Big Tech Dumps On Us, So Dump Big Tech

I don't say any of this with any moral attitude. No big stand. I'm just tired of paying more while shit gets worse. So I've been slowly reducing my reliance on the enshitified.

This year, I completely dumped the following companies from my personal software suites: Microsoft, Google, Meta, Adobe.

I had amazingly fond memories of each company in their early days.

Installing Windows 95 on our family computer was one of the most memorable days of my youth. We upgraded our CPU to a Pentium that day, added RAM, installed a CD-ROM drive and a SoundBlaster 16 to make it all work. Just me and my dad on the floor, working on our big PC tower.

My first Gmail address came in college when you had to get an invite from someone who had an addy already. I got mine from my dad. Free email! It was my first address that wasn't tied to my ISP. Felt like a cool kid.

When Facebook launched, again, I was in college. Having a singular space where I could keep up with both my college friends as well as my old friends from high school was perfect.

I used Adobe Dreamwaver, InDesign and Photoshop at my first creative job. I felt so grown up using such slick, high-end software. I eventually managed to get my own copies for at-home projects.

I remember when, for me at least, the products of Silicon Valley were things of wonder. I would snag magazines off the rack in the hopes of discovering the next big innovation.

But over time, each one of those companies became representative of the worst capitalism as to offer. From subscription services to predatory TOS changes and making every move they can to bleed their customer base dry while simultaneously degrading the quality of their products, I now have equally fond memories of making the decision to ditch each of them and figure out better alternatives.

No more Windows, Office, OneDrive, Gmail, Facebook, Instagram or any of the Creative Suite. Some things I replaced with alternatives. Some, I just got rid of. Thanks to the enshitification of the originals, the replacements are better. And the things that just went away, I'm better for their absence.

Seeking out open source alternatives, and even sometimes paid alternatives, has been a wonderous adventure all its own. Same excitement of grabbing thos magazines off the rack? No. Different. But still fun nontheless.

And I look forward to continuing the journey.