Like many on HN, I rely on Google's services to a degree that I find worrying. The reason for my immobilism is the usual one: Google's services are extremely convenient, and switching to alternatives is extremely costly in time.

Like many of you, I make it a point to investigate alternatives to G-Suite, Android, etc. Sadly, the answer to "is there a practical alternative to Google" has so far been a resounding "no".

After thinking about this some more, I'm beginning to think the question is ill-posed. I'd like to ask a better question, and I'd really appreciate your input. But first, let me list a handful of observations about my behavior as a user and customer that I think are important.

== OBSERVATIONS ==

OBSERVATION 1: I don't mind paying for software, I just hate accounting.

I don't often buy software, especially subscription-based SaaS products. For the longest time, I thought my aversion had to do with frugality, but I now realize it has to do with peace of mind. I refuse to accept the burden of tracking my subscriptions, being responsible for cancelling them when no longer in use, and chasing down the odd unexpected charge on my bank statement, or trying to remember how much a subscription costs and whether or not to cancel before its automatic renewal. Life is too short. The mere thought of such a snake-it provokes a response approximating an anxious rage. My reaction is visceral; one cannot reason with me on this point.

Subscriptions-management services don't solve the problem. They might remove accidental complexities that emerge from managing subscriptions -- visualizing pricing side-by-side, alerting me when a subscription is about to expire, performing the (un)subscription automatically, etc. -- but it is impossible for them to solve the essential complexity of subscription management: thinking about subscriptions.

OBSERVATION 2: I am a software developer, but I am not an advanced user.

I am technically literate, but most of the work I do in G-Suite is basic. I draft documents, often collaboratively. I use track-changes and comments. I use Times New Roman in 12-point font. I sometimes make basic slide decks, using the default theme and paying no regard to aesthetics beyond ensuring proper alignment. I rarely use spreadsheets, but when I do, I use the basic functions, and rudimentary formatting.

Same goes with email. Helvetica, ll-pt. Attachments.

OBSERVATION 3: Cloud storage is actually pretty great, but I mistrust you deeply.

In a utopian world, Cloud storage and SaaS software would be perfect! I almost always have access to the internet when I need it, and during the rare times when I don't, it can wait an hour or two. In this utopia, I could take full advantage of Cloud/SaaS offerings, effectively freeing myself of the need to store, organize, back-up and garbage-collect local copies. It would be great!

Only, here's the issue: I can't do that. I can't do it because SaaS platforms can't be trusted to have adequate disaster recovery in place, spy on me, routinely hold my livelihood hostage [0], and might arbitrarily deplatform me.

As such, I find myself in the ironical situation of having to manually backup my Google documents by exporting them to RTF and storing them in a well-organized folder hierarchy for a rainy day. My life has actually gotten a bit worse, but not so bad that I'm willing to give up collaborative editing.

== QUESTION ==

Taken together, the above observations point to something approximating:

1. Self-hosted service. Or, at least, some kind of ability to continue working in the event that the Cloud-based mothership fails or banishes me. Such self-hosting should be prepackaged and easy to install/configure.

2. Non-subscription based monetization. More generally: non-recurring expenses.

3. Optional cloud-based storage. Perhaps just a dumb S3-style API into which data can be backed up?

Does anything like this (or better!) exist?

[0] I'm looking at you, Lastpass.