Man, I've got to get away from Gmail. I don't need to see fucking AARP ads in the mobile app.
@starbreaker
Move it already! π
@h3artbl33d Working on it. I gotta go to every site that sends me email and either unsubscribe or get them to send to my new address. It's a pain in the cock.
@starbreaker
I know right!
What I did, years back, was letting Gmail forward all incoming mail, so I could switch right that second. The forwarded messages were used to get affairs in order.
Ofcouse! Out of interest, to which provider did you switch?
@h3artbl33d
I switched to Fastmail a couple years ago, but couldn't let go of gmail. I'm also using an unmodified Android so I unfortunately can't 100% kill my Google account yet. 
@starbreaker
@ajdonovan2k
Perhaps flash it to non-Google firmware? NextCloud is pretty amazing for automated synchronisation; data, contacts, calendar, etc. I thought it would be a disaster, working without GApps/Play Services/GCM, etc, but it's a breeze.
@starbreaker
@h3artbl33d
I've read about NextCloud some, haven't looked into it yet though. Do you know if they have the capability to share calendars? And would allow the other person to add one to their Google calendar? I share two separate calendars with two separate people, and I know neither of them will switch away from Google. π
@starbreaker
@ajdonovan2k
Yeah, certainly! I have multiple NextCloud instances, mainly seperable due to on- and offpremise.
NC gives the tools to share calendars with other NC users with a mere click, whereas it's also possible to share with external non-NC users. I mainly have two calendars, a private one and a business calendar.
I assume it's also possible to subscribe to a GCal feed within NC, but not sure about it - didn't try/need that yet.
@starbreaker
@ajdonovan2k @starbreaker
However, you do need 'something' to run NC on. Preferable a VPS, or server.
It's even possible to run it on a Raspberry Pi, but I don't know about the performance impact. And ofcourse, if that might seem viable, there are other facts to consider. Redundancy, power/network outage (assuming it's ran from home), etc.
@h3artbl33d
I've been looking at their site, it looks like they have providers who will host your data and who encrypt it too. I know running your own server is best, but I don't think I have the know-how for that at the moment, or a machine to do so with. I'd like to learn eventually though.
@starbreaker
Yeah, running your own mailserver for the first time, can take quite some effort and cause some headaches, if you aren't experienced with the software.
If you are ever planning it, *please* send me a Toot, ping or PM. I'd feel honored to mentor you (whole or partially) through the process.
@h3artbl33d
That would be awesome!!! What kind of machine would I need? You mentioned raspberry pi but that it may not be powerful enough?
@starbreaker
Are we talking about a mailserver or NextCloud instance? The RPi commentary was for NC ;-)
@h3artbl33d
I guess NextCloud, you can host mail on NextCloud too, right?
@starbreaker
Sure you can! That's the beauty of it. Small disclaimer: I am an advocate for decentralisation, self-hosting, privacy, encryption and open source ;-)
@h3artbl33d
Oh I am too, despite still using way too much proprietary stuff. π I drive my friends and family nuts sometimes, but managed to get everyone I talk to on a regular basis to at least switch to Signal.
@starbreaker
Sounds familiar, very familiar! π
NextCloud does offer an e-mail client/app. It doesn't have a mail-server. However, both can be setup on the same system.
There are, if you'd like, Linux distributions that offer both NC and a mailserver, out of the box. As I am keen on learning, I would advice setting up your own. But if you want a full fledged, out of the box everything-server, gimme a nudge, I'll look into candidates.
You - I remembered. Was asking and curious for AJ. Is there a reason you two didn't consider a more known ESP (email service provider) that respects privacy, like ProtonMail, Soverin, Mailfence, etc?
@h3artbl33d
I do have a Tutanota account, but don't use it except for really sensitive communication with friends/family or political/activism mailing lists.
@starbreaker
@h3artbl33d
I think I'm going to start using my Tutanota account more though, would probably be better for financial stuff too haha
@starbreaker
A question you should consider before doing so: how and why are they offering free service?
In this case, the business subscriptions are very cheap, does that generate enough income to uphold this model long term?
Always be critical. Ask questions, do some research - so you know everything of a company/service/provider, up- and downsides, before you dive in.
@h3artbl33d
I'm more than willing to pay for privacy respecting services, I already pay for Fastmail, Tutanota, and for 2 (well researched) VPNs. I'll take all of that into consideration if I do go ahead with an external NextCloud provider. Thanks!
@starbreaker
@h3artbl33d @ajdonovan2k I've only heard of ProtonMail out of the set you mentioned. As for why I didn't choose them; it's my understanding that ProtonMail's safeguards are only effective when sending mail to other ProtonMail users.
I have a ProtonMail account, but I save it for when I need a secure channel or for when somebody requests a more secure venue. Most of the time I don't, and if I suddenly went completely dark it would probably raise flags.
True that. In fact, that goes for just about every provider. Things I take into account when giving advice (there is no one-solution-fits-all), are arguments like:
-> Where is the provider located? What international laws might apply?
-> Where are the servers housed, are they owned or through a vague lease construction?
-> What technical measures have been implemented for security, both for systems and network?
-> How good and fast is the support?
-> Online reviews.
@h3artbl33d That's a good idea. I'll have to set that up.