@MediaActivist@lemmy.ml
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MediaActivist

@MediaActivist@lemmy.ml

Friendly neighbourhood queer punk media activist and unpaid carer for partner with Long Covid. Member of IWW, Acorn. Also straight edge vegan.

Love: Linux, FOSS, films, pro wrestling, comics, coffee. Loathe: capitalism.

Based in Sheffield, UK.

allmylinks.com/mediaactivist

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

Using stock Android w/o Google account/ Play Store worth it?

I hope this is not considered a low-effort post, but I wanted to ask if using stock Android without signing in to your Google account/ using Play Store is worth it. It should be more private, right? I’m planning on buying the cheapest Samsung phone there is (probably the A14). I currently have a stock Android Oneplus phone. I...

MediaActivist,
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I’d recommend buying a model that is compatible with a de-Googled operating system, such as /e/OS - they provide a list here.

MediaActivist,
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Imagine subscribing to the community of a browser you use or are interested in, then downvoting them trying to encourage folks to join the Fediverse via a Mastodon server they run. smh this place gets more like Reddit every day lately.

MediaActivist,
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Instead of a “no” response, no response would have been sufficient.

MediaActivist,
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Oh, totally. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve helped folks with their computers and most of their problems seem to be from using Windows: “I’m confused about antivirus,” “I keep forgetting to check on updates for the program I use so much,” “I’m unsure if I’m on the correct site to download an exe file from,” “I keep getting ads in my taskbar,” “I was going to find a different browser to use but my computer dissuaded me from doing so,” and on and on, and I just think “If only you’d simply try Linux.”

MediaActivist,
@MediaActivist@lemmy.ml avatar

Oh, trust me, it’s the fault of Windows. It’s garbage. Linux all the way.

I too have taught tech, to a lot of older people, and with substantial success. And I try to emphasise that “there are no stupid questions” - and that their concerns must be listened to, and understood.

It can be very disheartening to hear these very valid concerns just because they’re using an overpriced piece of unethical garbage spyware as an operating system. All of these questions can also be answered with “Use Linux instead.” Indeed, a colleague of mine literally emphasises that the only reason she retains access to Windows at all is because our learners are using it still (and she plans to use Linux 100% of the time upon retirement).

Because telling such users that “Windows handles it” with Defender or whatever often doesn’t cut it when they’ve been sold antivirus all their lives and have family and friends tell them they must spend (even more unnecessary) money on “top-notch” anti-virus software. I’d rather say “Linux handles it” than “Let Micro$oft handle it.”

Telling them all programmes will make it clear when an update is available is much more daunting for them when they barely trust and/or understand a lot of notifications they get anyway, when they could literally be using a Linux software centre that resembles what they use on their smartphones.

Simply informing them that - rather than said software centre - they need to go to the website for the programme to download an exe file, is unhelpful when they do a search for a programme to use and get different search results.

I wish it took them 3 seconds to disable disgusting ads in their taskbar that they never asked for on their operating system and lends nothing to their user experience, but sadly it takes them much longer, assuming they do of course remember how to do it since last time, seeing as this trash seems to reappear.

Telling them which browser to use without first explaining browsers and enabling them to make informed decisions is, in my view, morally questionable. And yet speaking of which, Micro$oft apps frequently do just that.

And what else I’ve realised? If we teach so that people can make informed decisions, with patience, in plain language, Linux will have a larger user base.

Because people, at their core, are good. Digital capitalism doesn’t sit well with people. They distrust these big data-gathering, closed-source, greedy corporations.

MediaActivist,
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That’s really mean.

MediaActivist,
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Because those issues wouldn’t exist on a simple Linux distribution. That was my point. Wait, did I stumble upon a pro-digital capitalism, pro-Micro$oft, pro-Windows Reddit by accident? Because this place seems flooded with the defenders of all things evil. jfc.

MediaActivist,
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“How about I pay with my blood?” Actually, sshh, don’t give them ideas!

MediaActivist,
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Sigh. This is where I have to mention Brendan Eich yet again.

MediaActivist,
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It’s almost as if the prime minister himself was a selfish billionaire or something. Oh wait!

MediaActivist,
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It started off well enough, but then it began talking about “left-wing propaganda” being promoted by Microsoft - an inherently right-wing capitalist corporation - and instantly lost all credibility. I expected it to degenerate into Covid denialism and tinfoil hat-wearing antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes. Hardly a way to win over “normies” by sounding like an absolute freak in the first place.

Edit: Just checked and to be fair, the entire instance describes itself as “content on liberating your electronics from the tyranny of left wing Big Tech surveillance.” God that’s some mental gymnastics right there: left-wing capitalism. Please read a book.

AntennaPod (lm.ilyamikcoder.com)

AntennaPod is a podcast manager and player that provides instant access to millions of free and paid podcasts from both independent and major podcasters. Easily add, import and export their feeds using iTunes podcast catalog, OPML files or RSS feed addresses. Downloads, streams online or adds issues to a queue, with adjustable...

MediaActivist,
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I love AntennaPod! I’ve relied on it for what feels like a few years (has it even been around that long?) and can’t recommend it enough. Just give it time to get used to!

MediaActivist,
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Ah darn. I had believed it would be arriving later this year.

MediaActivist,
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Holy crap. This is awful. Totally against the ethos and culture of the entire organisation as I know it.

Smartphones with "pure" Android

Hello! My smartphone is dying, so I’ll soon have to buy a new one. I’d like my new phone to have pure Android, without all the apps that manufactures install. Ideally I’d like to remove the majority of Google services too, but there are some that I can’t replace yet, so I’m still dependent on, like google maps. What...

MediaActivist,
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I agree with a few others here in mentioning /e/ from the Murena phone folks (you can buy a Murena phone with /e/OS preinstalled if you don’t have an older device they’ve listed as compatible on their website).

neuraltimes, to fediverse
neuraltimes avatar

Entirely Automated AI-Powered Balanced News Site

For the last few months our team has been working on an entirely automated AI-powered news site. I am excited to announce that v1.0 is finally being released. This version includes full coverage with every article generated from 2 left leaning, 2 right leaning, and 2 neutral sources. We have also added an anonymous commenting system for people to share their opinions freely. Our servers are now running 24/7 so that new articles appear as they happen! Let me know what you guys think, as well as any comments/concerns/questions you have!

Here's the link: https://www.neuraltimes.org/

MediaActivist,
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MSNBC “left wing”? Jesus, that’s laughable.

duckweed, to linuxphones

can an average person use a linux phone?

@linuxphones

I've been reading some articles about mobile Linux and many of them state one must be an "advanced user" or that the software isn't secure. How true is this?

I already use Linux on my laptop, but I'm not a software developer or anything like that. Would I be able to slap a new OS onto an old Android phone and be on my way, or would I run into problems?

#MobileLinux #Linux #LinuxPhone #FOSS

MediaActivist,
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A Murena phone. The de-Googled e//OS system is way simpler than your average Google phone with all the crap on it.

MediaActivist,
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And their CEO is a bigot.

MediaActivist,
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There you go: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mozilla-ceo-brendan-eich-to-step-down-1396554132

MediaActivist,
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The year of the Linux desktop! (Sorry…)

MediaActivist,
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Haha. Wow these big corporations are the biggest whiny snowflakes there are.

MediaActivist,
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That’s awesome!

MediaActivist,
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I'm excited for it coming to Linux -- later in the year, I think?

MediaActivist,
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Beautiful to read.

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