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I want a computer that I own

misc-stuff.terraaeon.com

401–410 of 668 posts

Re: I want a computer that I own

#401
post #362

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Honest question: is it simply the fact you can't use a Gecko engine on iOS that makes it useless to you? No plugins/add-ons effectively.

Because you need plugins on a mobile browser?

Why would a mobile browser be different to a desktop one in this regard?

Re: I want a computer that I own

#402
post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Owning my computer is still relatively possible. Sorry to burst your bubble, https://libreboot.org/faq.html#intelme

Happy to deflect your bursting! :) https://www.raptorcs.com/content/base/faq.html

Excellent to see - thanks for sharing these!

Re: I want a computer that I own

#403
post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. I want these things too. But I'm also willing to pay for them. Everyone wants the best stuff for free. That's not controversial. But it is controversial to complain that the best stuff is more expensive than the cheap stuff. Of course it is. That's the type of stuff they sacrificed to make it cheap. If they want low end free btw, they do have that too. Pinebooks are super cheap.

> But it is controversial to complain that the best stuff is more expensive than the cheap stuff. Nah. Technically, and in terms of manufacturing cost, it would be even easier to make a simpler computer, without all those bells and whistles that can be turned against the user, without the Intel Management Engine, TPM, and what have you. > That's the type of stuff they sacrificed to make it cheap. No, it's economies o…

> Technically, and in terms of manufacturing cost, it would be even easier to make a simpler computer, without all those bells and whistles that can be turned against the user,

That's true. However, vendors don't look at manufacturing costs in isolation - they care about profit. All these user-hostile additions generate more in profit than they cost in manufacturing.

This way, the best stuff costs more, even if it has less - because "value-add" garbage has negative total cost.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#404
post #15

I have a similar feeling, but with modern smartphones. Owning my computer is still relatively possible. I can build a computer from parts which I can choose, and have a choice in which operating system to install on them. Laptops are slightly more closed, but even on those I can choose the OS myself. Modern smartphones however, seem like walled gardens in which I have no control at all. I cannot choose any of the par…

I'll play the (intentional) Devil's Advocate here to present an alternative viewpoint. I like iOS, but not Android. Let me explain why. I personally love Linux, Unix philosophy (I'm even sometimes an old beardy zealot about POSIX standards and the old way ), and inherent customization possibilities. On the other hand, I don't want to manage my phone like a desktop or laptop computer, or a server because of a plethora…

Oh I totally agree. I treat my phone as purely a consumption and communication device. It's a dumb brick that should do those things well, including being secure. The more walled garden the better, in my opinion, as long as it's doing those things well and maintaining my privacy.

On the other hand, it's useless for creation. But that's fine, the trade offs are worth it in my opinion. I have dedicated hardware running Linux/Windows for that purpose.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because you need plugins on a mobile browser?

Adblock?

And in Europe, cookies / nag-popup-removers for all those GDPR compliance dialogs (though vanilla Firefox is becoming better in blocking trackers by default).

Re: I want a computer that I own

#407
post #345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Android does not allow you to take complete backups Can't you enable developer mode, open a terminal and just run `dd`?

Not without root. Assuming by developer mode you mean to enable adb connectivity, you'll still need root in order to gain access to dd the filesystem. To root "well made" phones, you need to unlock the bootloader, and this will erase the data on the device, to prevent data theft or compromise...

And even if you do root your phone and dd the storage, you'll only be able to conveniently restore to an identical (or the same) phone. I generally prefer Android to iOS, but they're not even on the same planet in terms of backups.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#408
post #383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Adblock?

Indeed uBlock Origin is the #1 reason I use Firefox on Android. #2 is dark reader.

AdGuard works pretty well on iOS. I don’t think there is a way to do a ‘dark reader’ specifically though perhaps pages honour the OS’s ‘dark mode’ setting these days? I would guess support is spotty.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#409
post #15

I have a similar feeling, but with modern smartphones. Owning my computer is still relatively possible. I can build a computer from parts which I can choose, and have a choice in which operating system to install on them. Laptops are slightly more closed, but even on those I can choose the OS myself. Modern smartphones however, seem like walled gardens in which I have no control at all. I cannot choose any of the par…

I can somewhat relate to you, but in different aspect. I own iPhone and I'm thinking about some home automation. I can program iPhones, I tried to find out some way to put my code onto my phone without restrictions and I did not find any. I can use web app, but it's restricted and I might need some API that's not available for web. I can install my development build, but it'll expire in a few days and I don't want to…

It’s frustrating to have to pay, but I think you can shell out something like a 100 bucks to get an Apple developer account and it allows you to install your own code on your own phone. I hope it’s a 100 bucks forever and not once per year…

Can someone confirm ?

Re: I want a computer that I own

#410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can somewhat relate to you, but in different aspect. I own iPhone and I'm thinking about some home automation. I can program iPhones, I tried to find out some way to put my code onto my phone without restrictions and I did not find any. I can use web app, but it's restricted and I might need some API that's not available for web. I can install my development build, but it'll expire in a few days and I don't want to…

It’s frustrating to have to pay, but I think you can shell out something like a 100 bucks to get an Apple developer account and it allows you to install your own code on your own phone. I hope it’s a 100 bucks forever and not once per year… Can someone confirm ?

It's once per year. Source: I have a paid developer account.
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