Software possession for personal use

This also brings up another point which I think is sometimes missed - open vs closed DATA formats. Obsidian is a good example. The software is entirely proprietary but the files it uses are standard markdown, so if the software "rots" it is not nearly as much of an issue.

Contrast this with some inscrutable binary format (cough PSD cough) where its significantly more difficult to ingest the files without reverse engineering the format.

My acceptable criteria are either:

- Open source and open format

- Closed source and open format

There's a software directory called "zero data" that aims to catalogue software/sites/etc. that allow you to completely own and control your data in respect to their usage: https://0data.app/

This is a big one for me. AN APPEAL: Does know here know of a FOSS that offers an equivalent "experience" (visual appeal, time latency) to Google Docs and Google Sheets? Pretty please?

To explain, I have tried NextCloud-based Collabora and OnlyOffice. Neither comes close to the Google Docs & Sheets "real-timeness" and "visual acceptability".

To explain, this is less a rant and more an explanation, so bear that in mind please: For FOSS like Collabora and OnlyOffice, when "actually used" with the intention of replacing "Google Docs and Google Sheets", both

(1) the literal edit-lag (click, type, enter, wait, see screen update) and also

(2) the looks-bad (ugly dark rectangles, fonts, etc.)

are showstoppers, especially when combined.

There are things the FOSS software tries, to work around these issues best as possible. For example, one mode "runs" the doc on the server and hence sends changes to cloud first, hence the lag, while another mode save changes locally since it "runs" in the browser, but then isn't as real-time (if at all) for "other users" . And neither of these issues addresses the simple visual-appearance issues (painting a spreadsheet that doesn't hurt one's eyes).

If there is a FOSS Google Docs & Sheets replacement that is "good enough", the above description in mind, please, pray tell. It need not be feature-complete. Just replicating a Word and Excel '97 type of usability, but self-hostable FOSS with "real-time collaboration that is rather seamless, i.e. not noticeably bad an any way that interferes with actually using it", would be a most amazing find, IMO.

Thanks.

Nothing would make me happier than a world without Apple. I'd settle for a world without iMessage.

It did just also occur to me something ironic. I had been working on remote-first teams long before COVID, and that is what I insist upon when recruiters come by with local job opportunities.

When the zombie apocalypse finally hits (or the Internet implodes), I still have everything important, in plain text.

The last thing I bought from Microsoft was Word 97.

This is not at all true. You could have desktop software with networking that could do things like real-time collaboration. In fact, that's exactly what happens now in Office; I can collaborate with others on a Word doc right in the desktop app. It's just not how it happened since we decided to focus on webapps instead

cloud-served software makes client interactions easy because everyone is running the same version of software. In local-served software there's added complexity to make sure different versions of the software can still work together.

Although, not true of consumption apps like Apple TV or Music (but you can still sync your local music in that case).

PWAs give this deceptive illusion that you're installing an actual application, when in reality, it's just a bunch of ephemeral data thrown into the user data folder of the respective browser. Yeah good luck migrating that to another computer particularly if the original website goes down.

There's also a baffling amount of praise around PWAs, but wrap that same damn app in Electron (giving me the ability to run it offline as well as archive the installer in case the website goes down among other benefits) and people lose their collective minds.

It is an open source app to download pervade data and provide fast search, offline access, automatic labels, categories, summaries, etc

Starting with emails, calendars and attachments. Integrations for Slack, LinkedIn, Stripe, databases, even web crawl are coming...

I plan to have real-time collaboration on top to make money (ideally with end to end encryption).

I take privacy very seriously. I do not even have OAuth2 apps for Google to access your data - you have to create those yourself (there is documentation in the app).

This branch has updated readme:

https://github.com/brainless/dwata/tree/feature/prepare_mvp_...

reality must surprise me for this to get worse than I fear

however in my view, the underlying problem is not exclusive to software but extends all all kinds of digital assets. in short, digital property has brought out the worst of capitalism; marx had no idea.

assuming it does get a lot worse; human life will abandon city life. I like to imagine this is why Einstein allegedly said that in a fight between humans and technology, humans were going to win. then again, maybe in the future the city will be rid of humans same as we are (were?) trying to destroy all insects

Wait, what? You think my mom backs up her computer? All my kids baby photos got uploaded to iCloud years ago. The drives they were on, including the backups, no longer function. (Actually one works but I forgot the password - because I didn’t have an online password manager then either).

High level thinking. It should be top of HN today