One more step toward ditching Windows is now accomplished: I’ve restored and backed up locally all the files they “conveniently” moved to their cloud. For someone with rural Internet, clicking to open a file on my PC, and then waiting for it to download from OneDrive, is problematic, to say the least.
This step prepares me to shift from Windows 10 to Linux—probably Mint—on this ThinkPad W530 by Win10 ESU EOL on Oct. 13 this year.
Yes, I have a newer computer, one I bought specifically with Windows 11 installed. But (a) I hate forced obsolescence, and this ThinkPad remains robust*; and (b) OMG am I sick of having half-assed AI shoved down my throat.
I’m looking at you, Google. Proton Drive looks like a good alternative to your AI push and repeated ads for Google Workspace when I just want to check my email.
* As my friend John Smith says, to kill a ThinkPad you pretty much have to put a .45 bullet in it, because any round smaller you can just buff out.
Lester,
Thanks so much for that link, that’s fabulous. I have two family members still using Proton because they’re not as tech-savvy as I am and it’s the most straightforward way to de-Google. I had criticized Proton but still supported their choice. I will send the link on.
To be clear, I still think Yen’s praise of the Trump Administration’s choice was foolish. It should have been obvious from the outset that Trump would only ever use anti-trust legislation to solicit favors from large companies and attack media critics.
I use Tuta for email, Bitwarden for password manager (though I am unhappy with some recent changes at Bitwarden), Firefox Relay for email aliases, Mozilla VPN for VPN, and a relatively obscure self-hosted piece of software called “sandstorm” for web-hosted documents, spreadsheets, and cloud storage.
Sandstorm requires a fair bit of technical knowledge to run, I would only recommend it to serious enthusiasts. I am not trying to keep anyone away! I just want to spare people who simply want something that works well without any setup effort from a lot of headaches.
Thanks very much for the comments. And Mike, I especially appreciate the red flag about Proton. That having been said, Medium has an interesting post about CEO Andy Yen’s comment, its context, and Proton’s record of donations: “Does Proton really support Trump? A deeper analysis (and surprising findings).” I’m feeling fairly confident that their sociopolitical priorities align with mine, and that Yen’s statement was not in praise of Trump, but in praise of Trump’s appointee Gail Slater’s record against big tech and for small companies. That Proton is itself pushing back against Switzerland’s anti-privacy legislation affirms that, I think. (All that having been said, I am still curious about your current choice of services.)
The CEO of Proton, Andy Yen, said some positive things about the Trump Administration in early 2025. (Do a web search for “Proton Mail says it’s politically neutral while praising the Republican Party”) They also got into trouble recently for sponsoring conservative politicians in Europe.
They’re still worlds better than American Big Tech, so I won’t pick a fight with anyone that uses them. But I went GMail + Google Drive –> Proton Mail + Proton Drive –> Something else. I won’t name the options I use now because it turns this post from a potentially interesting comment into spam.
Following your progress with this because I’m on a similar trajectory, including a ThinkPad, and Proton Drive might be another piece of the puzzle I was missing.