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Your Computer Isn't Yours

sneak.berlin

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Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#401

Post by cryptica »

>> using a program called Little Snitch (really, the only thing keeping me using macOS at this point)

I cannot believe the incredible the feats of mental gymnastics that some people will perform in order to ensure that evil corporations stay in control.

How can someone who knows so much about illicit data collection still be using macOS instead of Linux for example? I wouldn't be surprised if the author also owns Apple (AAPL) shares by now.

People these days will support evil while claiming that they're merely hedging against it...

Be careful because you might tear a few neurons if you keep twisting your brain like that.

Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#402

Post by christophilus »

raxxorrax wrote: post #390
ThePhysicist wrote: post #143

What we poor souls didn't understand all these years is that we're effectively helping other companies to steal from Apple by running software that isn't distributed via their app store [1]. I think now that Apple has learned from iOS how profitable a walled garden business model is they are trying to bring that model to the PC world as well. Shipping hardware with their own processors is an important step in that di…

I hate walled in gardens and in Microsoft land it did get a lot of flack which I am thankful for. I doubt many Apple users have the foresight of a Stallman to see where their environment is headed. There is money in creating apps for Apple systems, but you are giving up a lot in exchange. Some developers use it for convenience but I would not say it is widespread and most are fundamentally opposed to use a mac. Our a…

Probably 90% of developers I've worked with in the past 5 years used a Mac, and really wanted to do so. I know a handful that left Linux to do it, and have told me they can't imagine going back. I'm not sure that your'e right about developers.

I do know that my next machine will be Linux. I'm probably going to put together a desktop for my office, and I'll buy a System76 laptop or whatever for those times when I want to work from the porch.

Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#403

Post by raxxorrax »

szc wrote: post #127

I'm not going to comment on the linked article, other than say I think it contains serious mistakes in describing what OCSP is for and errors in other statements. In the background there is a war going on, but it isn't what you think. It is a war between malware creators and OS creators. From my perspective it goes like this: To "identify" malware you need signatures. Signatures need valid certificates. Signing keys…

I think this is complete FUD to be honest. There is a war on the market due to economic incentives. There are some criminals, but they don't target your workstation specifically.

Previously a hacker might have gotten access to your computer and maybe you had a keylogger, which could compromise you to a great deal. Today you have so much of your info not on your local device that you have countless additional attack vectors. Where do peoples info get leaked? In cloud services mostly.

edit: And of course your info is not safe. The programs you run get send to Apple. That is nothing else as a data leak.

Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#404

Post by hrktb »

jmull wrote: post #396

There’s a rather strong counter to this is: I, and the vast majority of computer users, don’t want to manage every nitty-gritty detail of the security and privacy of my computer. I have better things to do. In fact, doing it fully competently is more than a full time job. So farming this out to a third-party is a necessity, for me and many, many others. Of course, it’s not perfect. How much can I trust the third part…

I remember that third-party being anti-virus softwares. Then given enough time they basically became malware themselves, and we got rid of them for the most part.

Now that third-party is the computer vendor itself. Will we be able to get rid of them when they all start going down that path ?

Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#405

Post by IanSanders »

elric wrote: post #273
zepto wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The alternatives are still completely unusable by most people.

I disagree. It's a matter if taking a couple of minutes to educate people. You don't have to be a CS major to be able to use a modern Linux OS. "Most people" don't do anyhting on their Windows or Mac computer that they couldn't do on Linux. IMO it's a combination of fear of the unknown, and a lack of general availability. Macs are shiny and their marketing department is fantastic. Windows has a monopoly with OEM prei…

> It's a matter if taking a couple of minutes to educate people.

While it sounds nice in theory, is just unrealistic.

We'd also need to educate people why they cannot use random proprietary rental application on their mobile device that's not google or apple, or connect to a university vpn that doesn't support linux properly. Many workplaces use zoom for meetings, or google suite, etc etc

Exclusively switching to open/ethical software starts to resemble living like a hermit in the woods, and in reality makes ones life more difficult, reducing the impact the person can do on others.

Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#406

Post by dj_mc_merlin »

amalantony06 wrote: post #354

I'd strongly advocate fellow hackers/technical users to move out of the Mac ecosystem and get yourself a Thinkpad. My Thinkpad X1 Carbon that I got a few months ago runs Fedora as seamless as the Macbook runs MacOS. I haven't had a single hardware compatibility issue to date. I don't even miss the Apple Trackpad since I've gotten used to the Thinkpad Trackpoint which is an order of magnitude better as an input device…

> My Thinkpad X1 Carbon

Are they easy to repair? And is 8/16GB enough? Looking to buy something similar too.

Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#407

Post by BLKNSLVR »

eecc wrote: post #216
ThePhysicist wrote: post #143

What we poor souls didn't understand all these years is that we're effectively helping other companies to steal from Apple by running software that isn't distributed via their app store [1]. I think now that Apple has learned from iOS how profitable a walled garden business model is they are trying to bring that model to the PC world as well. Shipping hardware with their own processors is an important step in that di…

But also Windows phones home.m and Linux desktop is still a shitshow (pardon the French) arguing over and over again about the same melange of disputes that should have been settled a decade ago... Not sure if it’s a sign of aging, but I’m losing hope and interest in most of these pantomimes /s

Linux desktop. I just use what's presented and get on with my work. I don't have a particularly complicated setup, but I found something that works and I've been using it happily enough for over a year having migrated from Windows.

I don't know what disputes are being argued over, so I bothers me not in the slightest. Would it help if you just ignored the detail and just worked with what's presented?

Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#408

Post by bsaul »

jmull wrote: post #396

There’s a rather strong counter to this is: I, and the vast majority of computer users, don’t want to manage every nitty-gritty detail of the security and privacy of my computer. I have better things to do. In fact, doing it fully competently is more than a full time job. So farming this out to a third-party is a necessity, for me and many, many others. Of course, it’s not perfect. How much can I trust the third part…

A prison with golden walls is definitely safer and more convenient than freedom in the wilderness. The day the jail guards decide they don’t like you for some reason, you may start rethinking your lifestyle.

I’m 100% apple hardware atm, my first mac was the macintosh plus with 128kb ram, and i’m an iOS professional developer. Let me tell you that moving away from apple is not going to be easy for me, but with the recent trend in government behaviors (always in the name of Good and Security) i feel that i have no choice.

Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#409

Post by ghaff »

morganvachon wrote: post #357
eznzt wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And what do you expect us to do, install Linux and spend days configuring the touchpad? Computers are a tool we use to do our work. Setting up the computer cannot become a job by itself.

No, I expect you to buy a well built tool from a Linux-first manufacturer, where you pay a premium to get a device that "just works". This is, after all, the Apple way right? You pay a premium for a Mac because it "just works", right? https://linuxpreloaded.com/

Doesn't even need to be "Linux-first." Our standard Linux laptops at Red Hat are Thinkpads, many of which are used by people who are not particularly technical and use a locked-down corporate build. (Many others run Fedora or CentOS.) I'm sure we have many thousands in use.

The Dell XPS 13 is supposedly good too although I don't have personal experience.

I use Macs quite a bit but the idea that running Linux on a properly-selected modern laptop is likely to be an exercise in frustration is just a myth at this point.

Re: Your Computer Isn't Yours

#410

Post by raxxorrax »

christophilus wrote: post #402
raxxorrax wrote: post #390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate walled in gardens and in Microsoft land it did get a lot of flack which I am thankful for. I doubt many Apple users have the foresight of a Stallman to see where their environment is headed. There is money in creating apps for Apple systems, but you are giving up a lot in exchange. Some developers use it for convenience but I would not say it is widespread and most are fundamentally opposed to use a mac. Our a…

Probably 90% of developers I've worked with in the past 5 years used a Mac, and really wanted to do so. I know a handful that left Linux to do it, and have told me they can't imagine going back. I'm not sure that your'e right about developers. I do know that my next machine will be Linux. I'm probably going to put together a desktop for my office, and I'll buy a System76 laptop or whatever for those times when I want…

Estimated 1-3% developers of developers I worked with run MacOS. Maybe it is a local or SV thing, but most I know prefer the freedom. In the industry I work there aren't many tools for Apple ecosystems available.

edit: https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018/

It is quite high and to correct myself: Some developers have a Mac for iOS development. Most people I know hate it.

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