Matej Ľach ✅ @MatejLach@social.matej-lach.me
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Free software enthusiast, #golang, #rustlang, #swiftlang . Working on a question/answer #ActivityPub server. #systemd aficionado :-)
Joined Oct 2017
Phoronix comment quality is really trying to give Reddit a run for its money 😃
Matej Ľach ✅
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Just released: DtLapse by @jchnkl for creating smooth timelapse videos from photos with @darktable_org! An alternative for something like LRTimelapse. Check it out:
Congrats to the #Linux kernel development community for refusing to compromise principles over convenience and refusing to mainline a module that interacts with a proprietary one.
https://lwn.net/SubscriberLink/827596/48459e006884992f
Major props.
Matej Ľach ✅
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Looks like Google is trying to gain even more control in the open source world. Don't ever give away your rights to them.
Matej Ľach ✅
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Any hackers in #Toronto interested in networking and mesh networks? Toronto Mesh (https://tomesh.net) set up our first supernode yesterday!
Boosts welcome.
Matej Ľach ✅
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Tech companies and rights holders continue their program to encourage everyone to learn how to use BitTorrent.
Matej Ľach ✅
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Matej Ľach ✅
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I really hate trying to find dev resources for Windows, it makes me feel like I need to buy some books to learn how to do anything more complex than using stdio.
Matej Ľach ✅
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@freakazoid @MatejLach @bugaevc Another factor encouraging the "bloatware" added to many Android phones:
The OEMs want to be prepared in case this sweet deal falls through, but Google insists as part of their take-it-or-leave-it deal (which includes some "must-haves" like the Google Play Store) that they include proprietary Google Apps.
So many Android phones include both the OEM's own & Google's, e.g. calander, apps. To be prepared.
I'd say specifically GNU cares very much, hence GNU/Linux not just Linux.
As for Linus himself, I get where you're coming from, he's not necessarily committed to "software freedom" the way RMS is, just open-source as a convenient model of developing software.
Nonetheless, I think his contributions are still valuable and watching LKML, he does try to stop a lot of terrible code from going in and encourage solid FLOSS drivers, so I wouldn't be as harsh on him.
Matej Ľach ✅
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@MatejLach @bugaevc The whole reason Android is "open source" is because Google knows you can't use it. Mobile hardware is super proprietary and under NDA, and they've locked down the software market. If PCs and PC software were that locked down, Microsoft could have open sourced Windows and it wouldn't have affected their business at all. What Google is doing now with Android is pretty much indistinguishable from what MS was doing with Windows and PC OEMs that got them slapped by the govt.
@bugaevc This is playing semantics. These OEM policies are not "an accident". They're required by Google, who also makes Android, the OS. To pretend that they're disconnected and in isolation is silly.
Google uses the Android platform to strong-arm OEMs into making their HW a certain way.
Also, Android's only "open" in the code across the wall/code dump sense. It's not like non-Google employees can really drive the platform features.
Nothing like say the GNU project.
Saying that "You can install alternative OSes on most phones that ship with Android, but good luck with finding drivers.." is a bit of a copout honestly, that's literally true for any hardware, including my microwave.
The question is how easy is it and is it officially supported?
With the #PinePhone it is. With Android HW, including Google's own Pixel it is not.
Matej Ľach ✅
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@MatejLach @bugaevc I'm actually impressed, as much as I dissaprove, by how effectively Google closed off Android with their take-it-or-leave-it terms...
Additionally, it is super easy to switch from Ubuntu while keeping the hardware one already has.
Can I officially install another OS on most Android HW?
@bugaevc #Android specifically dictates certain hardware requirements in order to get certified by Google and allow the Play Store on.
Android is far from a pure software platform.
As for Ubuntu installing crap I mentioned that due to GNU/Linux being open, sure it can be misused. But the GNU project isn't making stuff with a plan to go to OEMs and carriers and say "look, our software allows you to preinstall adware for your customers".
Google specifically markets Android to OEMs that way.
Bezos is like: We're looking into the NYT article about us accessing 3rd party seller data to build competing products but unfortunately some of these sources are anonymous.
Sounds like he is sad that they weren't able to fire them all yet.
Matej Ľach ✅
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the function of the pinephone isn't to be used as a phone it's so when people tell you to add them on whatsapp you say you can't because your phone runs gentoo
Zuck boosting how much #Facebook is working with spooks...neat.
The PinePhone for example (GNU/Linux) is way more open than any Android I ever used.
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Free software enthusiast, #golang, #rustlang, #swiftlang . Working on a question/answer #ActivityPub server. #systemd aficionado :-)
Joined Oct 2017
