231–240 of 469 posts
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> On Linux...this wouldn't be a problem This , perhaps not, but Linux distros track app usage, too: https://popcon.debian.org/
One of the first things Debian does is ask consent about this, and the FAQs are clearly published: https://popcon.debian.org/FAQ . You can't say the same about most things.
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> I know this is the popular conclusion - but from a developer perspective, data such as what software your product is used with is INCREDIBLY valuable for project planning and prioritization. People hate web tracking, but knowing what browsers or devices are visiting your website can be enormously helpful. What happened to actually communicating with users to learn more about how they use the product?
It's a confirmation bias problem. Customers who fill out surveys and give direct feedback back to vendors are frequently lower-usage enthusiasts that aren't representative of your overall userbase. I work on a product, and we include some telemetry. I'm also a strong privacy advocate, and I believe I've done my best within the corporate realm to ensure that the data we're collecting is extremely scoped AND useful for…
Because I will only say "Yes" if I'm being paid or otherwise compensated specifically for that input.
I think it's important companies pay for usage testing so that they value that information and are more likely to hold it closely since it represents an investment and is perceived as competitive advantage.
I wonder what the comfortable medium between privacy and letting developers get feedback about how well their code works is. It seems to me like Wacom just wants to know if their drivers work, so they can focus engineering efforts around fixing the issues that are affecting their users. "Oh hey, the new beta of Photoshop breaks our drivers!" They don't make a "cloud product" and they have an obligation to make their…
> I wonder what the comfortable medium between privacy and letting developers get feedback about how well their code works is. I consider the nut of the problem to be informed consent. If you have user's informed consent to get the feedback, then there is no problem. If you don't, then the whole operation is unacceptable. And no, mentioning it in the privacy policy or terms of use don't count as "informed consent".
It's not impossible at all, just in the current state of the industry there's a good reason we have vague agreements (also including good old-fashioned laziness, of course). It'd probably need to be developed ground up as an API with side effects, so when the code is compiled it spits out some details about how it's used.
It looks like everything in tech got poisoned, smart TVs taking screenshots, web apps tracking and matching user clicks, smartphones tracking locations realtime and who knows what else, desktop apps monitoring other apps and peripherals, creepy companies building profiles on everyone, health institutions selling data of their users... I want out, I didn't get into this field, keeping myself up-to-date and super capab…
"just to make somebody with a limited lifespan feel powerful and rich." Wow that last sentence really puts things into perspective. How can be reverse course and throw a wrench in the system? We are the makers, we should be able to wrestle back control and do it democratically and get politicians on our side to legislate this ad industry into the ground.
Sounds like a union? Also sounds like Galt's Gulch. Weird dovetail, there.
The kicker is that tech workers are in a FAR better position than the other groups that are pushing or considering a general strike. I suppose that makes the prospect more viable, but also more dangerous to the stability of the overall economy. I guess it's up to you if a shake-up now is worth stopping or forestalling the rising waters.
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Ever since the Windows multi-platform tablet push windows has had built-in drivers for touch & pen support. For the purpose of drawing, these drivers are actively antagonistic, as they have weird touch macros that make fine detail virtually impossible. And as they are built-in to windows, these drivers are also a pain to override by third-party drivers. Add that to the complications that already arise from interfacin…
It's not that hard to turn off any more. But if you don't know about the setting, you will be wondering how anyone can work with a grafics tablet.
Really great article. But I wonder, why the author did not cover if/what the driver publishes, If I do: - open "Wacom Desktop Center" - Top right (next to "Login") is "More" (click!) - "Data Privacy Settings" (click!) - "Participate In Wacom Experience Program" => on => off! My setting was "On" - and I swear: whenever a program/website/installer asks I go "No thankx". So it must be dark UI patterns with evil defaults…
So you have to click "Disagree" and continue the install to have it on.
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Open source drivers are rare on Windows because manufacturers almost always ship proprietary drivers that are good enough, and Windows users clearly have no issues running closed-source software. Proprietary drivers on Linux are often crap, if they even exist at all.
>Proprietary drivers on Linux are often crap, if they even exist at all. Not so with Nvidia GPUs. The open drivers are awful; the proprietary drivers are good. (But IS the case with AMD GPUs, to the point where the proprietary driver seems to perform worse[0] and everyone pretends it doesn't even exist, which is upside down unintuitive coming from A.) Windows and B.) Nvidia.) 0: https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page…
One thing I can say for Nouveau over the proprietary drivers is that they actually work without any real fuss. I've run into numerous instances where the proprietary drivers would prevent the system from booting. And I've yet to get them to work at all with any realtime kernel in Manjaro.
And then we get into the nightmare that is any laptop with an integrated Intel GPU and a dedicated Nvidia GPU...
On Linux you'd be using the community-maintained drivers[0], so I assume this wouldn't be a problem (correct me if I'm wrong). But as far as I can tell, there's not equivalent Open Wacom drivers for Windows. People with more Windows knowledge than me: any thoughts on why? Is it just that someone using Windows probably doesn't care about Open drivers, so the demand isn't there? Or is there something about Windows that…
Open source drivers are rare on Windows because manufacturers almost always ship proprietary drivers that are good enough, and Windows users clearly have no issues running closed-source software. Proprietary drivers on Linux are often crap, if they even exist at all.
It seems like forcing the all or nothing choice made a lot of OEMs open source their drivers or provide none which lead to the community making them.
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Open source drivers are rare on Windows because manufacturers almost always ship proprietary drivers that are good enough, and Windows users clearly have no issues running closed-source software. Proprietary drivers on Linux are often crap, if they even exist at all.
Windows users should push for FOSS drivers as well also when the proprietary ones run perfectly. Privacy and security issues aside, being forced to depend on a closed driver means that the manufacturer can make the product obsolete just by stopping support on newer Windows versions, therefore turning the product essentially into trash, thus forcing the user to buy a new one.