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I want a computer that I own

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Re: I want a computer that I own

#571

Post by Terretta »

navaati wrote: post #409
vbezhenar wrote: post #393

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 ?

See my other reply in this same thread:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26399788

Long story short, you pay $100/year or $8.33/month for access to a suite of services that make apps frictionless for your users, and easier for you as a developer to offer high end features like authentication, notifications, and sync:

    - App discovery, hosting, distribution, updates
    - CloudKit, iCloud Documents, iCloud K/V Store
    - Push Notifications
    - Sign-in with Apple
    - etc. (NFC is also in the list)
Details: https://help.apple.com/developer-account/#/dev21218dfd6

You do not have to pay anything if you do not want any of those services, however you will have to “refresh” your test app cert weekly or work around that.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#572

Post by Terretta »

Xylakant wrote: post #453
bayindirh wrote: post #348

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Authenticator data is not backed up. Microsoft Authenticator can be backed up, but you need to go through a few extra steps (and have a Microsoft account). Other secrets are not included either - my banks PhotoTAN app doesn’t store any credentials etc. AFAIK, applications allow their secrets to be backed up or not, and I'm not mad that my 2FA keys are no backed up and shipped overseas. I keep another copy of my 2FA…

> I keep another copy of my 2FA codes in another application, so it's not a very big problem from my PoV, though. It's not a problem if you took measures to make sure you have a copy. It's a problem if you just take "full backups" for granted until you figure out that some things don't get included in "full".

It’s not “some things”. Its things where the app developer explicitly chose to tag them to not be included.

And yes, for years one had to do the physical cabled backup restores for this, then these same app developers learned how to exclude their data from those as well. However, as of iOS 12, 13 and 14, there seems to be decreasing to zero effective difference in what’s included between tethered (with password), local WiFi (with password), and OTA iCloud backups.

You may be able to forcibly back these up using a third party tool that also lets you back up sandboxed temp files and the like, tools like iExplorer:

https://macroplant.com/iexplorer/mount-iphone-disk-mode-file...

If you’re jailbroken, that can backup anything under root of course.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#573

Post by mikewarot »

mikewarot wrote: post #215

You can own a computer, but you have to go back to the days of MS-DOS and floppy disks to really be sure. Once a program is running on MS-DOS, it essentially owns the machine until it makes a DOS or BIOS call. There isn't really enough room in the system to fit any advanced back doors, and you can have your operating system on a hardware write protected disk. You can make backups that you can verify, and write protec…

My main point to all of the above is that you need a better OS, the hardware can mostly be ignored once a proper OS is running that can keep the hardware from being hijacked.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#574

Post by guyzero »

Ensorceled wrote: post #511
oaiey wrote: post #475

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google how modern TV spies on what you view on your screen (not talking your Netflix App here ;))

Right, I know the bullshit Samsung etc. is up to. How is broadast television doing it?

Not broadcast per se but cable company set top boxes monitor your viewing habits and correlate them with your account which has a bunch of demographic data.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#575

Post by UncleSlacky »

zelphirkalt wrote: post #46

One way to get closer to this goal is to buy an liberated X200 or similar machine, which can run on only free software, install a free software OS like Trisquel and only ever install free software on it. Buying such a laptop from people in the free software community will also support them and their work. There are a few shops. On the web you will still need to deal with how everything these days is behind the curren…

I've done this with a black 2007 MacBook 2,1 ("BlackBook") - ironically it's about the easiest laptop to install Libreboot on (all in software, no H/W intervention needed). Runs Trisquel Lite, the only thing that doesn't work is the webcam, but that's a privacy bonus.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#576

Post by TheRealDunkirk »

m463 wrote: post #277
JKCalhoun wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll go further: when have you ever been able to communicate with guaranteed privacy? Telephone? Nope. Ham radio? Nope. Letters sent through the mail? Nope.

By turning off the radio, sitting in the pod and talking about HAL behind his back.

And, as we know full-well, this makes HAL angry and petulant.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#577

Post by Romeo_ »

marcodiego wrote: post #39

You can have computers that you own today. There is a list here: https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/laptops . If you want something more powerful, there're these: - https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/workstations-and-servers - https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/mainboards Also, Andrius Stikonas achieved a blob-free fully functioning (AFAIK) RockPro64 more than a year ago: https://stikonas.eu/wordpress/2019/09/15/blobless-boot-wi…

Thank you for this list from the fsf, I didn't know it existed. Usefull for selecting products like which bluetooth dongle to buy.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#578

Post by fsflover »

Daho0n wrote: post #342
kmonsen wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s only a problem because people in general are not willing to pay for it. You and the OP have the same problem you want a solution but are not willing to pay the price. And you think that what you want is what most people want, but from what the market tells us they are pretty happy with what is being offered right now.

So let's say I'm willing to pay double or triple rate or more if needed, then show me a flagship phone with the same capabilities as a normal Android flagship phone but without the loss of privacy and ownership. You can't and you never have been able to. No completely free phone on par with flagships have ever been released.

Not exactly same capabilities as Android phones yet, but getting there fast with software updates: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#579

Post by jtxx »

mwcampbell wrote: post #551
sammorrowdrums wrote: post #484

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, even when you boot up into Netlfix in Epiphany browser or something and discover you can't. It's not a great OOTB experience for new Linux users, never mind being locked out entirely. But that said, I don't really know how to fix the DRM problem without first making progress on open hardware. Viability and market share in spite of the adversity is the only chance I can see. It still might fail. We try because w…

I think the solution is to convince more people that we can live happy lives without access to big-budget entertainment. I've been mostly going without for about two years now, though I've wavered a few times.

IDK, many people spend their whole lives glued to the TV or movies. it feels like it has only gotten worse. it also feels like people don't have hobbies these days. I think to convince people of what you're saying, we need to get people back into having more hobbies. or at least reading or something

Re: I want a computer that I own

#580

Post by jacquesm »

EvanAnderson wrote: post #565
jacquesm wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HN is substantially larger than 4000 people, besides, telling people to design and fab their own chips is disingenuous. The right to privacy is not a 'first world problem', it is a problem.

HN may be larger than 4000 people, but it feels like a disturbingly large portion of the HN community seems to be in favor of anti-owner and anti-privacy policies. Forced obsolescence, razor/blades business models, selling user "behavior" data, and out-right spying on individual communications all seem to be big moneymakers, and some significant portion of HN's audience is more about "IPO and get rich" than "hacking"…

HN is large enough that it has many factions, the one you describe definitely exists, as does the 'bro' faction, the 'get rich quick' faction, the racists and the idiots. That doesn't mean that any of these factions are dominant, and besides that HN has many more lurkers than posters and I suspect that the division is not identical between those groups on either side of the lurker/contributor divide.
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