After layoffs, cancellations, and controversy, ZA/UM UK staff unionise as the Workers' Alliance
After layoffs, cancellations, and controversy, ZA/UM UK staff unionise as the Workers' Alliance
"We like being here. We want to continue being here. So let's try and get a seat at the table in the big management meetings."Jeremy Peel (GamesIndustry.biz)
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After layoffs, cancellations, and controversy, ZA/UM UK staff unionise as the Workers' Alliance
After layoffs, cancellations, and controversy, ZA/UM UK staff unionise as the Workers' Alliance
"We like being here. We want to continue being here. So let's try and get a seat at the table in the big management meetings."Jeremy Peel (GamesIndustry.biz)
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After layoffs, cancellations, and controversy, ZA/UM UK staff unionise as the Workers' Alliance
After layoffs, cancellations, and controversy, ZA/UM UK staff unionise as the Workers' Alliance
"We like being here. We want to continue being here. So let's try and get a seat at the table in the big management meetings."Jeremy Peel (GamesIndustry.biz)
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After layoffs, cancellations, and controversy, ZA/UM UK staff unionise as the Workers' Alliance
After layoffs, cancellations, and controversy, ZA/UM UK staff unionise as the Workers' Alliance
"We like being here. We want to continue being here. So let's try and get a seat at the table in the big management meetings."Jeremy Peel (GamesIndustry.biz)
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Opinion | A new era in abortion services may be over before it ever really began
This past week, Republicans dialed up the anti-abortion pressure campaign on the Trump Food and Drug Administration when virtually every Republican senator signed a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asking the FDA to impose new restrictions on mifepristone, a drug currently used in the majority of abortions nationwide.The senators ask the FDA to suspend further generic approvals, prohibit telehealth access to mifepristone, and immediately stop mifepristone distribution altogether by declaring the drug to be an “imminent hazard” under federal law.
The Trump administration has undertaken a study of mifepristone, which abortion opponents believe will lead to the restoration of pre-2016 restrictions that disallowed telehealth.
Republican senators turn to RFK Jr. to lead the latest attack on abortion access
Republican lawmakers in states like Louisiana, Missouri, Idaho and Texas hope the Supreme Court will decide that the FDA had no authority to approve mifepristone or permit telehealth access to it.Mary Ziegler (MSNBC)
What's the best chat to self host?
I'm looking into a few different chat servers, probably just for family on my tailnet.
I like the idea that simplex allows video chat. My server is a repurposed optiplex 3060so I think it should be able to handle it. Is anyone doing this? Do you think it's worth it?
Should I be considering other options like XMPP?
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IMO Snikket (XMPP) is the easiest all-in-one solution with audio/video chat at the moment. Pretty good on resources too.
I currently host a Matrix Synapse server, but:
- Matrix seems to be expanding in the corporate / institutional direction, more services are expected for regular functionality
- Element X (upcoming client) breaks calls compatibility with old Element, now requiring Element Call. It's kind of a mess, I presume this is to support group calls, but makes it a PITA to use currently.
- Even with small number of users, Synapse DB grows in size due to state_groups_state table, non-deletable users, and copying ALL data from other servers' rooms (this one is by design but still...)
I have gone down the matrix rabbit hole but i choose Continuwity, which is the successor to Conduwuit after the community drama.
It's a rust server alternative to synapse, it's lightweight and works very well.
Fuck synapse, it's a colossal pain for small servers, not worth it. I also actively avoid anything related to the company behind it since I think they poison what matrix could be.
I wish I started with XMPP, but now I am selfhosted on matrix, so.
Inverse mouse pointer
My wife had just switched from windows to the latest Mint (Cinnamon). The one thing she misses from windows is the mouse pointer. It animates so that it's light coloured on dark objects and dark on light objects. It makes it easy for her to find.
Anyone know how to do this in Cinnamon?
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This is definitively not a default Windows mouse pointer and neither will be in any other environment, you have to customize it.
Do you just want black pointer with white border or white pointer with a black pointer? What’s the issue?
Or maybe a feature like in KDE or MacOS that shaking the mouse makes the pointer extremely large for a brief moment?
I have to disagree.
The inverted cursor is part of the default Windows mouse cursor themes.
@OP I don't think it's a default on any Linux Desktop Environments though. But you might be able to find a theme that does this.
Perhaps a relevant forum post, that mentioned a keyboard shortcut to quickly locate your cursor.
You are disagreeing and then saying totally correct other thing that I also agree with.
Yes, the inverted cursor themes are installed in every Windows, they are not enabled by default, you have to go to options and enable them, which is a part of customizing your installation to your needs.
github.com/jinliu/kwin-effect-…
Kwin won't load C++ plugins from your home directory, so you have to install it to /usr
GitHub - jinliu/kwin-effect-xorcursor: XOR Cursor effect for KDE Plasma
XOR Cursor effect for KDE Plasma. Contribute to jinliu/kwin-effect-xorcursor development by creating an account on GitHub.GitHub
Yeah, unfortunately there's no inverse mouse cursor theme. I loved it on windows as well. What I'm using now is this "Hackneyed high contrast cursors" theme, the green one to be specific, and I absolutely love it.
::: spoiler Example.
:::
I don't actually know, but I assume mouse themes are universal? Or does KDE mouse themes now work with Cinnamon?
::: spoiler In KDE Plasma there's also a setting where you can shake your cursor to make it bigger, although I don't feel like I need it.
:::
I read that there's an extension for Cinnamon that does the same, although I also saw a bug report that it might be broken, idk. Worth a shot. .
Hackneyed High Contrast Static Cursors
Overview This is a modified version of the Hackneyed (Open Desktop) cursor theme. The modified cursors are high contrast with colours based on the default Windows 10 and 11 cursor colours. The...www.pling.com
Sort of like when a fps has a torch only level.
That'd be interesting!
Browse Cursors Latest | www.gnome-look.org/browse?cat=107
Browse Cursors Latest | https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?cat=107 | A community for free and open source software and libre contenthttps://www.gnome-look.org/browse?cat=107
New BSD Cafe Service: ntfy Server at BSD Cafe
Push notifications have been part of our lives for almost twenty years now. Our days are often punctuated by notifications of all kinds: a new message from the bank, a chat among friends, the work group, the ever-present social networks. All these notifications often have one thing in common: they pass through the servers of our smartphone operating system manufacturers, primarily Apple and Google.
It’s part of the implementation, and that’s fine. But we need to be aware that these notifications reveal a lot about us: in the best case, metadata (meaning they know who sends them to us, the size, etc.). In the worst case, the entire content. Sure, we have nothing to hide. But this morning, when I received a bank transfer from a client, I didn’t lean out the window shouting to the whole neighborhood that a transfer had arrived from that client, of a specific amount, with a specific reference.
UnifiedPush is a protocol that allows creating a different infrastructure for notification distribution. Notifications use WebPush, so they’re encrypted by the sender (e.g., Mastodon or Matrix server) and decrypted by the device. The server, therefore, doesn’t see the notification content itself.
The Service
I’m announcing a service that has already been active for some time – almost a year – on BSD Cafe servers. It’s an ntfy server, and the rationale is simple: if you use it for BSD Cafe services (like Mastodon and Matrix), no notification or data will leave BSD Cafe servers to pass through third parties: from BSD Cafe server, to BSD Cafe ntfy, to your device.
Server address: https://ntfy.bsd.cafe
Obviously it’s not limited only to BSD Cafe services, but you can use it with any other service that supports ntfy or UnifiedPush.
How to Use It
Just install the ntfy app (available on F-Droid, Play Store, etc.), go to settings and set https://ntfy.bsd.cafe as the server. From that moment on, any app opening a UnifiedPush channel will do so through that server.
The server is also accessible via pure https, from a browser: https://ntfy.bsd.cafe
From there you can also create a topic, subscribe, and send or receive messages and updates.
Why
The goal is, also with this service, to provide another opportunity to access content and services without necessarily depending on a fixed provider, because monoculture is and will always be a problem.
The service is available to everyone. Happy notifications!
BSD.cafe Mastodon Portal
Welcome to the BSD Cafe! We're excited to serve you the best flavors of BSD, including FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and DragonflyBSD. But if you prefer Linux, you're welcome here too!Mastodon hosted on bsd.cafe
Handcrafted Excellence: The Art of Replica Hublot Watches
Welcome to the fascinating world of replica watches, where precision meets luxury, and every timepiece tells a story. At ReplicaHublot.io, we are passionate about creating watches that not only capture the essence of iconic designs but also reflect our dedication to craftsmanship and attention to detail.
Why Choose Replica Watches?
In a world where time is precious, so are the moments that define us. At ReplicaHublot.io, we believe that luxury shouldn't be out of reach. Our replica watches offer the perfect blend of style, precision, and affordability, allowing you to own a piece of watchmaking excellence without compromising on quality.
The Craftsmanship Behind Every Watch
Every watch we create is more than just a timepiece—it's a testament to our commitment to excellence. Our team of skilled craftsmen works tirelessly to replicate the intricate details of iconic watches, from the dial design to the movement mechanism. We use only the finest materials and cutting-edge technology to ensure that each replica not only looks authentic but also performs flawlessly.
Quality You Can Trust
When you invest in a watch, you want it to last. At ReplicaHublot.io, we prioritize quality and durability. Our watches are built to withstand the test of time, ensuring that you can enjoy your purchase for years to come. Whether you're looking for a statement piece or a reliable everyday watch, our collection has something for everyone.
Design That Captivates
Luxury watches are about more than just telling time—they're about making a statement. Our replica watches are designed to turn heads with their stunning aesthetics and meticulous attention to detail. From bold colors to intricate patterns, every watch is crafted to reflect the elegance and sophistication of its original inspiration.
What Sets Us Apart?
In a crowded market, it's essential to stand out. At ReplicaHublot.io, we pride ourselves on our transparency and commitment to customer satisfaction. We believe in empowering you with the information you need to make an informed decision. Whether you're a seasoned watch collector or new to the world of replica watches, we're here to guide you every step of the way.
Hear from Our Community
Don't just take our word for it—our customers have spoken! Many of our clients have shared their experiences and appreciation for the quality and craftsmanship of our watches. We're thrilled to hear that our timepieces have become trusted companions in their daily lives.
Join the Conversation
We love hearing from our community, and we encourage you to share your thoughts and feedback with us. What do you value most in a replica watch? Is it precision, style, or affordability? Let us know in the comments below—we value your insights!
Final Thoughts
If you're ready to experience the perfect blend of luxury and craftsmanship, visit ReplicaHublot.io. Explore our collection of replica watches and discover how we are redefining the way people enjoy luxury timepieces.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. Together, let's celebrate precision, style, and the timeless allure of luxury watches.
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More Evidence Emerges That One of Saturn’s Moons Could Harbor Life
A recent study of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, has detected several organic compounds that had never been recorded there before. The findings, published this month in Nature Astronomy, provide new clues about the interior chemical composition of this icy world, as well as new hope that it could harbor life.
The researchers analyzed data from the Cassini probe, which launched in 1997 and studied Saturn and its moons for years until its destruction in 2017. For Enceladus, Cassini gathered data from ice fragments forcefully ejected from the moon’s subsurface ocean up into space.
Enceladus is one of 274 bodies so far discovered in Saturn’s gravitational pull. It measures about 500 kilometers in diameter, making it the planet’s sixth-largest satellite. While this moon does not stand out for its size, it is notable for its cryovolcanoes—geysers at Enceladus’s south pole that spew out water vapor and ice fragments. Plumes of ejected material can extend to nearly 10,000 kilometers in length, which is more than the distance from Mexico to Patagonia, and some of this material rises into space. The outermost of Saturn’s main rings—its E ring—is primarily made up of ice ejected into space by Enceladus.
This material is believed to come from a saline water chamber beneath the moon’s icy crust that is connected to its rocky core. It’s possible that chemical reactions are taking place down there, under high pressure and heat.
Until now, most chemical analyses of ice from Enceladus were of particles deposited in Saturn’s E ring. But during a high-speed flyby of the moon in 2008, Cassini was fortunate enough to directly sample freshly ejected fragments from a cryovolcano. The new research paper reanalyzed this data, confirming the presence of previously detected organic molecules, as well as revealing compounds that had previously been undetected.
“Such compounds are believed to be intermediates in the synthesis of more complex molecules, which could be potentially biologically relevant. It is important to note, however, that these molecules can be formed abiotically as well,” Nozair Khawaja, a planetary scientist at Freie Universität Berlin and lead author of the study, told Reuters. The discovery significantly expands the range of confirmed organic molecules on Enceladus.
The key is that the compounds appeared in freshly ejected particles, suggesting that they were formed within the moon’s hidden ocean or in contact with its internal interfaces, not during their journey through the E ring or via exposure to the conditions of space. This reinforces the hypothesis that hydrothermal processes beneath Enceladus’s surface could be generating rich organic chemistry. Combining this new research with previous studies, scientists have now found five of the six elements essential for life—carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur—in the satellite’s ejected material.
This itself is not a discovery of life, nor of biosignatures—the signs of life. However, the research confirms that Enceladus has the three basic conditions for life to form: liquid water, an energy source, and essential elements and organics. “Enceladus is, and should be ranked, as the prime target to explore habitability and search whether there is life or not,” Khawaja said.
https://www.wired.com/story/more-evidence-emerges-that-one-of-saturns-moons-could-harbor-life/
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itsfoss promotes hyprland on instagram!?
What is going on?
I've been very disappointed this morning
context: Hyprland/DHH is a very toxic and right wing community
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Help finding Csharpassembly editor without IL editing stripped out
when did you last download it? of course you'd not know if you haven't gotten it for like a year or even 6 months, this change was very recent far as I am aware
This just isn't true, wtf? Last release has been 5 years ago. I last downloaded it 2 years ago
IL editor for low-level IL method body editing
Is one of the features in the README. Where tf did you stumble across all this misinformation?
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تحريرها كلها ممكن, MinekPo1 [it/she], Someplaceunknown, everett, Yeromon, that_one_guy, db0, Ithorian [comrade/them], olof, dragnucs, testman, Rokin, z3rOR0ne, jutty, folaht, qt0x40490FDB, prototype_g2, TankieTanuki [he/him], dnf, jinx e like this.
This is no joke. This is reality.
Source: I did an internal project for tech support at their department once and so experienced their daily operations around me, although they didn't get paid per finished task.
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I've seen this.
I have also done this.
I haven't really understood Windows since XP died. I understand it even less since I started using Linux. All I know how to do is power cycle the machine a couple times. Which tends to fix a lot of things, not just Windows and not just PCs. If a reboot doesn't help, all I'll tell you is to ask someone more knowledgeable about Windows than I am, or reinstall the whole damn thing.
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Kubuntu - SDDM not loading
At first Instead of my SDDM I would just see an after image of what was last displayed on screen. But if I typed in my password and pressed enter, it would let me in just fine. Then after following some suggestions from users in r/Kubuntu I’ve made a bit of progress. Now when I boot up my computer instead of the SDDM being invisible, it now doesn’t load at all, from there I switch to tty3 then back to tty2 and then log in through the terminal. After that I run startplasma-wayland and then I have access to my desktop. The post where all this went down - reddit.com/r/Kubuntu/comments/…
Does anyone know a fix? I would like to be able to see my login screen.
Here’s my specs in case that would help - i.imgur.com/XtC43zw.png
And here’s my journalctl output after booting and launching plasma - pastebin.com/nnGsWebd
journalctl output kubuntu - Pastebin.com
Pastebin.com is the number one paste tool since 2002. Pastebin is a website where you can store text online for a set period of time.Pastebin
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“A Google for DNA”: Scientists Launch Groundbreaking Search Engine for Genetic Code
A new tool developed at ETH Zurich, MetaGraph, allows scientists to search through vast public DNA and RNA databases in seconds — like a “Google for DNA.”
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This Indiana city doesn’t have to pay an innocent mom $16,000 after police wrecked her home, court rules
Law enforcement launched 30 tear gas canisters into Amy Hadley's home, smashed windows, ransacked furniture, destroyed security cameras, and more. The government gave her nothing.
Indiana mom whose home was wrecked by police can't sue, court rules
Cops launched 30 tear gas canisters into Amy Hadley's home, smashed windows, ransacked furniture, destroyed security cameras, and more.Billy Binion (Reason Magazine)
Naked bike riders demonstrate against federal troops in 'quintessentially Portland' protest
Protesters are pedaling through Portland's streets wearing nothing or close to it to rally against the Trump administration.
https://apnews.com/article/portland-oregon-naked-bike-ride-protest-43ecafc5f5ce0a7d7f44dc016fbe86d0
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Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, report says, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’
Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale’, a report by 160 scientists from 23 countries warns
Archived version: archive.is/20251013004807/theg…
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
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Taiwan says ‘T-Dome’ to better integrate air defence system for higher kill rate
A special budget to come by the end of 2025 will focus on new equipment for the T-Dome.
Archived version: archive.is/newest/straitstimes…
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
Taiwan says ‘T-Dome’ to better integrate air defence system for higher kill rate
A special budget to come by the end of 2025 will focus on new equipment for the T-Dome. Read more at straitstimes.com.ST
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I just found out my fiancee wants to switch to linux, lets start a distro war, what should be her first? + other questions
So i was surprised today when my fiancee told me she was thinking about switching over to linux. Surprised because she is absolutely not technically minded, but also because she was weary about having Microsoft AI slop forced on her PC every update. ( i'm so proud!)
Now i've used a little linux but i've always been a holdout. Won't stop me from moving someone else over but i have too much going on in my setup to deal with that right now. So i'm not super versed but i was able to give her the basic rundown of what distros are, concerns when switching, what may and may not be available, shes still on board so we're doing this! Knowing her she would like to not have to transition too much, whats something fairly hands off and easy to learn. I've heard some good things about mint from hanging around you nerds the past few years but also some not so good things, any suggestions?
next concern is what kind of transfer process is this going to be? i have some spare HDD's so we can try and get everything ported over but i'm so busy with school right now i can't quite allocate the time to really deep dive this.
Any help is appreciated, cheers!
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On atomic distros, you install stuff mostly via flatpak and distrobox. I'd even recommend using distrobox on traditional systems because you can just kill the box if you don't want it any longer. You can have multiple package managers at the same time installed without problems, e.g. yay, dnf and zypper. I guess you could even take your box with you when switching to a new distro (e.g. when switching from atomic fedora to opensuse as I did recently) but I have not yet done that.
Yes, management could be more end user friendly, but it'll get there
You can go with the Slowroll version which is Tumbleweed but with a week delayed updates which might prevent issues in updates you'd have on Tumbleweed. Personally, been with Tumbleweed for a year now and haven't had issues with updates.
You need to apply the update from time to time. You'll have to teach the user to do that. But you can create a simple alias in the terminal so they don't have to remember the update commands (system update and flatpak update cmds).
Mint.
No war. I don't use it, myself, but I've set up a couple family members and over þe past several years have gotten two tech support calls: one about connecting to a WiFi printer, which required only me telling þem how to get to system preferences; þe oþer because þey'd bought a new laptop which came wiþ Windows 11 and þey wanted help installing Linux (which þey were used to) on it instead.
Even as an EndeavourOS user, I concur: Mint. Why? Cinnamon is hands down the best desktop environment. Beginner friendly default without blasting features in one's face with configs all over the place, yet intuitively customizable for experienced Linux users.
This means she will be able to freely use it without your help, but you will be able to easily fine tune it to her preferences as well.
⚜︎ arscyni.cc: modernity ∝ nature.
⚜︎ arsCynic: modernity ∝ nature | Angelino Desmet
A sentient stack of stardust's thoughts on nothing and everything, influenced by Cynicism, pursuing modernity in proportion to nature.www.arscyni.cc
I guess a good question would be what software you plan on using. If it's something more reliant on frequent updates and feature releases like gaming, the choice would be a bit different compared to something like office work or common browsing, where stability would be prioritized (at the cost of slower updates).
Mint, for example, is a great jumping off point for Windows users because of the familiar User Interface and a focus on stability and lack of prior knowledge required - but it lags behind when it comes to cutting edge stuff for things like gaming.
Curious what kind of real world use makes it a good choice?
It's declarative. Everything is (usually) configured via Nix itself, without requiring manual steps of running additional commands. This ends up being pretty useful when you have a fleet of devices that you want to configure.
Changing config is atomic. If you end up breaking your system when trying to tweak it, you can boot into the previous generation and try again with different settings.
As a general rule of thumb, I usually recommend Linux Mint to beginners. The installation and update processes are easy and intuitive, and there is a ton of software available, as well as good support if you know how to do web searches properly. The main trick is to try and remember that a paradigm shift needs to happen here. Linux is not Windows. It doesn't work like Windows, and it has different aims and priorities. She will also need to be prepared to learn a bit and be slightly more hands-on with her computing. The learning curve with Mint is comparatively gentle, but it does exist.
This is all very broad and general, but I hope it helps. Good luck to the both of you. I hope you are satisfied with whatever you decide on.
The right answer is,
Debian if they just use web browsers and basic office apps.
Fedora if they use do the same but also use recent hardware that needs a newer kernel
Bazzite if they are a casual gamer and you want to make sure her sims still work easily
Cachy if she's a nerd and plays a lot of higher end games.
All with kde of course
Three correct answers:
- Mint
- Fedora
- Pop
And a few incorrect answers:
- Ubuntu
- Arch
- Ubuntu again
- Really, don’t go with Ubuntu
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My advice would be to just give up on the dual boot (unless you still need it, and even then, maybe keep Windows on a different machine maybe?).
I think the best way to go is full Linux immersion.
Ubuntu has started going off the deep end. They've been heading in that direction for a while, but they recently (I guess like 5 years-ish ago) hit this corporatey, money-grabbing, mentality that's so completely opposite of what made Linux great.
The feel I get about it is 10 years ago, tutorials were written using Ubuntu because it was an easy distro to use and was a great platform for beginners, so people used that as their platform to teach. Now it feels like tutorials are written using Ubuntu because they're being sponsored to. A lot of how-tos I come accros have the same vibe as watching a video animation tutorial that uses adobe and oh gosh, it's also sponsored by adobe. Or a networking tutorial sponsored by Cisco. I've actually started just looking to see if another distro is acknowledged before I actually see what they have to say.
There's a very different feel if you're trying to set something up and a website has "if you're in this family of linux, here's what you do, or if you're in this one, do this" versus "so you want to set up x in linux? Here's how you do it in Ubuntu". It's as if no other distro exists.
Anyway, ignoring that rant. Linux is super stable these days, you can take pretty much any distro and you'll be fine. I tend to gravitate toward the base distros, like fedora, opensuse, and Debian over Rocky, mint, etc. I haven't come across one in the past five years that gave me any trouble, except when it came to updated nvidia drivers and wayland. In which case some distros were behind a month or two on getting those updated.
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Who even uses normal arch anymore.
All the cool kids use endeavour or cachy. Which is like calling Ubuntu, Debian.
While Mint is an Ubuntu-based distro, it tries to un-fuck the worst of Canonical. Other Ubuntu spins with a different desktop environment don't do this, like Xubuntu, Kubuntu, etc. They end up as just Ubuntu on a different DE, with all the decisions made by canonical.
Base Debian might work, but afaik, is "not as beginner friendly" compared to Mint.
Pop is such a cool project but it's been kinda broken for me both times I've tried it, and then add to that what happened with Linus tech tips where him being dumb combined with pop having not fixed a major and obvious packaging issue that completely broke his system has kinda just left me with the impression they're not super on top of the ball
I hope that's changed, I want them to be successful, especially with cosmic
Another incorrect answer: Manjaro
If you want Arch but a bit easier, just install EndeavourOS.
GitHub - arindas/manjarno: Reasons for which I don't use Manjaro anymore
Reasons for which I don't use Manjaro anymore. Contribute to arindas/manjarno development by creating an account on GitHub.GitHub
Hannah Montana
It's dead simple. It is a meme. They may find that funny and humor and novelty help beginners ease into new environments.
hannahmontana.sourceforge.net/
but you should install something else as the main OS
Just set this as the first thing to boot and then teach them to remove it
Fedora is pretty cool.
Linus Torvalds uses it, so you could say it’s the canonical distribution.
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I can recommend Debian or Fedora. They are both mature distros that are pretty easy to install and generally work well with minimal fuss and are easy to maintain. I often see Linux Mint recommend, including in this thread. I've never used it so I can't speak to it. But I have every reason to believe it's a solid choice.
As for transfer process, since you mention using spare disks, NTFS filesystems are supported and you may be able to just copy files off of them. I don't know if bitlocker is supported.
I would suggest whatever you pick, it should be a similar base to what you run or are most familiar with.
If you run something Debian based, you should recommend something Debian based. Fedora, Arch, etc.
The same is also true for desktop environments, if you use KDE, recommend KDE. If you run something not necessarily beginner friendly, recommend what you're familiar with.
At some point you're going to be asked questions, so the more familiar you are, the better for both of you.
The distro I find easiest to recommend to folk in my life looking to move to Linux is the distro that I'm using/most familiar with, because it makes it easier to help them out if they run in to an issue.
I use CachyOS, and previously, I was trying to support Mint etc, but having zero experience with the way the way Mint handles packages, with its default apps, update process etc, I found myself having to research an OS I don't use, and offer 2nd hand advice. I moved them over to CachyOS, and even though technically, it's not as beginner friendly, my day to day familiarity with it meant that it was easier to help out when troubles arose.
I loved Mint. It's still great. Recently I installed Linux on a family member's laptop which is not upgradeable to Windows 11. Hate to say it (and I may be a bit petty here): Mint looks dated, Cinnamon needs a facelift.
That was a reason I went with Zorin. It clearly tries to transition users that come from Windows with it's design (honestly, it's modded Gnome looks awesome). Even running .exe files is as simple as just opening them. Zorin will either just run them or suggest a Linux alternative. Had no issues with that OS so far.
That said, Mint or Ubuntu are solid choices for beginners (and pros alike).
Any of the large, easy to use distributions should work just fine. I'd recommend a popular distribution because it'll be easier to get help online. So consider Mint, Fedora, OpenSuse, Ubuntu and maybe Pop!_OS.
I think the main consideration should be which DE (desktop environment) she'd like to use. IMO the main contenders would be:
- KDE - Very configurable, nice looking, a bit heavy.
- Gnome - Simple and very opinionated, so not very configurable, a bit heavy.
- Cinnamon - Should feel familiar to Windows users, a bit faster than KDE and Gnome.
- Cosmic - A middle ground between Gnome's simplicity and KDE's configurability, pretty fast.
- XFCE - Very fast and light-weight, fairly configurable, but not very flashy.
Based on which DE she prefers, I'd suggest getting a distribution that comes with said DE by default, for the best possible integration. How do you figure out which DE she likes best? Put Ventoy on a USB stick along with a few different Linux ISOs. Ventoy wil let you choose which one to boot from a menu. You could get the following ISOs:
- Fedora or Ubuntu with Gnome
- OpenSUSE with KDE
- Linux Mint with Cinnamon
- Pop!_OS with Cosmic
- Mint or Ubuntu with XFCE
Download an ISO for each, install Ventoy on a USB stick and copy the ISOs to the stick. Boot into each ISO and play around with the desktop for a bit. When she's figured out which DE she prefers, install a distribution that comes with that desktop.
I'm on KDE as a former Windows and Mint user and it's really annoying. Especially the text editor Kate. All the hotkeys are different than Windows/Mint, there's no notepad equivalent and only a notepad++ equivalent, the GNOME text editor doesn't match the theming, and I had to settle on Mousepad for my replacement.
I had to do a lot of customization to get the system to behave like Windows, particularly the panel. Maybe with ZorinOS it's better.
there's no notepad equivalent and only a notepad++ equivalent
I believe you're looking for KWrite.
Thank you, that's exactly what I've been looking for. Wasn't bundled with Kubuntu (or maybe it was but I uninstalled it because I thought it was Wordpad) and didn't come up when searching for it in the Discover app, but after going to the official site and opening a link in the Discover app I got it installed. I then accidentally uninstalled it because uninstalling Kate does that.
Now to look up how to clean up the start menu so searching for a text editor doesn't give me the uninstalled Mousepad or it's separate settings app (I did it with a 5 second duckduckgo search).
Not really possible, because how a desktop feels or what can be configured it's hard to show on a website. Especially how you can visually adapt it. And what you can configure in general. Running it from a live USB takes like 5 minutes.
For example KDE is also very close to Windows, but can also be configured to behave more like a Mac. Visually most desktop environment can be themed. Cinnamon just got additions to be able to theme gnome apps globally I think? If you want to use a central dock like a Mac and have running apps at the top, that's just a master of setting that up on KDE.
Test Linux distros online
Instantly test run Linux distros online in the cloud for free, right from your web browser. No installation or live boot required.DistroSea
If older computer that works fine, I'd get a new 780m (Amd) mini pc. They support 3+ monitors, have 2 network ports allowing to "daisy chain" the old computer. No transfering of anything, or worrying about getting old stuff still working.
Deskflow is a mouse/keyboard sharing app. If you keep old computer in sleep mode you don't need extra keyboard/mouse, but power outages, mean that if you don't have a floor standing old pc you can stack old keyboard/mouse on top of, then you will need to occasionally plug in keyboard and mouse into old computer to get deskflow restarted (if you don't put it as autostart).
It's far more convenient than dual booting. Can use resources from both computers in network, and seemless mouse/keyboard focus. Switching 1 monitor for occasional use is better than dual booting, because rebooting on older computers especially is slow.
Deskflow needs a modern kernal linux distribution. Ubuntu 24.04 is recent enough. Linux mint has not upgraded kernel yet. AFAIU, the only difference between mint (recommended here) and Ubuntu is a slightly prettier version of kde.
If she's a Windows refugee, Linux Mint.
If she's a Mac refugee, fuck if I know.
If she's a IBM OS/2 refugee, please let me know how to get the drugs she's gotten. I want in.
Ubuntu for a Mac refugee. Definitely Mint for a Windows refugee.
I hate GNOME through and through, but it's a very polished interface and resembles Mac in a lot of ways.
Ubuntu is heresy. Canonical hath turned against the users.
Also, I'm genuinely curious: why do you hate GNOME?
Yeah...
See, I used to like Ubuntu, but then Canonical had to ruin it for me by betraying the principles that Linux stands for.
Ubuntu is a shadow of its former self, and it saddens me. 🙁
I hate GNOME because it feels like an iPhone.
I don't know much about what Ubuntu is doing but it surely can't be that bad.
I hate GNOME because it feels like an iPhone.
That's fair.
I don’t know much about what Ubuntu is doing but it surely can’t be that bad.
You would be surprised.
You know, I can see that.
Still, mac users use macs because they just want the computer to work.
And the Cosmic DE is rather new so can be a bit buggy from time to time. It might look mac-friendly, but its stability is still largely untested so caution may be advised before recommending it in my opinion.
If she's a Mac refugee, fuck if I know.
She could consider Linux Mint with KDE Plasma. KDE Plasma feels very like modern Mac, only nicer, to me.
KDE is not a Mint supported DE and the KDE files are not in the Mint repos.
This can be made to work if you're experienced but is definitely not a good idea for beginners. It will eventually break, and dependency hell is a thing.
For a KDE option suitable fir beginners, Fedora offers KDE as does Ubuntu, or there's KDE Neon
Is there a specific reason you are spamming the same single-line accusatory comment 7 times in this thread?
Combined with your account only being 10 days old if there's not more substance to a spammed accusation like that I'll just have to assume bad faith and block.
Tbf, my current laptop looks pretty similar, and I'm running Bazzite with KDE.
Lol Linux is awesome
Windows refugee: Linux Mint or Fedora KDE
Mac refugee: Linux Mint or Fedora KDE
PC gamer: Bazzite (or Linux Mint or Fedora KDE)
edit: fuck markdown, why do line breaks only work in pairs on lemmy, this is not a thing with markdown on discord so why here? it's annoying
Like this
I see
but
why
is
a
singular
enter
character
treated
just
like
a
space
look at the raw text of the comment, the above sentence's "spaces" are line breaks
is there a use for this functionality?
Spaces behave like this because markdown was designed to be like HTML but quicker to write and easier to read without formatting;
most web services that use markdown translate it to HTML rather than parsing it directly, and in HTML whitespaces are supposed to work like you demonstrated in your comment.
The reason for this behavior in HTML is "because someone in the 90s said so", I'm afraid.
Mint Cinnamon. Just make sure to change the background before she sees it. The first impression is god awful with that stock background.
I think basically all the default backgrounds aren't great. There are a few passable ones but that's it.
Zorin OS - Make your computer better.
Discover the alternative to Windows and macOS designed to make your computer faster, more powerful, secure, and privacy-respecting.Zorin
The one she likes... How about listening to her needs, and then show here some examples, and let her choose?
I'd present her with Mint and Ubuntu - and then what you know is her "style"...
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A lot of people are going to recommend you mint, I honestly think mint is an outdated suggestion for beginners, I think immutability is extremely important for someone who is just starting out, as well as starting on KDE since it’s by far the most developed DE that isn’t gnome and their… design decisions are unfortunate for people coming from windows.
I don’t think we should be recommending mint to beginners anymore, if mint makes an immutable, up to date KDE distro, that’ll change, but until then, I think bazzite or aurora if you don't like gaming is objectively a better starting place for beginners.
The mere fact that bazzite and other immutables generate a new system for you on update and let you switch between and rollback automatically is enough for me to say it’s better, but it also has more up to date software, and tons of guides (fedora is one of the most popular distros, and bazzite is essentially identical except with some QoL upgrades).
How common is the story of “I was new to linux and completely broke it”? that’s not a good user experience for someone who’s just starting, it’s intimidating, scary, and I just don’t think it’s the best in the modern era. There’s something to be said about learning from these mistakes, but bazzite essentially makes these mistakes impossible.
Furthermore because of the way bazzite works, package management is completely graphical and requires essentially no intervention on the users part, flathub and immutability pair excellently for this reason.
Cinnamon (the default mint environment) doesn’t and won’t support HDR, the security/performance improvements from wayland, mixed refresh rate displays, mixed DPI displays, fractional scaling, and many other things for a very very long time if at all. I don’t understand the usecase for cinnamon tbh, xfce is great if you need performance but don’t want to make major sacrifices, lxqt is great if you need A LOT of performance, cinnamon isn’t particularly performant and just a strictly worse version of kde in my eyes from the perspective of a beginner, anyway.
I have 15 years of linux experience and am willing to infinitely troubleshoot if you add me on matrix.
What exactly is easier about the installation than my suggestion?
the fedora community is just as large as the mint community, and just as well supported.
i'm not telling you to switch, I'm saying there's no reason to start with it if you haven't tried linux before. Switching is a much bigger choice because you are already comfortable.
Why would a beginner who isn't already comfortable choose mint?
Good points.
I will also add that Bazzite isn't just for beginners, it's just more friendly towards them. I've been running it for like a year now and it's just fantastic.
Almost boringly stable
Now hold on, everyone else is saying bazzite is built for gaming but did you just say it isn't or did I read that wrong?
She's definitely a gamer, currently working through AC shadows and horizon zero dawn I believe
I do believe her stuff should be immutable though, that would be a horrible experience for her and could make her want to run back to windows
I think Linux Mint would be a good first distro.
I recently learned about a project called Operese. It is a Windows to Linux migration tool that also sets up Kubuntu. Kubuntu is Ubuntu with the KDE desktop environment instead of the GNOME desktop environment. I don't know how well that tool works since I never tried it but it looks promising.
There is also a new project called Winboat that is meant to make it easier to install and use Windows software such as Adobe Photoshop
Why do you want to start a distro war?
Is this with the intent of trolling our community?
"Let many flowers blossom".
Linux Mint is the windows 7 experience of linux. It gets out of the way so you can work. It also has the best in-OS help tools. It's also a bit more conservative in terms of newest features, so it's a lot more reliable.
If she does PC gaming, you might want to look at Bazzite rather than Mint. It's a lot better equipped for non-technical people to start gaming. It's basically a preconfigured Fedora linux, so it's got a solid foundation. It's also something called an immutable distro, which basically means it's more difficult to break as the core OS is "read only" (to simplify).
In terms of migrating, best to avoid dual booting off a single disk. Microsoft keeps breaking Linux installs (probably on purpose). So best to install a second SSD.
Before you migrate, have her make a list of software she uses and the hardware she has. Best to post that on a forum like this to have more experienced people look for possible issues.
When it gets to migration day, if bitlocker is disabled, you can access your windows data from linux.
Also get her on Lemmy and asking questions directly. The best thing you can teach a low tech person is how to get help.
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Thx for the tip, will give it a try.
I got it from the protonup app that is pre installed.
Its both
It uses an atomic update system on an immutable base. They don't refer to the same thing, but you sort of need the one when you use the other for it to make sense.
Biebian - ArchiveOS
Web site: biebian.sourceforge.net Origin: Category: Desktop Desktop environment: Openbox Architecture: x86 Based on: Puppy Wikipedia: Media: Live CD The last…pavroo (ArchiveOS)
My recomendations: Opensuse Leap 16, Mageia 9, Openmandriva Rock and if You want to try a Rolling release Opensuse Tumbleweed, Openmandriva ROME
All the disteos With KDE Plasma
Mint for Windows refugees
Fedora for Mac Refugees
My choice:
Bazzite GNOME for Gamers, Children and Grandmas. It's pretty, is damn indestructible and has a speedy app store with loads of cool free apps.
I'd say Mint or Fedora KDE for windows converts. They're both good "just works" options, but KDE just by virtue of being more popular has excellent software and support that make it a great option.
Fedora w/ Gnome for Mac converts is a no brainer, and I'd add that you're probably going to want the Dash2Dock Lite or Dash2Dock Animated extension for a Mac convert.
Fedora w/ Gnome for Mac converts is a no brainer
I use Mac (I'll install Asahi Linux once it supports connecting a monitor) and hate GNOME and hate Aqua (the MacOS DE)
I personally prefer KDE
Fair. I think most people start with the assumption that users are coming from a workflow they preferred in the first place.
Out of curiosity, if you hate Aqua, why did you get a Mac? Is it an industry thing or a specific software?
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Universal Blue manufactures a diverse set of operating system images to provide the the reliability of a Chromebook, but with the flexibility and power of a traditional Linux desktop.universal-blue.org
First, BACKUP EVERYTHING.
Then, the best distro is probably going to be the same you are currently using. You will not have to deal with issues that may be specific to one distro. There is enough difference from one computer to another to cause annoying issues, even on windows.
Fedora. I would not have said that two years, but I am blown away by how easy and up to date it is.
And I am normally an Arch person.
This really depends on her hardware specs and what applications she needs to use.
Without knowing any of that, I would suggest Linux Mint. It is desktop user focussed and a good general OS. It includes drivers and common software in their version of an app store.
Debian is my distro of choice, but is not ideal for a new Linux user.
I would suggest checking what apps she needs and making sure they are available on Linux, or that a close equivalent is. Any apps that will be replaced, try the replacement out on Windows first if available. For example Adobe Illustrator to Inkscape, or MS Office to Libre Office.
For data transfer:
- As others have said. Backup the current computer fully. This in probably best done on an external hard drive. Make sure you know how to reinstall windows and restore from the backup.
- Copy all her data onto a different external hard drive. This is not the backup. It is a separate drive.
- Make sure all the data is actually on the external hard drive and readable from a different machine. Ideally boot from a Lunx live USB and check that the data can be accessed from the external drive.
- Install her distro of choice.
- Copy her data from the external HDD to her user account's home folder of newly installed Linux.
I vastly prefer/recommend stable LTS distros. There are really 2 main families of distros for this:
- Linux Mint / Ubuntu LTS / Debian Stable (Ubuntu is based on Debian, Mint is based on Ubuntu LTS):
Basically endless amount of packages. Most people in the linux world have some familiarity with these so it shouldn't be hard to get help if you need it.
- Rocky linux / Almalinux / RHEL (Rocky and Alma aim to be compatible with RHEL software):
For desktop systems people usually opt for fedora, but that distro does not meet my own criteria. Biggest reason you'd use these is for professional VFX software support. For whatever reason a lot of that stuff only has official support for this family of distros. Not sure why!
Get good at 1 of these families of distros. If you aren't vibing with one its okay to switch to the other. Both have more cutting edge options if you desire them.
Linux Mint is a community favorite and very much is built with a desktop user in mind, but I don't think it's unreasonable to subject someone to learning any of the others even if they are more server focused. Everything I listed has atleast 5 years of support! If your fiancee isn't super tech literate, you'll probably be the one doing a lot of the system maintenance so keeping those major updates sparse is a very good thing. And of course, if you don't wanna learn 2 different sets of tools, try and keep in the same family of distros.
Also, for desktop environment don't choose anything crazy obscure. KDE & Gnome are most common, Cinnamon & XFCE are less common but IMO fine. Venture into others at your own peril.
Transfer process depends on what you mean. Transferring your files will probably just take time. I'm hopelessly unorganized so for me backing stuff up takes a few days of combing through a bunch of junk and copying to a flashdrive or cloud storage. Other people might have more efficient ways of dealing with this though.
If you mean software Libreoffice is great local office software, SMplayer is imo a good media player, GIMP, Inkscape, and Krita got art stuff covered. We're also at the point you can more or less run most windows software on linux with enough fiddling, but that obviously isn't ideal.
Your biggest hurdle moving to linux full time will be understanding commands when you inevitably do need to change configuration of something with the terminal. If you need help there are usually forums, IRC, matrix, etc.
Happy computing!
To add one more thing about Bazzite Gnome, as suggested above/below: next to it looking like Fedora, it comes with a thing built in called Distrobox, which is a way of quickly running different mini versions of Linux within Bazzite. This means you can run little Ubuntu/Mint/Fedora/Arch installations and use their package managers. If an app is missing on Bazzite, start up distrobox and install it there instead. It even works for GUI apps.
(This is more of a pro feature though- you don't explicitly need it, but it gives you massive flexibility, which is normally hidden away.)
Distro:
- First choice: Mint Cinnamon
- If the GPU is very shitty: Elementary OS (Mint Cinnamon expects a basic level of GPU performance)
- If Mint/Elementary are too simple: Fedora KDE
Process:
- For fully switching: Obtain an external hard drive, copy the contents of the Windows partition(s) to it and install your preferred distro so that it takes over the entire computer. This is the most stable way.
- For dual booting: Buy an SSD for Linux, disconnect the Windows drive and install your distro of choice so that it takes up the entire space. Reconnect the Windows drive afterwards and set boot priorities in UEFI.
One More Tip:
Don't frontload them with information, but teach them one thing: How search for and install packages through the GUI (Mint Software Manager/Elementary Store/KDE Discover). Tell them that it's more like a smartphone apps and downloading software from websites should be a last resort.
Mint has basically contained bad decision making by Ubuntu and individual versions are supported for 5 years. The average computer lasts 6 before replacement.
Mint is fairly future proof I think.
Oh, I agree, nothing wrong with mint. I just like the fact that the LMDE version is Debian based and works with everything I’ve thrown it at.
Figure proof of they ever decide to switch away from Ubuntu and mainline LMDE. Probably won’t happen, but makes me feel better anyway 😀.
Just straight up Bazzite to be honest.
Fedora by itself is too Puritan for stuff not fully foss in their default repos
Put Linux on one of those spare hard drives and simply mount the existing drive as a second drive in Linux.
This will give you access to all your current files from within Linux without having to do anything. Move over what you want and need as you use Linux. At some point, you will probably want to reformat the original Windows drive for extra space. You could consider mounting it as /home at that point.
Choosing a distro is a matter of taste. I can tell you though that I have moved a few Windows users to Linux Mint and they are all happy with it. My last one was LMDE (Mint with a Debian base).
Everyone hypes Mint but if you're working with newish hardware you might have a bad time due to the drivers taking a while to mature and filter down through all the distros. If her rig is a couple years old it should work just fine though. I would also suggest trying out Kubuntu, Pop!_OS, PikaOS, and Zorin if that is the case.
If she is on brand new hardware then something Arch based is the way to go IMO. CachyOS, Garuda, and EndeavorOS are all Arch based distros that make setup easy and they've all worked great for me out of the box. Honestly if you have snapshots configured with timeshift or something being on a rolling distro isn't as scary as it's made out to be. Fedora is an option too as they get updates every 6 months, but there is a little extra setup to do after install like media codecs and proprietary drivers etc.
Cachyos was my personal pick and it's working perfect for me so far.
Coming up on 10 years since I switched from windows to Linux. I tried Ubuntu and absolutely hated it, so much so that I switched back to windows at first. But I kept reading and tried ZorinOS, and that got me comfortable with Linux, it was a little buggy but I could understand it.
After a few months with ZorinOS I switched to Linux Mint and have been running Mint for 9 years. Recently my 76 year old mother who has trouble with some basic computer stuff said she'd like to try Linux and asked me to help her, I made a live USB of Mint for her to try and she told me "I can understand this, it's like windows 7!". If she can get Mint, I feel totally confident recommending it to new users.
1) Nice username, lol.
2) Agreed, I wasn't even looking for the Win 7 experience, I was just still getting the hang of Linux and Mint was repeatedly recommended everywhere I looked. At this point I'm just comfortable with Mint and so I stick with it, and since I value reliability of cutting edge, it gives me what I need in a computer.
Yup and it will never slow down with time or start to annoy you with ads or tracking like every windows version in existance.
If the general public understood how they should spend a few days learning a basic Linux distro.... That would be great.
Did this with my SO, they have mint like me. And they like it!
They wanted puppy linux though xD
I'm honestly astounded at how many people are suggesting Mint. I recently switched full time to linux and even as a software dev, Mint has to be one of the worst experiences I've had with a computer. Not only driver issues, but software issues and general buginess. Along with being butt-ugly, I do not think any windows user is going to confuse Mint for Windows.
I switched my wife to Bazzite (not necessarily recommending that) and she literally didn't notice it was a different operating system (even though I told her it was and walked her through it). Bazzite has a nice UI for installing pretty much anything a normie would be thinking to install. The only issue we've had so far is that Dropbox just outright does not work on it. I've filed a bug with them and have been awaiting a response from their dev team for like two months now. I'm sure they'll fix it eventually, but if you need the Dropbox UI (you can use rsync otherwise) then don't choose Bazzite.
As for myself, after trying out like 6 different OSes, I settled on CachyOS. There are still issues, but it's pretty dang stable and they're very fast to fix issues. It's not for a person not willing to touch a terminal at least once though.
Always great to see more people curious about Linux, especially when the motivation is escaping ms-bullshit..
If she wants something that just works but still feels polished and professional, I’d actually give openSUSE a look. Leap is rock-solid and perfect for people who want a stable system that behaves consistently and doesn’t demand much maintenance. Tumbleweed, on the other hand, is rolling release, so it’s always up to date but still surprisingly reliable thanks to openSUSE’s testing process.
Both use YaST, which is one of the best control panels in the Linux world. You can do a lot with YaST, like manage users, partitions, updates, drivers, and networking all from one place without ever touching the terminal.
Mint is also a fine choice as well....
Bazzite, i tried arch and then realized the whole wiki was like a uni level symposium and was burning through steps, kept doing instead of understanding, etc...
It's probably amazing, but since my only interaction with linux back then was being forced to use it at uni and windows, I really wanted a good experience of what linux could be. I needed it to work out of the box and be unbreakable, so I went with bazzite.
It's great, and I am digging the immutable aspect even if it broke my brain for any dev work, but once you learn how to use an immutable system (still figuring it out tbh) it's solid, easy, and works great.
Really wished there was more resources on immutable systems for newcomers though XD
I think you will eventually get tired of all the workarounds needed for immutable systems. Its a nice idea but full of pain when actually wanting to use the computer to do actual work.
But its ok! Everyone tries different things in the Linux world and we all just enjoy the ride.
Its not particularly crazy, most things can be installed via flathub. If something isnt there, install it through distrobox (you can install things through the AUR, packages like rpm and deb, etc). And if that doesn't work, install the app directly through rpm-ostree (only thing I did this with was a vpn app, you can point to a .rpm file for this). I use flathub for the vast majority of things, I think I only have two apps installed outside of it.
What's great is nothing ever breaks this way. Ever. It all works. Broken upgrades haven't happened to me after a year of using this, meanwhile I had plenty on debian and small distros like manjaro, mint, cachyos, nobara.
There are two “just works” distros I recommend to new users: Bazzite or Fedora.
Start with Bazzite. It is familiar and has lots of guardrails so it’s nearly impossible to break.
If you decide you want more control over your system later, switch to Fedora KDE.
If you decide you want even more control and flexibility, consider CachyOS or OpenSUSE Tumbleweed.
You will see Mint recommended a lot, but I don’t like it. The default desktop — Cinnamon — is very Windows 95, and I much prefer KDE Plasma, which doesn’t work well on Mint. Mint also has driver issues with newer hardware. But if you like retro and your hardware is older, give it a try.
Avoid Pop_OS right now. It’ll probably be amazing in a year, but the new Cosmic desktop (currently a beta) has a lot of annoying bugs with common linux GUI packages.
Here are some tips once you have chosen:
You can change your desktop environment later.
If you do your install with seperate partitions for /home and others, leave 10% unallocated. Also make /bin about 15gb and /boot about 1.5gb. When you eventually run out of space, you can use KDE Partition manager to add the unallocated space to the partition you need, even if you set up encryption (gparted doesn't play well with encryption). You can install Partition manager as a package, you don't need to use KDE Plasma.
Using a drive mirror is a good idea. Maybe use it the second time you install.
If you want to use a cool filesys like zfs, just use btrfs for now (licensing issues). Ext4 will also work for desktop user needs.
If you go with Debian, you can add repos to your /etc/apt/sources.list file. But it is a one-way trip, so before adding sid, consider running your program in a vm. Non-free non-free-firmware and contrib are fine
I know, it sounds odd, but: Arch!
Once my best friend wanted to try linux. So he asked me, which distro to use. I gave him an honest answer: "I use Arch. But for beginners I would recommend Mint."
He don't gave a shit and installed Arch anyways 😅 - with success! That's when I noticed, that the Arch Wiki is actually SO GOOD, that even a newbie can install Arch without any help. It's just a bit more time expensive, compared to distros with an installer. However, there are some huge benefits, that made me switch to Arch:
- I used Ubuntu on my daily driver before. However "stable" packages means in this case "antique". A 3 years old version of Sway isn't more stable than the newest release version.
- I never survived a dist-upgrade. That's why i prefer a roling release linux today.
- Your system is slim, because you only install what you really need. Also you know your system this way.
- Especially for gaming it's good to have the newest kernel + drivers.
However, you should also notice the down sides. Sometimes an update breaks something. It doesn't happens often, but it happens. A few years ago the bluetooth stack was broken, so i wasn't able to use my headset during a meeting. However they released a fix like a few hours later, so I just needed to update. But still: That's something to consider too.
I don't know. With these weapons...
Kyle Reese meme from Terminator (1984)Listen. And understand. That LLM is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until they run out of money.
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How close are we to solid state batteries for electric vehicles? - Ars Technica
Every few weeks, it seems, yet another lab proclaims yet another breakthrough in the race to perfect solid-state batteries: next-generation power packs that promise to give us electric vehicles (EVs) so problem-free that we’ll have no reason left to buy gas-guzzlers.These new solid-state cells are designed to be lighter and more compact than the lithium-ion batteries used in today’s EVs. They should also be much safer, with nothing inside that can burn like those rare but hard-to-extinguish lithium-ion fires. They should hold a lot more energy, turning range anxiety into a distant memory with consumer EVs able to go four, five, six hundred miles on a single charge.
And forget about those “fast” recharges lasting half an hour or more: Solid-state batteries promise EV fill-ups in minutes—almost as fast as any standard car gets with gasoline.
This may all sound too good to be true—and it is, if you’re looking to buy a solid-state-powered EV this year or next. Look a bit further, though, and the promises start to sound more plausible. “If you look at what people are putting out as a road map from industry, they say they are going to try for actual prototype solid-state battery demonstrations in their vehicles by 2027 and try to do large-scale commercialization by 2030,” says University of Washington materials scientist Jun Liu, who directs a university-government-industry battery development collaboration known as the Innovation Center for Battery500 Consortium.
Indeed, the challenge is no longer to prove that solid-state batteries are feasible. That has long since been done in any number of labs around the world. The big challenge now is figuring out how to manufacture these devices at scale, and at an acceptable cost.
How close are we to solid state batteries for electric vehicles?
Superionic materials promise greater range, faster charges and more safety.Knowable Magazine (Ars Technica)
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How close are we to solid state batteries for electric vehicles? - Ars Technica
Every few weeks, it seems, yet another lab proclaims yet another breakthrough in the race to perfect solid-state batteries: next-generation power packs that promise to give us electric vehicles (EVs) so problem-free that we’ll have no reason left to buy gas-guzzlers.These new solid-state cells are designed to be lighter and more compact than the lithium-ion batteries used in today’s EVs. They should also be much safer, with nothing inside that can burn like those rare but hard-to-extinguish lithium-ion fires. They should hold a lot more energy, turning range anxiety into a distant memory with consumer EVs able to go four, five, six hundred miles on a single charge.
And forget about those “fast” recharges lasting half an hour or more: Solid-state batteries promise EV fill-ups in minutes—almost as fast as any standard car gets with gasoline.
This may all sound too good to be true—and it is, if you’re looking to buy a solid-state-powered EV this year or next. Look a bit further, though, and the promises start to sound more plausible. “If you look at what people are putting out as a road map from industry, they say they are going to try for actual prototype solid-state battery demonstrations in their vehicles by 2027 and try to do large-scale commercialization by 2030,” says University of Washington materials scientist Jun Liu, who directs a university-government-industry battery development collaboration known as the Innovation Center for Battery500 Consortium.
Indeed, the challenge is no longer to prove that solid-state batteries are feasible. That has long since been done in any number of labs around the world. The big challenge now is figuring out how to manufacture these devices at scale, and at an acceptable cost.
How close are we to solid state batteries for electric vehicles?
Superionic materials promise greater range, faster charges and more safety.Knowable Magazine (Ars Technica)
Some Texas National Guard troops replaced in Illinois after failing to meet standards
Some Texas National Guard troops replaced in Illinois after failing to meet standards
An unspecified amount of Texas National Guard troops were replaced in Chicago, shortly after photos of their appearance were mocked.Nicholas Slayton (Task & Purpose)
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adhocfungus, copymyjalopy e essell like this.
Its supposedly open source??
virustotal.com/gui/file/6040f2…
github.com/Wimberton/Palia-FEN…
GitHub - Wimberton/Palia-FENTRY: Palia FENTRY is the most powerful cheat available for Palia. It's completely free, and comes with tons of overpowered features like Instant Fishing, ESPs, Silent Aim, Teleport to entities, and more!
Palia FENTRY is the most powerful cheat available for Palia. It's completely free, and comes with tons of overpowered features like Instant Fishing, ESPs, Silent Aim, Teleport to entities, and ...GitHub
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Look like those are some sort of cheats? and cheats often work just like a virus would and therefore get flagged as potentially harmful. So it's not really surprising at all.
However, I can't confirm whether these particular ones are just false flagged or have actual malware.
Just like with any pirated apps and games, use cheats at your own risk.
My social worker says I have to come out if I want them to use the correct name and pronouns.
Hi, so I'm a high school student and I happen to be trans FtM. I know I'm quite young, but I do believe in the importance of supporting trans people, even young people just in general.
I was born a girl (obviously) but now I'm a guy named Anthony. When I came out to my social worker "Mrs. A" (not her real name or initial), she said that she was proud of me for coming out, but that if I wanted teachers to refer to me as "male", "he/him", Anthony, etc. that I'd have to come out to my legal guardian.
The thing is my guardian isn't the most supportive of trans people. I came out to him a few years ago and he said I was just a confused girl and that "the left was just pushing their agenda onto me". He loves me, I'm sure he does, but he definitely wouldn't support me.
I told my therapist and a good friend of mine and both of them said that was breaking a rule of confidentiality. My sister told me that too. My therapist wonders if it's to get it changed on paperwork or something but says that if I want to be called Anthony at school, there should be no problem.
What do you all think?
I'm not sure if they're the same thing, but back in my day we had a "School Counselor". I told her all about how my mom was abusing us, which backfired on me when she straight up told my mom everything I had said.
Hopefully it's changed on the last couple decades, but back then school counselors weren't required to have any accreditations and had no restriction on privacy.
That was when I learned the employees of the school are there to protect the school, not the students. You should be careful what you share until you've determined what sort of confidentiality you're guaranteed and what training this person has. Outing you or requiring you to out yourself are both pretty messed up to recommend.
American politics has devolved into shitposting and aura farming
American politics has devolved into shitposting and aura farming
A viral man in a frog balloon suit facing off against ICE is the key to understanding how the internet-poisoned politics of the second Trump presidency work.Sarah Jeong (The Verge)
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Use hashtags for greater visibility on Mastodon
I've followed all the frequent posters on piefed.social using my mastodon.social account so we should be seeing a lot more PieFed content showing up there now. But unless you use hashtags, I'll be the only one seeing it!
When making your post, put a few words into the Tags field below the Body field, separated by a comma. No need to include the # character.
Why Signal over Jabber/XMPP?
Over the past few years I have gone through a bunch of different apps and protocols to find the best one for "securely" communicating with my family and friends.
I ended up with the amazing XMPP protocol and my family/friends frequently use its clients to contact me.
Monal for IOS and Cheogram/Conversations/Quicksy for Android. The android app I install depends on if I can get F-Droid on their phone or not.
It's been great with OMEMO encryption and the clients/apps available for XMPP. But sometimes I have issues introducing people to it.
Jabber (friendly name for xmpp) sounds silly to say. The clients all have weird names. And after trying the Signal mobile app it feels more focused than what anyone in the XMPP community has whipped up.
But the capabilities of XMPP makes it better.
Signal Cons (immediete)
- Centralized
- Single app
- Phone numbers
XMPP/Jabber Cons
- Picking server
- Apps are sort of less friendly
What really scares me about Signal is the centralization. Any nerd can easily host an XMPP server these days. But Signal from what I've heard really wants us to use their server.
If XMPP gets more attention I'm sure we can get people supporting projects and creating better apps.
I keep seeing people recommended Signal instead.
This is a bit of a tired ramble. What I wanna know is why anyone is preferring Signal over XMPP apps. I assume it might be not knowing about it. Tell me what you use to message people.
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giantpaper, adhocfungus e Rozaŭtuno like this.
Signal is the best intersection of genuine security and ease-of-use that I've ever seen. No choosing a server, no making an account. Just install the app, get a confirmation SMS, and now you can communicate with future-proof encryption and authentication right away.
For more technical people, who aren't going to be intimidated by things like making accounts and secure passwords and choosing servers, Signal is not the best. But when I need to communicate securely with non-technical people, it's a wonderful quick go-to solution.
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giantpaper likes this.
I'm in two large groups and quite a number of smaller ones.
For the most part, I have notifications muted on most things, except for a couple of very small groups that don't get chats often.
I'm not sure exactly what notification style I'm using because I can't remember, but I do know that I do not have Google Play Services or Google Apps of any sort.
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Well I seached for "jabber" and found Trillian as fourth or so hit. Dunno how good it's on Apple, but I seem to remember using a PC build somewhen with no negative memories. It's free.
Your concerns till now seem like rambling. Or general, as in: How do I make people leave WA, which is, admittedly, complicated.
edit: Double word deleted
You cant make anyone do anything, you can entice them over.
To do that they need to be simple and easy to use, what you're describing is already more complicated than downloading signal or WhatsApp, signing up, and starting.
Android's bullshit made me quit XMPP. We needed instant messages to be instant but Android kept making that harder and harder until it was impossible.
With Signal we're still fighting but it works a little bit better due to integration with the messenger service or whatever it's called. Dunno, maybe XMPP can work with that as well by now.
Sigh, I want my Linux phone where I can control battery life vs availability myself.
I'm not going to push anyone who uses a secure decentralized FOSS chat already to signal, but someone who uses telegram/viber/whatsapp is easier to get gradually on signal, which is super low effort compared to the ones you mentioned.
I've tried. I'm happy that I got friends and family to move from SMS and WhatsApp to Signal. Some I got to move to e.g. matrix but that's only a few.
Just my two cents since you asked. I agree with you but I don't want perfect to be the enemy of good.
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There's nothing wrong with Signal's centralization model in a worrying sense. It acts only as a clueless message relay, and it has near-zero information on any of its users, even as it delivers messages from person to person. The only information Signal knows is if a phone number is registered and the last time it connected to the server. There is great care taken to make sure everything else is completely end-to-end encrypted and unknowable, even by subpoena.
The only real issue with Signal's centralization is that if Signal the company goes down, then all clients can no longer work until someone stands up a new server to act as a relay again. Signal isn't the endgame of privacy, but it's the best we have right now for a lot of usecases, and it's the only one I've had any luck converting normies to as it's very polished and has a lot of features. IMO, by the time the central Signal server turns into an actual problem we'll hopefully have excellent options available to migrate to.
Also TMK, the only reason you still need a phone number for Signal is to combat spam. You can disable your phone number being shown to anyone else in the app and only use temporary invite codes to connect with people, so I don't count the phone number as a huge problem, though the requirement does still annoy me as it makes having multiple accounts more difficult and asserts a certain level of privilege.
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Government Communication
When legally forced to provide information to government or law enforcement agencies, we'll disclose the transcripts of that communication here.Signal Messenger
No, and in fact they have fought to unseal and publish the articles they have. The point is that if you read the subpoenas, they request a lot of data from Signal and Signal can only ever return the phone number, account creation date, and last connected timestamp. So either Signal is consistently lying to various governments or they actually don't have any of that data. Signal's client is also open-source and has been audited, and they have published many blogposts about how the technology works.
I'd strongly recommend digging deeper into this and trusting the auditors and experts instead of dismissing it based on lazy and cynical guesses. If you don't trust anyone you're welcome to read the source code of the client yourself. Soatok recently posted an 8-part series going through Signal's encryption that you can read as a primer: soatok.blog/2025/02/18/reviewi…
Reviewing the Cryptography Used by Signal - Dhole Moments
Last year, I urged furries to stop using Telegram because it doesn’t actually provide them with any of the privacy guarantees they think it gives them. Instead of improving Telegram’s c…Dhole Moments
I'm not the one that is not listening. I don't care about the ones they post. I care about the ones they don't. I trust they client code. I don't trust ANYONES server side code. Their encryption is top of the line and an industry standard. But is DOES NOT hide your IP, the time of the day you send messages
ONCE AGAIN (this is the third time I'm saying this) I like and recommend signal. I have no evil motives nor I'm trying to be paranoid. But let's not pretend they are perfect.
If you are hurt because I said mean things about a company you base your personality on, that is not my problem.
From the blog you provided. Next time. Read your sources
In the absolute worst case, a totally malicious Signal Server can perform traffic analysis to correlate the IP address assigned to the messages arriving with the delivery token for a recipient.
And
Sealed Sender cannot totally hide the recipient (else the server wouldn’t know where to route the messages).
Edit: removed the word "moron". I'm not a native English speaker and I thought it meant something else. It seems its like "retard" which I wouldn't use as an insult. I've used it so much...
Signal is really simple and has a sizable userbase now. I've worked with people in non-tech companies and they'll have signal installed because theres someone in management that cares for security to a degree and does official nonofficial team communication with signal
Element/Matrix I think has a chance. The newest Element X app looks a lot better on the phone and on desktop. It's progressing to good user experience
I’ve used XMPP since shortly after it was developed. I still use it today.
HOWEVER, while the clients are relatively good, as long as they support the extensions you want to use, I’ve found maintaining the server to be a royal headache. Between protocol and extension improvements, security updates and general server instability, I find that it’s a constant struggle to have it running and compatible with whatever client someone is using, when someone actually uses it.
Signal, on the other hand, pretty much always works, has a single client, and nobody has to worry about managing the server except Signal. So as infrastructure, it makes a lot more sense.
I use Telegram. Eek? It's just my wife and I though. All these things I've heard about Telegram? Never actually seen them in mine. I have looked at groups, but I've only seen memes, crypto crap, and what look like scams ("post this in 5 Reddit threads to get invited to the actual group"). There's nothing of value out there that I've seen. So I just use it to message my wife, because texting wasn't good enough when we started using it (both our phones have RCS now) and I don't use Facebook, and she doesn't have an iPhone (so, no iMessage).
I completely reject this notion that you have to pick one and stay with it. My messaging apps include iMessage, Session, Signal, and Telegram. I also have a fork of Telegram that lets me use it from my watch (as in, it has a watch companion; official Telegram does not). I also have Discord (need it for a couple things).
I totally agree with you. But!
But Signal from what I've heard really wants us to use their server.
Signal doesn't have their own servers. Instead, they rent servers from 4 companies, 3 of them is Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. So Signal is relying on Big Tech and if Big Tech decides that enough is enough, they can easily shut Signal down.
THAT is what I find most terrifying. And why not use their own server? Not enough money, but they are working on it (good).
And to make it a little bit worst: Signal depends on a third party company for sending out SMS. Your phone number is therefore handled by not Signal, but by yet another company, highly likey an American company. And they are against privacy invading companies at the same time they are one. Oh, the irony.
You want sources? Sure.
- signal.org/legal/ (below "Information we may share")
- signal.org/blog/signal-is-expe…
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the idea of Signal. But there is flaws that makes Signal more privacy invading than privacy friendly.
Terms of Service & Privacy Policy
Signal is designed to never collect or store any sensitive information. Signal messages and calls cannot be accessed by us or other third parties because they are always end-to-end encrypted, private, and secure.Signal Messenger
Yeah. Let say Signal goes down because of Big Tech and lets say that 50% of their users use Signal as their only messaging app. What will happen then? Hysteria!
No, XMPP all the way for me until Signal becomes decentralized with zero external connections and when they also have removed the phone number requirement.
Because it's nearly impossible to convince friends and family to use anything other than iMessage or "the text app" on their phone. The process you've described is basically akin to swimming the English Channel for the general public. I'd do it. But expecting anyone else to is just a pipe dream.
I'm already a social outcast and second class citizen for not using imessage. Asking my friends and family to install a whole separate app just to communicate with me puts me firmly in weirdo territory.
It can be tough trying to stick to good privacy and staying social. I can do it because I've set boundaries and have a passion for what I believe in.
If somebosy actually wants to contact me, they join a privacy friendly platform, or just take my email. Most people my generation do not use email for instant communication, and neither do I.
I've gotten myself to be someone people want to reach out to, almost entirely in an effort to promote/market FOSS. To be a likable, knowledgeable, and friendly resource. That's how I managed to convert a lot of people. If I say anymore I really bet I could be identified from my post. 😆
Tough pursuits will never be a pipe dream. It just takes enough time and grit. And a little mojo.
I think the slightly more charitable division is "nerds who want to work on the tool" vs "nerds who want to use the tool to work on something else"
Some people want their discord chat to work with little effort or errors because what they're actually interested in is some video editor, or something. And if the chat is broken, it prevents then from getting to what they really want.
I personally use XMPP, so this isn't just to clear my own name, or anything.
Against XMPP+OMEMO - Dhole Moments
XMPP is a messaging protocol (among other things) that needs no introduction to any technical audience. Its various implementations have proliferated through technical communities for decades. Many…Dhole Moments
Signal is a much better recommendation when leaving Telegram. And the OMEMO implementation concerns are something I need to consider. That unprofessional response from one of the devs is not a good look at all.
Though as a comment pointed out, control of servers is like the one main checkbox that I really need filled.
On the point about clients not being OMEMO by default or enforced. This isn't the biggest issue for me. I'm not doing crimes, but I still wouldn't want my saucy messages to be read by server admins or third parties. Whenever I message somebody, I confirm that they are the proper recipient and are using OMEMO. And the clients I found myself comfortable with all support PGP key use instead. (That would be Cheogram & Gajim if anyone was interested.)
This was a great read though, at least to me. It gave me some thoughts to consider.
I'm gonna look into what kind of threats these improper dependency versions and such might pose. Hopefully by now most of these issues have been resolved.
The biggest thing is getting people into the loop of "secure apps" before they really need it.
First of all, thank you for your recommendation. I was on the fence between Siskin IM and Monal, so I went with Monal to replace AstraChat.
I’ve used Signal before and it was fine but I prefer not to give a phone number to open an account; there are other services that don’t require it.
Speaking of services, I use Simple X, Session, Matrix and Delta Chat (occasionally). Most of my eccentric mix of family, friends and colleagues are happy to try something new or switch as long as it doesn’t require a phone number to sign up. They’re slowly leaving Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram and limiting access to their iMessage.
In my experience, Session syncs very well between my devices which makes it my favorite. I chose FluffyChat over Element because of the App Privacy in iOS.
Speaking of wacky hole in the wall messagers!
Its tectonically a network stack but theres a few apps, to use it.
And MAAAN is it decentralized
to answer your question - if you wanna eventually talk to normies. like cute boy/girl you meet at a bar or a business contact from a random meet. even Signal has dogshit penetration compared to the big players, so XMPP/Matrix/Briar/etc aren't even a blip on the dradis.
also, you sorta sidestepped the UX. if you're coming off the hyper-polished world of Telelgram and iMessage, all those things have dogshit UX. yes, you'll eventually find your way around them but you have to be motivated to endure them ugly and slow and unrealiable apps (comparatively speaking); you got that shit covered, your contacts do not.
the situation is kinda like with The Linux Desktop - it's competing with gargantuan corpos with unlimited resources, and to add to that the miniscule dev teams aren't working together, they're competing, pulling in different direction (Gnome, Plasma, Cinnamon, etc.) with duplicated efforts and tons of abandoned paths. can you imagine where we'd be if all that dev effort went towards one goal?
same thing with the messenger space, it's doubtful any of them will become mainstream, but they have their uses.
It does, but that kind of thing defeats a lot of the purpose of leaving these apps in the first place. Same with bridges that work in a hacky way. I usually sandbox these apps and hope for the best.
I consider FOSS third party clients an improvement (but not a solution) in most of these cases btw, so i'm very open to alternatives that are practical while keeping my semblance of a social life.
til about ayugram, thanks for the rec, ill try it out.
do you happen to know of anything similar for whatsapp?
I try to get people to add me on musicbrainz and link up music services to it. It's cool bc you can funnel music player program listens, funkwhale (which is activitypub!), scloud, spotify, yt music, apple, all of their ʜᴏᴛ ɢᴀʀʙᴀɢᴇ right, but it still works with open source shit. It can absorb lastfm which a lot of ppl have hanging around. None of this solves the reality of being at an information disadvantage vs someone who plays weird games with IG likes. But are people like that worth the stress anyways??
But if you get each other's music recs and can dm realistically what else do you need? Am i boring? Lol
It's not elitist, it's realist. They don't want to install Signal just as much as I don't want to install Facebook messenger.
Yes you can nag people but it will more often than not have the same effect as when people try to convince me to install Facebook messenger.
I find this resistance weird. (From the "normies", not the Signal users)
Most of them have phones filled with all sorts of crap that they download willy nilly, yet they only seem to put the walls up for Signal.
They can say the same about me, right? I have so many communication apps on my phone, why do I draw the line on Facebook Messenger?
Most likely you're the only person they know on Signal and it makes more sense to them that you move to Facebook rather than moving their entire friend-sphere into Signal.
speaking of "normies" is elitist, because the term is used usually people privileged/experienced with knowledge about technology to describe people who don't have this privilege/experience. It is implying that there would be a class of (sub-)humans who are not capable of taking the same path as the person who employs this term. I stand by the term "elitist". In a world of diverse people, life-paths and needs, in my own experience everybody is capable of understanding the political reasons to use a piece of software over another one (because one company sucks, because their model of centralization is detrimental to freedom, because they got shady funding, because they pretend to be something else but bar free software authors to modify their software, because they're from the USA, etc.). Everyone has their own way of understanding these things. Everyone has some arguments that will resonate better than others. Pretty much the same way you probably decided to not install Facebook messenger. Well the good news is: everybody is capable of understanding these things. It may take time and effort, it may make elitist people realize it is not as easy as they first thought it would be, and require to fail and try again. It requires efforts and a humble approach as to listen to these people and take them where they are and walk a bit along the way with them.
My personal experience is that most people are capable of understanding such things. It may take time, but everyone is capable.
I also saw tons of elitist tech-enthusiasts and other tech-savvies "bros" not even addressing who they call "normies" out of pure lazyness, to avoid to speak outside of their own comfort zone and question their own status, and to avoid sharing their elitist knowledge.
-> "'normies' won't do that" = "i am too lazy to engage meaningfully with people who do not know the same things as i know."
That's a major part of the problem. Elitist feedback loop...
First of all normie not an insult or a derogatory term. The term "normies" is often used in many niche communities to refer to someone outside the community. It has nothing to do with being smart, privileged or experienced. It means more like "the average user" or "the typical person". Example: a person in the boardgaming community may refer to you as a normie, not because you're dumb but because you don't play hobby boardgames (check out Brass: Birmingham, what a game).
The problem isn't about comprehending the problem, most people understand that Facebook is selling their data. They just don't care. They would rather have their data sold than to have the trouble to move to yet another communication app. WhatsApp is working just fine, Facebook is sparking joy. They don't care.
"Normies won't do X" is a perfectly acceptable way to express that the hurdles are too high for the average user. The average user wants a sleek UI, a user friendly experience and most of all they want to be in the place everyone is already at. The average Joe doesn't want to be the first guy on Simple X, they actually really want the hassle free platform everyone is already at.
Also, the next great communication app is constantly changing. It used to be IRC, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Signal, Matrix, Simple X, Session. I'm sorry to say that the average person is not willing to migrate that often. Facebook works, their friends are already there, they stick to it. This isn't elitism, it's just stating what I see.
Normies isn't an elitist term it is a counter culture term for people outside the norm to refer to the general opinion. It is the not like us statement or the fact that there is experience that one would not understand fully unless they are in a subset group.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normie_(…
was first used in its original meaning of "ordinary, normal" in English in the 1950s.[6] According to Merriam-Webster, the term "normie" appeared in the late 1980s in the United States. It was used ironically by people with disabilities in reference to the rest of the population.[2] In the late 1990s, the term was used in Alcoholics Anonymous literature to refer to individuals who were not addicted to any substances.
[7]Since the early 2000s it has been spreading on the Internet.[2][4] In the Russian-language sphere, popularization was promoted by the use of the imageboard Dvach, whose users consider themselves representatives of informal culture, which is expressed in controversial publications, non-standard political views, black humor, involvement in various subcultures.[8]
Don't forget that OMEMO on XMPP has no backward decryption - all messages are lost with every new client. Massive dealbreaker for me, as I value message history between those I love.
I've gone for Matrix. Signal doesn't interest me until they get rid of the requirement for phone numbers.
Others have noted that XMPP servers hold user contacts (and maybe other parts) wholly unencrypted, and if the server isn't yours, that's a trust risk.
Signal may not be the best in a technical sense, but it is good enough and it has the network effect. I've been pleasantly surprised when in the span of a few months I met two different people actually in real life, who happened to already be using Signal.
Signal is also just as usable as the big tech alternatives, which makes it not a very hard sell to friends and family. For quite a few years now I have managed to convince everyone I communicate with to do so over Signal. There is no chance I would be as successful with something else.
I love the irony of the name. It's probably the best thing about the app.
One of the things I'm curious about and the website doesn't explain: how are the message queues not identifiers?
They are local identifiers, not global ones. Each one exists only for a single pair of users so they don't function as stable or traceable identities. "Pairwise anonymous addresses".
simplex.chat/#privacy-of-ident…
SimpleX Chat: private and secure messenger without any user IDs (not even random)
SimpleX Chat - a private and encrypted messenger without any user IDs (not even random ones)! Make a private connection via link / QR code to send messages and make calls.simplex.chat
But those are still identifiers linked to you and in a global space because it says multiple servers need to know how to route data.
Nvmd: seemingly if the server hosting your queues shuts down you lose all contact, so your UIDs are shared but only to a specific set of servers you choose with the drawback of fragility. Seems like someone else shutting down a server kills your contact list?
I didn't compare it to signal. I just asked if that was the facts of the situation.
If I were to compare it might be to the topic of this thread which I can self host and thus control.
However, since you opened the door on signal I'd comment that the entire signal org would have to go down for that to happen, not just a few servers. Is simplex managed by a large well funded entity that is unlikely to fail or are the servers more mom & pop setups? What happens if Kurt Cobain wakes up one morning and shuts down his server?
Jami is a mess, when i tried it first it starting calling as it were to receive a phone call. The second time i tried it on 3 devices, out of which 2 could contact each other lol. My last attempt was when I needed to send a few strings from a (internet connected) VM to its host machine*, installed Jami on both and the 2 instances couldn't talk to each other. Joke of a program, really.
- i know i could do it much easier
I use XMPP, and the original idea was for it to be a family chat and a way to securely ask for things on Jellyfin.
No one uses it. (XMPP, not JF)
What's better?
No one cares. They know it's a hassle to ask for media. They know they can only ask me in person if they don't use it. They just won't bother installing a client. Can't be bothered.
Oh well, I can't be asked, then. So we sit in this perpetual state of tug of war. I can't be contacted, it's complained about, the situation is explained again, they complain again, and still never resolve the situation.
Going on three years now.
I use xmpp for notifications a lot, its close integration with the server its on allows for using it kinda like ntfy.
Faneto accusato di violenze dalla ex: foto dei lividi e messaggi social. Le reazioni e cosa sappiamo finora
È diventato un caso nazionale quello che coinvolge Faneto, rapper emergente della scena urban italiana. La sua ex compagna, Alessandra, ha pubblicato sui social un racconto dettagliato di presunte violenze fisiche e psicologiche, accompagnandolo con foto di lividi, video e screenshot di messaggi. Il materiale, rilanciato da creator e pagine tematiche, ha alimentato in poche ore un’ondata di attenzione e solidarietà. L’artista, al momento, non ha diffuso dichiarazioni pubbliche.
COSA SAPPIAMO: Faneto accusato di violenze dalla ex: foto dei lividi e messaggi social. Le reazioni e cosa sappiamo finora
Faneto, accuse di violenze della ex: foto dei lividi e messaggi
La ex di Faneto pubblica foto e messaggi denunciando violenza e minacce. L’etichetta prende le distanze; l’artista non ha replicato. Cosa sappiamo.Redazione (Atom Heart Magazine)
GOG Games
I downloaded from the website posted on fmhy but I don't know why my pc got really slow? Did I get a virus? From gog-games.to
I scanned the files with Malwarebytes and Windows Defender but I got nothing
Use FitGirl or SteamRip. I also use SteamUnlocked which people say are unsafe but I've downloaded over 100 games from there and had no issues, so I won't recommend it but just adding my experience.
Also make backups to your PC using macrium reflect or other backup programs so you can restore from it in case you get viruses.
Use this to check GOG installers before installation. Should still be accurate and active most recently updated 3 months ago.
GitHub - hippie68/gogcheck: Bash script that verifies your GOG offline installers' authenticity and checksums. Made to scan large collections.
Bash script that verifies your GOG offline installers' authenticity and checksums. Made to scan large collections. - hippie68/gogcheckGitHub
like this
Fitik likes this.
Bless.
Fairly confident I wound up with some malware from a "GOG" download from one of the sites in the megathread. I've already formatted and the files are long gone but I'll tuck this link away for the future.
There’s a checksum program to test them on GitHub called gog-checker I think.
If you think you have malware, just backup, flatten and reinstall.
[edit: can we take a moment to appreciate the downvoting here... whypastor.gif]
Le Iene, nuovi audio sul caso Asia Vitale: anticipazioni e ospiti di stasera (12 ottobre)
Tornano stasera su Italia 1 le inchieste e i reportage de Le Iene, condotto da Veronica Gentili con Max Angioni. La puntata del 12 ottobre 2025 mette al centro due blocchi forti: i nuovi audio e le nuove dichiarazioni legate al caso Asia Vitale, vicenda che ha scosso l’opinione pubblica, e un viaggio ad alto rischio in Messico sul fentanyl, firmato da Matteo Viviani. In studio, tra gli ospiti, Neffa, Ernia e Beatrice Valli.
TUTTE LE ANTICIPAZIONI: Le Iene, nuovi audio sul caso Asia Vitale: anticipazioni e ospiti di stasera (12 ottobre)
Le Iene, anticipazioni 12 ottobre 2025: nuovi audio su Asia Vitale e reportage sul Fentanyl
Stasera su Italia 1 Le Iene: nuovi audio sul caso Asia Vitale e reportage di Matteo Viviani sul fentanyl in Messico. Ospiti Neffa ed Ernia.Redazione (Atom Heart Magazine)
AI image blocklist for uBlock Origin & Pi-hole
GitHub - laylavish/uBlockOrigin-HUGE-AI-Blocklist: A huge blocklist of manually curated sites that contain AI generated imagery for uBlock Origin & uBlacklist.
A huge blocklist of manually curated sites that contain AI generated imagery for uBlock Origin & uBlacklist. - laylavish/uBlockOrigin-HUGE-AI-BlocklistGitHub
like this
ElcaineVolta, Oofnik, adhocfungus e Rozaŭtuno like this.
addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firef…
You'll probably have to sync the last manually but it'll do that.
uBlacklist – Get this Extension for 🦊 Firefox (en-US)
Download uBlacklist for Firefox. Blocks sites you specify from appearing in Google search resultsaddons.mozilla.org
codeberg.org/ArrayPirate/Shitt…
You're welcome.
ShittyAiBlocklist
A Blocklist for Pi-hole or uBlockOrigin to block Ai generated Websites.Codeberg.org
As someone who spends a lot of time searching and is tired of AI slop, tracking, and targeted ads, it's a breath of fresh air.
It provides a level of quality and control you don't get from the Brave/DDGs of the world, and a reliability that's hard to match with the SearXNGs.
It took a bit of mental back and forth to get comfortable paying for something that has historically been "free", but I'm alright with it.
I'd love to see more FOSS competition (or frankly any competition) out there but hosting a reliable search engine is difficult and expensive.
It's cheaper than any of my streaming subscriptions and I use it 10x as much, so I'm good paying the price.
Winded windows become a privacy nightmare?
Really kicked in with Windows 8 though, that's when they started pushing the Microsoft Store app to install programs. If I recall correctly Secure Boot also became the standard requirement to install Windows in 8.1.
In other words, began with 7 but kicked into high gear with 8.
Not a perfect solution by any means but at least it makes Windows more privacy-friendly if you want to.
GitHub - Raphire/Win11Debloat: A simple, lightweight PowerShell script to remove pre-installed apps, disable telemetry, as well as perform various other changes to customize, declutter and improve your Windows experience. Win11Debloat works for both Windo
A simple, lightweight PowerShell script to remove pre-installed apps, disable telemetry, as well as perform various other changes to customize, declutter and improve your Windows experience. Win11D...GitHub
Probably soon they are making it that you can't use Windows offline though lol
And they keep making it harder and harder to not use a Microsoft Account.
It was the switch to Microsoft accounts. Everyone started using online accounts to login and when people complained apple said “okay, you don’t need to and here’s some ways to make it safer” after some high profile leaks, google said “we’ll anonymize your data so when we use it for tracking it’s not tied to you, also here’s some ways to make it safer” after everyone realized they weren’t not being evil and Microsoft said “are you fucking stupid? It says right there in the tos that we’re gonna take and use everything!”.
Go to massgrave.dev and start reading. Convert your Microsoft account to a local user account. You will still have a Microsoft account but you won’t use it to login. You will lose access to stuff you bought under your Microsoft account until you sign in. This may or may not be acceptable to you.
Use your knowledge from massgrave to convert your windows edition to enterprise iot ltsc if you’re on 21h2, otherwise either downgrade or flatten and reinstall that edition. You will now be able to receive security updates and stay on windows 10.
Sunday, October 12, 2025
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 1,000 supports us financially
Russia’s war against Ukraine
A view of a destroyed secondary school following a drone attack in the city of Kramatorsk on Oct. 11, 2025. (Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Zelensky discusses air defense with Trump after Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid. “I informed President Trump about Russia’s attacks on our energy system — and I appreciate his willingness to support us,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery 1,400 kilometers from front, SBU source says. Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) drones struck a Russian oil refinery in Ufa on the morning of Oct. 11, resulting in explosions and a fire, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
Fires reported in Russia’s Belgorod oblast amid suspected power plant attack, local officials say. Falling debris from downed missiles sparked fires and caused damage in Belgorod, Russia, the regional governor reported Oct. 11 amid a suspected attack on a power plant in the city.
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UK, Ukraine sign LYRA defense cooperation agreement. Ukraine and the U.K. agreed to launch the LYRA defense cooperation program, focusing on battlefield tech and joint weapons development, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced Oct. 11.
Ukrainian air defenses operating at 74% effectiveness, military chief says. “Over the past month, (Russia) has increased the number of air strikes 1.3 times,” Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Zelensky approves new Russia sanctions in coordination with Japan. President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed new sanctions targeting Russian individuals and entities, aligning Ukraine’s latest measures with those previously imposed by Japan.
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Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attacks kill 5, injure 17 in Ukraine over past day, hit energy grid. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 54 out of the 78 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Twenty-one drone strikes were recorded at six locations.
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International response
Trump threatens China with additional 100% tariffs amid trade tensions. “The United States of America will impose a tariff of 100% on China, over and above any tariff that they are currently paying,” Donald Trump said.
UK, France, Germany to move forward with using Russian assets to aid Ukraine. “We agree to develop further bold and innovative mechanisms to increase the cost of Russia’s war and ramp up pressure,” the British government said in a statement.
Latvia orders over 800 Russian citizens to leave by mid-October. Latvia has ordered 841 Russian citizens to leave the country by Oct. 13, citing their failure to meet legal requirements, including proof of Latvian language proficiency and passing a national security screening, Politico reported.
Belarus launches military readiness check as security concerns grow. The Belarusian military is implementing a “set of measures” to bring select units to their “highest level of combat readiness” under Alexander Lukashenko’s direct orders.
North Korea displays new ICBM during parade with Russia’s Medvedev in attendance. The parade, attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and United Russia party leader Dmitry Medvedev, featured a display of advanced weaponry.
Estonia closes border crossing with Russia over unusual military activity. Estonia has temporarily closed the Saatse border crossing following heightened Russian military activity near the area, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Oct. 10.
NATO aircraft carry out 12-hour flight near Russian border amid rising tensions. The joint U.K.-U.S. operation was conducted on Oct. 9, following recent airspace violations by Russia targeting several NATO countries.
German airlines call to shoot down drones threatening airports. Germany’s airlines are calling for drones that threaten airport operations to be shot down, Der Spiegel reported on Oct. 11. The call to action comes amid a recent surge of unidentified drone sightings that have disrupted airports in Germany, prompting efforts to address the threat.
Hungary launches petition against EU’s Ukraine war funding, Orban says. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Oct. 11 that Budapest has launched a nationwide petition drive to collect signatures in opposition to the European Union’s “war plan” to finance Ukraine’s war effort.
In other news
Bomb threats force Ukrainian Railways to halt 3 trains, including international line. The affected trains included routes between Dnipro and Kyiv, Ternopil and Kyiv, and the international Kyiv–Warsaw route.
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Israel raids homes of West Bank prisoners set to be released in deal
The Israeli army has raided the homes of several Palestinian prisoners in the occupied West Bank whose names were included in the list of prisoners to be released in an exchange deal following the Gaza ceasefire.
For the third day running, Israel violates Gaza ‘ceasefire’ to maim and murder Palestinians
cross-posted from: ibbit.at/post/80105
Israel has violated the ‘ceasefire’ it agreed with Palestinian militia to bomb, murder and maim Palestinians for the third consecutive day – the first three days of the supposed ceasefire period.
Israel: horrific violations of the ceasefire
On Saturday 11 October, an occupation drone targeted a group of civilians in the Jabalia refugee camp, killing one civilian and seriously injuring several others, including one man left with both lower legs shredded or gone:thecanary.co/wp-content/upload…
Israel thinks – correctly, because of the collaboration of the UK and other western governments – that it can get away with mass the mass slaughter of civilians and daily breaches of its supposed commitments.
It is a rogue and terror state.
Featured image via the Canary
By Skwawkbox
From Canary via this RSS feed
JohnEdwa
in reply to chobeat • • •The studio behind it technically, yes. They did kick out the main people responsible for Disco Elysium few years back after tons of drama and massive legal kerfuffle though.
2019 role-playing video game
Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)SkaveRat
in reply to chobeat • • •The whole story is such a massive confusing clusterfuck
If anyone got a couple hours to spare, it's a "fun" story of massive office drama. People Make Games did two videos on the topic:
Two years ago:
And a followup with some corrections and updates a month ago:
- YouTube
www.youtube.com