Then, you use this: https://duckduckgo.com/

Actually, use it now.

This. Also, use OSM for maps and run your own SMTP server, if you can. Nobody should need Google.

Sadly, the to me most important parts of Maps are live navigation and live traffic status. I'm assuming you can't get those with osm (yet).

The actual maps are much better in osm than in Google.

OsmAnd does have live navigation as far as I understand it (turn-by-turn directions), but no live traffic status, because for that you a lot of drivers willing to surrender their location/sensor data. Anything "live" cannot be privacy respecting. I never found live traffic information particularly worthwhile to be honest.

Maybe it's time to give up privacy absolutism and add strictly opt in live data features.

That reminds me, place reviews using ATProto. Kinda surprised that no map client jumped on that when it's the exact thing you need to replace a centralized service. A lot of people use Google Maps to find businesses more than directions.

This works for nerds, but not for grandma who can't even describe what she's doing without using the word "google".

Nerds with grandmas can manage grandma's DNS or better yet set up MDM (I'm serious).

funny, somehow we managed to have these things before chrome became basically two orders of magnitudes exploded. are you seriously defending the size of chrome as rational? we are talking verbosity to the levels that even claude would be jealous of

Actually it is still cool if they don't.

Because of their enshitification we do have alternatives that were developed.

At this point the their only services I'm using are Maps, Translate and Keep Notes and it is mostly due to lazyiness as all of those already have alternatives.

Edit: forgot about YouTube, which is ironic, because that one is a toughest one because the value comes from creators, but I'm doing my part and using GrayJay[1] so I can follow them if they switch their platform.

[1] https://grayjay.app/