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[#] Mon Mar 28 2022 09:52:09 EDT from zelgomer

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Yup, that really annoyed me too, hearing the idiots on TV lose their shit over a "private server." Nobody asks me because I'm not in the line of work that anyone thinks of to ask those sort of questions, but I tried to correct and educate family members every time I heard it come up. It's not THAT she had a private server, it's what she was doing with it. She may be Satan incarnate, but we have to get the details right or else we sound like a bunch ignorant luddite retards.

Happened again in 2020. RIP Rush, but when he said that there were so many votes for Trump that the cheating software couldn't keep up with it, I had to do damage control with some family members. No, there were not so many votes that they outpaced the software, that is the most nonsensical bullshit I have ever heard. Sit down, let me try to explain to you how fast even the CPU in your phone actually is. It can count from 1 to 100 million in just a few seconds. Now, let's talk about how software works and the fact that in order to cheat it doesn't actually have to bump a counter 100 million times.

[#] Mon Mar 28 2022 10:50:34 EDT from Nurb432

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Odd, i have never been asked that before.

 



[#] Fri Apr 08 2022 18:55:17 EDT from IGnatius T Foobar

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That's because you're not the lead developer of a mail server software. :)

[#] Tue Apr 12 2022 16:43:19 EDT from ParanoidDelusions

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There are still legal repercussions to running your own e-mail server - in particular, the possibility that the Government can establish reasonable cause to suspect illegal activities have been conducted on your personal e-mail server, even by parties you were unaware were doing so, can lead to broad seizure of your personal electronics - the Feds tend to take a shotgun approach and they'll confiscate anything that could possibly be used for electronic storage or transmission of data. There are other hassles and liabilities involved, not the least of which is that bad actors find public faced web servers an irresistible draw - and most people do not have the skill or experience to run a truly secure public e-mail server from their home. 

It is too bad that bad actors on BOTH sides make it unreasonable for the *average* person to host their own servers. 

 

Mon Mar 28 2022 09:15:00 EDT from IGnatius T Foobar
I am asked from time to time whether it's legal to operate your own email server. There are a lot of non technical people who assume you need some sort of license or government permission to do that.

This started around 2015, when rumors surfaced that a former White House cabinet member was storing confidential government secrets on an email server located in the bathroom of her home, literally about 15 miles from where I am right now. (This rumor turned out to be false. The server in question was actually in a small data center in New York City.)

 



[#] Tue Apr 12 2022 17:26:03 EDT from Nurb432

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Sure, there are risks of abuse for most anything and possible data requests, seizures, and such, but it doesn't make the actual act of running it illegal. 



[#] Tue Apr 12 2022 18:35:02 EDT from ParanoidDelusions

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Fair enough. 

At least, it isn't illegal... YET. 

 



[#] Tue Apr 12 2022 18:51:16 EDT from Nurb432

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And related to google..

Last weekend i tried going 100% ChromeOS  Actually, even my latest 99 dollar tablet + a USBC hub so i can have a real keyboard, mouse and monitor.  ( but really you dont *have* to.. )

Only ran into a couple of issues

  • VPN.  It requires android apps. And while mine can do it, i felt it was cheating for the weekend. So no pirate streaming, or coffee shop access.
  • No downloading of youtube videos for backup.   Might have been able to if i tried, but it wasn't out of box. If i didnt want to download, worked fine tho.
Could access mail, music, videos and 'office' via my nextcloud server.. Things most people do via an 'external' cloud, so i dont feel i was cheating there.

Sure, there would be some things i cant do, like 3D modeling, coding, etc without using the Linux subsystem ( again cheating in this context ) but for an average weekend, which would be most people on an average day i didnt even notice the difference.   And yes, RDP to a desktop somewhere, would also be cheating this weekend, tho practical in the real world if your device didnt have the horsepower.

And ya, add android and linux to the mix, and its more than 99.9% of people would need. Hell, you can even install a windows VM inside Linux via KVM, if you *had* to, and had an X86 machine. .( this was ARM, so not running windows unless you wanted to use QEMU emulation, and were a masochist .. )

 

 

ya, it was a silly experiment, and i knew it would work on paper, but i was curious what it would 'feel' like actually doing it, as if i would in theory drag my tablet around during the day at work, then plug in at night and only use it..



[#] Sat Apr 16 2022 03:07:39 EDT from ParanoidDelusions

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Hell, I've got a Galaxy Note 10+ with 1TB of storage and 8GB of RAM. 

It has something called DEX which docks it to monitors and keyboards - and yeah - it could easily replace 99.9% of my computing needs. 

But... it is that .1% that is the deal-breaker - I really considered just using it exclusively at the job for the Amazon seller. It totally would have worked for almost everything. 

But there is something more to it than that - and I think that is true with Chrome, too. There were things I needed like dual monitor setups, the ability to have multiple browser windows open and seamlessly cut and paste info between those and a local spreadsheet - the ability to manage files on my machine and mapped shares from an explorer... other things that ChromeOS, Android... they're not GOOD at. File management in particular, on Android - is a mess - in part because you're typically locked OUT of the root system, and every Android manufacturer has a different scheme for where your USER data is stored... this can be a real bitch - because some apps - I'm going to use retro-emulators as an example - are hard coded to save files in a particular spot - but figuring out WHERE that spot is, and getting access to it, to copy user files there - can be difficult or impossible. 

Basically... Android isn't as well thought out as Windows or OS X. With iOS devices you've got the same kind of shit - but it is ALL iOS - so... you don't run into that "open ecosystem" customization between vendors/manufacturers shit you get on Android and... I assume Chromebooks. Because you know Samsung and Lenovo - the hardware is the same, the OS is the same - so they've got to find some way of differentiating their devices from one another. 

And usually - that is where shit breaks because the developers are developing for some reference design. 

There are other problems - too. I just can't think of them right now. At any rate - 99.9% of consumers I know who use ChromeBooks really *want* a "real" PC - for a variety of reasons. They have them because their school or work makes them - but they complain about them *a lot*. 

Maybe it is just familiarity - but in any case - the inertia that ChromeOS is up against is huge. Can you do it? Sure. It is probably way easier for guys like us to gronk it - guys who really understand that the basic architecture underneath, all 7 layers - is THERE in some form - you just have to figure out how it is presented, what the methodology and conceptual approach is on one OS vs. another. Linux, Unix, AmigaOS, TOS, MacOS Classic and X, Windows, Android, ChromeOS - they're all basically the same shit and if the machine can do something on ONE OS - it may take some hacking - but generally it isn't impossible on a different one. But the same kind of people who ChromeOS is supposed to target - are the ones most easily frustrated by something new and different moving the cheese. 


Tue Apr 12 2022 18:51:16 EDT from Nurb432

And related to google..

 

 

ya, it was a silly experiment, and i knew it would work on paper, but i was curious what it would 'feel' like actually doing it, as if i would in theory drag my tablet around during the day at work, then plug in at night and only use it..



 



[#] Sat Apr 16 2022 07:15:38 EDT from Nurb432

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I tried DEX once.  Also tried the Motorola thing when it first came out.  Wasn't happy with either.  But it was a while now, it was mostly apps didnt like doing it. Might be better now.    I thought about using my pinephone that way, but it was too slow. ( the Pro, i bet i could, has the same chip that i have in several devices )

 

As far as the Chromebook reference designs:

I have had 3 "real" Chromebooks personally over time. 4, if you count the Pixelbook, and i honesty cant see anything that was identifying about them from one to the next.  Unlike android makers ( and i guess windows too ), no extra items installed and its "just" ChromeOS. No 'strange' peripherals either as all the devices have to be certified by google. Other than the logo ( and of course you get a big fat ChromeOS logo too ) they were all the same.  Ignoring the fact mine were progressive generations, (upgrades) and different sizes, if you grab 2, they will 'just work' and you wont know the difference.

And for me, if i turn on android and Linux support, it would meet 100% of my needs. ( i can even install a windows VM if i wanted.. ) But i felt it was cheating, for this experiment. I wanted to keep it at the level most people would.  However, i guess most would turn on android too, as they have a phone. Turning Linux on, perhaps not.  Actually, now that i think about it, Android support may have been on by default, i cant remember now.  Its on with this tablet, i just didnt use any android app on purpose. ( like vpn, or integrated netxtcloud. i used the webapp )

 

And no, im really not getting a % of chromebook sales :)  I just have found that now it does all 3, i really do like them and think a lot more people could migrate to ChromeOS and not 'lose' anything.  Other than the baggage that comes with OSX and Windows.

Oh, and unlike Microsoft, i dont see any ads on my machine unless an android app does it, its never the core OS.  Ads in the freaking start bar, even enterprise? Really Microsoft?

Sat Apr 16 2022 03:07:39 AM EDT from ParanoidDelusions



It has something called DEX which docks it to monitors and keyboards - and yeah - it could easily replace 99.9% of my computing needs. 



And usually - that is where shit breaks because the developers are developing for some reference design. 





[#] Sat Apr 16 2022 10:47:35 EDT from IGnatius T Foobar

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You guys are power users. You're not the target market. Chromebooks are for:

* User groups such as elementary and secondary school students, where they are "fleet" machines tethered to a parent cloud. Don't think of it as a computer; think of it as a terminal.

* Ur mom. She's only going to use it to play Words With Friends anyway.
Wouldn't you like to be relieved of the job of being her system administrator?

My personal laptop, which only gets used around the house, is a ten year old Dell M4700. It's chonky and has a dead battery, but I keep it because it's got a big screen and a big keyboard. It runs a web browser and a terminal.
I could put Chrome OS on it and I wouldn't be missing anything.

[#] Sat Apr 16 2022 11:39:49 EDT from Nurb432

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Perhaps, but even with 'people like us' a lot of what we do does not need extras.  We read mail and watch just as many cat videos as the rest of them, and being that lots of us live on our phone, if you are in the android ecosystem, its just a convenient extension to that.  But, now that it has a supported Linux sub-system ( like windows does now too i guess ), it is ok for power users too.  Assuming you dont get a 99 dollar special, as while it would technically work, it would not be as clean as a higher end model.

Sat Apr 16 2022 10:47:35 AM EDT from IGnatius T Foobar
You guys are power users. You're not the target market. Chromebooks are for:




[#] Sat Apr 16 2022 11:42:56 EDT from Nurb432

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That is the future anyway, for most people.   Another 5 years, i bet 90% of the world will be in that boat. 

Just dev guys and gamers will be left with hardware.  ( and with stuff like steam perhaps even gamers will slowly move cloud too )

 

in 1980s i never dreamed we would be going back to the old mainframe days, at least conceptually.  Thought it was a one way trip.. i guess someone hid the roundabout and we didnt notice it.

 

 

Sat Apr 16 2022 10:47:35 AM EDT from IGnatius T Foobar
. Don't think of it as a computer; think of it as a terminal.

 



[#] Sat Apr 16 2022 15:38:42 EDT from LadySerenaKitty

Subject: Google Workspace

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So Google announced they're gonna start charging a monthly subscription for Google Workspace.  To absolutely no-one's surprise, there's now a bit of an exodus going on.

 

So now that I not only got Citadel to build on FreeBSD, but also got it running on FreeBSD, I pointed the MX records for all my domains to my Citadel server.  Now Google Workspaces is annoyed at me, is telling me that I need to have 5 MX records all pointing to Google's mail servers.  The new subscription model is what made me patch Citadel for FreeBSD.  You did this, Google.  You made me get Citadel running on FreeBSD, and now you wanna complain about my MX records not pointing to you?

 

Just like elections, subscriptions have consequences.



[#] Sat Apr 16 2022 16:22:22 EDT from Nurb432

Subject: Re: Google Workspace

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That isn't a new announcement tho.  Just no one paid attention when they first said it. Now that D-day is coming, people are listening. Also, my understanding is you will get to migrate your data over to the free tier, but you will lose your custom domain name, unless you pay up. ( which really is no different than anywhere else, mail hosting isn't normally free. ) So it isn't as bad as it sounds.



[#] Sat Apr 16 2022 16:28:07 EDT from Nurb432

Subject: Re: Google Workspace

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Oh, and welcome to the party.. 



[#] Sat Apr 16 2022 16:40:31 EDT from LadySerenaKitty

Subject: Re: Google Workspace

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Well, I'm not down for paying Google Workspaces' lowest-tier $6/mo for the 6 domains I use for mail.  I'd much rather pay $10/mo to DigitalOcean for that one VM I have, which was already set up for other projects.  From my perspective, those other projects are paying for the VM and I'm still getting free mail service.



[#] Tue Apr 19 2022 15:28:42 EDT from IGnatius T Foobar

Subject: Re: Google Workspace

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The new buzzword is "sovereign" -- which refers to retaking control of your digital stuff instead of handing too much of it over to the massive providers.
I think we will play a part there.

[#] Tue Apr 19 2022 17:52:48 EDT from Nurb432

Subject: Re: Google Workspace

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sovereign net-citizen? 



[#] Sun May 15 2022 13:32:03 EDT from IGnatius T Foobar

Subject: Re: Google Workspace

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Essentially, yes. And we're seeing it in several places.

Professionally, we are starting to see organizations becoming aware that turning over 100% of their computing to one of the tech giants may not be the greatest idea. They are either repatriating key workloads or at least spreading them out across multiple providers. I'm helping one out right now whose management basically told them "get the f**k out of Amazon" and because the whole thing was Kubernetes based they were able to just shuffle it around everywhere.

For individual "netizens" it's a matter of building your personal brand in a way that people are following you across multiple sites and services, and you can't simply be disappeared because someone didn't like what you said about George Takei. This part needs to be easier than it currently is, because most people don't want to have to crawl a zillion different sites.
Social media needs to become as independent as email, where anyone on any site can follow anyone on any other site. Obviously the big pigs will be the last to join the party, if they ever join at all. Tim Hitler and Mark Hitler won't; that's for sure. Elon might, depending on what he's trying to accomplish.

Citadel will, but it's a roadmap item because I've got so much to modernize first.

[#] Sun May 15 2022 14:50:02 EDT from Nurb432

Subject: Re: Google Workspace

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Well you know you have us core people that will stick around for the ride. 

Sun May 15 2022 01:32:03 PM EDT from IGnatius T Foobar Subject: Re: Google Workspace


Citadel will, but it's a roadmap item because I've got so much to modernize first.

 



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