Android is on the track to become closed down like iOS is. We need to do somethibg about it. Here's why and how:
https://keepandroidopen.org/
#keepandroidopen #android #freedom #smartphones #foss #software

@mike Vias?

To an extent, social media has raised my profile, but I’ve been blogging since 2006 and would do better than most if social media disappeared. I have my own platform.

What bothers me most about social media—including Hacker News, Mastodon, Reddit, Twitter/X, etc.—is that it provides a platform to idiots, those who say shit so dumb, glib, and insipid that nobody would ever see it or pay attention unless the platform places their posts conspicuously in reply to something interesting.

Remember "Metal Slug", a hardcore arcade side-scroller?

I've ported a clone to SDL2 and for the web in https://midzer.de/wasm/minislug/

Even playable on mobile, would not recommend though =D

Finally made some more progress with migrating to new native C++ sequencer code!

Read more at: https://casualcomputing.info/posts/playhead-movement-fully-working/

And here it is in action in a simple demo showing all 12 channels playing.

https://makertube.net/w/fULfpG9LNwpb3iCfavVkAp

New toy by lft:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=LNGH_I8hkXM
#commodore #c64 #mos6581

According to Google, #Conversations_im is now also collecting users’ email addresses.

Pretty much the exact same thing that happened to Quicksy about a month ago¹ is now also happening to Conversations.

An app update I submitted ~48 hours ago passed review without any issues. A subsequent update just now, which contained very minor bug fixes, was rejected because I failed to declare that I’m collecting email addresses.

I’m so tired of this bullshit.

¹: https://gultsch.social/@daniel/114954618263198238

Had a look inside the LIPS TV (really an elderly LG) that broke down recently. Not much I can do, I’m afraid. Measured some of the birdseed components (all good), the ICs are likely acting up. The only thing wrong with it is the HDMI inputs not working, so it might be the HDMI switcher chip?

I'm not sure where "small indie developers" scamming their customers is a good thing. I am a small indie game dev struggling to make a living and I don't scam my players.I'm not sure a "pay forever" model is a good thing for anyone. You have been conned into think it's a good thing, but it's a bad thing for the rest of us. Four year old Kaleidoscope works fine, why should I keep paying for pointless upgrades I don't need.

@sif You could try Chris Edwards Restoration. Check him out on youtube.

“Why I prefer human-readable file formats”

Choosing human-readable file formats is an act of technological sovereignty. It's about maintaining control over your data, ensuring long-term accessibility, and building systems that remain comprehensible and maintainable over time. The slight overhead of human readability pays dividends in flexibility, durability, and peace of mind.

These format

https://www.osnews.com/story/143009/why-i-prefer-human-readable-file-formats/

#OSNews

@jasongorman Let me post my rates.

Amiga 600 Panasonic JU-253 Disk Drive Repair

https://makertube.net/w/5JSaGyYfmVYdxxEBQFxzPa

Hingehenge

Finally got around to writing a progress report on Sputter today:

https://casualcomputing.info/posts/native-sequencer-progress/

Short story: Integrating new sequencer code is progressing slowly but surely.

At the individual scale, self-hosting is not a good way to “be in control of my data.”

It’s like saying I do a vegetable garden to be in control of my food. I need much more than I can grow, it’s an inefficient use of my time, and I’m one bad season away from losing it all.

Resilience and transparency are key to be in control of my data and I can’t achieve this alone. This is a social problem, we need to bring solutions as a society.

#sovereignty #selfHosting #gardening

Samsung removes bootloader unlocking with One UI 8

Have a Samsung phone (outside of the United States), and want to unlock the bootloader? Well, soon you won't be able to do so anymore, as Samsung seems to be removing this option from their phones - including already sold models being upgraded to One UI 8.

Bootloader unlocking is a popular way to breathe new life into older devices

https://www.osnews.com/story/142905/samsung-removes-bootloader-unlocking-with-one-ui-8/

#Android

The new Death By Scrolling Dev Blog is live. Don't miss the unscripted shenanigans and be left out of this weeks water cooler talk at work.

https://www.grumpygamer.com/deathbyscrolling3/

#DeathByScrolling

A viewer sent me an email, asking me to look over a schematic for an autofire circuit that he had a generative AI create for him.

This is the circuit he sent me.

It doesn’t make any sense.

I sent him a circuit that works from an old magazine I used before.

Don’t fricking trust AI with anything.