Originally this was a reply to this article about a Windows feature called Recall, but there’s a good argument the author’s concerns resonate far beyond Windows and Meta to proprietary generally.

  • @[email protected]
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    414 months ago

    If this is the same person I think it is, I would take their comments with a huge pile of salt. Not saying they’re wrong, but…

    A couple years ago this Linux-Is-Best dipshit somehow got onboarded as a mod of the /r/massachusetts subreddit, started banning a ton of users for pretty unreasonable reasons, brought a few other seemingly random moderators on board and almost nuked it out of existence by being an unhinged little weirdo. They claimed to have worked at Facebook/Meta and I forget which, but they were found out either to have made it up or they were just a bottom tier content moderation employee.

    You can go find some posts about it, but this person’s not well at all even if you happen to agree with them. If this is the same person. They’re not trust worthy. Privacy’s important, big companies are creepy, do what you can to protect yourself and use linux if that’s what gets you there, but again I would take anything this dipshit says with a grain of salt.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/SubredditDrama/comments/11wsnla/mod_of_3_months_in_rmassachusetts_purges_members/

    https://www.reddit.com/r/Massachusetts_US/comments/11wnjsk/removed_by_reddit/

    https://www.reddit.com/r/massachusetts/comments/11xw44r/linux_is_gone/

    • Sas [she/her]
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      4 months ago

      A) what does this have to do with the post and B) im fairly sure the Israelis are committing as much if not more atrocities than before the election

    • sunzu2
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      64 months ago

      “Nunclear Brickmanship” interesting way to describe the Russian invasion of Ukraine

        • sunzu2
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          54 months ago

          There is only country that regularly gets on teevee with nuclear threats and it ain’t the US

  • @[email protected]
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    44 months ago

    Come the Windowscalypse, I’ll probably be moving to Linux Mint. The only problem is ComfyUI. Managing Python packages makes me want to end myself. I might just keep dual booting Windows for SD alone.

  • @[email protected]
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    114 months ago

    Funny how much longer my phone’s battery lasts now after I flashed /e/ to it. No constant net traffic anymore.

    • @[email protected]
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      314 months ago

      And Facebook as an integrated part of the international surveillance state has been firmly established since Snowden leaked the PRISM program.

      Like, there are a lot of reasons to switch to linux and plenty of them are compelling. But its an absolute fantasy to believe you’re somehow immune to surveillance because you’re using the same software as Amazon’s EC2. Does anyone really believe the NSA hasn’t cracked Linux Mint yet?

      Or, for that matter, that using a linux desktop is going to insulate you from being spied on via a public facing 3rd party social media forum?

      • @[email protected]
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        104 months ago

        You mean with the USA Intel or AMD CPUs?

        Think that it doesn’t matter what you use as OS as the microchip inside the CPU chip can read anything it wants

        • @[email protected]
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          4 months ago

          Sure. Although that’s just a matter of unplugging your computer from the Internet. Also, at least in theory, Linux isn’t actively leaking all your data into various Cloud services. Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive are just invitations for the NSA to paw through your file system.

          I just can’t imagine how Linux protects you from posting on Facebook.

          • @[email protected]
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            4 months ago

            It wont protect there.

            Also, I remember articles back then mentioning 5G Towers could create a dystopia because every company could easily put a 5G chip into the product and secretly track you regardless of Wifi.

          • @[email protected]
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            14 months ago

            Didnt google actually provide a service to create custom Silicon Chips with to 107nm and open source some Risk-V things?

            I think it would be actually possible to create your own CPU through sich thing but unsure if they are able to backdoor it too. I think less likey

      • @[email protected]
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        94 months ago

        Like, there are a lot of reasons to switch to linux and plenty of them are compelling. But its an absolute fantasy to believe you’re somehow immune to surveillance because you’re using the same software as Amazon’s EC2. Does anyone really believe the NSA hasn’t cracked Linux Mint yet?

        It’s much harder for the government and bad actors to hide backdoors in open source software than making a deal with a private company

        • @[email protected]
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          74 months ago

          For the proprietary software, a lot of it is front-doors. Literally just pay-to-prey. Government agencies pay the big data companies to access their warehouses of scrapped data that come directly off their clients’ machines through explicit information harvesting protocols.

          That said, it is technically harder to have a covert backdoor in an open source system. But it isn’t impossible, or even particularly impractical, so long as the vulnerability remains reasonably obscure. It would be naive to assume your standard array of linux oses are unassailable.

  • @[email protected]
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    324 months ago

    To all the people who are criticising this guy for working for Meta, I would like to remind you of the phrase, “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer”.

    I am very much a left-winger, but I still read right-wing papers and articles, I like to know what the other side is thinking.

    • @[email protected]
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      204 months ago

      Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer”.

      Bruh, it’s not game of thrones. People just need to work.

      • @[email protected]
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        34 months ago

        If you can get a job at Facebook then you could easily find employment elsewhere. And no it’s not Game of Thrones, but I would love to see Zuckerberg get the Joffrey treatment.

    • @[email protected]
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      4 months ago

      Less criticism and more pity.

      Sheryl Sandberg seems like a Grade A asshole to work for - possibly the only woman CEO I’ve ever heard of getting #MeToo’d. Zuckerberg is an absolute baby-brain completely up his own asshole with delusions of grandeur, outright comparing himself to Roman Emperors.

      But if you get into the tell-all released by Sarah Wynn-Williams, all you really take away from it is that this company is as corrosive to the body public as it is ravenous for economic expansion. There’s no “keeping close” that’s going to be good for you in the long run. Might as well try to keep a rabid dog on a short leash.

      I am very much a left-winger, but I still read right-wing papers and articles, I like to know what the other side is thinking.

      I’m not above peaking in on Citations Needed or QAnon Anonymous to see how the other side lives. But the actual right-wing material itself is really ugly stuff, particularly in the modern moment. When it isn’t nakedly xenophobic or Mean Girls callously cruel, its just pumping your eyeballs and ear holes full of the dumbest fucking advertisements imaginable.

      Not good to ingest that stuff.

  • Tenderizer78
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    14 months ago

    Just deleted my Facebook account. Now I just need any of my friends to install Threema (or maybe Revolt?).

    I just finished my accounting course yesterday, but I’m not sure my assignments met the training guidelines so I’m hesitant to uninstall Windows if I may be asked to come back and redo some assignments (not sure I even need Windows for that though).

    Reddit is still an issue, can’t find Twitter manga and de-Americaification advice on Lemmy.

    YouTube I’ve reduced my engagement on but haven’t deleted. Discord I’m lurking in some essential group chats. Still on an 10-year old iPhone, gotta get a new open-source one. I’m sticking with Steam for games.

  • @[email protected]
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    114 months ago

    I use Ubuntu. Can someone tell me if that’s “independent and outside US jurisdiction”? I know it’s made/maintained by canonical.

    What are some Linux distros that we should avoid? What are some that are independent?

  • @[email protected]
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    4 months ago

    I want to get into Linux and I need a new laptop. I’m happy to go secondhand but I actually want a half decent thing that can play some games, not the cheapest box I can put Linux on and use fake word.

    Am I best off just buying a new windows laptop than I can dual boot? Or any other suggestions?

    Windows is US$ 139.00. So I figured if I buy a laptop without windows it will be 139 less but I guess manufacturers get windows for like $20 so there are no saving anyway.

    Edit:should probably add I’m from to UK I that’s relevant

    • @[email protected]
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      84 months ago

      Yes, at least Lenovo Linux laptops are 140$ cheaper.

      Take a look at Framework, or System76 for Linux first hardware.

      • @[email protected]
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        24 months ago

        Thank you. I didnt know about lenovo so that’s good to know.

        System76 seems especially out of my price range. I haven’t bought a computer for 12 years, can’t believe laptop’s cost more now (even accounting for inflation) than they did back then. It’s unbelievable. Might have to work out if I want a good one to last a long time (which is risky) or to get a cheaper one and expect to replace earlier.

        By thank you that is helpful.

        • @[email protected]
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          24 months ago

          If you want to buy second-hand, make sure to take a look at linux-hardware.org to see if Linux supports all drivers.

          Generally, every laptop will work, with the exception of fingerprint sensors, webcams, or Bluetooth.

      • @[email protected]B
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        24 months ago

        i would recommand also tuxedo computer, they based in Germany, their laptops offer various keyboards layout, and if you need cheaper option, refurbished pro laptops are a good options, look for informatic broker : they buy by lots from enterprises and the quality is overall good, maybe the battery will be a bit less consistant.

    • @[email protected]
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      24 months ago

      There are a lot of options if you’re experienced with Linux and know how to get things to work/are willing to do research. However, if you are new, then you should definitely play it safe to avoid frustration.

      My current laptop is an Asus PX13, which is an awesome value and probably the most powerful machine you can buy at its size. Unfortunately, Asus does not support Linux on its laptops at all, and any support that exists comes from volunteers. I’m very happy with my current setup, but there are some rough edges that come from the lack of official support.

    • @[email protected]
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      4 months ago

      Lenovo recently started shipping laptops with Linux at a discount. But its probably better to buy a laptop from a Linux seller so that you know the hardware compatibility is being maintained.

    • TFO Winder
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      14 months ago

      use massgrave[dot]dev for all the windows software. its very easy

  • @[email protected]
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    24 months ago

    https://distrosea.com/ this is amazing for previewing linux OS flavours right in your browser, no need for a USB stick or installation! Linux Mint, Zorin, Ubuntu and Fedora are the winners for me in terms of being normie friendly.

    • @[email protected]
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      194 months ago

      Fedora is an international collaborative effort but Red Hat is the main sponsor and it is US based. We will have to be careful and observe

      • @[email protected]
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        114 months ago

        And the new leader (whatever the fuck it’s called) is going to be a Red Hat employee. It’s why I left Fedora despite liking it quite a lot. That’s way too close to IBM for my liking

        • @[email protected]
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          24 months ago

          What do you recommend thats as complete as Fedora out of the box ? I used to be on Arch but it was time consuming to tune everything up and Fedora was the bullseye between the flexibility of Arch and a complete solution without much tinkering needed.

          • @[email protected]
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            14 months ago

            I was in the same spot not too long ago. I would probably recommend CachyOS or Endeavour. They’re Arch-based but a lot of the preconfiguration has been done (e.g., you will have a browser, and printer support, out of the box. Try using Ventoy and just throwing some ISOs on it, makes it really easy to try different distros

            • @[email protected]
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              14 months ago

              I was on EndeavourOS and it broke 3 times after major updates and i got sick of fixing, i dont have the time for troubleshooting all the time or tinkering with configurations (sadly because i do enjoy it). Maybe later when my life gets less busy which i doubt.