2) I've also switched to DDG, but I still find that google gives me somewhat better results for things related to programming are academics. Apart from that, I like DDG a lot.
3) That's the big, big problem for me. I could stop using virtually any other product labelled google without problem (ok, youtube excluded), but gmail keeps me there. Not so much that gmail itself is so great (it is good, for sure), but the act of switching emails, updating contacts left and right, is just a pain.
4) it seems to me that most providers for hangout/video type of things are equally obnoxious with the way they handle your data..
Going back to the email stuff, I guess I'm also waiting for a decent alternative to pop up, as I'm not inclined to switch 10 times in the next 6 months..
One note here, if you're using Google Apps, moving should be a breeze as you can just change your MX records. However, hosting your own email could be painful.
For me it is especially great since my primary email is an alias domain on Google Apps, which means i can move my primary email off of google apps while keeping my google account working (also grandfathered into their free plan).
So switching email is just the matter of picking my own host. That could take a while, however.
For 3: email forwarding + vacation autoresponse help a lot. You get the messages anyway and whoever emails you gets an automatic reply with your new contact information.
2) I've also switched to DDG, but I still find that google gives me somewhat better results for things related to programming are academics. Apart from that, I like DDG a lot.
3) That's the big, big problem for me. I could stop using virtually any other product labelled google without problem (ok, youtube excluded), but gmail keeps me there. Not so much that gmail itself is so great (it is good, for sure), but the act of switching emails, updating contacts left and right, is just a pain.
4) it seems to me that most providers for hangout/video type of things are equally obnoxious with the way they handle your data..
Going back to the email stuff, I guess I'm also waiting for a decent alternative to pop up, as I'm not inclined to switch 10 times in the next 6 months..