Best of Privacy — 2024

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    Video
    Avatar of fireshipFireship·2y

    Paying for software is stupid… 10 free and open-source SaaS replacements

    Software subscription models are often costly and come with privacy concerns. To avoid these issues, many free and open-source SaaS alternatives exist. LibreOffice can replace Microsoft Office, while ERPNext serves as a CRM and enterprise resource planning tool. For note-taking, AppFlowy presents a viable option and tools like Mattermost and Jitsi can substitute Slack and Zoom, respectively. Self-hosting solutions using tools such as Kifi or Daku can also help in reducing software costs.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·2y

    Zen Browser

    Zen Browser aims to transform your web experience with features like split views, workspaces, and profile switching. It offers a customizable theme store, advanced security technologies, and a compact mode for smaller screens. Zen prioritizes both speed and privacy, presenting itself as a superior alternative to other Firefox-based browsers.

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    Article
    Avatar of itsfossIt's Foss·2y

    13 Best Open-Source Google Chrome Extensions

    Google Chrome, holding over 60% of the market share, offers a variety of open-source extensions that enhance user experience. This list includes 13 top open-source extensions such as Dark Reader for eye protection, GitOwl to optimize GitHub usage, DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials for privacy, Simple Translate for multilingual browsing, Page Assist for AI integration, and many more. These extensions serve a wide range of purposes from privacy protection to development tools, all with the added benefit of being open-source.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·2y

    Self Hosting 101 - A Beginner's Guide

    Self-hosting allows individuals to run and maintain their own servers for various services, offering complete control over their data, independence from third-party services, and potential cost savings. It's suitable for privacy-conscious individuals, tech enthusiasts, small businesses, and more. Although it requires technical knowledge, time, and upfront costs, it can be a rewarding and educational experience. Key steps include assessing needs, choosing hardware, setting up networking, implementing security measures, using container technologies like Docker, and joining self-hosting communities.

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    Article
    Avatar of devtoDEV·2y

    Why You Should Self-Host Everything

    Take back control of your digital life by self-hosting everything. Enjoy privacy, control, flexibility, and financial benefits. Compare the cost of self-hosting with cloud services.

  6. 6
    Article
    Avatar of logrocketLogRocket·2y

    Automate code commenting using VS Code and Ollama

    Learn how to create a VS Code extension that uses Ollama to automate code comment generation. The tutorial covers the setup of Ollama, creating a new extension project in VS Code with TypeScript, and implementing functions to interact with an LLM model for generating comments. It provides step-by-step instructions to build prompt-based comment generation within the IDE, ensuring productivity without sacrificing data privacy.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·2y

    the tech utopia fantasy is over

    The initial optimism about tech and its potential to improve lives has faded. Despite some benefits like increased political awareness and connectivity, tech now often exacerbates social issues such as misinformation, disinformation, economic inequality, and environmental harm. Companies continue to push a utopian vision that fails to materialize, while engaging in practices that contradict their marketed images. Additionally, various tech giants and VCs have supported right-wing policies, further diverging from the progressive ideals they promote.

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    Article
    Avatar of itsfossIt's Foss·2y

    Self-hosted Open Source Alternatives to Google Photos

    To achieve a private Google Photos-like experience, consider using self-hosted, open-source alternatives like Immich, PhotoPrism, and Nextcloud Photos. These platforms offer varying features such as facial recognition, automatic backups, and mobile apps. Options like Chevereto and LibrePhotos cater to more simplistic needs, while Piwigo offers extensive customizability. Photoview and Lychee have their unique benefits, and Ente provides a hassle-free, encrypted cloud solution without the need for self-hosting.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·2y

    Button Stealer

    Button Stealer is a free Chrome extension that collects buttons from every website you visit. It operates locally, ensuring that no data is sent elsewhere, thereby maintaining user privacy. It's a fun and harmless way to interact with your daily online activities.

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    Article
    Avatar of communityCommunity Picks·2y

    Why Students Should Use Pieces for Developers

    Pieces for Developers is an AI-driven tool designed to aid computer science students in managing their workloads and enhancing productivity. It offers features like local storage for data security, quick code snippet saving, Copilot Chats for generating code and debugging, and comprehensive privacy measures, including SOC 2 compliance. The tool is free and easy to install, providing students with customized exercises, installation guides, and real-time document summarization—making it an invaluable resource for coding practice and study enhancement.

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    Article
    Avatar of communityCommunity Picks·2y

    All Proton Drive apps are now open source

    Proton has announced that all Proton Drive apps, including desktop versions, are now fully open source. This move highlights Proton's commitment to privacy and transparency, allowing the community and security experts to inspect and verify the apps' security. Open-source code helps in identifying potential vulnerabilities and strengthens user trust. Proton also supports various open-source projects and encourages community involvement through initiatives like their Bug Bounty Program.

  12. 12
    Article
    Avatar of itsfossIt's Foss·1y

    5 Privacy-Focused Notion Alternatives That I Tried!

    Explore five privacy-focused alternatives to Notion, offering open-source, local-first, and decentralized options. AFFiNE, AppFlowy, Anytype, Docmost, and Logseq are reviewed for their unique features and potential as Notion replacements, catering to a variety of user preferences.

  13. 13
    Video
    Avatar of dreamsofcodeDreams of Code·2y

    Why I'm no longer using Copilot

    The author explains the reasons why they are no longer using Copilot, including concerns about losing coding skills, decreased enjoyment, outdated suggestions, and privacy issues.

  14. 14
    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·2y

    Strflow — Note-Taking, Like Chatting

    Strflow is an intuitive note-taking app designed to make jotting down notes feel like chatting. It allows users to build a chronological timeline of their notes, tag specific topics, and sync across devices. Privacy is a key focus, with all data staying on user devices and iCloud, encrypted with iCloud Keychain. The app offers a range of features for free, with a Strflow Plus plan available for more advanced functionalities.

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    Article
    Avatar of communityCommunity Picks·2y

    Responsive Viewer

    A Chrome extension called Responsive Viewer that allows front-end developers to test multiple screens while developing responsive websites/applications. The extension does not track or collect any user data.

  16. 16
    Article
    Avatar of mozillaMozilla·2y

    Transform Firefox into the ultimate minimalist browser

    Learn how to transform Firefox into a minimalist browser that helps you stay focused and enhance productivity. Steps include setting a blank homepage, customizing the toolbar, using keyboard shortcuts, and utilizing Reader View to declutter web pages. Suitable for anyone looking to create a distraction-free browsing experience.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·1y

    They See Your Photos

    Photos can reveal significant private information. An experiment demonstrated using Google Vision API to uncover the story behind a single photo and the types of data that can be extracted.

  18. 18
    Article
    Avatar of itsfossIt's Foss·2y

    9 Things I Do to Improve My Linux Computer's Security

    Enhancing your Linux computer's security is essential as it can still be vulnerable despite being perceived as secure. Key practices include: encrypting the disk during installation, regularly updating the system for latest security patches, monitoring system logs and network activity, installing software from trusted sources, using encrypted DNS, disabling root login, setting up a firewall, maintaining proper data backups, and setting strong authentication. By following these steps, you can significantly improve your system's protection against potential threats.

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    Article
    Avatar of communityCommunity Picks·1y

    The 6 Best LLM Tools To Run Models Locally

    Running large language models (LLMs) locally offers enhanced data privacy, customization, and cost savings. This post covers the top six tools (LM Studio, Jan, Llamafile, GPT4ALL, Ollama, and LLaMa.cpp) that allow developers to run LLMs offline on Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms, providing features like advanced model customization, offline support, and integration with popular AI providers. Local LLM tools are useful in various scenarios, including telehealth and no-internet locations, ensuring data does not leave the local device.

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    Article
    Avatar of lobstersLobsters·2y

    The Dying Web

    The post discusses the dominance of Chrome in the web browser market and its impact on web standards and privacy. The author advocates for using Firefox, highlighting its superior customizability and commitment to open standards and privacy. The author reminisces about past browser wars and draws parallels with the current scenario, urging readers to reconsider their browser choice for a healthier web ecosystem.

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    Article
    Avatar of lobstersLobsters·1y

    lmno.lol

    A blog platform that emphasizes wholesome content without tracking, adverts, paywalls, and unnecessary bloat, ensuring a clean and enjoyable reader experience.

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    Article
    Avatar of notedNoted·2y

    Medama - Simple Self-Hosted Analytics

    Medama Analytics is an easy-to-install, open-source, self-hosted website analytics solution focused on privacy. It features a lightweight tracker, real-time analytics, and an OpenAPI-based server for easy integration. Installation can be done using Docker Compose, and tracking requires adding a simple script tag to your website.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·2y

    Introducing Plausible Community Edition

    Plausible Analytics is launching its self-hosted version, Plausible Community Edition (CE), under the AGPL license to prevent misuse by corporations. The CE version will have the same code as the managed cloud service but with some enterprise features and scalability tools excluded. This approach aims to protect Plausible's sustainability and brand integrity while continuing to offer a privacy-focused, open-source web analytics tool.

  24. 24
    Article
    Avatar of selfhstselfh.st·2y

    This Week in Self-Hosted (5 July 2024)

    This week's self-hosted recap includes software updates like Actual Budget's custom reports and Home Assistant's dashboard improvements. It also introduces new tools such as ButtonBox for running shell commands from a web interface and Medama for privacy-focused web analytics. The spotlight is on Dawarich, a platform for managing location history that integrates with Google Maps, Strava, and more. Plus, a handy command line tip on using the 'touch' command.

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    Article
    Avatar of dhhDavid Heinemeier Hansson·2y

    Cookie banners show everything that's wrong with the EU

    The post criticizes the EU's approach to tech legislation, using cookie banners as an example of bureaucratic inefficiency that annoys users without significantly improving privacy. It argues that Europe's legislative failures hinder its ability to foster tech innovation and compares it unfavorably to other regions like the US. The author calls for a radical rethink of how Europe legislates technology to avoid wasting the potential of its smart and capable entrepreneurs.

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