Man, you nailed it—feels like every app is just trying to squeeze data out of me instead of actually helping.

Have you tried using tech that runs open source software and then running only open source software on that tech?

I'm currently reading "Tools For Conviviality" by Ivan Illich and he talks a lot about how technologies and institutions are demonstrably useful until they reach a certain threshold of implementation and adoption. After such threshold is however surpassed more implementation frustrates the original ends.

I've been using GNU/Linux for almost 20 years. I was tinkering with Android when it was a baby. It's felt like pulling teeth the entire time and it's only gotten worse. What's your point?

But it was better. That's my point. It never was great (in my lifetime) but it's getting worse.

Interesting. Seems to be the case, whatever the cause.

My experience is the opposite. I've been using nothing but Linux for 20+ years and since about 2010-ish it has been soooo much better than MS Windows, which I am forced to use at work. And it has definitely gotten better. Much better.

You're making my note much more narrow than it actually is. I never said GNU/Linux as an individual item hasn't improved. I've said the opposite in other notes. Being better than Windows is a low bar anyway, but yes, I agree it is. Or I wouldn't be using it still. And it doesn't run because tech companies have made their products more user focused. GNU/Linux has survived almost entirely by brute force. It exists in spite of what I'm saying. That doesn't mean things overall are serving users above all else.

Hardware is a great example.

How do you mean? To me it seems hardware is much better, plus now we have a bunch of Linux first computer manufactures. I don't have to edit config files to get hardware to work anymore, and since Android phones gained popularity, there has been much more Linux hardware support from manufactures because they needed to make Linux drivers to get their stuff to be compatible with Linux.

The key to running Linux is you need to buy computers that are built for Linux. If you buy a computer built for MS or Mac, you're going to have hardware issues. But computers built for Linux. Used or new Dell Linux computers have been great for this. There are also a bunch of really good Linux first computer manufacturers now. System76, Starlabs, Slimbook, Dell, Juno, Tuxedo, plus more.