ButteredToast's recent activity
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Comment on What are your current pain points with Linux? in ~tech
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Comment on What are your current pain points with Linux? in ~tech
ButteredToast LinkI’ve been dabbling in Linux for a long time, starting in 2000-2005 with Yellow Dog Linux (Red Hat for PowerPC) and Ubuntu. In the early 10s I had a short stint where I daily drove a few distros...I’ve been dabbling in Linux for a long time, starting in 2000-2005 with Yellow Dog Linux (Red Hat for PowerPC) and Ubuntu. In the early 10s I had a short stint where I daily drove a few distros including Mint, Crunchbang, and Sabayon. Currently I have a secondary laptop that runs Fedora, a home NAS/server running Mint, and a secondary Fedora partition on the gaming tower plus a Steam Deck running SteamOS.
It’s never stuck as my main OS because it’s always had a degree of awkwardness of some sort or another that shifts around depending on what distro and DE/WM/etc I’m using that is difficult to get past. Stuff like things that’d have a System Settings prefpane in macOS requiring packages that aren’t installed and upon attempting to install them, throwing errors or having clunky, error-prone setup UX.
That’s why as far as desktop use is concerned, I use Linux only in a secondary role. Basically as long as whatever I do works within the confines of a default install, the experience is great, but the more I stray from standard the hairier it becomes.
It also annoys me that there is no Mac paradigm desktop environment. The best that can be achieved is a half-functional facsimile by enabling the global menubar in a KDE install and tweaking a few settings, but tons of details are wrong and can’t be fixed without forking the project and something like half or two-thirds of apps won’t populate the global menubar.
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Comment on What are your current pain points with Linux? in ~tech
ButteredToast Link ParentThere’s also a surprising number of things that depending on your distro/DE/etc, there isn’t a UI (or good UI) for configuration and you’re pointed at arcane CLI incantations (which unlike in the...There’s also a surprising number of things that depending on your distro/DE/etc, there isn’t a UI (or good UI) for configuration and you’re pointed at arcane CLI incantations (which unlike in the BSD world, are wildly inconsistent and share no conventions) or editing a config file buried somewhere.
Unironically, I wish I could quit my job and just tinker on my own DE (or maybe even a whole distro) day in and day out because I find current options have lots of little blind spots like this that are obvious to longtime commercial platform users but don’t even register as a potential problem to *nix vets.
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Comment on Compact phone in the works for the fans of small phones in ~tech
ButteredToast (edited )Link ParentSoftware is one factor, but another major (potentially bigger) one is SoC efficiency which is one area where Apple tends to do well relative to competitors. Even if the software is doing its best...Software is one factor, but another major (potentially bigger) one is SoC efficiency which is one area where Apple tends to do well relative to competitors. Even if the software is doing its best to be resource-conscious and keep the hardware in an idle/low-power state, that can be undermined by the SoC if it isn't very efficient.
EDIT: Also, it’s somewhat counterintuitive, but power efficiency isn’t necessarily the only spec that should get attention if long battery life is the goal. An efficient but slow SoC can lose to a less efficient but notably faster SoC because while the former is still spinning its wheels trying to finish the task it’s been given, the latter has already finished and returned to idle.
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Comment on Tokyo, yeast, and expectations in ~travel
ButteredToast LinkSorry you had a bad time. I think the specific parts of Tokyo involved probably make a big difference. I'm not a parent, but my observations from having lived in Tokyo+Yokohama for a couple of...Sorry you had a bad time. I think the specific parts of Tokyo involved probably make a big difference.
I'm not a parent, but my observations from having lived in Tokyo+Yokohama for a couple of years and having visited many times since is that toddlers are seen much more in residential areas. For example, the mini-park next to my friend's apartment has young kids in it for the better part of any day that it's not raining. My visits tend more toward walking in a random direction and seeing what turns up than hitting hotspots, though.
As far as strollers go, I don't recall seeing a lot of them. They show up, but it's more common to see kids strapped to their parents (younger end) or riding with them on a bicycle (older end), likely due to the issues you faced.
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Comment on Why does Opera GX rarely come up in browser discussions? in ~tech
ButteredToast Link ParentIf I may chime in, I personally like some Firefox forks (mainly Zen) over Firefox primarily because I've been unenthused with Mozilla's UI/UX choices for a long time… since whenever it was they...If I may chime in, I personally like some Firefox forks (mainly Zen) over Firefox primarily because I've been unenthused with Mozilla's UI/UX choices for a long time… since whenever it was they started aping Chrome with their UI design and threw in the towel on platform-tailored themes.
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Comment on What are your gaming idiosyncracies? in ~games
ButteredToast LinkNot sure if it counts, but it really bugs me when games don't let my player character jump, even if that ability has no practical function. It just feels… stifling somehow and takes me out of it a...Not sure if it counts, but it really bugs me when games don't let my player character jump, even if that ability has no practical function. It just feels… stifling somehow and takes me out of it a bit. Why? Who knows. It's not as if people jump often in real life.
Other than that I don't mind challenge-style play in games as long as it's solo. It doesn't bother me to dust myself off and try again when it's just my own time that's been spent, but as soon as other people are involved pressure ramps and the bottom falls out of my enjoyment. So for example, in WoW modes like Mage Tower (Legion), Horrific Visions (BfA), and Delves (last couple of xpacs) are all cool, but M+ dungeons past like +5 or something are just not my cup of tea. It's no fun when failure and self-improvement means dragging your teammates down.
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Comment on Lifetime Plex Pass will cost $750 USD after July 1st in ~tv
ButteredToast Link ParentI'm kinda behind in that I don't use docker or similar and just install packages directly. The closest would be jails if I'm using FreeBSD. Language factors in here because a C# runtime is...I'm kinda behind in that I don't use docker or similar and just install packages directly. The closest would be jails if I'm using FreeBSD.
Language factors in here because a C# runtime is required, which was what was causing me problems back then.
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Comment on Lifetime Plex Pass will cost $750 USD after July 1st in ~tv
ButteredToast Link ParentIt's been a long time since I last tried, but one reason for me is that Jellyfin being written in C# made setup a pain. Not that Plex is perfect there either, its Python bits tend to crap out from...It's been a long time since I last tried, but one reason for me is that Jellyfin being written in C# made setup a pain. Not that Plex is perfect there either, its Python bits tend to crap out from time to time.
I kinda wonder why there aren't Plex/Jellyfin type projects that are nice neat self-contained binaries written in Go or Rust or something. Those are usually options for most other self-hosted server packages, but not media servers.
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Comment on Control Ultimate Edition released for iOS and iPadOS in ~games
ButteredToast LinkThe kind of power on offer with modern midrange to flagship mobile SoCs these days is wild. Not so long ago the idea of running any AAA game, even those several years old, on a phone or tablet was...The kind of power on offer with modern midrange to flagship mobile SoCs these days is wild. Not so long ago the idea of running any AAA game, even those several years old, on a phone or tablet was unthinkable unless graphics had been severely degraded.
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Comment on Framework reveals 13 Pro laptop with 20-hour battery in ~tech
ButteredToast LinkThis makes Framework a much more attractive option for me. Battery life is one of the biggest advantages of MacBooks compared to everything else and it's difficult to imagine spending this kind of...This makes Framework a much more attractive option for me. Battery life is one of the biggest advantages of MacBooks compared to everything else and it's difficult to imagine spending this kind of money on a machine that doesn't have it. It's just too core to what makes a laptop a good laptop, in my opinion at least — if battery life is unavoidably poor I may as well go the route of an SFF PC which will have similar or better power and more capable/more quiet cooling for a marginally larger footprint.
It remains to be seen how well it fares in real life usage though, particularly under Linux. They also claim improved standby time which I hope is true because it's really annoying (and in the long term, bad for the environment) to have to recharge your laptop 2-3x more often due to sleep drain.
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Comment on Adults are earning college degrees online in weeks, alarming US educators in ~society
ButteredToast LinkThe primarily-online school I've been attending (which generally has a decent reputation) has allowed this kind of acceleration for quite some time. Their marketing has timelines on the line of a...The primarily-online school I've been attending (which generally has a decent reputation) has allowed this kind of acceleration for quite some time. Their marketing has timelines on the line of a few months to a couple of years, but people have figured out ways to game the credit transfer system and speed through courses to get their degrees in a matter of weeks in some cases.
I can definitely see how it's possible theoretically, but there's been a limit to how far I've been able to push that simply because I don't have the energy and focus due to juggling it with a full-time senior SWE position, plus the impetus isn't nearly as strong since my employment situation is already great. I'm mainly getting my bachelor's degree so 1) my credentials and worked experience are more aligned and 2) some countries make one a prerequisite for a visa.
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Comment on World of Warcraft private server Turtle WoW to shut down May 14 2026 in ~games
ButteredToast Link ParentFor content, the client side data (maps, models, etc) is on the machine of anybody who's played recently, and those same machines will have some amount of the online bits cached. So really,...For content, the client side data (maps, models, etc) is on the machine of anybody who's played recently, and those same machines will have some amount of the online bits cached. So really, anybody with a little bit of know-how could archive most or all of the custom content.
The licensing aspect is murky of course, but I'm not sure how relevant that is considering that this is an unlicensed server for a commercial game.
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Comment on Valve is working on Proton for ARM processors in ~games
ButteredToast Link ParentI might be underestimating because I haven't dug into the internals of Proton, but installing WINE from Homebrew and making a few tweaks already gets one pretty close to the Linux/Proton...I might be underestimating because I haven't dug into the internals of Proton, but installing WINE from Homebrew and making a few tweaks already gets one pretty close to the Linux/Proton experience. The x86 translation stuff is all neatly handled by Rosetta.
While Apple has stated that Rosetta will be removed in the next major macOS release, they caveated that with a carveout explicitly for games, which is interesting. It seems like Rosetta will cease to function for general x86 Mac apps but continue to be supported for WINE and similar.
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Comment on Competence is lonely. Nobody talks about why. in ~health.mental
ButteredToast Link ParentIn addition to the corporate gaslighting, I think certain backgrounds lend themselves to a predisposition towards self-dismissal. Having gotten into software development with zero formal training...In addition to the corporate gaslighting, I think certain backgrounds lend themselves to a predisposition towards self-dismissal.
Having gotten into software development with zero formal training and a lot less practical experience than many come into the profession having under their belts, it took the better part of a decade just to dispel imposter syndrome. Even now I consider myself mediocre despite repeatedly having been told otherwise.
It’s a lot easier to lose sight of one’s own progression when you start out feeling like all of your colleagues are untouchable titans in comparison.
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Comment on Looking for vibe-coding guides (best practices, etc.) in ~tech
ButteredToast Link ParentI haven't tried Antigravity/Gemini but use Claude quite a bit and it's had little trouble using CLI tools, even custom written tools that it has zero training data on. This is probably a major...I haven't tried Antigravity/Gemini but use Claude quite a bit and it's had little trouble using CLI tools, even custom written tools that it has zero training data on. This is probably a major factor with its popularity with devs.
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Comment on Why do I almost never catch colds anymore? in ~health
ButteredToast LinkI've rarely gotten sick since covid as well, with the only cases that were significant enough for me to notice (e.g. actually have symptoms) having been a nasty 5-7 day head cold thing which I'm...I've rarely gotten sick since covid as well, with the only cases that were significant enough for me to notice (e.g. actually have symptoms) having been a nasty 5-7 day head cold thing which I'm pretty sure I picked up at a theme park, and later some kind of gut upsetting thing which I think I might've gotten from drinking coffee/tea on an airplane.
In my case I think it comes down to contact with others having been cut down to a tiny fraction of what it had been as a result of the shift to remote work, but I've also been getting covid boosters and flu shots so maybe that factors in too.
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Comment on What are people using instead of VS Code? in ~comp
ButteredToast LinkI spend most of my life in non-optional platform-tied IDEs (Xcode, Android Studio) so my opinion might not be worth a lot, but for non-IDE editors I've stuck with Sublime Text. It does its job...I spend most of my life in non-optional platform-tied IDEs (Xcode, Android Studio) so my opinion might not be worth a lot, but for non-IDE editors I've stuck with Sublime Text.
It does its job well, it's fast and light, and spiritually it's closest to TextMate which was my first "seriously" used programming text editor. Never felt the need to pursue anything else. VS Code does too much for my taste and has more doodads scattered about its windows than I like and having only started writing "real" code in the late 2000s CLI-based editors like vim feel too alien outside of the odd config file edit.
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Comment on Almost a third of Gen Z men agree a wife should obey her husband in ~life.men
ButteredToast (edited )Link ParentAbsolutely true that they’re lying and that reality isn’t so simple. It’s also true that the truth isn’t as algorithm friendly. That said, I think those on the side of truth could be doing a great...Absolutely true that they’re lying and that reality isn’t so simple. It’s also true that the truth isn’t as algorithm friendly.
That said, I think those on the side of truth could be doing a great deal more to make themselves visible and readily available to men who need them. As far as I can see, there is practically no “truth funnel” to speak of and most of the guys who end up taking the correct path were always going to end up there due to good parenting, positive environment, etc.
Social media has given the manosphere a huge shot in the arm but it shouldn’t be ignored that it also goes out of its way to place itself where men are most likely to run across it. That’s a huge source of growth that the positive influences haven’t done much to leverage.
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Comment on The average US college student is illiterate in ~life
ButteredToast Link ParentI never got that far, it was just panic mode scramble-writing the whole time I was attending, and my grades reflected that.I never got that far, it was just panic mode scramble-writing the whole time I was attending, and my grades reflected that.
Yep, many times over the years. There are ways it’s more Mac-like than KDE, but for someone deeply familiar with macOS the resemblance is skin-deep. When you start digging in there are more differences than similarities.