Well, there are, but they just happen to be using webkitgtk2 or qtwebkit, which can be problematic on websites made with modern, bloated frameworks. And, ad blocking options are more limited absent ublock. Depends on your definition of good I suppose. I much prefer minimalist browsers, like vimb, and then just avoid bloated and ad-riddled sites. But, I inevitably need to use librewolf for some stuff.

edit: on linux anyway

I make sure to only buy phones that can be rooted. This change still irks me, because it’s just another notch on the slide toward control and surveillance under the guise of security theater. If AI winds up being as effective as prognosticated, perhaps it’s less theater and more valid. Script kitties could then do a lot of damage.

My concern with sliding toward surveillance is rooted in principle, FOSS ideals that seek to empower users rather than plug them into a matrix. I admit that my idealism is likely naive, depending upon the realities of burgeoning technologies. In any case, I will continue to choose software that allows me to carefully curate what information reaches my brain. I’m in a weird place where I long for transparency, but I have little trust in existing systems. I want the world to be more open and less insular, yet I oppose recent pushes to force identification by limiting user choice. It feels rapacious; I need to trust the system sufficiently in order to consent. A society built upon trust would be far more resilient than one built upon coercion. Coercion is where I draw the line in most areas of life.

I appreciate the sentiment. One of the core conflicts I’ve had with family over the past couple decades has been their unrepentant usage of my data on these platforms. As a result, I never take or share pictures. They’ve responded over the years by casting suspicion on me, for not capitulating to the status quo, and for wanting to understand the nuts-and-bolts of technology. I’ve never shared mine nor others’ data. I worked in the data economy for about a decade and still, they’d dismiss my well-founded concerns in favor of corporate propaganda and the ego-dopamine loop. “What do you have to hide?” Dumb fucks.

I have mixed feelings. I do support the Swartz-influenced “information should be free” perspective, and I acknowledge that progressing toward that end requires popularizing a sentiment that influences the democratic process, while it still has some teeth.

But, no doubt popularity shines a spotlight on all data sharing, and link aggregators don’t have as much skin in the game as file hosts. Enabling easy access accelerates the war on information access. Perhaps it’s naive to think piracy and/or information sharing can compete with the deep pockets of capitalist stakeholders. However, I also think this conflict is inevitable as it becomes cheaper and easier to ID all users on a network. I wonder if the time is nigh for the activism that underpins a lot of the information underworld to play out. We are clearly in the acceleration phase of the human arc. Piracy becoming “annoying” is the least of our problems.

I initially downvoted you but then upvoted because I do think your comment valid and emblematic for some in the scene.

A few years ago, due in part to frustration with our information environs, but also for fun, I decided against getting broadband internet after moving to a new apartment. I didn’t have real internet for about 2 years. I did have 1GB/mo of cell data and used a 2nd SIM in a 4g mPCIE card as an uplink for my LAN. I restricted myself to mainly text using JS-free http applications or light protocols like gopher, irc, rss, etc. I quite enjoyed my time having to be very mindful of my data usage. It forced me to fully audit all the technology on my LAN.

If this kind of legislation passes, I simply won’t pay for internet. If both ISPs and telecoms start restricting devices, then I’ll forego cell-based data as well. If public wifi spots become too restrictive, I won’t patron those spots. I’ve accumulated more offline content on my server than I could ever consume in many lifetimes, so it really isn’t a loss. Hell, it’d be an opportunity to organize it all well, and share via meshnets. Don’t tempt me with a good time, politicians. I could save money, nerd out, and cut the noise from my information environments? Sign me up!

edit: I wanted to add: I do really like having a fiber link, but the main draw is having the ability to host my own services. If that goes away due to hierarchical pricing or device/encryption restrictions, 95% of the value prop disappears. I will not be strong armed into using overly-centralized services.

I love vi cli mode. vi-mode with OpenBSD’s ksh is my jam.

deleted by creator

Sounds like you consume useful information. I wager she uses socials as many: to compare herself to others, perusing a mix of ego-affirming and ego-damning content. These are powerful emotional hooks and oscillating between those states can be confounding. Add a dash of fatalism, which is not hard to come by in this culture, when at a low, and I think it easy to see how one might capitulate.

There are a lot of people out there that think their personality traits are inherent and that their physical attributes are static. In fact, my brother was one of these people. He passed away at 40 years old due to morbid obesity. I attribute his downfall to capitulation by way of comparison. He came to think the hole was too big and that his genetics were too poor to make changes, despite me providing an example to the contrary. Sadly, my parents fanned the flames of his dissonance with their own identity-bound delusions.

So, my guess is that you have developed a healthy personal philosophy and have not surrounded yourself with the type of people or digital content that renders that philosophy dissonant.

edit: Check out Daniel Dennett’s book “Freedom Evolves” for an appropriate take on the folly of genetic determinism.

I stocked up on rk3566/rk3588 boards during the pandemic. They make excellent little network appliances or light-duty workstations. Mainline kernel support is now solid for both chipsets.

Probably too unsightly for many, but I use gooseneck arms from snakeclamp.com. I use them for many things, like making helping hands for soldering, bike maintenance, and mounting monitors. You need to get one rated for the intended load. There are a ton of mounting base options and plenty of attachments, including one for holding tablets.

Sounds like it’d not be you ideal solution but thought I’d mention it on behalf of others.

Doublespeak has always been their bread and butter, like “trickle down”. Add the mindrot of “faith”, and bang, you have the reigns. My birth family ate that Reagan-era shit up.

edit: heh, I didn’t notice your username until after

Off with your head!

Do you know what would dry up those tears? A Copilot, to help you navigate your digital needs. Now, click this button, grant us root, and never worry again!

+1

I’ve used them for a few years now using my domain. It’s no nonsense and well structured. Eventually, I’ll just self-host, but this is a good option if you don’t have a reliable means to host or just want to get your feet wet before fully self-hosting. The $20/yr plan has been perfectly adequate for my needs.

Many years ago, I scooped up my lifetime plex sub for I believe $100. But, when plex started pushing their own login portal, I grew wary and bitter. I outright deleted my account shortly thereafter. I understand the hustle but, it’s no longer my cup of tea.

It matters if someone manages to hide an exploit in jellyfin’s codebase, or more likely, a popular plugin. I imagine many folk have permissive outgoing firewall rules, in which case, an exploit could establish connectivity. Whether that eventually leads to privilege escalation on the jellyfin host would depend upon other variables.

edit: I should add that I’ve not used jellyfin and am unfamiliar with how plugins are implemented. I don’t want to speak out of turn, only to suggest, in the abstract, that just because software isn’t exposed to the net, doesn’t mean it cannot harbor exploits that could become problematic. And, plugins are a common vector.

Speaking of calculators on android, I recently found an old silver link cable on ebay, which connects TI calculators to a computer, allowing me to dump the ROM of my old TI89. Loading up that rom in the ‘graph89’ emulator app is an amazing addition to a phone. Blows the socks off any calculator app.

But yes, fossify apps are simple. They do seem to be under active development, so hopefully they shape up nicely in the future.

Heh, praise uBlock. If it didn’t work as well as it does, I’d drop youtube in an instant. Invidious used to be awesome, but it’s so hit-or-miss now that I seldom try it. Youtube isn’t bad without ads, but ads + wading through clickbait bullshit just isn’t worth it.

Nice list. I recently started using Fossify Launcher and have been pretty happy with it. It’s simple but does what I need. Thought I’d mention it as it’s absent from that list.