I agree. I mean, I like DDG and use it almost exclusively. However, DDG is a private company. And we all remember how well the phrase "Do no evil" worked for Google consumers.

...that was all over the news a month ago? You know, the company with the board that fired its famous CEO, followed by a revolt involving Microsoft offering to hire said CEO, followed by a breakup of the board and re-hiring of said CEO and replacement of several other board members...
 
Wow. All that news coverage and just a month later comes talk of a huge IPO. What an amazing coincidence!

Meanwhile, in my little corner of the Internet, I am bringing YouTube its very own line in my hosts file, opposite "127.0.0.1".

Maybe not unskippable, by definition, but certainly unviewable.

...is where I stopped reading.

Yeah, I'm noticing the same. I mean, they lost what, 200,000 subscribers out of how many million? ...and how many of those lost subscribers came from Russia, where Netflix recently ceased operations? The mass media seems to be acting suspiciously strongly negative in this situation. I smell interference from competitors and/or bad players in the market.

Dearest End User,
Google would like your help in identifying which of your photos are most sensitive to you.
By placing images into this folder, you are helping us 'secure' your images and maintain your 'privacy'.
We're not suggesting that we, as the creator and maintainer of the operating system on your device, would have administrator access to a folder on your device. Certainly not. And we would never use such access for blackmail, nor would we ever provide any access to government or other private organizations that request such access, even under court order. No. Never. We swear.
 
Sincerely,
Google
Trillion dollar global corporation that will "do no evil"

Anybody paying attention has watched Facebook repeatedly "apologize" for their wrongful actions. The old saying "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" may have played a role years ago, but at this point Facebook has wronged people way too many times. Anyone who trusts Facebook gets what they deserve.

"We believe that Microsoft can play a leading role in democratizing gaming..."

As Bernadette Bassenger once said, "you've got to be fucking joking."

'nuff said.

bought the dvd years ago, ripped it and put it on my own [media] server.

Me, too!

No. Just No.

I've pulled away from dependence on Microsoft, and have been pulling away from dependence on Apple and Google lately, too. I'm done with these companies taking what would otherwise be great software, polluting it with unwanted feature "enhancements", privacy invasion, spyware/telemetry, and - once we become dependent on it - a sudden removal of "free" and a pricetag or rental fee.
 
FU Google.

...who've written a book together. No ulterior motives there.

That's where you lost me

Excellent point. I haven't kept up... what are they calling their messaging app(s) this week?
"Hangover"?
"Chatout"?
"XMPeePee"?
Ugh...

Unix Philosophy: "Do one thing and do it well."

Google Philosophy: "Make 57 different apps to do 57 different things in mediocre fashion, then bring those features that consumers seem to like into one single, bloated app that focuses on "monetization opportunities". Oh, and "do no evil" (ha ha ha)."

Apple Philosophy: "Do one thing and do it well, but charge exhorbitant fees and make sure the hardware ensures vendor lock-in."

Microsoft Philosophy: "Don't do a damn thing. It's broke, don't fix it but do charge for it. Sell ads and personal information."

Facebook Philosophy: "Fuck everyone and fuck you, too. --Sincerely, Mark Z."