it has been a while, but whoo, new bloggery: "wastrel, a profligate implementation of webassembly" https://wingolog.org/archives/2025/10/30/wastrel-a-profligate-implementation-of-webassembly

My brain thinks that Go is like 7 years old, Rust is 5 years old and Zig is from last year.

Reality: (from Wikipedia)
Go is 15 years old
Rust is 13 years old
Zig is 9 years old

The last two will add 1 more year in Jan & Feb respectively. How is Zig ~10 years old?

Also, my brain knows that Python is older than Java, but refuses to believe it since I didn't learn them in that order.

the printer industry is so completely broken today that this project could revolutionise home computing. https://www.crowdsupply.com/open-tools/open-printer

I appreciate the greatest technical minds on Earth taking a communications network that was designed to withstand a nuclear exchange, and turning that network into something that can't survive a DNS error from a single company.

I can't understate how good of a job the Ink and Switch folks did at this Automerge website. Wow, holy shit https://automerge.org/

And the fact that you can *interact* with the visual demo at the top?

This is the new high bar for a technical website. Holy moly.

We are steadily moving from the "fuck around" phase into the the "find out" phase.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/15/record-leap-in-co2-fuels-fears-of-accelerating-global-heating

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis

FreedomBox 25.13 has been released! Here are the highlights:
- backups: Fix robust handling of known errors
- debian: Stop privileged service during upgrade or removal
- miniflux: Fix DB connection issues during install/uninstall

See the full changelog here:
https://discuss.freedombox.org/t/freedombox-25-13-released/3935

#FreedomBox #FreedomBoxRelease #BorgBackup #Debian #Miniflux

I think this article makes some good points. And makes it clear why physics is not a good substitute for philosophy.

#Physics #Philosophy

Throw-away fruity laptop - Forking Mad:
https://forkingmad.blog/throw-away-apple-laptop/

New-ish blog post: Adventures of a YAML engineer

https://blog.legoktm.com/2025/08/28/adventures-of-a-yaml-engineer.html

(I actually wrote this back in May and never published it...)

I mostly wanted to brag about a bit of YAML code I wrote back in March for #SecureDrop's completed migration to Ubuntu Noble that I neglected to mention in the blog post explaining the technical details. Yes, #YAML, is a programming language.

Newsletter: In a media landscape dominated by algorithmic feeds that aim to manipulate and extract, sometimes the most radical thing you can do is choose to read what you want, when you want, without anyone watching over your shoulder.

Here’s how to use #RSS.

https://www.citationneeded.news/curate-with-rss/

I didn't expect Google to wage war against general-purpose computing itself.

We have custom ROMs, but how long before Google decides that the AOSP doesn't have to be open source anymore?

It's already quite a struggle to run the essentials like banking and cash transfer apps without Google Play Services. A new update might drop at anytime and your app stops working. Some apps won't let you use the old working version for security reasons.

Google won't allow you to install Android apps whose developers' identity Google hasn't verified. Starting in 2026 in some countries and in 2027 everywhere: https://www.androidauthority.com/android-developer-verification-requirements-3590911/

"Sideloading" is the rentseeker word for "being able to run software of your choosing on a computing device you purchased". There is no reasonable case for an operating system developer having a say over what programs you run on your hardware.

#Android #Google

Syncthing v2.0 changes:

https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing/releases/tag/v2.0.0

Repeated warnings of AI-driven layoffs is fueling anxiety among workers, who report feeling pressured to accept pay cuts or worse conditions to keep their jobs (Anne Lutz Fernandez/Nobody Wants This)

https://nobody-wants-this.ghost.io/ai-is-already-disempowering-workers-through-hype/
http://www.techmeme.com/250729/p47#a250729p47

Today, I met a FreedomBox for Villages volunteer, Satya at a local conference. It was pleasant surprise to know that they have recently deployed a community Wi-Fi network in a remote island village in the Narmada river that barely has cellular phone signals. The village only has an elementary school (until class 4), so the main thing they needed to provide was Moodle with some K-12 educational content.

Another non-profit might set up satellite Internet in the near future.

#FreedomBox #Moodle

Gleam is an interesting new functional programming language. It is an ML-family language with syntax very similar to Rust, but it's not a replacement.
If you like Rust and don't like Go (or Elixir's Ruby syntax), Gleam might be worth considering for I/O bound applications needing high concurrency.
Gleam can also replace Elm on the browser. Code written in Gleam is apparently 30% faster than hand-written JavaScript.

https://gleam.run

#Gleam #Elixir #Rust #FunctionalProgramming #FP

I bought an Android TV 4 years ago. Only today I had a working idea to get rid of ads on it.

Google's launcher is set as the default. It shows ads at the top which considerably affects the TV's performance. It also deceptively keeps showing titles from the Play Store as if they are available from one of your installed apps.

So, just get another launcher. You can install one from the Play Store and set it as default.

No Google Launcher, no ads.

What is the best "impact assessment" for an NGO? If a huge Big Tech company like #Meta publicly says your work should be prohibited.. 😂

If you wanna join @noybeu and make us even more "powerful" click here: support.noyb.eu/join 😜

(From a paywalled MLex Article)

Alright folks it is now official: THE KIWIX OFFSPOT IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AND SHIPS WORLDWIDE

The official retail price is/will be USD 319 (taxes & shipping included) and you can buy it here: https://kiwix.org/en/kiwix-hotspot/

Grab it while supplies last!

As for the technical subtleties 👇

Alt...

A picture of the Kiwix Hotspot: a sleek, black aluminium case with "Kiwix Hotspot" written on top.

I am still amazed at how many people just live their lives like "I have to do the thing because it's the new thing and the people selling the thing say everyone will be doing it".

https://git.sr.ht/~jvalleroy/lister

It's a TUI and CLI program to manage a list of items in a text file.

#scheme #guile

Redis, the popular in-memory data store, returns its main system to open source license AGPL, after facing criticism in 2024 for moving to a dual-license model (Lindsay Clark/The Register)

https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/01/redis_returns_to_open_source/
http://www.techmeme.com/250501/p40#a250501p40

Make sure you’re inviting the right person to your Signal group!

To help confirm someone’s identity and keep track of your contacts, @signalapp offers nicknames and information about the groups you share in common with your contacts.

Learn about Signal’s identifiers:

https://freedom.press/digisec/blog/signal-identifiers/

From the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker:

Update: The Associated Press sued White House officials today over ban on its access to White House events, Oval Office and Air Force One because wire service continues referring to “Gulf of Mexico.”

It asked court for emergency order rescinding ban:

https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/ap-reporters-barred-from-white-house-events-over-editorial-style-policy/

Stop telling people who are believing and working for a better future, all the reasons it can't happen! We need these people. You're angry, put your rage in the right place.

You remember #Apple scanning all images on your #mobile device?

If you have an #Android #phone, a new app that doesn't appear in your menu has been automatically and silently installed (or soon will be) by #Google. It is called #AndroidSystemSafetyCore and does exactly the same - scan all images on your device as well as all incoming ones (via messaging). The new spin is that it does so "to protect your #privacy".

You can uninstall this app safely via System -> Apps.

https://developers.google.com/android/binary_transparency/google1p/overview

I have one prediction for 2025 that I am most confident about.

2025 will be the hottest year on record (since 1850), just like the two years before it.

#climateCrisis

Tiny Apocalyptic Time Tip 🌐✨

If you too feel uneasy about
the state of the world,
and you too worry about losing access to one of the greatest knowledge treasure of the internet,

Know that you can download an
offline copy of Wikipedia!

Here's how 📚👇

1. Download the free and open source software Kiwix (this will be your reader): https://kiwix.org/en/applications/

2. If you want smaller versions of Wikipedia, you can download them within Kiwix.

Within the app, go to "Categories" in the menu on the left, then browse to a topic/version you want. Scroll to the bottom for Wikipedia mini, for example. Click on it then click "Download" on the right

3. Once you have downloaded a database, click on "Opened" on the left > database you want to search > "Open Main Page" on the right.

4. You can use the Search field on the upper-right to find topics like on online Wikipedia! 🔍

5. If you want the full English version of Wikipedia (110GB), you might want to download it from the torrent file instead. Install a torrent client of your choice (I use Transmission).

Then, go to this page, click on "Download - 109.89 GB" blue button on the first result (size may vary overtime), then select "Torrent file": https://library.kiwix.org/#lang=eng&category=wikipedia

6. Once you have the torrent file, open it with your torrent client to start the download. This is BIG! Be patient! 📦

7. Once the download is completed, open your Wikipedia `.zim` file with Kiwix!

8. Magic! 📖✨

Extra Tip: You can download many other awesome knowledge files from the Kiwix Library! Personally, I also got the iFixit knowledge base! ⚒️

#Wikipedia #Kiwix #Offline #KnowledgeIsPower

Alt...

Screenshot showing the application Kiwix with the open Wikipedia entry for Kiwix. Very meta.

Of everything they could've questioned Tulsi Gabbard about, Dems chose to grill her for past support of whistleblowers and the Fourth Amendment.

Because now's a great time to signal hostility to people who may leak evidence of government criminality.

https://freedom.press/issues/trump-attacks-oversight-dems-attack-whistleblowers/

New blog post: Three years of #SecureDrop

https://blog.legoktm.com/2025/01/31/three-years-of-securedrop.html

This is the longest I've ever held the same position at a job, so a few notes on what I've been up to over the past year and what I enjoy.

We're hiring a Senior Software Engineer on the @securedrop team at @freedomofpress.

SecureDrop is open source whistleblowing software. The project is at a critical inflection point as we get ready to build the next-gen version based on a modern cryptographic protocol.

100% remote, full-time, $110-$120K base salary with comprehensive benefits for US-based employees. (If you're not in the US, we can discuss consultancy models.)

Hmu for questions.

https://grnh.se/813b998c5us

#GetFediHired

Congratulations to the ACLU, EFF and everyone else involved in this significant win for the Fourth Amendment.

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/court-rules-warrantless-section-702-searches-violated-the-fourth-amendment

Happy #NYC #CongestionPricing Eve!

MaggieAppleton/digital-gardeners: Resources, links, projects, and ideas for gardeners tending their digital notes on the public interwebs

https://github.com/MaggieAppleton/digital-gardeners

#DigitalGarden #SecondBrain #TiddlyWiki

Using Python uv tool as a replacement for Poetry for a small Python utility I'm writing. It feels a lot like Rust's Cargo.

All that I can say for now is that it is certainly a better experience than setting up a virtualenv manually.

I am writing this proprietary tool for a team of JavaScript developers. I think they will feel that it is just as easy to use as npm/yarn or whatever is the new hotness this week.

#Python #RustLang

Yes, I keep coming back to the thought which is expressed here...

Before You Can Have Smalltalk, You Must First Defeat Capitalism. - Matthew Gaudet:
https://www.mgaudet.ca/blog/2024/10/28/before-you-can-have-smalltalk-you-must-first-defeat-capitalism

"If you want to build a future that involves beautiful systems like Smalltalk, you must first rebuild the economic environment wherein it could be built. Wherein it could succeed!"

Because this is the talk of the #internet again: you don't preserve digital media by stuffing the One True Version in an #archive. Make countless copies and scatter them to the wind. Make each a different format. You don't know which of them will still be readable next decade, so *don't try to guess*.

That goes for analog media too. The Library of Alexandria contained copies. Many classic paintings only survived as copies.

Copying is how life itself beats death. Embrace it.

A look at Uber Shuttle, the shared bus service that has rolled out in over 20 cities and completed ~30M trips globally, as Uber awaits approval in Bengaluru (Anisha Sircar/Rest of World)

https://restofworld.org/2024/uber-shuttle-india-shared-bus/
http://www.techmeme.com/241207/p8#a241207p8

To everyone when they see horrible privacy news about Microsoft replying with:

"I don't care, I use Linux"

Sure, you do. But does your medical clinic do? Does your therapist do? Does your family member typing a personal email to you in Word before sending it do too?

This is a systemic problem.

You cannot protect your own data only by using Linux yourself. You must also demand stronger regulations and enforcement to obligate organizations around to protect your data as well.

#Privacy #Microsoft

I started regularly donating about a year ago. I am now supporting 8 different projects with 20,77€ per month, and it didn't hurt at all.

Why pay for something free? Because free software only exists because other people already paid for it. Someone has to do it. It's time to do your part!

If you can afford a subscription service, then you probably can afford a little donation, too. Start with 0.1% of your income.

Check out @Liberapay or @opencollective

#FOSS #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #Linux

Alt...

A social media post image with the headline: Are you paying monthly for some of these? Followed by the logos of Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify and Discord. Then, another headline: Consider donating to some of these: Followed by the logos of: Debian, XFCE, KDE, GNOME, postmarketOS, Inkscape, Pixelfed, Mastodon, F-Droid, GIMP, Arch Linux, Linux Mint, Liberapay, Matrix, Syncthing and PeerTube. There is also a remark at the bottom of the image: Disagree with my selection of projects? Make your own version of this graphic by editing the original from https://furbasik.de/consider-donating.svg