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Joined 3 years ago
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Cake day: July 23rd, 2023

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  • audience already agrees that complicity in genocide is an acceptable tradeoff to software freedoms

    I talked about that to show one possible counterbalance between liberty and usages which are probably not explicitly wanted by the authors.

    Another common example of freedom/restrictions is someone wanting to have their software permissively licensed while also not allowing cloud vendors to resell access to it. That’s how you end up with licenses like Elastic’s.

    Or, if you want another example of “free”, look at the distinction between the GPL and the BSD license as it applies to Sony and the Playstation. One of the reason Sony chose BSD for the basis of its gaming system is because the BSD license allows for commercial usage. In that sense it is MORE free than the GPL, which would not allow the type of usage Sony did with the Playstation without conferring more responsibility to Sony, for instance, releasing their source. Under BSD they have no obligation to do so, hence it is more free in that respect.

    My whole point is a lot of people say “I want my software to be freely licensed” but they do not realize that they may be unintentionally opening the door to usages of the software that they do not want to see.

    One should not pick a license that allows for unfettered usage of the software if you have certain ways you don’t want to see it used.

    As a final parting example, look at Prusa and their printers. They release the firmware and designs as open source. They they later get angry when companies clone their designs. This is permissible under the license. This is making Prusa want to lock down their future designs to avoid that usage.

    Anyone considering licensing of their own software should think very carefully about what usages they support or object to and license the software accordingly. If you release your software as BSD licensed and some company comes along and makes a billion dollars with it, you aren’t owned a cent under that agreement. If this makes you angry, don’t pick BSD.





  • Simply grabbed it, and without contributing anything to the project did nothing except stripped the branding and then go sell it.

    Unless this is specifically called out in the license, this is an activity allowed by many permissive open source licenses. If they knew that this type of activity was unwanted initially, then they didn’t choose the proper license.


  • Easy, because they want the social credibility of being open source, but also later, when the project gets big, they want to dictate exactly who uses it and how.

    If you care about how your software is used to this degree – don’t open source it! Every open source package I have ever made has come with a permissive license, because I want people to be able to use it however they wish. That’s actual freedom. Unfortunately, a subset of “however they wish” can also be “used to bomb Gaza”, but that is the cost of liberty and freedom. You have to take the good with the bad.



  • A big part of the appeal with Plex is that you can run a server and friends can sign up for a FREE account and stream remotely. When you take this away, you’re going to just kneecap the whole offering. This is such an arrogant move from Plex: they are thinking that when this change goes live they will get a flood of subscriptions. The more likely outcome is they will get a few subscriptions and a lot more angry and frustrated people that walk away.



  • It’s a scary amount of projects these days managed by a bunch of ZIP files:

    • Program-2.4.zip
    • Program-2.4-FIXED.zip
    • Program-2.4-FIXED2.zip
    • Program-2.4-FIXED-final.zip
    • Program-2.4-FIXED-final-REAL.zip
    • Program-2.4-FIXED-FINAL-no-seriously.zip
    • Program-2.4-FINAL-use-this.zip
    • Program-2.4-FINAL-use-this-2.zip
    • Program-2.4-working-maybe.zip
    • Program-2.4-FINAL-BUGFIX-LAST-ONE.zip
    • Program-2.4-FINAL-BUGFIX-LAST-ONE-v2.zip

  • I keep a Jellyfin instance running as a hedge. Here’s the thing with Plex (and actually a lot of companies set up similarly): those “lifetime” memberships are a trap. Think about it: Plex gets your money ONCE but they have ongoing expenses. Sooner or later, they’ll have spent every single cent made by a lifetime membership unless they either get more folks OR squeeze everyone a bit more.

    Once they started adding their own shows and making strange UI decisions, I could sense the end was coming. A move like this brings it up fast. Jellyfin is not nearly as good as Plex in a lot of ways, but it’s really Open Source.

    Anyway, a lot of rambling, but in short: when there is a “lifetime” subscription, watch out!




  • I have had a plex instance but when they started adding their own movies and crapola into it, and requiring logins and etc etc etc I started keeping a Jellyfin instance live as a hedge. I still use Plex primarily, but use Jellyfin and keep it patched just in case. If there’s any kind of ugly action with Plex, I feel like my bets are pretty well hedged. Plex definitely has a lot more polish than Jellyfin, but I wouldn’t doubt if there is a rug-pull in some way or another. After all, Plex sold a bunch of lifetime subscriptions ONCE but they still end up paying to support those. Sooner or later they are going to want more money again.


  • HP Introduces the Future of Printing: The HP Smart Printer 9000Wearable

    Freedom to Print, Anytime, Anyplace with the Stylish HP Smart Printer 9000Wearable

    Today, HP is excited to announce the launch of its latest innovation, the HP Smart Printer 9000Wearable, a groundbreaking device that redefines portable wearable printing. This cutting-edge AI printer not only offers portability but also sets new standards for functionality and convenience.

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    The HP Smart Printer 9000Wearable is designed to be worn on your wrist, making it the ultimate companion for on-the-go professionals and tech enthusiasts. Measuring a sleek 4 inches in width and weighing just 7 ounces, this printer is effortlessly portable. It can print pages up to an impressive 3 inches wide, perfect for large-format projects or creative printing needs.

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    With HP’s renowned commitment to quality, the Smart Printer 9000Wearable delivers superior performance. Its advanced ink technology ensures vivid, long-lasting colors, while HP’s innovative print heads provide crisp and clear prints every time. The printer is engineered to handle heavy-duty tasks with ease, offering a lifespan that exceeds industry standards. By automatically locking itself to genuine HP ink cartridges and detonating if it detects a 3rd party cartridge, HP assures the very highest quality in printing.

    Subscription for Enhanced Functionality:

    HP recognizes the importance of keeping you connected. The Smart Printer 9000Wearable comes with a mandatory premium subscription service, HP AI Cloud Print Plus+, ensuring seamless connectivity and access to advanced features like remote printing and cloud-based solutions. This subscription model guarantees uninterrupted functionality, allowing users to print from virtually anywhere, at a minor cost of $89.99 per month.

    Smart Integration and Security:

    Featuring HP’s enhanced firmware, this printer is equipped with the latest security measures to protect your data and ensure privacy. Each print job is shared with HP’s cloud and scanned by state of the art security software. Your privacy is top of mind, so these files are automatically deleted after 10 years and the chance of a security incident leaking all your prints is quite low.

    Smart Functionality:

    Unlike older devices, the Smart Printer 9000Wearable doesn’t include a cumbersome screen or keyboard. Instead, interact with our HP Humane AI Assistant and get all your work done through the power of your voice, whether you’re on a crowded train or sitting in a public restroom.

    Get Yours Today!

    The Smart Printer 9000Wearable will be available shortly at retail outlets for only $1,499.99. Get yours today while supplies last!



  • Plans like this work great for the first couple of weeks. Turns out software engineering isn’t this simple fucking thing. Making anything beyond a toy takes actual work. There are lots of people learning this first hand right now. There is some kind of belief that ChatGPT version 0.1+ (whatever ships in 2 weeks) will be able to take over the job of software development entirely. Well, guess what? Doing anything relatively complex in software takes actual intelligence. Once there is an AI that can just code by itself, it will also be smart enough to be a doctor, civil engineer, consultant, etc.

    A lot of fucking companies are going to learn this first hand. They are either firing their staff thinking the AI wave is already here, and in reality, it may never come.

    The near future of AI is skilled software engineers using AI to augment their productivity. By the time you can take the human out of the loop, AI will be so powerful it will slay any white collar job, but this won’t be for years and years and years and by then it won’t just be software that is in trouble as a career; it will be many, many industries.