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The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android clone is now available

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Re: The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android clone is now available

#11

I don't really see the benefit in this. You can install LineageOS without gapps and MicroG already distributes a fork of LineageOS that includes MicroG. If you want full control of your device you will likely be better off going with something like Librem 5 from Purism.

Why is MicroG's fork better than this one?

Edit: getting downvoted so for clarity this is the part of your comment I'm referring to: MicroG already distributes a fork of LineageOS that includes MicroG

Re: The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android clone is now available

#12
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I use DDG, I get results nearly as good as Google. I tried qwant; nowhere near as good. It is used mostly by those who resent the dominance and techical superiority of American tech companies, because it is based in france.

> It is used mostly by those who resent the dominance and techical superiority of American tech companies, because it is based in france. Or maybe because they are subject, as an European company, to GDPR?

Isn't Google subject to GDPR despite being based in the US practically?

And isn't Google technically a EU company since they use the double irish with a dutch sandwich tax scheme?

Re: The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android clone is now available

#13
post #2

“Google-free” in that the name is impossible to google? /s I had not heard of Qwant before this. How does it compare to other privacy-focused search engines e.g. Duck Duck Go?

Last time I read about it it wasn't very promising. If I remember correctly their code is proprietary and last time I checked it was just aggregating results from other search engines.

Isn't this exactly what DDG does? Closed-source, aggregating/proxying other search engines like Yandex.

Re: The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android clone is now available

#14

I don't really see the benefit in this. You can install LineageOS without gapps and MicroG already distributes a fork of LineageOS that includes MicroG. If you want full control of your device you will likely be better off going with something like Librem 5 from Purism.

/e/ is LineageOS + MicroG already. Seems like a LineageOS downstream distro with bunch of defaults and some Cloud stuff (can be self-hosted) and an Appstore other than FDroid. Oh and they’ll sell you preflashed phones.

So basically AOSP for less technical people interested in privacy. Seems harmless so far.

Re: The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android clone is now available

#15
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I use DDG, I get results nearly as good as Google. I tried qwant; nowhere near as good. It is used mostly by those who resent the dominance and techical superiority of American tech companies, because it is based in france.

> It is used mostly by those who resent the dominance and techical superiority of American tech companies, because it is based in france. Or maybe because they are subject, as an European company, to GDPR?

The gdpr applies to Google's operations in europe.

Re: The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android clone is now available

#16
post #11

I don't really see the benefit in this. You can install LineageOS without gapps and MicroG already distributes a fork of LineageOS that includes MicroG. If you want full control of your device you will likely be better off going with something like Librem 5 from Purism.

Why is MicroG's fork better than this one? Edit: getting downvoted so for clarity this is the part of your comment I'm referring to: MicroG already distributes a fork of LineageOS that includes MicroG

MicroG isn't a fork for starters.

Re: The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android clone is now available

#18
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is MicroG's fork better than this one? Edit: getting downvoted so for clarity this is the part of your comment I'm referring to: MicroG already distributes a fork of LineageOS that includes MicroG

MicroG isn't a fork for starters.

They have LineageOS builds with MicroG integrated that are technically a fork, mostly because they add permission API to spoof Google apps, that got rejected upstream. Also they ship with two location backends (Mozilla and Nominatim), though disabled by default, and FDroid comes preinstalled as a system app.

https://lineage.microg.org/

Re: The /e/ Google-free, pro-privacy Android clone is now available

#19
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is MicroG's fork better than this one? Edit: getting downvoted so for clarity this is the part of your comment I'm referring to: MicroG already distributes a fork of LineageOS that includes MicroG

MicroG isn't a fork for starters.

I didn't say MicroG was a fork.
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