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| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/debugging-neomutt.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/dont-use-github.md | 16 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/exposing-zoom.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github.md | 12 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/how-to-transfer-large-files-from-one-computer-to-another.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/my-career-path.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/site-update-008.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/site-update-009.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/site-update-011.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/site-update-012.md | 2 |
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diff --git a/content/entry/ai-poses-a-threat-to-privacy.md b/content/entry/ai-poses-a-threat-to-privacy.md index 705870a..96e785a 100644 --- a/content/entry/ai-poses-a-threat-to-privacy.md +++ b/content/entry/ai-poses-a-threat-to-privacy.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ If you live in a technologically advanced society, it's somewhere between inconv I fear that the same sort of thing will happen with AI. I'll explain. -There's [Github Copilot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GitHub_Copilot), an AI productivity tool which helps programmers be more efficient. Just a few weeks ago, [Microsoft announced an AI assistant for Microsoft office](https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/03/16/introducing-microsoft-365-copilot-your-copilot-for-work/). School children use [OpenAI's ChatGPT](https://chat.openai.com/chat) to do their homework. These AI productivity tools may not be essential just yet, but they'll get better. And as they get better, it may eventually become infeasible to even compete in the workforce without being AI assisted since those willing to use it AI will have a huge advantage over you. +There's [GitHub Copilot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GitHub_Copilot), an AI productivity tool which helps programmers be more efficient. Just a few weeks ago, [Microsoft announced an AI assistant for Microsoft office](https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/03/16/introducing-microsoft-365-copilot-your-copilot-for-work/). School children use [OpenAI's ChatGPT](https://chat.openai.com/chat) to do their homework. These AI productivity tools may not be essential just yet, but they'll get better. And as they get better, it may eventually become infeasible to even compete in the workforce without being AI assisted since those willing to use it AI will have a huge advantage over you. The same thing could happen in people's personal lives. We may eventually reach a point where nearly everything people do is AI-assisted. Want to learn how to cook? Your smart assistant will teach you with a teaching style that's personalized to you. Need to improve your diet and exercise habits? Your AI smart home will create a personalized healthy diet and exercise regime that works for you. Your AI therapist will listen to all your problems free of charge and offer scientifically supported advice for your unique problem. AI may even augment your sex life. It will reach a point where people who refuse to use AI assistants are at a distinct disadvantage compared to those who use AI. diff --git a/content/entry/debugging-neomutt.md b/content/entry/debugging-neomutt.md index 714aced..1f60803 100644 --- a/content/entry/debugging-neomutt.md +++ b/content/entry/debugging-neomutt.md @@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ With some more assistance, I then used GDB to check the variable values and foun Now that the cause of the crash was understood, Flatcap patched gpgme so it could handle partially defined keys. I pulled the patched branch, recompiled, and tried to open the buggy email again. No crash! -Flatcap invited me to open a Github issue so I could take credit for finding the bug. I informed him I couldn't do that because [I don't use Github](/2021/05/31/dont-use-github/). So he just opened [the issue](https://github.com/neomutt/neomutt/pull/3137) and mentioned me instead. I looked over it for review and approved. +Flatcap invited me to open a GitHub issue so I could take credit for finding the bug. I informed him I couldn't do that because [I don't use GitHub](/2021/05/31/dont-use-github/). So he just opened [the issue](https://github.com/neomutt/neomutt/pull/3137) and mentioned me instead. I looked over it for review and approved. I thanked Flatcap for creating Neomutt. I really enjoy using it. I'm glad I was able to contribute to such a fantastic email client. The only reason this interaction was possible is because Neomutt is free software. If it were proprietary, I couldn't have debugged it with GDB. I probably wouldn't have gotten to interact directly with the developer who writes the software I use. I'd probably be stuck waiting days or weeks on a response from an opaque company where I couldn't even review the patch or get credit for reporting the bug. diff --git a/content/entry/dont-use-github.md b/content/entry/dont-use-github.md index 0b87c7f..896d8f0 100644 --- a/content/entry/dont-use-github.md +++ b/content/entry/dont-use-github.md @@ -1,25 +1,25 @@ --- -title: "Don't Use Github" +title: "Don't Use GitHub" date: 2021-05-31T00:00:00 tags: ['computing'] draft: false --- -# Why is Free Software Being Hosted on Github??? -Free software being hosted on Github as its main repository is a downright embarrassment to the very principles free software is supposed to stand for. Github is a proprietary platform. Important site features can't work without proprietary JavaScript running in the browser. The backend code for Github is completely proprietary. And it's owned by Micro$oft, one of the largest megacorps to ever exist whose CEO once called GNU/Linux a "cancer" and only changed his tune when he realized there was money to be made. +# Why is Free Software Being Hosted on GitHub??? +Free software being hosted on GitHub as its main repository is a downright embarrassment to the very principles free software is supposed to stand for. GitHub is a proprietary platform. Important site features can't work without proprietary JavaScript running in the browser. The backend code for GitHub is completely proprietary. And it's owned by Micro$oft, one of the largest megacorps to ever exist whose CEO once called GNU/Linux a "cancer" and only changed his tune when he realized there was money to be made. -You can see more criticism of Github here: +You can see more criticism of GitHub here: [Tom Ryder's Blog](https://sanctum.geek.nz/why-not-github.html) -As a user of software and someone that occasionally writes software, I have a lot more respect for your project if it's not hosted on Github. There are so many other code hosting platforms out there! There's Gitlab, Gitea, Gogs, Cgit and Gitweb. Hell, you don't even need a code hosting repository! If you can't self-host and don't want to trust third-party platforms, just use Git's git-format-patch command and submit changes by email. +As a user of software and someone that occasionally writes software, I have a lot more respect for your project if it's not hosted on GitHub. There are so many other code hosting platforms out there! There's Gitlab, Gitea, Gogs, Cgit and Gitweb. Hell, you don't even need a code hosting repository! If you can't self-host and don't want to trust third-party platforms, just use Git's git-format-patch command and submit changes by email. -Having a single large megacorp whose primary business model is diametrically opposed to free software being the largest code host for free software is almost too dumb. Micro$oft is the worst possible entity to entrust to run the platform where you manage development of your free software projects. If you're using Github to host your code, migrate elsewhere immediately. +Having a single large megacorp whose primary business model is diametrically opposed to free software being the largest code host for free software is almost too dumb. Micro$oft is the worst possible entity to entrust to run the platform where you manage development of your free software projects. If you're using GitHub to host your code, migrate elsewhere immediately. # Other Code Repositories If you choose to migrate to Gitlab.com, that's still pretty centralized since it's one of the largest code hosting platforms. But at least Gitlab doesn't require non-free JavaScript, its backend is fully free and it's not owned by Micro$oft. Also, self-hosting is very easy if you have the resources. I recommend reading the GNU repo criteria evaluation page before you make your choice where to migrate: [https://www.gnu.org/software/repo-criteria-evaluation.html](https://www.gnu.org/software/repo-criteria-evaluation.html) # Harm Reduction -I can't recommend Github since it requires non-free JavaScript, but if you're going to use it anyway, don't use it for project management. At the most, use it as a backup to mirror your code hosted on a different, ethical repository. But don't rely on it otherwise. It's the last place you should trust with your code. +I can't recommend GitHub since it requires non-free JavaScript, but if you're going to use it anyway, don't use it for project management. At the most, use it as a backup to mirror your code hosted on a different, ethical repository. But don't rely on it otherwise. It's the last place you should trust with your code. # Take Action! -I really hope you don't just agree with me and go on using Github anyway. Please don't do that. Take action! Even if you've been managing your repository on Github and you have dozens of issues and pull requests, making the transition will be worth the effort. It shows your commitment to software freedom and says to the other developers "Github is not an acceptable place for a free software project". For most of you reading this, the process of migrating all your code won't take more than an hour. Just pick a different, freedom-respecting platform to host your code and go get it done! +I really hope you don't just agree with me and go on using GitHub anyway. Please don't do that. Take action! Even if you've been managing your repository on GitHub and you have dozens of issues and pull requests, making the transition will be worth the effort. It shows your commitment to software freedom and says to the other developers "GitHub is not an acceptable place for a free software project". For most of you reading this, the process of migrating all your code won't take more than an hour. Just pick a different, freedom-respecting platform to host your code and go get it done! diff --git a/content/entry/exposing-zoom.md b/content/entry/exposing-zoom.md index a6d8396..bc99226 100644 --- a/content/entry/exposing-zoom.md +++ b/content/entry/exposing-zoom.md @@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ The Facebook SDK isn't an isolated case either. Zoom didn't start caring about u Another absolutely disgusting thing is that Zoom lied to customers again about not selling their data: "...we do not sell our users’ data, we have never sold user data in the past, and have no intention of selling users’ data going forward" Eric S. Yuan. (2020, April 1). Retrieved May 24, 2020 from Zoom, Zoom blog, [https://web.archive.org/web/20200523154804if_/https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/04/01/a-message-to-our-users/](https://web.archive.org/web/20200523154804if_/https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/04/01/a-message-to-our-users/). They did permanently removed the attention tracking feature which never should have existed to begin with. There is no mention of removing Google Analytics though. ## 90-Day Plan -To play devil's advocate, I can go through [Zoom's 90-day plan](https://web.archive.org/web/20200523035015if_/https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/05/22/zoom-publishes-draft-design-of-end-to-end-encryption-offering/) focusing all their resources on security and privacy to fix their platform. A few things they have done so far: only the host can screen share by default, participants need consent to be unmuted, audio indication for the waiting rooms, removing Giphy, and giving the host more control over the meeting. They also published a [draft crypto design](https://web.archive.org/web/20200523035015if_/https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/05/22/zoom-publishes-draft-design-of-end-to-end-encryption-offering/) to redo their cryptography. It is apparently available for [peer review on Github](https://github.com/zoom/zoom-e2e-whitepaper/blob/master/zoom_e2e.pdf). It's still early to see where all this goes. But given that Zoom hasn't ever owned up to selling user data in exchange for service, I don't have my hopes high. +To play devil's advocate, I can go through [Zoom's 90-day plan](https://web.archive.org/web/20200523035015if_/https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/05/22/zoom-publishes-draft-design-of-end-to-end-encryption-offering/) focusing all their resources on security and privacy to fix their platform. A few things they have done so far: only the host can screen share by default, participants need consent to be unmuted, audio indication for the waiting rooms, removing Giphy, and giving the host more control over the meeting. They also published a [draft crypto design](https://web.archive.org/web/20200523035015if_/https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/05/22/zoom-publishes-draft-design-of-end-to-end-encryption-offering/) to redo their cryptography. It is apparently available for [peer review on GitHub](https://github.com/zoom/zoom-e2e-whitepaper/blob/master/zoom_e2e.pdf). It's still early to see where all this goes. But given that Zoom hasn't ever owned up to selling user data in exchange for service, I don't have my hopes high. # Use Jitsi Instead Zoom is a [proprietary](https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/) platform. This means it is essentially a black box. As I mentioned earlier, this means it will always be less trustworthy than free software video conferencing solutions such as [Jitsi](https://jitsi.org/security/). [The Tor Project](https://x.com/torproject/status/1244986986278072322) recommended using Jitsi instead of Zoom. I haven't done much research on Jitsi yet, but if the Tor Project is saying to try Jitsi, I would use it over Zoom any day. It's also cross-platform and features actual end-to-end encryption. Even if Zoom implements end-to-end encryption, how can you trust it if it can't be independently reviewed by anyone and no one outside of Zoom can see the source code? How can you trust the implementation on desktop or mobile platforms? In short, you can't. No platform is perfect, however there are more secure and less secure solutions out there. And in general, you want to avoid proprietary programs because they cause the incentives to be aligned in such a way that Zoom will always have reasons to insert privacy-corroding features into their platform. diff --git a/content/entry/git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github.md b/content/entry/git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github.md index 0c5de57..ae497e7 100644 --- a/content/entry/git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github.md +++ b/content/entry/git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github-git-is-not-github.md @@ -1,15 +1,15 @@ --- -title: "Git Is Not Github. Git Is Not Github. Git Is Not Github." +title: "Git Is Not GitHub. Git Is Not GitHub. Git Is Not GitHub." date: 2022-02-25T00:00:00 tags: ['computing'] draft: false --- -A common confusion among new programmers is that Git and Github are the same thing, despite dozens of online articles and videos explaining the difference. I was probably in their position once myself, so I'm not assigning blame. I'm writing this entry because I think the conflation of Git and Github is harmful. +A common confusion among new programmers is that Git and GitHub are the same thing, despite dozens of online articles and videos explaining the difference. I was probably in their position once myself, so I'm not assigning blame. I'm writing this entry because I think the conflation of Git and GitHub is harmful. -Git is a powerful version control tool that makes software development and collaboration easier. Github is a cloud-based repository hosting service operated by corporate monster Micro$oft. Git helps millions of developers write better code. Github sold code to [ICE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Immigration_and_Customs_Enforcement), who used it to assist separating families at the border and putting immigrants in cages. +Git is a powerful version control tool that makes software development and collaboration easier. GitHub is a cloud-based repository hosting service operated by corporate monster Micro$oft. Git helps millions of developers write better code. GitHub sold code to [ICE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Immigration_and_Customs_Enforcement), who used it to assist separating families at the border and putting immigrants in cages. -I have said before nobody should use [Github](/2021/05/31/dont-use-github/), especially not people who write free software. If you need a software development platform, use [Sourcehut](https://sourcehut.org/). It has no advertising, tracking, or JavaScript. It's 100% free software and it's the fastest and lightest software forge, [bar none](https://forgeperf.org/). And if you don't like Sourcehut, there's other free software forges out there for whatever your needs are. +I have said before nobody should use [GitHub](/2021/05/31/dont-use-github/), especially not people who write free software. If you need a software development platform, use [Sourcehut](https://sourcehut.org/). It has no advertising, tracking, or JavaScript. It's 100% free software and it's the fastest and lightest software forge, [bar none](https://forgeperf.org/). And if you don't like Sourcehut, there's other free software forges out there for whatever your needs are. -A morally neutral version control tool being frequently confused with a morally onerous big tech company is bad. More than just technical confusion, it invites moral confusion. Without knowing the difference, new developers may confuse criticism of Github the company with criticism of Git the tool. They will think "Github is bad? It can't be because I use that program and it's helpful to me." +A morally neutral version control tool being frequently confused with a morally onerous big tech company is bad. More than just technical confusion, it invites moral confusion. Without knowing the difference, new developers may confuse criticism of GitHub the company with criticism of Git the tool. They will think "GitHub is bad? It can't be because I use that program and it's helpful to me." -So if you notice a developer using 'Git' and 'Github' interchangeably, chances are they're probably confused. Please correct them and then teach them there are other software forges that also cost nothing but are technically and ethically superior to Github. That way, even if they decide not to switch away from Github, at least they'll know better alternatives exist. +So if you notice a developer using 'Git' and 'GitHub' interchangeably, chances are they're probably confused. Please correct them and then teach them there are other software forges that also cost nothing but are technically and ethically superior to GitHub. That way, even if they decide not to switch away from GitHub, at least they'll know better alternatives exist. diff --git a/content/entry/how-to-transfer-large-files-from-one-computer-to-another.md b/content/entry/how-to-transfer-large-files-from-one-computer-to-another.md index 2ac8f66..c698afc 100644 --- a/content/entry/how-to-transfer-large-files-from-one-computer-to-another.md +++ b/content/entry/how-to-transfer-large-files-from-one-computer-to-another.md @@ -54,6 +54,6 @@ For computers on the same LAN, there's plenty of software for managing a shared These programs can also share files to the public internet, but most of you reading this won't have a static public IP address or domain name, so it's irrelevant. I often use Rsync for its versatility, security, and efficient delta-transfer algorithm. # Conclusion -Most people still transfer large files using the dumb ways. When I search for the file-sharing tag on Github, I get 947 results. There's plenty of good software out there for transferring large files and lots of it is so easy to use a monkey could figure it out. +Most people still transfer large files using the dumb ways. When I search for the file-sharing tag on GitHub, I get 947 results. There's plenty of good software out there for transferring large files and lots of it is so easy to use a monkey could figure it out. There's no excuse for relying on the corporate cloud, email, or social media to transfer large files if you have the choice. Use a real file transfer program instead. diff --git a/content/entry/my-career-path.md b/content/entry/my-career-path.md index fe63cea..751f990 100644 --- a/content/entry/my-career-path.md +++ b/content/entry/my-career-path.md @@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Nevertheless I feel very out of place working low wage entry-level positions, bu ## Looking For Internships I've tried applying for free software internships, but no luck so far. The only place I'm certain I wouldn't have any freedom issues is the granddaddy organization of the free software movement, the FSF. I haven't had any luck there yet either. According to the statistics I've read, less than 5% of applicants get approved for many of the free software internships. There's just not as much money and positions available in free software as there is in proprietary software. A lot of internships are targeted towards minorities and being a straight, white male doesn't help. A lot of them are exclusive to students, which I am no longer. -Something that has been discouraging is seeing so-called "open source" internships use proprietary software for project development and communication. It makes no sense to use Goolag docs, Slack and Github for project development when you're developing free software. User freedom matters, but what about developer freedom? Don't developers deserve freedom too? Many of the sites for free software internships require proprietary JavaScript to apply and they include Goolag Analytics, which goes to show how seriously they're taking the whole freedom thing. +Something that has been discouraging is seeing so-called "open source" internships use proprietary software for project development and communication. It makes no sense to use Goolag docs, Slack and GitHub for project development when you're developing free software. User freedom matters, but what about developer freedom? Don't developers deserve freedom too? Many of the sites for free software internships require proprietary JavaScript to apply and they include Goolag Analytics, which goes to show how seriously they're taking the whole freedom thing. ## Interacting with Free Software Communities Since dropping out, I've communicated in various free software communities. diff --git a/content/entry/site-update-008.md b/content/entry/site-update-008.md index 883dd47..9e53e70 100644 --- a/content/entry/site-update-008.md +++ b/content/entry/site-update-008.md @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ draft: false It seems I'm making update posts more often than I imagined, but it's fine. I'm going to try out a list format for this one. * Change "recommendation" tag to more specific tags. (e.g., "books", "videos") -* Sign commits on Github/Gitlab so users can [TOFU](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_on_first_use) this blog +* Sign commits on GitHub/Gitlab so users can [TOFU](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_on_first_use) this blog * Minify HTML and CSS # Future Plans diff --git a/content/entry/site-update-009.md b/content/entry/site-update-009.md index f05eda3..7614e5a 100644 --- a/content/entry/site-update-009.md +++ b/content/entry/site-update-009.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ I haven't posted anything for a while and I've been working behind the scenes to * Output RSS content as full post content rather than mere content summaries for better accessibility to RSS users. * Move the custom inline CSS to the external stylesheet. -* The site's Github and Gitlab CI workflows that host the site mirrors have been fixed. Before, I was locally generating files and uploading them as a single commit. Now, I upload the source files and let the remote servers do the work. +* The site's GitHub and Gitlab CI workflows that host the site mirrors have been fixed. Before, I was locally generating files and uploading them as a single commit. Now, I upload the source files and let the remote servers do the work. * Launch Gitea server on new subdomain (https://git.0gitnick.xyz) to host site content and theme for better organization and transparency in generating the site. The reason I did not go with Savannah as I planned in my last site update is because Savannah has very strict licensing requirements. Since my site is forked and I might fork more projects in the future, I'd rather not spend hours fixing license text before I can even upload the project. I have no problem with meticulously licensing my own work. It would just be too demotivating to do that for someone else's work. * Write content summaries for every post. This was very tedious but worth it. It makes the site more aesthetically pleasing and much easier to follow. It's my own fault for not doing this from the beginning. * Add Ethereum address and tokens for more donation options. diff --git a/content/entry/site-update-011.md b/content/entry/site-update-011.md index c935179..f1cb5cf 100644 --- a/content/entry/site-update-011.md +++ b/content/entry/site-update-011.md @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ I paused posts because I've been busy migrating my blog to [Gemini](Gemini speci * All tags and separate feeds are gone. I don't feel like the tagging system was very valuable. I often didn't know what to tag my posts or whether to create a new tag for them or remove a tag. Now I don't have to think about it. I can get on with just doing what I like which is writing posts. As for you readers of my blog, I have doubts that anyone much uses the tags anyway. Reading the title and summary probably does more to help readers make a judgment if they want to read that post than tags. I would've had to reimplement them in my content management system and it didn't seem worth the work. # Future Plans -* Write configuration files for CI pipelines so the Github and Gitlab site mirrors work again. Since I'm using a content management system I wrote myself, I also have to write the CI pipeline configuration for generating the site myself and I haven't gotten to it yet. +* Write configuration files for CI pipelines so the GitHub and Gitlab site mirrors work again. Since I'm using a content management system I wrote myself, I also have to write the CI pipeline configuration for generating the site myself and I haven't gotten to it yet. Ignore what site update 10 says about the repos. It only makes sense to have 1 repo to maintain content on Gemini and the Web. The repo nicksphere-www is deprecated. It will no longer be used at all. The canonical repo for my content is now nicksphere-gmi. It contains generator scripts for Gemini and the web as well. It still needs work such as the CI pipelines, but it's close enough to use for my capsule and my site now. diff --git a/content/entry/site-update-012.md b/content/entry/site-update-012.md index 2b27477..45f4c94 100644 --- a/content/entry/site-update-012.md +++ b/content/entry/site-update-012.md @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ draft: false --- # What's New * The wonky CSS is fixed. The result is the site is much more presentable and easy to read on mobile and desktop. Specifically, the spacing is more consistent. -* Gitlab pages now correctly generates my website using .gitlab-ci.yml. I deleted my Github mirror since I didn't want to write a CI script to support the proprietary Github pages system. +* Gitlab pages now correctly generates my website using .gitlab-ci.yml. I deleted my GitHub mirror since I didn't want to write a CI script to support the proprietary GitHub pages system. * New Privatebin instance on the bin subdomain # Future Plans |