I've switched to Lemmy for about 4 days now. Here's my opinion on the platform:

Is it good?

Yes. I found many common communities I follow, such as Degoogling, open source, Linux, self-hosting, history, maps, space, Minecraft, etc etc. Many of the more obscure communities are a bit off-limits, tho, like Polandball or alternate history. I was able to find more underrated Degoogling things on this platform more than on Reddit, which is a huge plus

What caveats do I have on this platform?

Again, obscure communities are a bit off-limits, and while I was able to find SOME, most were non-existant. Other than that, I haven't encountered any other issues other than not being able to create a community

How's the universal community?

They are really helpful. At times even moreso then on Reddit. Again, I found more obscure and underrated things on this platform than I do on Reddit

Is this viable for casual people and would I reccomend it?

If they don't care about the specifics, then sure, this is a viable option. But if they follow obscure communities and care about the specifics, they would have to push through. I so far did, and it's a great experience so far. Would I RECCOMEND it, tho? Yes, I would. Again, tho, it depends on wether you care about obscure communities or the specifics

Conclusion

Lemmy is, so far, great for my experience. The communities are good, the platform is good, and overall it feels fresh that I don't have to be tracked by a centralized platform at all times to fuel their greed. I love the idea of it. I just don't think I'm gonna ever switch fully to it, however decentralized Reddit frontends like Redlib help with me viewing the obscue communities I follow without having to use ths proprietary platform directly

IMPORTANT CONTEXT:

This is just my PLANNED setup, so not everything will be garenteed to be my final setup

The reason why I use multiple services for each use case:

1. I'm taking decentralization to the local level, which means NO connection between smartphone, Laptop, PC and TV
2. Fallbacks if the service or app doesn't work

Google Search

1. Mojeek
2. Margnialia (self-hostable)
3. YaCy (self-hostable)

• Fallbacks:

1. DuckDuckGo
2. Qwant
3. Ecosia

Google Chrome

1. FREE Browser
2. LibreWolf
3. Tor Browser

Google Mail

1. FairEmail
2. TutaNota
3. Proton

Google Maps

1. CoMaps

• Fallbacks:

1. Gmaps WV

YouTube

1. Peertube (Platform) (Self-hostable)
2. Invidious (Frontend) (Self-hostable)
3. FreeTube (Client) (Self-hostable)
4. PlasmaTube (Client)
5. Flow (Client)

Android

1. GrapheneOS

Google Workspace

1. MA Office
2. LibreOffice
3. OnlyOffice

Google Keep

1. Notally
2. Loqsec
3. Notesook

Gboard

1. Iris Keyboard
2. Xime IME (for Chinese input)

Google Translate

1. Offline Translator
2. LibreTranslate
3. Lingva Translate

Google My Files

1. Fossify File Manager (Idk any Linux file managers)

Google Photos

1. Prism Gallery (Idk any Linux gallery apps)

Google Play

1. F-Droid (Platform)
2. Flathub (Platform)
3. Appteka (Platform)
4. Aurora Store (Client)
5. Droid-ify (Client)
6. ObtainX (Client)

Google Earth

1. GeoLibre
2. Marble

Google Messages

1. Fossify Messages (SMS)
2. SimpleX (Platform) (Idk any Linux SMS apps)

Android System Webview

1. Vanadium

Bilibili

1. Bilimiao

Video editor

1. LibreCuts
2. Kdenlive
3. Cutwire Drift

Photo editor

1. PocketvPaint
2. GIMP
3. Pinta

Reddit (also also kinda Twitter too)

1. Lemmy (Platform)
2. Voyager (Client)
3. Redlib (Frontend)

Windows

1. CachyOS with Shelly
2. Nobara

VPN

1. Windscribe VPN
2. Proton VPN
3. Tor VPN

DNS

1. Adguard DNS
2. Quad9 DNS
3. NextDNS

Minecraft

1. Luanti (game)
2. Prism (launcher)

Wordle

1. Code Word

Convenience tools

1. LibreFind
2. sustysubs.net
3. DNS toggle
4. Privacy Flip
5. SponsorBlock
6. DeArrow
7. ReturnYouTubeDislike

Mullvad donated some money to a Neo-N@zi party. To me, umless if they keep doing this, it doesn't feel too important, as long as they keep their products up and going. What does it mean to you? Your opinion could change my mind

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/53277250

I wanna host communities for obscure topics

The sidebar doesn't say anything clear about this

Tools that probably no one had heard of but are extremely helpful for Degoogling:

Sustysubs.net - A list of alternative services

• A very useful tool that you can find privacy-friendly altermatives to proprietary services. You can suggest a service via Codeberg and/or Email

Link:

• https://www.sustysubs.net/alternatives/

Wizestream - A better NewPipe

• A NewPipe fork that intergrates Material Design 3 into the UI and includes things like ReturnYouTubeDislike, SponsorBlock, Dearrow, Learning tools, Invidious, subcription syncronization,

Repository:

• https://github.com/wizdom13/WizeStream

IzzyOnDroid:

• https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/org.wisso.newpipematerial

LibreCuts - The only FOSS Android video editor for the professionals

• A video editor for Android that supports overlays and keyframes, which in my opinion, is the minimum requirment for a video editor to be "professional"

Repository:

• https://github.com/tharunbirla/LibreCuts

F-Droid:

• https://f-droid.org/packages/com.tharunbirla.librecuts/

LibreFind - Community-driven app for finding alternative apps for Android

• LibreFind is probably the most well-known project listed here, but basically, you submit a FOSS alternative to a proprietary app, then wait for it to be approved. It also lists how many of your local apps are FOSS or not

Repository:

• https://github.com/jksalcedo/librefind

F-Droid:

• https://fdroid/packages/com.jksalcedo.librefind

IzzyOnDroid:

• https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/com.jksalcedo.librefind

(TURNS OUT IT IS NOT OPEN-SOURCE MY BAD) Pur.ili - Kagi if it was free

• Pur.ili is a private search engine that does not have big tech spy on you by secret. Unlike most "privacy friendly" search engines, like DuckDuckGo or Brave Search, this one has a completely independent index, meaning no contracts to big tech to let them spy on you by secret. The difference between this and Kagi? It doesn't require a paid subscription, so you can use it for free

Link:

• https://puri.li/

Search query:

• https://puri.li/search?q