Goodbye Google
It’s done. Finally. For years I’d been meaning to do it. I thought suspending my account would eventually delete it on its own. But no.
Thanks to Just Delete Me, I found the real page—the one that says loud and clear: Delete my account. And that was it. No more Google account. At last, a breath of fresh air.
Self-hosting
I won’t self-host everything. Especially not email. Too critical, too risky. The kind of service that fails at the worst moment—when you’re on holiday or waiting for something important.
For years now, I’ve trusted ProtonMail for email and VPN. I’d rather pay for a robust service than hack around under constant stress of losing everything. The only downside: putting too many eggs in one basket. So maybe one day I’ll run my own mail server just for secondary stuff, or disposable aliases.
What now?
A domain name, and an old machine that was meant to be a media center under the TV but just gathered dust. That’s my starting point.
For the OS, I chose NixOS. If I’m going to experiment, I might as well do it properly. Its declarative configuration fits perfectly with how I see things. Instead of piling on containers everywhere, I want a coherent system where everything is clearly defined.
The plan is to lay the bricks one by one. First, replacing iCloud with Nextcloud. Yes, I still have a MacBook and an iPhone. Between a rock and a hard place, it’s not the purest choice, but you have to decide. Mid-range Android = no updates, no security, and 100% Google. At least Apple still delivers updates.
Why a MacBook?
Because it frees me elsewhere. The peace of mind on the hardware side lets me go further with Linux for servers and productivity. And honestly? That damn battery. Over 7 hours without breaking a sweat. Add to that the ARM transition—pure genius—and you see why I made the compromise.
Maybe one day I’ll move to GrapheneOS for the phone, or a ThinkPad for the laptop. But for now, that’s not the point.
Autonomy
That’s the word. The goal is simple: to take back autonomy.
Not by installing everything at once, not by stacking services like a compulsive collector. But step by step, validating each stage, building a harbor that can weather storms.
I don’t want to replace everything. Only to keep what really matters, under my own sail.
Cast off the lines—heading for porzh.me!