Introduction

So, new year new me? Eh, kind of: I wanted to strengthen habits I already had, specifically in the world of free software. I wanted to switch to as much free and open-source software as I could. I haven’t done too much, but in this article I’ll lay out the start I’ve made and some plans I have to enhance this in the future.

Clarification

I am by no means a FOSS purist, or at least I’m not forcing myself to be one. Free software is a hobby I enjoy, and something I strive to introduce into my life as much as possible. Even if all the software I use isn’t all free, if there is a free alternative that meets my needs, I will almost always use it. Why exactly? I like freedom, wherever possible. I also like my free software to be completely free. By this I mean no proprietary parts or services needed. This is important to me, as I’ll probably remain on the proprietary app or service I’m trying to leave until I find a completely open alternative.

Exceptions

On the other hand, here’s some proprietary software I rely on, some being my choice and some are not:

• Instagram - This is essentially the platform I have the most connections on. Most people I know will expect to find me on Instagram.
• ChatGPT - Running an AI model locally is extremely resource intensive, and is unrealistic on the mobile side.
• Spotify - I’m under a family plan, it doesn’t make sense to leave it. It’s an extremely convenient way to listen to lossless music.
• WhatsApp - Needed for work reasons, I don’t really have a choice here.
• School/work specific platforms - Again, not my choice.

Video games like Minecraft and Counter-Strike are games I grew up playing. I play them a lot less now, but I still get on sometimes to join friends :)

GrapheneOS and the Open-Source Phone

The Problem
Let’s dive in to some of the FOSS-ification I’ve been doing. For context, I had a Galaxy S23 up until November 2025, when my contract was coming to an end. When I was going for a new phone on the 30th, I had 3 main choices that Canadian carriers usually offer, which was the latest Pixel, Galaxy and iPhone.

Now I instantly ruled out the Galaxy. Ever since I got my first smartphone, I had only been on Samsung phones (I used an iPhone 6 for a month or so temporarily in 2023, but that doesn’t count). Besides that, the timing of my contract ending would mean a new Galaxy would release a couple of months after I got their latest phone. Samsung phones were also getting extremely restrictive from a freedom standpoint, so I decided against it.

Getting the latest Pixel was not a bad idea really, but I did not think that through at the time. I wanted an open phone with lots of customization and freedom, and the Pixel was the only phone with an unlockable bootloader. With all these pros in mind, I was blinded by my motivation to get an iPhone, which I will explain later. I also didn’t fully understand the changes Google was making to Android’s openness and changes to the visibility of their code, so in my mind the Pixel was just another proprietary Android phone.

I ended up getting the iPhone 17 Pro. Bad idea, I know. I’ll explain why exactly in a future article I have planned on the iPhone and the switch to Pixel. Long story short, at the start of this year I felt locked in by Apple, and wanted to once and for all find peace in my phone.

The Solution (I Think)
When I say peace, I meant I wanted something that Linux gave me on the desktop: A free and open source base to live my digital life in. I knew about GrapheneOS from before I got the iPhone, so I did my research on it and its availability before getting the Google Pixel 10 Pro on my birthday!

I spent the first 2 weeks using the stock ROM. I’ve heard good things about Google’s AI features. I knew they were things I really wouldn’t use, but I decided to enjoy them for a couple of weeks or so before making the switch to Graphene. 2 days ago, I finally did it: I installed GrapheneOS on my Pixel. It was really easy, seriously. I just used the WebUSB installer and it was done. It was way easier than my last time flashing a ROM (Samsung phones are a pain for custom firmware).

After some time on Graphene, I can happily say that the switch in ecosystem was not too bad. I even got rid of some proprietary software I used to use:

• TikTok - Since Instagram already has a reels feature I felt I could do without it. I did end up forgetting to keep some streaks though.
• Snapchat - I never really used this anyway, I just had it in case anyone texted me.
• Google Drive, Photos, Mail - I’ll explain this in detail in my dedicated article I have planned.

All the hurdles aside, I can finally say that I have an open-source phone! I have a lot to say about the switch and the issues I had on the iPhone, feel free to contact me through my socials until my next article.

Pictured above: Post-install screenshot.

The Fediverse & Matrix

I’ve been on both, it was just about committing further to using these platforms more often.

Mastodon
I’ve always used Mastodon. I made my Fosstodon account in 2022, however I didn’t really use it much until now.

Pictured above: My Mastodon account.

Switching from X
X (formerly Twitter) was the proprietary platform I was trying to move away from. I doubt I’ll ever fully leave it: there’s just some content you won’t ever find on Mastodon. I decided to make a bigger push to switch today, as I do not have X installed on my GrapheneOS phone. My phone was the platform I used X on the most, so leaving X there made sense to announce my departure from the platform entirely.

Pictured above: My X account as I write this article.

As you can see, I made my big post about the switch, then updated my banner and bio to reflect the change. I hope I can stick to this, as it’s pretty important for a FOSS lifestyle.

Life on Mastodon
It’s hard, for sure. There’s not a lot of people there and, there’s not a lot of discussion outside free software. I do like the algorithm however, as it boils down to putting the right hashtags in. When you combine the appropriate hashtags with a good question, you’re bound to get a couple of responses. Here’s a post where I did this.

Matrix.org
Matrix is a great Discord alternative. In fact, it’s way better than Discord. The main issue is the people you can’t access on Matrix. Most of my Discord chats are DMs, and servers are just not bridged in general. Feel free to find me on Matrix! I’m linked here. I used to be on the envs.net server, but they recently discontinued their Matrix service, so I switched homeservers.

As for recent developments with Matrix and my use of it, I’ve been using Matrix for years as well, I’ve just been using it more often nowadays, and got some more people to use it with me :)

Codeberg & Git

Git’s been a messy situation. I’ve been using 3 platforms before I wrote this article:

• GitLab - My main platform I’ve been using for years.
• GitHub - Used only for one repo, and that repo is for this site. I need to host it through GitHub pages.
• Worktree - A Canadian Git hosting service. I just wanted my work hosted on Canadian soil :)

GitLab’s already open source, but I feel like it’s cluttered with too many features I don’t use. I ended up migrating everything to Codeberg. You can find my profile here.

Bonus: Luanti + Mineclonia

I’ve mentioned gaming in the past, but recently I’ve been experimenting with the game a little. Mineclonia offers a very Minecraft-like experience and I’ve been having fun doing a survival world like I’d do on traditional Minecraft.

Pictured above, a screenshot from my personal survival world in Mineclonia.

I’ve been on the hunt for a good Minecraft-like texture pack. I didn’t want to use a direct port from Minecraft, as it would defeat the purpose of switching to a free alternative. At the moment, I’m trying a few new packs at a time. Gameplay wise, I hope I can beat the game (Ender Dragon) in this world similarly to Minecraft. Maybe I can go even further, who knows?

Conclusion

So, I’ve been switching up some of my proprietary apps and services for free alternatives. I think I’ve made some progress fully switching, but there’s still a lot to go. This may be:

• Switching email provider from Google.
• Reducing reliance on YouTube & Instagram.
• Finding alternatives to proprietary apps on my phone.

And much more. For now, I have a good start I can build on in the future. Expect an article on the phone switch coming soon!