While I've been reluctant to introduce bookmark syncing in Brave since I got away from that with Google, last night I applied Brave sync v2. I read it encrypts client side with a passkey generated locally before having the bookmarks sent to be hosted on S3. That receives the Bill's Thumbs-Up, 'You're a REAL Winner' Barking Seal of Approval! There's no Google account equivalent, rather, Brave just generates a passphrase.

On my phone, I stepped backward to reinstall Google Play services (com.google.android.gms) so that I could run my Logos Bible app. I didn't like enabling this, but not having GMS available tends to break apps that I pull from Google Play Store via Aurora Store. It doesn't affect my F-Droid stuff. That tells me all I need to know.

I'd like to reach the point where I require NO apps from Google Play Store; I can find its APK elsewhere or just don't need the service. Car insurance seems to be IMPOSSIBLE to pull off—do I really need that app? I've never been involved in a wreck (well, officially) and haven't been pulled over since Memorial Day Weekend 2000—I still insist it was RIDICULOUS that it mattered I was going 74 in a 65 at sunrise on the Bluegrass Parkway, a desolate stretch of southern highway if there ever was one! A simple, paper proof-of-insurance is the extent of the tech that I need there.

For whatever reason, I cannot grab some apps like the one for my insurance or HBO Max without disabling off the anonymizing features of Aurora Store; I haven't found the APKs hosted elsewhere, either. I'm weighing the notion as to whether I should stop installing apps from Google Play store entirely for 2022. It would be consistent with my dislike for that whole model of service.

An official repository has been a part of Linux for a LONG time, predating anything that Google/Apple has done—I absolutely love it! But, where they divide is a Linux repository is all about secure and stable apps, what's best for its users. Google, Apple and Microsoft reek of those evil marketers of the world. Instead of imparting, they are all about extracting: personal info, money, freewill—you know the tap routine. And most of the apps on there are a piece of junk. Some even have nefarious purposes; closed source will do that. Is this at all a surprise? While I intended to reference bit players, isn't that Big Tech's essence?