Will Ubuntu allow me to avoid "the cloud", and keep my stuff on my computer, not a stranger's?

Question

Before I dive in to Ubuntu, and spend all the time reading and learning what I can, I prefer to use my own computer to store my stuff. Ubuntu's warning at the bottom of the browser stating Ubuntu uses cookies, for my benefit; sounds like Microsoft - not Open Source. Does one have to use the cloud, or can they maintain their own control over their data, and, does Ubuntu 'fee' use any kind of tracking/stalking monitoring tools - not counting cookies?

Everything is free on the Internet, one just has to pay for it; either with currency, or privacy. Does Ubuntu do both? Yeah, yeah the Terms of Use and Privacy. Know of a free Philadelphia lawyer to explain it in English?

I think Ubuntu could be the one to tell Micro$oft to stuff-it :) but it's not like installing Windoze, it's much more complicated. I hope Ubuntu tries to make it easier.

Answer 1

Yes, Ubuntu is free. You don't have to pay for it in currency or privacy.

Possible concerns:

• It used to be that Canonical stuck a deal with Amazon, and allowed searches on a standard Ubuntu desktop to go to Amazon after being anonymized by Canonical servers. It was on by default and could be easily disabled, but, following backlash, it's now disabled by default (see How can I remove Amazon search results from the dash or disable the feature?, Ubuntu with spyware?).

• Tracking could be via the Popularity Contest, which tracks installation statistics - but this is also opt-in and anyonymous. (What is the 'popularity-contest' package for?)

• There's also the recommendation system used by Ubuntu Software Centre, but that's going away soon and there haven't been many privacy concerns about it that I know of. (What data does the Software Centre use to give you recommendations?)

As for the cloud, Ubuntu used to have a cloud service called Ubuntu One, and it's long since dead. Now Ubuntu One exists as a single-sign-on (SSO) service for other Canonical products (Launchpad, Ubuntu Forums, Ubuntu Wiki, etc.). It was also opt-in while it existed.