Bonum Certa Men Certa

Gemini Links 17/07/2023: Slackware Linux Turns 30, Old Computer Challenge 2023 Recap



  • Gemini* and Gopher

    • Personal/Opinions

      • 🔤SpellBinding: EVINSUF Wordo: FRUIT
      • Timing can be a friend

        Yesterday morning I awoke resolved to no longer bother posting to Antenna for feeling I don't belong, don't "get it", etc. In terms of engagement/interaction/community, it's earned a low rating relative to other places I've participated. There are times the overall feeling conjures wondering whether there's collusion a la "maybe he'll leave if we ignore him long enough"....

        Am I imagining things? Is it simply an aspect of "smol" that I've failed to grasp? Is the "right" way to exist in Gemini to put out topically interesting missives that ignore others' contributions?

        Anyway, a funny thing happened a little later in the day: I noticed that, a couple days ago, someone I'm vaguely remembering having some sort of sysop role somewhere (when I was first looking the best place to host my gemlog) emailed me to let me know how much they've enjoyed my gemlog, and hoped I'd be continuing.

    • Politics and World Events

      • Can conservatives care about the environment?

        It might seem strange that conservative political parties and movements often treat the enviroment so poorly and short-sightedly. After all, their religious texts have page after page on the glory of this priceless blue marble and how to care for this planet-sized household with love and attention to detail. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father.

        The problem is that most the runaway environmental problems, including climate change, were caused by a bug in market capitalism: under–accounted-for (often un–accounted-for) transaction externalities.

    • Technology and Free Software

      • Old Computer Challenge 2023 Recap

        As the week of the challenge comes to a close, I'm already feeling like I want to extend it, and I'm typing this on my 'old computer', so maybe that says something.

        I thought about titling this post "Old Computer Challenge 2023: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," and I can see how I'd break down this post into those three sections, and I have definitely jotted down some "uglies" that I'll mention.

        I often work on my computer late at night, so on midnight of the first day of the challenge I pulled out a Chip computer and tried to fire it up and get it working. After some back-and-forth between that and my other Pocket CHIP computer, I eventually discovered that I could use the Chip computer inside the hull of my Pocket Chip case. I used this lightly for a few days, then messed the thing up when I tried to keep updating Debian. The process to re-flash the Chip computer is very convoluted. And though I'd love to walk through and get my Chip computers useable again, I didn't want to deal with that, so chose a different thing to try: I pulled out my old Raspberry Pi 1B computer from 2013 and decided to see if I could install Void Linux on it and run it for the week.

      • Old Computer Challenge v3: postmortem

        Hi! I've not been very communicative about my week during the Old Computer Challenge v3, the reason is that I failed it. Time for a postmortem (analysis of what happened) to understand the failure!

        For the context, the last time I was using a restricted hardware was for the first edition of the challenge two years ago. Last year challenge was about reducing Internet connectivity.

      • [Gopher] Old Computer Challenge v3: postmortem
      • Minimal audio toolkit

        To make music, you don't need any tools or instruments at all, think about all the music for choir or Steve Reich's Clapping Music. But assuming you are working in a computer environment and making some variant of electronic or electroacoustic music, a common working model revolves around a digital audio workstation (DAW) with a number of plugins. The plugins are mostly effects that process sound signals in realtime. There may be MIDI instruments that generate sounds, controlled by a sequencer, perhaps displayed in a piano roll notation. DAW programs tend to be big and bloated with functionality. They clutter the screen with tracks, mixer channels, numerous tiny boxes, buttons, menues and submenues. Dual screens may be a requirement for a reasonably smooth work flow. Getting something done often involves digging deep into manuals to see where everything is hiding and trying to understand fancy terms for what often amounts to simple signal processing operations. But it doesn't have to be that way.

      • Internet/Gemini

        • PLANNED ANTENNA DOWNTIME

          Tomorrow I’ll be doing some renovation in the room where my server is located. I’ll have to cut the power. This means that my fibre converter, router, and servers will be down for some hours. I’ll try to be quick about it.

      • Programming


* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.



Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Problems in Europe Even Before the Cheeto Tariffs
The case of Romania, Europe's notorious Microsoft fan
Oman in 2025: GNU/Linux Growing to 5%
what can Microsoft do about it except sabotage the PCs?
Microsoft Shares Collapse Again (Down $101), Fifth Round of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in Less Than 100 Days in 2025
disaster
 
Microsoft Windows in Jordan: From 99% Down to 10%
This is becoming more "normal"
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: A "Deep Dive" Into the Complaint at the California Privacy Protection Agency
There are many facets to it and it may be the first complaint of several
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, April 07, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, April 07, 2025
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Stock Market, Galène, and DMT Entities
Links for the day
During the Weekend We Said Fedora DEI Requires Proprietary Software, Now the Chat About It Is No Longer Accessible Over the Open Web
is this just a coincidence and an habitual change in Element?
Links 07/04/2025: US Measles Fatalities and China Launches HDMI and DisplayPort Alternative
Links for the day
Links 07/04/2025: More Cuts to Science Funding, Snail-speed Internet in Germany
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Leasehold and Safe Gifts
Links for the day
In Some Countries, Laptops and Desktops Become a Dying Breed (Even Before Tariffs), Windows Has Nowhere to Go
expect more GNU/Linux on new and existing laptops
When the Credibility or 'Quality' of Clients Ceases to Matter, It's About Helping Rich Companies Like Microsoft Censor Critics (No Matter the Risks)
Bad ideas typically result in undesirable outcomes
UAE: GNU/Linux and Android at Record Levels, Windows at New Lows and Falling Below Apple
Even iOS is measured as bigger than Windows this month
Links 07/04/2025: Reddit Occupied (Social Control Media Controlled by Oligarchy), Demise of Globalisation Ongoing
Links for the day
Windows Has Fallen to All-Time Lows in Switzerland Since GNU Celebrated 40th Anniversary (GNU’s 40th Birthday in Biel, Switzerland)
GNU/Linux has been doing well in Switzerland
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 06, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, April 06, 2025
Links 07/04/2025: Leaving Gemini/smolweb and Mastodon Migrations
Links for the day
In Iraq, Windows 3.1 (Percent)
There's also zero
One Person's Take on Jef Spaleta, the New Fedora Project Leader
"With a little searching, I wonder what else may be found regarding Microsoft."
Links 06/04/2025: Flood, Cool Gemini Capsule, and Long Form
Links for the day
Links 06/04/2025: Science, Politics, and Pricier Goods
Links for the day
LLM Slop Has Virtually Killed unixmen.com and Many Other Sites
There's no longer any incentive to write real articles in there
Sharp Declines for Microsoft Windows in Bangladesh (Pop. ~175,000,000), Big Gains for GNU/Linux
Microsoft Windows has been having a really hard time in poor countries
Links 06/04/2025: Fake Reviews, Privatisation Heists, and "AI" as Smokescreen for Impoverishing Humans
Links for the day
Taking a Moral Stand Against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and the Worst Offenders/Facilitators
Any other stance would sidle with moral depravity or moral hazard
Links 06/04/2025: Many New Acts of Repression and Elements of Financial Depression
Links for the day
In Qatar GNU/Linux Rose From Under 1% to Over 4% in Two Years (or Over 5% If Counting ChromeOS)
It's a big improvement compared to what we saw last year
LLM Scrapers Are a Nuisance, But They're Also a Reminder It's Time to Make Your Site Static
Perhaps the best protection is the ability to endure surges
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 05, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, April 05, 2025
Links 06/04/2025: Attacks on Education, Fake Patents, and Fake (Illegal) Patent Courts
Links for the day
France: Apple and Microsoft Down, GNU/Linux Up to New Record Levels
How will tariffs against France impact things in the coming months?