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toastal

@toastal@lemmy.ml

toast.al

he/him

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toastal ,

With a little customization I able to generally get a setup I liked except for a persistent terminal-friendly top row from AnySoftKeyboard (Ctrl, Tab, |, /, Arrows left, up, down, right, Esc). I don’t do too much terminal work, but when you do, it’s so handy—but eventually I noticed how handy it was outside the terminal as feature like Ctrl+V or arrows being faster than using menus or long pressing the screen. Tab is really great for typing accessible code snippets too.

It’s a bit sad the dictionaries are held on a pirvacy-respecting, German nonprofit-held, free software Codeberg repository, but the main repository is tied to the US-based, megacorporate, proprietary repository. Not even a mirror.

The biggest selling point is how unlike AnySoftKeyboard, you don’t need to get an Android+Java environment setup just to add or tweak a new keyboard. Being a JSON file & having many to-JSON options, users are hardly shackled to a specific or difficult-to-work-with option. Even if not perfect, ultimately I might give this a fulltime go when I have time to write out the three language keyboards I need—which is not a phrase I could say about other options since the time to set up for & learn the basics for Android was a task too large.

toastal ,

I would be furious if a different app that required Android or iOS to use became the norm. Have a Linux phone, a KaiOS phone, or no phone? Too bad.

toastal ,

This would be a good use case for private posts on self-hosted Movim + XMPP. Only your followers can see the posts but they persist unlike messages which tend to fade either due to expiry or just being too far back in the history. The XMPP platform’s clients come with OMEMO for double ratchet E2EE & Movim has a slick progressive web app for anyone that doesn’t want ta install some app while being able to comment on posts, participate in DMs+audio/voice calls, as well as MUCs (multi-user chat).

If I had a kid, this was my plan.

toastal ,

One of my best friends I met playing LoL so I don’t know if regret would be the word, but… Going to Linux exclusively was one of the easiest ways to break the habit.

toastal ,

Adjustment layers are literally coming this year via GEGL.

toastal ,

If you want to keep the metadata on the photos, well GG since it and the color profiles will all be stripped

You may be offered a free premium Telegram subscription – but please don’t accept (archive.is)

Telegram is giving away FREE Premium subscriptions! All they need from you is to use your cell phone as a relay to text out their OTP codes! And the recipient of the OTP sees your phone number! What could POSSIBLY go wrong with this deal?...

toastal ,

Gajim, Dino, Conversations support multi-account clients. Threading doesn’t tend to work the same way tho.

toastal ,

My girlfriend said she prefers it knowing I couldn’t get other girls to talk with me over XMPP 😂

toastal ,

Signal is pretty broken. A chat app shouldn’t require a SIM card & an iOS/Android device just to create & maintain an account (too bad Linux or KaiOS users or folks that otherwise don’t want a smart phone). Multi-devdice setups seem to have issues. The desktop app being Electron is a waste of resources. They still don’t want to support UnifiedPush while highly encouraging you download the app from the Google Play Store & send notification data thru Google-controlled FSM. There’s also the missing history of the server code which is probably has something to do with US intelligence injecting code.

Is it better than a lot of things, sure, but it should be put on a pedestal nor seen as exemplary for private chat in UI or philosophy.

toastal ,

Retro has this meaning that it’s stagnant & no longer evolving while the protocol + XEPs are actively being worked on & not like a hobbyist making Sega Saturn games in 2024, but to solve modern, real-world issues.

otl , to Privacy
@otl@hachyderm.io avatar

Finally deleted my LinkedIn account!

After putting my account into "hibernation" for the past few weeks, I finally closed it. But I'm still looking for work. Thankfully I can still find positions (SRE and software dev) by just going directly to the company's site and finding a Jobs page.

Good luck to everyone else out there looking for work!

@privacy

toastal , (edited )

I got recruits to buy me coffee while I ranted at them about the tech industry. That was cool, but wasn’t worth how much noise is in the inbox nor the privacy concerns of having your data & network stored with Microsoft, so I deleted my account a few years ago.

I’d love to delete all accounts associated with Microsoft, but we need to bully projects off of MS GitHub that refuse to acknowledge the privacy concerns (as well as the mental health issues caused as a result of turning a code forge into a social media platform that your job probably makes you uses). npm falls in this same category but is easier to avoid.

toastal , (edited )

Not under your specs but the Sony Xperia line offers a headphone jack + microSD, can be unlocked, & has flagship specs (1 & 5). The 5 & 10 models are also smaller devices that actually fit in one hand too. This characteristic combo does not come in the other models folks are suggesting. Older models have LineageOS for microG support if you want an ungoogled phone (but beware the stock camera app is trash).

toastal ,

Be warned that the latest models ASUS removed the ability to unlock the devices

toastal ,

Or headphone jack

toastal ,

Because we need innovation, even if we got on just fine then

toastal ,

Must be a different part of Asia as no one uses WhatsApp here

toastal ,

Nope… SEA

toastal ,

When I was young, unless you had a driver’s license, everyone took the school bus (ain’t nobody walking 20 miles to school).

toastal ,

Both candidates are a joke & without voting reform it’ll stay as a cabal for the donor class, lobbyist, & corporations. It costs about $10 to mail my ballot to my very red-&-ain’t-changin’ domicile… so I’ll just keep my $10 & buy 6 made-to-order meals instead.

toastal , (edited )

I would agree but I spent very little time in my domicile & haven’t set foot within US borders in years. Seeing that I don’t pay (local) taxes or otherwise participate in the local community or economy, I would argue it would be unethical if I did vote in a place that doesn’t represent me & I don’t understand too well—like voting straight ticket without looking into any candidates. Last time I did a mail-in, I only checked State-level boxes since those you can easily research online & are more broad-reaching than the local level where only locals should be casting ballets for their community.

If I could vote on issues that actually affect me, I absolutely would—like FBAR reforms where you aren’t seen as a criminal for having more that $10k in a foreign bank where you actually have your address, tax reforms that took TurboTax out of the equation as the only ‘affordable’ option that actually lets you file with a non-US address instead of a no-service error, or Medicare/Medicaid reform that allowed vouchers or reimbursement for using services abroad rather than it being a money sinkhole you pay into your whole life, even if you don’t live there, but can’t redeem any care unless on US soil. These are never ballot measures & instead requires, ugh lobbying or a representative willing to champion these topics seen niche despite there being more citizens outside the US than some States in population.

toastal ,

Not at all surprised by this. I sold my car a decade ago, I just hope motorcycles can stay dumb for longer.

toastal ,

It’s still a measurable difference & it looks nicer having the pixels fully off. No need to dismiss the parent’s preference. Personally, I find the dark gray arguments pretty weak.

toastal ,

I’ve read that article several times before (and have written about the topic), but on a global screen usage scale 0.3% is still not 0% so you could argue that if saving power is the goal of using a dark theme on OLED devices, then maximum black would be a most ethical design choice. I will take my 0.3% battery + an aesthetic I like better any day.

toastal ,

elinks or w3m

toastal ,

Signal still requires a SIM card & an Android or iOS primary device. Usernames here just let you cloak your phone number, not keep it a secret from the service.

toastal ,

Install a family XMPP server like Snikket or otherwise. Show them the benchmarks of how little battery & data plan drain is used from Conversations forks. Explain how bloated Electron apps are & how you don’t wish that on your loved ones vs. Dino, Gajim, or a TUI client. Sidecar a Movim server so y’all can share long-lived, non-ephemeral posts instead of losing memories like photos in some long group thread. Let them know their data is safe with you as the operator instead of some massive for-profit corporation—and if they don’t trust you, they are empowered to start their own server to interop.

(This tactic has yet to work for me, but I will keep running into that wall til it breaks 😃)

toastal ,

Magic wormhole, Bitorrent

toastal ,

My brother, XMPP existed before Web 2.0 where after the cost-cutting way to ship an app was a browser option (browser options help accessibility tho)—where Electron was the most egregious RAM stealer. OMEMO has been around for multi-client double ratchet e2ee since 2015. An ejabberd server can be tuned to handle 2 million simultaneous connects—Synapse folds over like lawnchair at a single user joining a room with a medium-length history.

toastal ,

XMPP & Gateways

toastal ,

The comment implies Signal is peak chat when it’s flawed & other than maybe onboarding, isn’t superior to alternatives—with the phone number being a pro for onboarding is a con for privacy. It still requires you have an Android or iOS primary device (fueling that duopoly). They don’t want you installing it from a safer space like F-Droid. They still by default send notification metadata to Google & Apple (websocket support exists but drains a fair amount of battery & they refuse to support UnifiedPush). They still ship/use Apple emoji on Android & Linux. It’s still a centralized system you can’t self-host. They still have that missing part of the source code (where I would assume the feds planted something). It still isn’t a good space large chats. And the Electron desktop apps are far too bloated.

toastal ,

Libpurple had constant breakage due to proprietary apps having no incentive to keep their protocols stable. A lot of it worked easier then since no one was using e2ee either. Newer gateways exist in the space but it’s a real shame since for a brief time the earlier 2010s, most chat applications were using the same protocol—until they realized it’s harder to capture profits when the garden walls are lowered.

toastal ,

Or Slidge

toastal ,

Syncing for 15 minutes

toastal ,

Meanwhile Matrix was built & funded by Israeli Intelligence (to which I’m sure there are anonymous donors today). It’s expensive replication model means only those with the deepest of pockets can run a server leading many to flock to the mother instance of Matrix.org centralizing, replicating the data to a single node (being decentralized in theory, not so much is practice). It’s funny to see them call out Signal, but luckily there are private, free alternatives to both.

toastal ,

So is WhatsApp, Zoom, Jitsi

toastal ,

It also powers the communications / presence on many gaming avenues as well like Fortnite, League of Legends, & whatever Nintendo is using for notifications + online status (assuredly a lot more games).

XMPP is old, stable, & massively scalable for industrial applications -- while maintaining decentralization + efficiency & allowing for extensibility like OMEMO encryption which is covering most folk’s chat use cases. Since the XMPP foundation don’t put budget into marketing & hype, a lot of folks weirdly assume it’s dead or not being used. It’s strange to me how folks seem more interested in RCS & Matrix despite their histories/ownership/flaws rather than embracing what is already good.

toastal ,

We can start it up again. Time to nudge in the next Lemmy AMA to allow XMPP addresses alongside Matrix. You’d be surprised how little things like that can nudge adoption & pique curiosity.

toastal ,

Conversations compliance test has brought most clients into an acceptable base to where most basic chat/audio/video needs are met, so if you are comparing older legacy clients then the experience will be different. The XEP system means everything is optional & can be pitched by making a spec & seeing who uptakes the idea. It also means the bar to create your own server is absoluetly minimal since everything is an extension which means you could build one in a weekend which is great for those learning to code since the barrier to entry is extremely low if Conversations isn’t the goal.

IDGAF about Apple since you have to have a wad just to publish an application on their proprietary store & the EU didn’t do a good enough job so it’s expensive to open alternative stores like F-Droid while also being antagonistic towards sideloading as well as PWAs (not to mention needing to buy their overpriced hardware to build/release applications). Heck, you can’t even publish a GPL-or-similar-licensed app on their store. This is a giant slap in the face to free/ethical software developers & probably why the clients aren’t in a good state; if you aren’t trying to make money, why would you develop in an ecosystem that is entirely hostile for you to develop in?

Whats the purpose for usernames on signal?

Been using signal for years and love it and got the majority of my contacts on to it. My question is how are usernames useful now? You still need to register with a phone number with signal to limit spam and bots afaik and I'm assuming you should protect your username just like you do your phone number anyways because spam,...

toastal ,

If you rotate SIMs frequently, it gives you a more stable account identifier. The fact that you still need a SIM for an account is another matter…

toastal ,

Note that Prosody has a UnifiedPush community module that is simple to enable. This can save you from running one extra specialized server & one extra always-on connection provided you were already runnnig an XMPP server.

It feels a bit like a Scooby Doo reveal when you use Prosody + a Conversation fork seeing UnifiedPush is all powered by XMPP since it accomplishes the same task of a push-based messaging.

toastal ,

Developers can stop using Microsoft products today; say NO to neo-EEE including Windows, WSL, GitHub, Sponsors, Copilot, VS Code, Codespaces, Azure, npm, & Teams

toastal ,

This isn’t to say every project should self-host, but that they could self-host. And if you don’t want to self-host, you can join groups like Notabug, or a server hosted by a foundation like Codeberg, or the privately-held SourceHut, or even the open-core GitLab with its free tier (tho publicly-traded, most of the source is open & one can run the community edition if they wish). To assume if not self-hosted GitLab CE, then one must use a closed-source, US-based, publicly-traded, megacorporate, social media + code forge platform that’s trying to monopolize the developer tooling space is a false dichotomy.

toastal ,

The mailing list or maintainer email can accept your issues. You don’t have to have a code forge.

toastal ,

A lot of services like PayPal will block known Google Voice numbers. Screw all these service for even asking. I can do 2FA without a phone so you must be trying to collect more data than you should.

toastal ,

Sure. I love being able to browse code without checking out your bloated monorepo, but it isn’t a requirement.

toastal ,

There are several independent options for all of those that, while they suck to go to a different site, often do a much better job than the code forge—think how Gerrit makes PRs look foolish, Bugzilla, Trac, Trello, etc. even the humble mailing list. What’s also important to note is a separate servdce offers different (or even better) organization options. Say you wanted a “polyrepo”… well, new you need a separate issues/review for every repository which often doesn’t fit as concerns can apply to mulitple repos (which now that I think about it might be one of those pressures on folks to create monorepos due to tooling lock-in choices from certain forges). That’s not to say there isn’t a cost/benefit to losing the integration of a central spot or less servers to deploy, but it very well could mean that a small orchestra of independent services could better suit a project compared to opting into every feature a code forge is offering.

That is to say, the one feature you see in all code forges—even the simple ones like cgit—is the ability to browse code/commits.

toastal , (edited )

I dunno this lacks nuance… I think this could easily be referring to different economic situations. The concept of donation usually has this implication of not being a for-profit entity or for a indie developer’s side project. These kinds of apps usually are still either open source or source available which is different than closed, proprietary applications. With this focus on money, I would assume that “free” is meaning gratis where users can often be the product & while the source is not available …or some VC-funded product where they are loss-leading a free tier now just eventually charge everyone later which is hardly good, with a dash of open washing to taste.

toastal ,

Gratis vs. Libre

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