[-] technom@programming.dev 17 points 3 months ago

He didn't just wash off his hands. When asked in an interview about a moderator who edited a trans user's profile to intentionally misgendering them (yup, even that's not off limits for their mods), he justified it saying that 'It's not like using the N-word or something'. (For context, the n-word itself was innocuous. It gained notoriety due to its misuse by bigots like this).

There are several such examples - repeatedly even after being called out. I don't belong to any diversity groups. But I don't care if they make the world's best operating system. I will stay well away from it if only to avoid any interaction with such a group. They're a bit too happy about harassing people (not just transgenders either).

[-] technom@programming.dev 22 points 7 months ago

I don't think that this is a hard rule. They probably look for the same signs that we do - plausible sounding utter gibberish. They just don't want the drop in quality due to that. If an author creates content with AI, but takes their time to edit and improve it, I think that the Gentoo team may give it a pass.

[-] technom@programming.dev 19 points 7 months ago

People are quick to judge without considering the circumstances. Wasn't the customer's attitude equally wrong? Aren't you implying that the service person should have let her bully him?

[-] technom@programming.dev 18 points 7 months ago

I agree that merge is the easier strategy with amateurs. By amateurs I mean those who cannot be bothered to learn about rebase. But what you really lose there is a nice commit history. It's good to have, even if your primary strategy is merging. And people tend to create horrendous commit histories when they don't know how to edit them.

[-] technom@programming.dev 17 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

More like a personal bias in the form of a distasteful snark that the author thinks is funny. Their demonstrated knowledge about Emacs in the article indicates the worth of such remarks.

[-] technom@programming.dev 20 points 9 months ago

You think that's going to convince them? Plenty of people consider Apple as the second coming of the messiah. They would cheer if Apple dropped a bucket load of crap on their desk.

[-] technom@programming.dev 25 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Funny. I have the opposite experience with git. Use GUI for simple tasks and drop to CLI when it's complicated or when something goes wrong.

[-] technom@programming.dev 19 points 9 months ago

After reading the comments on several communities including Lemmy, reddit, YouTube and several others, I don't get the feeling that FOSS users are as enthusiastic about discord as you portray. Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps it's a restriction that you impose on your users?

Besides, all the bells and whistles of Discord don't solve the biggest gripe that I have with it - the searchability and discoverability of questions and answers. Despite the history recording in Discord, it acts essentially as an information black hole. People's efforts in solving problems are just lost because they can't be found again.

And finally, there's one thing that corporate social media has proven time and again. Eventually all of them pivot for some reason or another. Perhaps they want to monetize the platform on unacceptable terms (like reddit recently). That will happen to discord too some day. They are holding the community content hostage. Don't make the mistake of thinking that they won't ever try to make money off it, cutting the community from it.

[-] technom@programming.dev 24 points 9 months ago

Discord is absolute trash if you're a user searching for solutions. It simply doesn't turn up in web searches. Why would you want your users to ask the same questions again and again?

[-] technom@programming.dev 22 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I can recommend Rust - I'm training a few people on it.

And a pure functional programming language like Haskell or Scheme, if you don't know what functional programming is, or are not comfortable with it. Functional programming needs a different mental approach to traditional (imperative) programming paradigm. Some of the more modern languages like Rust, JS and Python incorporate a lot of functional programming constructs. So it makes sense to learn them.

And a lisp - Common Lisp's popularity is a public secret. Scheme is also fine. This family is homoiconic (program and data are treated more less the same). The syntax is actually very close to its AST. This gives Lisp unparalleled metaprogramming capabilities - mostly through macros. Macros in traditional languages are nowhere near Lisp Macros.

If it interests you, study a stack based language like Forth or Factor. Though they feel very different from Lisps, they have similar underlying properties. And you get more or less the same advantages.

[-] technom@programming.dev 19 points 1 year ago

The main issue for me is the syntax, specifically generic types, traits, and lifetimes.

After working almost exclusively with Go for years, reading it seems unnecessarily demanding.

Like someone else said, this is a complex subject to answer. The syntax looks perplexing and frustrating, until it doesn't. These days, Rust syntax is nowhere in my thought while coding - it like when you drive, you are thinking about where you want to go rather than about manipulating the controls.

Why should I learn and use rust?

Rust''s rules are about enforcing memory safety. But it also ends up forcing you to write better programs than what you imagined you could. It's hard to describe that feeling - you have to experience it. That alone is a good reason to learn it - even if you end up not using it in the future.

Rust's unique design also leads to many design patterns not normally seen in most other languages. That's also worth exploring.

I have fallen in love with Go. It feels like ‘home’ to me

That's a perfectly good thing. It's hard to find that sweet spot. However, don't let that stop you from exploring the alternatives. You might find ideas you could use in Go.

[-] technom@programming.dev 21 points 1 year ago

So many praises for Windows and Mac about 'premium features', 'corporate environment' and 'device support'. But not enough talk about how they treat customers like crap and cash cows. Windows is replete with spyware and ads. It doesn't respect the user's choices, like when not to do an update or opening the links with a browser of user's choice. Heck! Some versions don't even allow you to register users without a cloud account. And now they are taking definite steps towards ensuring that you can't do anything they don't approve - with TPM and pluton non-sense. Praising windows is like being in an abusive relationship and finding justifications for it.

Mac is on the other extreme. They lock down their platform more and more in every revision in the name of security. It's getting harder to side-load apps. Why? For security, of course! No mention of how security comes primarily from platform design. Then there is the hardware, where everything is glued, soldered, riveted, digitally locked, etc, etc. Any small issue, and it's garbage. Not even parts from another genuine Mac can be used. Macs also have the strange distinction of needing calibration and signing of any part that can be replaced at all. It's deliberately designed to extract more money from you and create a tonne load of e-waste (iWaste?). Mac fanbois have a habit of justifying it in the name of 'miniaturization' and progress. Honestly, that's just hand-wavy and completely wrong technical argument. And Apple says it is all for 'privacy' and 'security' while their actual reason is the pursuit of double-digit growth (not just profits). So, in effect, Apple is saying to their customers "Oh honey! You're are just too stupid to take care of it. So let me just decide for you" - all the while squeezing you for money. Does it end there? Oh no! They need developers to pay a yearly fee and want to take a huge cut from their profits. All that for "providing the engineering, platform and services". As if the exorbitant price they extract from their customers isn't enough.

The hardware situation on Linux distros and frankly even BSDs isn't as bad as it is projected by some. Most devices just work even on a live installation medium. Even Nvidia works. (Have you considered the possibility that if any device doesn't work, it's the manufacturer's fault and not the OS's? There are plenty of devices for which the community maintains the drivers, just because the device manufacturer isn't an utter trashbag). There are tonnes of games too - thanks to Valve and Proton. And as for the 'corporate env', you are probably just locked in or too used to them. There are users who have been on these platforms for decades now without complaints. And there are companies built entirely on them. Can you say the same about any of the company that makes your OS/devices? Is there one among them that doesn't use Linux or BSDs?

Look! I'm not claiming that everything is rosy on the Linux and BSD side of things. Sometimes you have to find an alternative way of doing things (there are plenty of options). Sometimes, you have to configure a lot. Sometimes, you have to carefully choose your hardware so that your life is easier with Linux and BSDs. But there is one thing they don't ask you to do- and that is to surrender your self-respect. You don't get treated like cash cow. You don't get spied on as if you are a thief. You don't get restricted like a school kid. You're not told that your choices are wrong. Your choices are not disrespected. You don't get treated like you owe them after you paid your hard earned money on the devices they make. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide if the little conveniences are bigger than your self-respect.

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technom

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