As many long-term readers will know, I am uncomfortable using so-called "free" products from indiscriminate data-collecting Big Tech companies (such as Google, Meta and Microsoft), particularly on the Internet or on my own computers. As much as I'd like for everyone to use FLOSS technologies like GNU+Linux, LibreOffice, VeraCrypt, DjVu (instead of PDF), ePub/Mobi (instead of AZW and LIT), Jitsi/Mumble (instead of Discord, Google Meet, Slack, Skype, Teams and Zoom) and a privacy-focused email provider that provides built-in PGP by default (such as Mail Fence, Proton Mail or Tutanota), I realise that it's highly unlikely to happen in my lifetime (particularly in a business environment that requires online collaboration with ignorant suits, often in real time). So, to that end, I went looking for alternatives to Google Docs/Sheets, having already found ones for Gmail (as mentioned above) and YouTube, which I've probably mentioned before. I know Hatty Hats, whose blogs I can't find by searching Pub0x, has posted some for the latter. (Hatty, if you happen to read this, please leave a link to your Pub0x profile, or, better yet, your posts on HideOut.tv/Odysee et cetera, in a comment. Thank you.)

Here, then, is a link to at least six alternatives for Google Docs/Sheets that I have found (on alternativeto.net), but not yet investigated. Unfortunately, I have time constraints to get some lagging projects done. (The sooner I do them, the better. They strike me as a waste of my energy and time when I first need to back up my laptop so I can install Qubes, Whonix and VeraCrypt [for the sake of my sanity] before doing any work, since my privacy and security measures were clearly compromised by just about being forced to work with people whom don't give a damn about them and, consequently, have shown me the error of my ways. If I'm going to have no choice but to work with unsafe/untrustworthy tech, I'd best do it in an environment that's as locked-down as I can make it. One can never be too paranoid, protective or vigilant online, IMO. However, the people with whom I am currently collaborating/working aren't interested and won't give me adequate time to do so; they want what they want ASAP.)

I hope to review the various options and expand this post (or follow up with a new one) later with my impressions/opinions, but I make no promises that I'll make the time. If I don't find anything I like on that list, I might make my own dynamic document/spreadsheet creator (using JavaScript, JSON, maybe TinyMCE and MultiMarkdown, probably with the latter as a CGI, if not entirely ported to PHP), since I have/had some prototype code from when I was gainfully employed and it was going to be part of an existing Web portal, but that didn't happen. That project will also have to sit on the back-burner until I've got the other crap done (which could take a while, possibly up to a month, unfortunately).

“Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after you.”
 ― Joseph Heller; Author of Catch-22 (Often misattributed to Kurt Cobain)

Stay safe out there, folks. The Internet is a dangerous and centralised place full of shady characters!

Until next time, Snark out!

Thumbnail image: Various components of Google Docs, taken from Analytics Training Hub (see the Resources links below).