Using Emacs as Terminal Multiplexer on Windows

If you're a developer or a power user, you probably understand the importance of having an efficient and organized workflow.

Whenever I get to work with a Windows-based system, I really miss the terminal emulator along with the ability to quickly switch between different terminal sessions. Not to mention, sometimes I need to gather 2-3 command sessions in a single view. There are many scenarios where I need to run multiple commands simultaneously. 

Sure, we have the command prompt, or Windows terminal to use, but it is not enough for a similar experience.

💡

Windows 11 Terminal does provide you the ability to create multiple panes within a tab. You can use the shortcut Alt + Shift + - and Alt + Shift + + to create horizontal and vertical panes, respectively.

With Linux, I had access to terminal multiplexers like tmux and screen.

But, wait, there is a solution on Windows 10 and Windows 11 that can work as a terminal multiplexer and a text editor – all in one!

Enter Emacs 🤩

Why Use Emacs as a Terminal Multiplexer?

While I have already mentioned why we are looking at a solution like Emacs, let me give highlight some more reasons you want to try this out (apart from the fact that it is open source and super awesome):

1. Less is More

Emacs is an all-in-one solution. It can work as a terminal, text editor, file manager, email client, calculator, a text-based web browser. All these features are packed in a 150 MB zipped file. Pretty crazy, right? You won't know all this until you give it a try!

2. Powerful Customization

Emacs is famously customizable. You can tweak almost everything: keybindings, window layouts, themes, and even the behavior of your terminal sessions. This allows you to tailor the environment to your exact needs, providing a highly efficient experience.

3. Integrated Shell Support

Emacs allows you to open a shell session inside a buffer, and with its support for eshell, shell, you can run shell commands, manipulate files, and perform operations right alongside your text editing. 

4. Flexibility with Windows

Emacs is great at handling multiple buffers in a single window. You can split your window into multiple panes (or "windows," as Emacs calls them), just like with tmux, enabling you to work on different tasks simultaneously without feeling cluttered.

Using Emacs as Terminal Multiplexer

Now that you know the benefits, to help you use it, let me give you a walkthrough on using Emacs as a terminal multiplexer.

Step 1: Install Winget

Winget comes as a part of the App Installer package. So, you need to first install the App Installer from Microsoft Store:

Step 2: Install Emacs on Windows 11 or Windows 10

Winget makes it super simple to install Emacs. Simply run this command:

winget install emacs

Step 3: Open Emacs 

Open Emacs from the Windows 11 Start menu.

Step 4: Run shell

Within emacs, press Alt + X, and type shell and hit Enter to get the interactive user interface.

💡

In Emacs terminology, the Alt key is often referred to as M, and Ctrl is referred to as C. I have used C, and M to represent the same throughout the article.

Now, with Emacs, you will realize the following benefits:

• A nice auto-completion system
• Ability to edit any previous command at a point
• Quickly jump between different command sessions.

Autocomplete selection

To see autocomplete in shell buffer, simply type in 'a' and then hit Tab, you’ll be presented with a list of options. You can select one of the options with a mouse click as shown above.

📋

If you see terms like C-s, or C-u, or Alt-x, read it as Ctrl + s/u or Alt + x.

To search for previous commands and outputs, hit C-s <your-term>. This is what I referred to when I mentioned consistent keybindings for all of your workflow. Within your Emacs environment, C-s will do a forward search everywhere unless you modify it.

To edit your previous commands, move your cursor to the previous command or do a quick search, make the necessary adjustments, and hit enter. 

If you want to open another shell, press C-u keys, and then Alt-x to open another shell.

By default, this buffer will be named “Shell 2”. And you can navigate between these different shells by C-x b and Tab. Use the mouse for selection. We’ll make it more efficient in the next section.

Terminal Multiplexing

Now here comes the magic. If you want to create two vertical layouts, simply use the keybinding C-x + 3. Then, if you want two horizontal layouts, use the shortcut C-x + 2.

For navigation to other panes, you can use your mouse or use Emacs shortcut
C-x + o

Auto-completion and multi-window layouts

Another quick tip. With just one line configuration, Emacs can provide useful completions based on your action with ido-mode. 

Save the line below in a new .emacs file usually located at your user C:/Users/YourUser/AppData/Roaming. After saving, you don’t need to restart Emacs.

(ido-mode 1)

Let’s enable winner-mode as well to undo and redo multi-window layouts. Add the line below to the config file like you did above:

(winner-mode 1)

Finally, save this two-line configuration

Simply, do Alt + x and then type eval-buffer.

Now with ido-mode, you can simply switch to shell 2 buffer using C-x b 2.

With winner-mode in place, if you want to get a full preview of a single pane, press C-x + 1, and then to go back to the previous layout, run

winner-undo

You can save yourself time by mapping a keybinding for winner-undo and winner-redo commands.

Keybindings Cheatsheet

Here’s a list of all keybindings we used throughout this tutorial.

Keybinding Shortcut	What it does
C-x C-s	Saves the file
Alt-x	Opens mini prompt to enter interactive commands
C-s	Forward Search
C-u Alt-x	Run another instance of the command
C-x b	Navigates between the buffer
C-x 2	Splits into two horizontal layouts
C-x 3	Splits into two vertical layouts
C-x o	Move to another pane
C-x 1	Get a full view of a particular pane

💬Do you love having multiple terminal sessions as well? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Author Info

Bhuwan Mishra is a Fullstack developer, with Python and Go as his tools of choice. He takes pride in building and securing web applications, APIs, and CI/CD pipelines, as well as tuning servers for optimal performance. He also has passion for working with Kubernetes.

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How to Install DeepSeek R1 Locally on Linux

DeepSeek has taken the AI world by storm. While it's convenient to use DeepSeek on their hosted website, we know that there's no place like 127.0.0.1. 😉

Source: The Hacker News

However, with recent events, such as a cyberattack on DeepSeek AI that has halted new user registrations, or DeepSeek AI database exposed, it makes me wonder why not more people choose to run LLMs locally.

Not only does running your AI locally give you full control and better privacy, but it also keeps your data out of someone else’s hands.

In this guide, we'll walk you through setting up DeepSeek R1 on your Linux machine using Ollama as the backend and Open WebUI as the frontend.

Let’s dive in!

📋

The DeepSeek version you will be running on the local system is a striped down version of actual DeepSeek that 'outperformed' ChatGPT. You'll need Nvidia/AMD graphics on your system to run it.

Step 1: Install Ollama

Before we get to DeepSeek itself, we need a way to run Large Language Models (LLMs) efficiently. This is where Ollama comes in.

What is Ollama?

Ollama is a lightweight and powerful platform for running LLMs locally. It simplifies model management, allowing you to download, run, and interact with models with minimal hassle.

The best part? It abstracts away all the complexities, no need to manually configure dependencies or set up virtual environments.

Installing Ollama

The easiest way to install Ollama is by running the following command in your terminal:

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

Once installed, verify the installation:

ollama --version

Now, let's move on to getting DeepSeek running with Ollama.

Step 2: Install and run DeepSeek model

With Ollama installed, pulling and running the DeepSeek model is really simple as running this command:

ollama run deepseek-r1:1.5b

This command downloads the DeepSeek-R1 1.5B model, which is a small yet powerful AI model for text generation, answering questions, and more.

The download may take some time depending on your internet speed, as these models can be quite large.

Once the download is complete, you can interact with it immediately in the terminal:

But let’s be honest, while the terminal is great for quick tests, it’s not the most polished experience. It would be better to use a Web UI with Ollama. While there are many such tools, I prefer Open WebUI.

12 Tools to Provide a Web UI for Ollama

Don’t want to use the CLI for Ollama for interacting with AI models? Fret not, we have some neat Web UI tools that you can use to make it easy!

It's FOSSAnkush Das

Step 3: Setting up Open WebUI

Open WebUI provides a beautiful and user-friendly interface for chatting with DeepSeek. There are two ways to install Open WebUI:

• Direct Installation (for those who prefer a traditional setup)
• Docker Installation (my personal go-to method)

Don't worry, we'll be covering both.

Method 1: Direct installation

If you prefer a traditional installation without Docker, follow these steps to set up Open WebUI manually.

Step 1: Install python & virtual environment

First, ensure you have Python installed along with the venv package for creating an isolated environment.

Run the following command:

sudo apt install python3-venv -y

This installs the required package for managing virtual environments.

Step 2: Create a virtual environment

Next, create a virtual environment inside your home directory:

python3 -m venv ~/open-webui-venv

and then activate the virtual environment we just created:

source ~/open-webui-venv/bin/activate

You'll notice your terminal prompt changes, indicating that you’re inside the virtual environment.

Step 4: Install Open WebUI

With the virtual environment activated, install Open WebUI by running:

pip install open-webui

This downloads and installs Open WebUI along with its dependencies.

Step 5: Run Open WebUI

To start the Open WebUI server, use the following command:

open-webui serve

Once the server starts, you should see output confirming that Open WebUI is running.

Step 6: Access Open WebUI in your browser

Open your web browser and go to: http://localhost:8080

You'll now see the Open WebUI interface, where you can start chatting with DeepSeek AI!

Method 2: Docker installation (Personal favorite)

If you haven't installed Docker yet, no worries! Check out our step-by-step guide on how to install Docker on Linux before proceeding.

Once that's out of the way, let's get Open WebUI up and running with Docker.

Step 1: Pull the Open WebUI docker image

First, download the latest Open WebUI image from Docker Hub:

docker pull ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main

This command ensures you have the most up-to-date version of Open WebUI.

Step 2: Run Open WebUI in a docker container

Now, spin up the Open WebUI container:

docker run -d \
  -p 3000:8080 \
  --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway \
  -v open-webui:/app/backend/data \
  --name open-webui \
  --restart always \
  ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main

Don’t get scared looking at that big, scary command. Here’s what each part of the command actually does:

Command	Explanation
docker run -d	Runs the container in the background (detached mode).
-p 3000:8080	Maps port 8080 inside the container to port 3000 on the host. So, you’ll access Open WebUI at http://localhost:3000.
--add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway	Allows the container to talk to the host system, useful when running other services alongside Open WebUI.
-v open-webui:/app/backend/data	Creates a persistent storage volume named open-webui to save chat history and settings.
--name open-webui	Assigns a custom name to the container for easy reference.
--restart always	Ensures the container automatically restarts if your system reboots or if Open WebUI crashes.
ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main	This is the Docker image for Open WebUI, pulled from GitHub’s Container Registry.

Step 3: Access Open WebUI in your browser

Now, open your web browser and navigate to: http://localhost:8080 .You should see Open WebUI's interface, ready to use with DeepSeek!

Once you click on "Create Admin Account," you'll be welcomed by the Open WebUI interface.

Since we haven't added any other models yet, the DeepSeek model we downloaded earlier is already loaded and ready to go.

Just for fun, I decided to test DeepSeek AI with a little challenge. I asked it to: "Write a rhyming poem under 20 words using the words: computer, AI, human, evolution, doom, boom."

And let's just say… the response was a bit scary. 😅

Here's the full poem written by DeepSeek R1:

Conclusion

And there you have it! In just a few simple steps, you’ve got DeepSeek R1 running locally on your Linux machine with Ollama and Open WebUI.

Whether you’ve chosen the Docker route or the traditional installation, the setup process is straightforward, and should work on most Linux distributions.

So, go ahead, challenge DeepSeek to write another quirky poem, or maybe put it to work on something more practical. It’s yours to play with, and the possibilities are endless.

For instance, I recently ran DeepSeek R1 on my Raspberry Pi 5, while it was a bit slow, it still got the job done.

Who knows, maybe your next challenge will be more creative than mine (though, I’ll admit, that poem about "doom" and "boom" was a bit eerie! 😅).

Enjoy your new local AI assistant, and happy experimenting! 🤖

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FOSS Weekly #25.05: LibreOffice Tip, Launcher Customization, Moving Away from Google and More

In the previous newsletter, I shared the new tools directory page proposal and asked for your feedback. From the responses I got, an overwhelming majority of FOSSers liked this idea.

So I'll work on such pages. Since I want them to have some additional features, they will take a little longer. I'll inform you once they are live. Stay tuned 😄

Would you like to see more pages like this?

💬 Let's see what else you get in this edition

• A new Hyprland release.
• FSF's new commemorative logo.
• Microsoft's popular offering being handed a lawsuit.
• And other Linux news, tips and, of course, memes!
• This edition of FOSS Weekly is supported by ONLYOFFICE.

✨ONLYOFFICE PDF Editor: Create, Edit and Collaborate on PDFs on Linux

The ONLYOFFICE suite now offers an updated PDF editor that comes equipped with collaborative PDF editing and other useful features.

Deploy ONLYOFFICE Docs on your Linux server and integrate it with your favourite platform, such as Nextcloud, ownCloud, Drupal, Moodle, WordPress, Redmine and more. Alternatively, you can download the free desktop app for your Linux distro.

Online PDF editor, reader and converter | ONLYOFFICE

View and create PDF files from any text document, spreadsheet or presentation, convert PDF to DOCX online, create fillable PDF forms.

ONLYOFFICE

📰 Linux and Open Source News

• Hyprland 0.47.0 released with HDR support and squircles.
• Bitwarden has tightened security for accounts without 2FA enabled.
• Mozilla Thunderbird 134 has landed with a new notification system.
• A few offers on Data Privacy Day.
• Microsoft has launched DocumentDB, an open source document store platform.
• The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has unveiled a fresh logo to commemorate its forthcoming 40th anniversary.

🧠 What We’re Thinking About

Facebook is banning the links from many Linux websites.

Everything is Spam on Facebook Unless It is Paid Post (or Actual Spam)

Linux websites are getting ill-treatment by Facebook.

It's FOSS NewsAbhishek

Microsoft's popular social media platform, LinkedIn, has been dragged to court over alleged misuse of user data.

🧮 Linux Tips, Tutorials and More

• Moving away from Google's ecosystem is a smart move in the long run.
• You can share files between guest and host operating system in GNOME boxes.
• Small tip on tracking changes and version control with LibreOffice.
• Learn to merge PDF files in Linux.
• And some tips on customizing the launcher in Ubuntu.

👷 Maker's and AI Corner

Running the impressive DeepSeek R1 AI model on a Raspberry Pi 5 is possible.

I Ran Deepseek R1 on Raspberry Pi 5 and No, it Wasn’t 200 tokens/s

Everyone is seeking Deepseek R1 these days. Is it really as good as everyone claims? Let me share my experiments of running it on a Raspberry Pi.

It's FOSSAbhishek Kumar

✨ Apps highlight

If you like listening to audiobooks, then Cozy can be a great addition to your Linux system.

Cozy: A Super Useful Open Source Audiobook Player for Linux

Cozy makes audiobook listening easy with simple controls and an intuitive interface.

It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra

Take your music anywhere with the open source Musify app.

🛍️ Deal You Would Love

15 Linux and DevOps books for just $18 plus your purchase supports Code for America organization. Get them on Humble Bundle.

Humble Tech Book Bundle: Linux from Beginner to Professional by O’Reilly

Learn Linux with ease using this library of coding and programming courses by O’Reilly. Pay what you want & support Code For America.

Humble Bundle

🎟️ Event alert

Foss FEST 2025 is open for registration. Groups of international students can participate in the hackathon and win prizes worth 4,000 euros. It's FOSS is an official media partner for this event.

Foss FEST 2025: International Hackathon

OpenSource Science B.V.

🧩 Quiz Time

Can you beat this Linux Directory Structure puzzle?

Linux Directory Structure: Puzzle

The Linux directory structure is fascinating and an important thing to know about. Take a guess to solve this puzzle!

It's FOSSAnkush Das

💡 Quick Handy Tip

You can easily open new windows for running apps by either Middle-Clicking or Ctrl+Left-Clicking on the app from the dock. It also works for apps that are not running.

0:00

/0:15

Usually, the apps open in the same workspace, however in multi-monitor setups, this might open new app windows on the other monitor.

🤣 Meme of the Week

Windows got destroyed hard. 🤭

🗓️ Tech Trivia

Apple launched the iPad on April 3, 2010, redefining mobile computing with its touch-based, versatile design. It bridged the gap between smartphones and laptops, setting the standard for tablets. The iPad's success has reshaped the tech world and inspired countless imitators.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 FOSSverse Corner

Pro FOSSer, Daniel is showcasing his Gentoo virtual machine setup on his laptop.

Gentoo vm install on my laptop

Up early this morning putting the finishing touches to Gentoo VM, to reboot to the CLI!! I have compiled two kernels, a gentoo-source, that I did a manual compile and a gentoo-kernel-dis for backup!! If the gentoo-source kernel works, I will nuke the gentoo-kernel. Just for fun, take a look-see Been awhile since we have had a 8 inch snow!!!

It's FOSS CommunityDaniel_Phillips

❤️ With love

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Share the articles in Linux Subreddits and community forums.

Follow us on Google News and stay updated in your News feed.

Opt for It's FOSS Plus membership and support us 🙏

Enjoy FOSS 😄

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How I am Moving Away From Google's Ecosystem

Google's ecosystem includes several products and services. It is one of the prominent ecosystems on the internet with a dominating market share.

While I believe their products require no introduction, as a formality, I should mention some of them as Gmail, YouTube, Google Chrome, Google Drive, Google Search, Google Photos, and Google Gemini.

Considering I am an Android user, and prioritize my convenience, I have been using Google services for a long time now.

However, I have decided to move away from Google's ecosystem to try out other options. Sure, it is tough to eliminate their presence without affecting my convenience, so the aim is to minimize it.

Before I tell you my strategy to make the move to alternative options, let me tell you why.

Why The Move Away From Google's Ecosystem?

Without a surprise, the first reason for the switch is privacy.

While I can never be anonymous on the internet, I can share fewer details about me and my data with the services I use.

And, Google is the least preferred privacy-friendly choice out there. They get to know a lot of about from the data you store with them. And, it is not illegal, but it is something that I no longer would like to do.

I should mention that I'm not mixing security with privacy here. Google has been good enough to keep my accounts secure, or else I would not have been safely using my Gmail account for such a long time.

Next, I want to give a chance to innovative players in the market. The options may not be necessarily better than Google services, but they have their unique selling points, which could unlock a benefit for me that I never realized.

And, finally, giving open source a better chance.

Now, let me highlight how I exactly plan to move from Google's ecosystem.

📋

There are some affiliate links in the article. Please read our affiliate policy for more details.

First Step: Finding Out The Areas With Alternatives

If you know there are options, it is easy to switch. So, first, I set out to find the type of services which provide me with options.

Some easy ones include:

• Search engine
• Email + Calendar
• Cloud storage
• AI chatbot
• Video conference
• Website analytics
• Browser

And, here are the ones that are a bit tricky to move away from:

• Document Suite
• Photo collection
• Video sharing platform
• Maps

I will tackle all of them, but let us focus on the easy ones first.

The Best Google Alternatives For My Use-Case (And Hopefully For You!)

Now that we know what kind of alternatives we need, I just need to narrow down the options that are capable enough.

Type	Service	Alternative(s)
Email	Gmail	ProtonMail, Tuta
Search Engine	Google	DuckDuckGo
Calendar	Google Calendar	Proton
Cloud Storage	Google Drive	pCloud, Proton
AI Chatbot	Gemini	Llama with Ollama
Video Meetings	Google Meet	Jitsi Meet
Website Analytics	Google Analytics	Umami, Fathom
Web Browser	Chrome	Firefox
Documents	Google Docs	Proton Docs, Nextcloud
Password Manager	Chrome's Built In	Bitwarden, Proton Pass
Phone photo Backup	Google Photos	Ente

Yes, I can list countless alternatives, but it is useless if it cannot do half of the things Google services let me do.

The goal is not to aimlessly move away from Google, but pick meaningful alternatives. So, with the above-mentioned categories in mind, I tell you about the best options that I use along with some suggestions for you.

✋

Please note that the alternatives I am using or suggesting may not be an exact replacement of a Google service. They might be good enough for me but perhaps they won't suffice your need or preference. Try them on your own and see if you are comfortable with the alternatives.

Search Engine: DuckDuckGo

In my opinion, DuckDuckGo is a great alternative to Google search engine that promises to keep your personal activity private while offering additional privacy-focused services.

For instance, I use DuckDuckGo's Privacy Essentials browser extension to get rid of trackers, and to generate free email aliases. I can also integrate the email aliases with Bitwarden. Not to forget, they also have a privacy-friendly AI chatbot providing access to AI models like Gpt-4o mini, and a browser for Windows/macOS.

So, DuckDuckGo's ecosystem makes it an interesting choice for what I need.

📋

You can also try some privacy-focused search engines like Ecosia, Startpage, and searx.

Email + Calendar: Proton Mail

Proton Mail is an obvious choice here because of its Google-like ecosystem offering. You can also try Tuta for privacy-focused email.

For me, I have been using Proton Mail since its early days. So, it makes sense to stick with it, along with the potential of using Proton's other services (which we will also touch upon as you read on).

Here, the relevant service to use with the email is Proton Calendar:

I use it for free (personally), and if I want to scale up my requirements, I can upgrade it to a paid plan for more storage, and features like custom email domains.

And, for my work at It's FOSS, we have a visionary (paid) account, so we get more storage, and all the perks of premium Proton services available.

I would say both free and premium options justify their use-cases to replace Gmail and Google Calendar for me.

Cloud Storage

Considering I already use Proton Mail (and its calendar), it is a no-brainer choice to go with Proton Drive, being an end-to-end encrypted (E2E) option.

You only get 5 GB of space, which is lower than what you get with Google. But, it should be decent if you want to store a couple of important documents.

And, if you want more, and aren't concerned about E2E, you can opt for pCloud, which offers more storage space, and explore other privacy-focused cloud storage services.

Top 10 Best Free Cloud Storage Services for Linux

Which cloud service is the best for Linux? Check out this list of free cloud storage services that you can use in Linux.

It's FOSSAbhishek Prakash

AI Chatbot

A replacement to Google Gemini? That's easy.

I just set up Ollama to use one of the best open source LLMs and a web UI to easily access it without the terminal.

12 Tools to Provide a Web UI for Ollama

Don’t want to use the CLI for Ollama for interacting with AI models? Fret not, we have some neat Web UI tools that you can use to make it easy!

It's FOSSAnkush Das

Everything runs locally, I do not have to worry about anything here. Of course, you need a decent system with a mid-range GPU like the RTX 3060 to run the AI models efficiently.

Video Conference

Google Meet is a dominantly used option for all kinds of meetings/interviews, but it is not open source, nor end-to-end encrypted.

You can opt for Jitsi Meet if you want enhanced security and privacy. It is open source, and end-to-end encrypted. If needed, you can self-host it to meet your custom requirements.

For more options, you can refer to our article as well:

5 Best Open Source Video Conferencing Tools [2024]

Don’t trust the big tech with your data? Try these open source video conferencing tools for online meetings.

It's FOSSAnkush Das

Website Analytics

Google Analytics is a popular choice among web administrators because it is free, and provides a lot of information about your audience to take better decisions regarding your content, product, and more.

However, there are better (and lighter) Google Analytics alternatives out there that respect the privacy of your visitors/customers, and still give you plenty of useful insights.

The catch is most of them are paid. I understand not everyone can afford to switch to a paid alternative, but you can start with the free ones (or self-host them), and choose to invest in paid options later. Explore all the alternatives here:

8 Best Google Analytics Alternatives You Can Try Today

It is not that complicated to switch away from Google Analytics with these options. You can opt for a free self-hosted one or go for a paid one as per your requirements.

Linux HandbookAnkush Das

Web Browser

Google Chrome holds more than 65% of the market share as per Statista.

Sure, it is one of the most convenient options. However, it does not offer good privacy protection features.

If you want to switch away to get better privacy, you can try Brave, Mullvad, or LibreWolf (a hardened version of Firefox).

Documents, Photos, Videos, and Map

Honestly, there are no easy replacements to this. So, you will have to decide if you would like to adjust, and willing to pay a lot more (in some cases).

Nextcloud Office (a self-hosted replacement to Google Docs)

For instance, you will not get a Google Docs like experience with Nextcloud Office (self-hosted) or CryptPad or Proton Docs, but they are manageable to some extent. So, you need to try them out and see if it fits your requirements.

Next up is tough, a replacement for Google Photos.

Yes, Ente is an excellent open source privacy-focused option. However, it is way pricier than what Google Photos costs for extra storage, as you get only 5 GB for free. Therefore, if you have numerous photos and videos, it will be an expensive switch.

You can choose to self-host it, and explore other self-hosted Google Photos alternatives. But, of course, you will need to spend some time and money there as well.

Self-hosted Open Source Alternatives to Google Photos

Google Photos can be replaced using these open-source self-hosted photo applications.

It's FOSSAnkush Das

Finally, we need a replacement for Google Maps?

As much as we could hate Google, I can never object to its usefulness and integration capabilities with every car out there.

You can try open source alternatives like Organic Maps (for Android phones), and OpenStreetMap (web-based). However, it may not give you the same details and experience.

So, choosing a document suite, map, and photo/video platform to replace Google services will be an inconvenient endeavor.

In my case, I have tried to use CryptPad as much as possible. But, other alternatives haven't worked out well for me.

Final Thoughts

With the options mentioned above, I might have reduced my Google-centric usage by 70%, but it is not a 100% yet. I hope to reach that mark some day.

I would love to know about your plans to do the same. Are you on the same boat with me? Have any other plans? Let me know in the comments below!

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