Slashdot Asks: Which Tech Giant You Can't Live Without?

In this week's column of NYTimes, Farhad Manjoo writes about the five largest technology companies in the world: Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Alphabet, the parent company of Google. As he notes, these companies have become the most powerful firms of any kind, essentially inescapable for any consumer or business that wants to participate in the modern world. This brings us to two questions:
1. Of the five aforementioned companies, tell us one whose services you don't need for work and for personal use. (In short, the company that doesn't matter to you.) Here's a poll where you can cast your vote.
2. On the same note, which company's services and products you can't ditch (for work / personal use)?

Comments

Middle Age Minority Immigrant Professional I think

[Brigadier]

Apple - Don't Need
not a fan boy, and though I work with CS I'm happy with the MS compatible product

  Amazon - Don't Need, but Really Like
What can I say as a guy, and a parent (see bulk diapers, toilet paper, detergent), and clueless shopper, they have become an asset. e.g. I bought my son a nice watch for his 16th birthday. I first attempted to go to the down town Los Angeles jewelry district. I had my negotiating cash in hand but realized immediately I had no idea what qualified as a good watch. Amazon to the rescue every offer was counter offered by the Amazon cost on my phone. Ultimately I purchased the watch on Amazon for less $10.

Facebook - Hate It
Humanity would be better off without it. I've watched all my associates become attention whoring narcissistic children. between that and eye catching adds funneled through friend likes it's kinda sad.

  Microsoft - Use It
Being in an engineering/architecture field it's required, the only alternate to Office has been Google Apps (see docs) I actually used this in a professional office until people could no longer deal with the accountants whining about there precious icons. (we went back to office). Yes I've tried the linux office apps think they work great but in my professional life this is a pipe dream

Alphabet - Need It (this could be google subliminal suggestions)
What can I say they whore my information but it works and it's cheap (see $100 android phone). I also just discovered the cool features in google photos. lossless uploads and automatic sorting. After 10+ years of Film, DSLR this is sooo convenient.

Re: None of them.

[TheOuterLinux]

DuckDuckGo.com and they don't bubble your searches either. There's nothing worse than showing subjective results and advertisements pertaining to your personality. You can turn cookies off, but they get more intimate with your computer than that; it won't help. No wonder assholes keep getting into office. Facebook is guilty of the same exact thing with their news articles. Anyone feel free to humor me; find a conservative and a liberal and tell them to google the same topic at the same time and see what happens. DuckDuckGo keeps things objective and private. It also doesn't need JavaScript to run and they have a .onion version for Tor users. So, no you don't need Google at all. When in doubt and need an alternative, ask a Linux user.

The cementary ...

[houghi]

is full of indispensable people.

The same goes for companies. Life existed before them. Life will exist after them.

What is even funnier is that all the examples are companies that do things that are pretty bad for the customers. So it is liker asking what finger or toe you would miss the least.

Apple: Abuse of copyright and trademark
Amazon : Abuse of workers
Facebook : invasion of privacy
Alphabet : Invasion of privacy
Microsoft : They ain't GNU

I am sure you can come up with a few more things they do. Yes, what they do is legal. That does not make it moral and are bad for the customer. So why would I favor one above the other if I would love to see them all leave?