@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

gunther

@gunther@fosstodon.org

Pseudonymous account I use to post about my nerdy interests, which include, but are not limited to: digital privacy/security, gaming, video game console hacking, FOSS, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy. I post short thoughts here and longer thoughts to my blog at https://gunther.link.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

gunther, to iOS
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

I know that there are some advantages to over , but I just can't imagine using a mobile operating system that's so locked down. It's crazy how hard is pushing just to make sideloading as difficult as possible, if not impossible altogether.

GrapheneOS, to random
@GrapheneOS@grapheneos.social avatar

Our latest OS release that's currently in the Beta channel implements a new feature for blocking DNS leaks by third party VPN service app implementations which were discovered by our community:

https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/3442

The good news is this does successfully block these leaks.

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@GrapheneOS @protonvpn @protonprivacy As both a GrapheneOS and ProtonVPN user, this is a pretty big deal to me. Please do what you can to get this issue worked out!

gunther, to telegram
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

#Telegram is a fine alternative to something like #Discord, it's a terrible alternative to something like #Signal

jsrailton, (edited ) to infosec
@jsrailton@mastodon.social avatar

Big #VPN companies are churning out bullshit "security advice" on an industrial scale.

It's a marketing funnel that targets those seeking help.

And then misinforms them.

I wish it stopped there

The nonsense makes its way to victims of spyware, where misinformation can have life, death and liberty impacting consequences.

#infosec #cybersecurity #malware #IT #pegasus #predator #spyware #malware

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@jsrailton The article certainly looks like clickbait, but can you clarify what exactly about it is misinformation?

gunther, to random
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

I've somehow ended up with 4 web browsers on my phone. Each with its own legitimate use case, I promise!

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

Vanadium is the GrapheneOS default browser that can't be uninstalled. I use it only for trusted web apps since it doesn't have any tracker blocking functionality. Brave is my daily driver browser, I have it set to clear all cookies and history on each close. Then I use DuckDuckGo for web apps and websites that I need to stay logged into but don't trust enough to use without tracker blocking in Vanadium. DuckDuckGo lets me whitelist sites from having their data cleared, which Brave does not.

gunther, to random
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

Most reasonable people can agree that artists deserve to be paid for the media they create and also companies shouldn't be stopping preservation efforts of decades-old media just because they're sitting on a pile of copyrights like a dragon on its hoard. There's a lot of space between those two things, but I think it's a good starting point.

gunther, to firefox
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

I dunno, laying off employees, cancelling all of their unique projects and instead announcing a focus on incorporating AI in isn't a great look for @mozilla. Every tech company is chasing the golden goose of AI, what does have to contribute to AI that other companies don't? But maybe the announcement was more targeted toward investors and they don't care about their normal users' opinions on the whole thing anyway...

gunther, to random
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

"Abbreviation" is an oddly long word

gunther, to Synology
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

Got a NAS recently, still getting the thing set up in my spare time, but it's neat so far. One thing I'm a little baffled by though: no full-disk encryption! This seems like a pretty basic feature in 2024, very surprised that they don't have it. In fact, I bought one of the "budget" models and it seems like there's no native option to encrypt folders at all.

carnage4life, to random
@carnage4life@mas.to avatar

It's incredible to me that years later we are dealing with another set of life threatening quality issues in Boeing 737 MAX planes which can all be traced to the company deciding to optimize for shareholder value instead of listening to its engineers.

https://www.fromdayone.co/2022/05/01/lessons-of-boeings-cultural-decline-and-how-it-can-recover/

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@danjac @carnage4life The thing is, many of the shareholders from when these decisions were made likely benefited from the cost cutting and sold their shares before the consequences hit. Optimizing for shareholder value basically means optimizing for near-future company performance. Terrible thing to optimize for if you want a company that will remain successful years down the line.

techlore, to random
@techlore@social.lol avatar

🥳 New Video: We Tried Signal's MobileCoin So You Never Have To...

➡️ Watch it now: https://youtu.be/0DSGq9FQKU4

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@techlore This was a fun video. Sorry I was so amused by watching you two struggle, but it was pretty entertaining.

kev, to threads
@kev@fosstodon.org avatar

I wrote a thing about joining the and all the blocking that's ensued as a result.

https://kevquirk.com/threads-and-the-fediverse

Drama in 3...2...1... 😂

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@kev Seems like a very reasonable stance to take

gunther, to random
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

I just used Bing to write a Python function for me, and what's interesting is not only was there a bug in the function for certain cases, but the "example" included with the code actually was one of those cases, but nevertheless executed correctly, as if the bug wasn't there.

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

The lesson is: if you want generative AI to write code for you, that's fine, but I sure hope you're checking it over and testing it before blindly trusting it does what the AI claims it does.

ayo, to random
@ayo@ayco.io avatar

PSA They rated Netflix Scott Pilgrim cartoon as good for 6yo but It’s not. It’s at least for 12yo I think😄

Just so you don’t make my mistake of watching it with my 8yo son thinking it’s gonna be a wholesome time. Haha

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@ayo Interesting, in the US it's marked as TV-MA, which is essentially 17+.

libretube, to random
@libretube@fosstodon.org avatar

LibreTube v0.20.0 // Privacy Simplified

This release finally introduces the long awaited landscape layout for the player page.

New features:

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@libretube Just updated, thanks!

gunther, to random
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

In the latest Android app update, I got a big, ol' ad for their Black Friday sale upon opening the app. I already have a paid subscription, you don't need to advertise to me! Not a fan.

@protonmail

gunther, to random
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

I don't trust the mute button on group video calls. Even if I'm muted, I don't make too much noise and avoid private conversations. Is it this paranoia or prudence?

gunther, to Notesnook
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

After the recent announcement that will no longer be open-source going forward, I felt like this was a good time to try out other options, so I just made a account.

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@sotneStatue Ya, it is remaining source-available, but they are moving away from their AGPL licenses.

https://github.com/standardnotes/forum/discussions/3196#discussioncomment-6604058

ayo, (edited ) to Games
@ayo@ayco.io avatar

physical (discs, cartridges) vs digital copies of games?

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@ayo In principle I like physical media better because it looks nice on a shelf and serves as an archive for the media (though less so nowadays when so much of the game content is provided via download, even when you buy a physical copy). But buying digital is very convenient and often has excellent sales, so in practice I buy more digital than physical video games.

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@ayo Good point. In the olden days, I had a Nintendo DS Lite case that also included slots for games, but that's definitely not the most convenient way to keep your games portable. I guess I don't mind as much with my Switch because it very rarely leaves the house.

gunther, to random
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

A pattern I've noticed on the internet recently:

  1. Tool and/or service grows in popularity, lots of people like it
  2. Increased popularity causes more people to critically eye said tool/service
  3. Increased scrutiny reveals flaw or problem
  4. Everyone is encouraged to migrate to a lesser-known alternative
  5. Said alternative is average far more problematic than the original solution and is just less popular and thus less scrutinized
ayo, to random
@ayo@ayco.io avatar

They obviously gamified twitter like an MMO. You can be f2p (free to play) but the experience is incomplete. Even p2w (pay to win) players will have complaints because the model is “toxic” by design to provide more motivation to “win” the game (therefore to pay)

gunther,
@gunther@fosstodon.org avatar

@ayo Have they added microtransactions yet?

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • JUstTest
  • everett
  • rosin
  • Youngstown
  • ngwrru68w68
  • khanakhh
  • slotface
  • InstantRegret
  • mdbf
  • osvaldo12
  • kavyap
  • cisconetworking
  • DreamBathrooms
  • ethstaker
  • Leos
  • magazineikmin
  • thenastyranch
  • modclub
  • GTA5RPClips
  • tacticalgear
  • provamag3
  • normalnudes
  • cubers
  • Durango
  • tester
  • megavids
  • anitta
  • lostlight
  • All magazines
    •