable, durable tech product that’s unlikely to put the screws to its users.
Over the past year or so, I’ve been seeking out these products more often while becoming less reliant on fly-by-night startups or major tech companies, whose own offerings seem to be getting worse over time. Bitwarden is just one example of software that’s actually built to last.
Sustainably grown
Obsidian and Proton are also products I’ve been spending more time with lately, as I’m tired of being burned by venture-backed companies that have to suddenly shut down or shift priorities.
I use Obsidian for almost all of my note-taking and story drafting, partly because of how customizable it is, but also because the company seems likely to stick around without sacrificing its values. It’s a small team that hasn’t raised any venture capital, and its slow-and-steady growth plan means it’s unlikely to make any sudden, drastic changes to its product. (I wrote a profile of Obsidian for FastCo as well.)
Proton is where all my reader mail and newsletter subscriptions go, and I’m interested in transitioning more of my Gmail usage that way over time. The company has written at length about how it’s never raised any venture capital, and will not chase growth with unprofitable services or unsustainable pricing.
No data mining
Kagi is the first Google Search alternative I’ve tried that doesn’t feel like the results are missing something. While news, maps, and shopping are still weak points, it handles nearly all of my standard searches without issue, doesn’t track my search history, and doesn’t clutter the results with sponsored listings.
It’s just nice knowing that your every online move isn’t being monitored and measured, which is also why I’ve been using Mastodon as my main Twitter alternative these days. It’s not a perfect replacement, but it satisfies the social feed itch without ads or aggressive tracking. I’ve also been just been substituting more social media time with newsletters.
Owning the content
As streaming providers raise prices and degrade their services, my media consumption is becoming a bit earthier as well.
Sure, I still watch plenty of shows directly on services like Netflix, but I’m also recording more shows with PlayOn and adding them to my Channels DVR server. That gives me control over the advertising and ensures that the content stays available to me, even if the streaming service yanks it without explanation. I’ve also been cultivating my own music library since 2015, using a Plex server to stream it from anywhere. This provides a sense of ownership over the music, along with access to content that may not be available on Spotify and the like.
There’s a data ownership angle to Obsidian as well, as all of its notes are stored as Markdown files on whatever device you’re using. That means you can copy them elsewhere or open them in other text editors without any clunky export procedures. Likewise, with Bitwarden I know my passwords aren’t being locked down to the platforms of one Big Tech company.
Made with love
I also just get some satisfaction from using tech tools that aren’t built to conquer the world.
My current web browser of choice is Floorp, in part because of its features for power users, but also because it’s a tiny, hobbyist effort by some student developers in Japan, and that seemed worth supporting. Likewise, Omnivore is an open-source passion project for saving articles and newsletters to read later. Both were clearly built to scratch the personal itches of the folks that made them, not to raise venture capital, find an exit, and get rich.
A work in progress
My personal path to tech hippieism isn’t perfect, nor is it for everyone.
I pay $10 per month for Kagi and $4 per month for Proton even though Gmail and Google Search are free, and I probably spend more than the cost of a monthly Spotify subscription on individual albums. Call it the equivalent of buying organic.
Some of these services are also just inherently nerdier than what Big Tech companies offer. Obsidian has a steeper learning curve than many other note-taking apps, and Big Tech companies are making it ever easier to store your logins with them instead of third-party password managers. (That’s the central conflict running through my Bitwarden profile.)
And admittedly, I haven’t been able to move completely off the Big Tech grid. I still use all the major smartphone and computing platforms—a hard pivot to Linux is not in my immediate future—and I’ve yet to find a photo management solution that can rival Google Photos (though I’m keeping an eye on Immich).
But even if you can’t pass some tech hippie purity test, it’s worth considering the motives and business models of the tech products you use. Get burned as many times as I have, and you may find yourself going down a similar path.
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