MerchantsOfMisery

@MerchantsOfMisery@lemmy.ml

• Comment on Hating Your Job Is Cool. But Is It a Labor Movement?:

  Any way around this paywall? 12ft.io and outline.com seem to have lost their sparkle lately.

• Comment on Do you think adblockers are piracy? Why?:

  Lol no. When I help most people fix their computer issues like having an infected PC, I honestly think UBlock Origin and HTTPS Everywhere are most effective than antivirus software. Of course, I don't let them go without antivirus software but my point is that adblockers like UBlock Origin are arguably a more effective preventative measure than most antivirus software.

  The idea that adblockers are piracy is just a foolish use of the word privacy and it's weird that Linus took the stance he did on this. He's a smart guy, at the very least I don't get how he didn't think the community wouldn't clown on him for this.

• Comment on Policy opinion: am i going to suppress the freedom of speech if i ban religion topics and porn on my instance?:

  I think "suppress the freedom of speech" is a sort of clumsily applied term here. What you're trying to implement are effective house rules and I really don't see anything wrong with that. Without simple rules like that, people could just hop into your space and be abusive assholes then claim "FrEe SpeEcH". I'd say go right ahead and do what makes you feel comfortable.

• Comment on It’s Back: Senators Want EARN IT Bill to Scan All Online Messages:

  If the Patriot Act taught us anything, it's that the vast majority of people don't care enough about the government invading their privacy because most people don't have the time/resources to focus on issues like this. Of all the things that could catalyze the working class to radicalize, I think this is unlikely.

• Comment on What's your opinion about Discord?:

  Because if Discord starts having major issues that impact convenience, I'll have an easy time pointing that out to my friends-- particularly if there's an open source alternative that alleviates said issues.

  Signal was pretty rough when it first came out but the moment they had support for Windows, OS X, iOS and Android, it was ridiculously easy to convince people to make the switch from whatever they were previously using to Signal.

  I feel like you're too concerned with playing devil's advocate than trying to figure this out for yourself by thinking in more nuanced terms.

• Comment on LINUX is still HARD to install?:

  The comments here are amusing. All the people who disagree with you effectively believe that anyone who has a hard time with Linux is simply unwilling to learn and that it has nothing to do with Linux.

  Linux fanboys defend the operating system from critics like a mother insisting their son is an angel who would never, ever do anything bad. "Not my Linny!"

• Comment on What's your opinion about Discord?:

  Discord is just a bit earlier in the inevitable progression than Reddit etc… why are you here now and not any longer on Reddit?

  So then you pretty much answered your own question, I think. When Discord has enough fuckery for me to be annoyed with it, I'll gladly hop to an alternative. I'm in a whopping two Discord communities and I don't think the transition would be very difficult at that point.

• Comment on LINUX is still HARD to install?:

  Then that’s their fault, and not the installers.

  Some tools are easier to learn than others, because of the nature of their design. If a tool was over-engineered and its alternative was perceived as more straightforward by the average user, the fault of why the former tool didn't sell well lies with the creators of said tool.

  I didn't say the comparison was about useless languages-- why are you putting words in my mouth? An English speaking American could very well enrich their life by learning Spanish but if they chose not to for various reasons, this arrogant notion that they need to "learn how to learn" is just nonsense. I find it very weird that you assumed I was referring to "useless languages".

  Most countries have more than one official language. For a country with say, two official (or unofficial but widely recognized) languages like the USA, the point here is that monolingual people don't need to "learn how to learn" simply because they're not bilingual.

  It's funny, your response is exactly what I was talking about in another post about open source software developers' attitude when it comes to open source software that doesn't take off. That old Principal Skinner meme...

  "Am I so out of touch??"

  "No, it’s the users who are wrong."

  When you said

  Then that’s their fault, and not the installers.

  I couldn't help but laugh because that's exactly the attitude I'm talking about.

  Now if you'll excuse me... I have to put my white running shoes on, along with my cargo pants, fanny pack, graphic t-shirt and transition glasses before I go out to meet my date. Surely she will appreciate how functionally superior my clothing/accessory choices are compared to the "stylish" and "cool" clothes that only shallow people appreciate. Right?

• Comment on Mark Zuckerberg's 'metaverse' business lost more than $10 billion last year, and the losses keep growing:

  CMV: Metaverse is little more than Second Life by Facebook.

• Comment on LINUX is still HARD to install?:

  Only one, but you’re equating critical thinking with knowing another language and I dont know why

  I'm not equating critical thinking with knowing another language. I'm using monolingual people as an example of people perfectly capable of critical thinking and learning, no different than people who are only familiar with Windows.

  There’s infinite number of guides, tutorials, and if you can’t read theres YouTube videos for learning a new language-- just because you haven't learned a 2nd language, I don't believe that means you don't know how to learn.

  There's little kids who are bilingual and multilingual, but I wouldn't point to them and ask a monolingual adult if they're less willing to learn than little kid.

• Comment on LINUX is still HARD to install?:

  People need to learn how to learn again.

  People do know how to learn, they just have different priorities than you and are focused on learning other things that could very well fall outside of what you believe is worth learning. Again, this is the kind of ego inflation I'm talking about-- this idea that "wow people just need to learn how to learn", it's just condescending nonsense.

  Out of curiosity, how many languages do you speak?

• Comment on What's your opinion about Discord?:

  Because unlike Discord, I have a number of issues with reddit to the point of it creating an unpleasant experience. Switch from reddit to Lemmy didn't have to involve convincing my friends to join Lemmy, as it's a website-- not communications software in the way Discord is.

  The compromise of a small community on Lemmy is something I don't mind, because it doesn't really prevent conversations from happening. Whereas switching from Discord to an open source alternative that most of my friends aren't going to use just leaves me with perhaps a better alternative to Discord in terms of functionality/privacy without anyone else using it.

• Comment on LINUX is still HARD to install?:

  It's not hard for tech savvy people. It is for people who aren't tech savvy.

  I hear the argument you're making all the time and it's like a multilingual person telling a uniligual adult that learning a new language isn't that hard, and that unilingual people just don't care enough to learn.

  It's clearly a way for tech savvy people to inflate their ego and look down on most users, and I say this as a fairly tech savvy person. I'm in good shape but for me to say overweight people just don't care enough to get healthy is a gross oversimplification. This is no different.

• Comment on What's your opinion about Discord?:

  I guess I'm in the minority on this but... feature wise, I think it's fantastic. It's got nearly everything I could ask for, and I love how easy it is to stream and watch videos with groups of people. I often steam Seinfeld and other TV shows/movies in a leftist Discord community that I'm in and it's just so nice to be able to do it so easily, without having to walk non tech-savvy users through lengthy troubleshooting in order for things to work. Pretty much any issue I've encountered when it comes to streaming/watching content was resolved within a few minutes of Googling.

  Privacy wise, I wish there was an open-source alternative to Discord that a) has the same features and b) is user-friendly enough to actually shift Discord users to it. Unfortunately, pitching open-source alternatives to Discord is very difficult because they just aren't as easy for most users to use and because it's pretty hard to shift a large amount of users from one program they're very familiar with to one that they're not familiar with.

  I think tech-savvy people are generally more inclined to shift to open-source software, particularly in the early stages, because they're not nearly as bothered by the tinkering/troubleshooting involved. I think it's similar to why so few people use Linux compared to Windows. But what a lot of tech savvy people just can't wrap their heads around is the simple fact that for the overwhelming majority of users, they don't have the time/patience/interest to switch to new alternatives to programs/systems they've been using for years and are comfortable using.

  When I was younger, I was all about the tinkering/troubleshooting to delve into the world of open source software. As I get older, I just want my shit to work consistently and for troubleshooting to include a large user base so that the odds of there being a solution is high. Communications software like Discord is especially challenging when it comes to pitching an open-source alternative, because without major advantages that most users can appreciate enough to make the leap, the open source alternative's population will remain quite low because most users are wiling to sacrifice privacy for convenience/familiarity.

  No doubt, this post will irk some people but... what can I say? Open source software has to revolve around convenience because that's what most users value above all else. Pitching an app like Signal to friends/family was a breeze because of how relatively seamless the process of installing/using it as a primary app for texting via SMS and Signal messages. But pitching an app like an open source Discord alternative, it has unique challenges that I really think developers need to pay attention to.

  Right now, I think an unfortunate amount of open source devs are of the mindset as Principal Skinner:

  "Am I so out of touch??"

  "No, it's the users who are wrong."

• Comment on Man Sues Mercedes After Soft-Close Doors Chop Off His Thumb:

  He's a cop. Perfectly fine joke to make, in my opinion.

  “A once proud and independent man who protects the public from harm now relies on his wife to assist him with going to the bathroom, showering, brushing his teeth, getting dressed, and buttoning his shirt,” the lawsuit says. “He has great difficulties holding a pen, feeding himself, tying his shoes, using tools, and assisting around the house with chores such as laundry and washing dishes.”

  Cop loses his part of his thumb and suddenly he needs someone to help him to go the bathroom, shower, brush his teeth, get dressed... and how has great difficulties with doing chores like laundry and washing dishes. Yeah, right-- this guy's just looking for a payday.

  While I'm here, I'd like to point out that it's pretty interesting that a chief deputy rolls around in a 2020 Mercedes SUV that starts at $60k USD. Must be nice. Cop gets his thumb stuck in his gaudy luxury SUV's door and now he needs his wife to wipe his ass after taking a shit? Fucking please, give me a break. This is peak America.

• Comment on Simply put, do you care about your privacy?:

  My bad, right you are. Thanks

• Comment on Simply put, do you care about your privacy?:

  Why are comments just answering OP's simple question being removed by a mod?

• Comment on apparently reddit also has content gated behind an app on mobile now:

  Been that way for a while now.

• Comment on Why this app is so political?:

  A couple reasons, firstly, it solidifies Lemmy’s reputation as a platform for leftists

  This website literally describes itself as

  A community of leftist privacy and FOSS enthusiasts, run by Lemmy’s developers

  Are you lost? I really don't get people like you.