The association of librists Framasoft imagines software alternatives to centralized Web services. This week, it celebrates the second anniversary of its initiative “Let’s unglue the Internet”.
How to use the Web without using Google, Amazon or Facebook? The association Framasoft, specialized in the promotion of free software, answers this question by proposing alternative, ethical and decentralized software solutions. Called “Let’s unglue the Internet”, their initiative develops tools that allow the general public to regain control of their data. Six new solutions are unveiled this week.
A goldmine for the “GAFAMs”, the data in question covers geographical movements on Google Maps, videos on YouTube (Google), emails on Outlook (Microsoft), video chats on Skype (Microsoft), shared folders on Dropbox or even post-its on Evernote.
Irreducible defenders of our “digital intimacy”, the members of Framasoft consider their initiative as a mission of popular education to free software. “The general public is sometimes reluctant to adopt alternative software solutions to those of Google, Amazon and Facebook for fear of loss of comfort in terms of ergonomics or certain integrations,” explains Pouhiou, member of the association. “However, it would have everything to gain, especially its independence. When you enter a medical appointment, your children’s daycare schedule or a professional project’s retroplanning in your agenda, it is not trivial. The words personal data have something very cold about them when they simply cover our digital intimacies.”
No service from these same GAFAMs is to be avoided in particular. “It’s more of a process. It takes time to get used to it and to find other solutions,” notes the initiative’s representative. In two years, “Let’s Unglue the Internet” has proposed about twenty tools to bypass the centralized services of the Web. For this third phase of anti-GAFAM strategy, Framasoft widens the range of available alternatives with the following six new solutions.
Exit Google Groups, Evernote et Skype
Unveiled on Monday, Framalistes is an alternative to Google Groups. A simple mailing list management service, it allows you to choose your subscription options, unsubscribe, access the archives or manage the lists you own.
It is followed by the launch of:
Framanotes, an alternative to Evernote to create, keep your notes, images, files and bookmarks on boards.
Framaforms (Wednesday) to abandon online questionnaires and forms whose answers are provided to Google Forms. The tool will also be used to conduct a survey on the users of Framasoft’s tools and determine whether or not the initiative has indeed reached the general public.
Framatalk (Thursday, October 6), an alternative to Skype that will allow to create an audio/video conference.
Framagenda, (Friday, October 7), the equivalent of Google calendar that gives more control over the confidentiality of agendas, contacts, appointments and schedules.
The hardest part of this final year is still to come. “The big piece we’re going to tackle will be the equivalent of Gmail,” announces Pouhiou. “On the Asterix map we parodied, we placed it on Corsica because it will be the hardest to parody. Email requires a lot of work in terms of system administration and requires significant resources, even more complex than video. A software solution has indeed been developed to replace YouTube.
lefigaro
