Pistos's recent activity
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Comment on Ask Tildes: What small purchase has vastly improved your life? in ~life
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Comment on Ask Tildes: What small purchase has vastly improved your life? in ~life
Pistos LinkI'm "cheating" on the spirit of the question here, but how about this answer: Switching to Linux. I paid $0 for it. I also paid $0 for these apps that I use regularly on Linux to get work done:...I'm "cheating" on the spirit of the question here, but how about this answer:
Switching to Linux. I paid $0 for it.
I also paid $0 for these apps that I use regularly on Linux to get work done:
- ardour (audio workstation (mixer, editor))
- GIMP (image manipulation)
- kdenlive (video editor)
- musescore (music notation)
- Libreoffice (office software (docs, presentations))
- KDE Plasma (desktop environment)
- I could go on
I also pay little to nothing in terms of:
- giving away personal or tracking data to commercial OS providers or app providers
- running closed-source software that I must blindly trust
- having spyware, bloatware, or other similar things foisted onto my OS and computer
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos LinkElite: Dangerous Still playing this. It's been enjoyable playing in single-player mode, but I found an online community to join (just one of many out there), and participating in the...Elite: Dangerous Still playing this. It's been enjoyable playing in single-player mode, but I found an online community to join (just one of many out there), and participating in the semi-political mode of the game (called "PowerPlay") with other players is opening up another level of fun and engagement. Just last night, we were trying to achieve a certain political objective (expand into / claim a star system), but were thwarted by an opposing party, but only just barely. Though we failed, it was still kind of fun to compete against other people in the game world, by way of hauling cargo to specific spots, combatting other pilots, patrolling or guarding star systems, and so on. As with most multi-player games, it's fun and interesting to attempt to coordinate multiple players' actions to be more effective rather than everyone randomly doing their own thing.
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Comment on Help needed: slow external hard drive in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentIt seems pretty suspicious that SMART is reporting nothing wrong. Ensure that that is not just the results of a very old SMART test run, as opposed to from a recent SMART test run that you just ran.It seems pretty suspicious that SMART is reporting nothing wrong. Ensure that that is not just the results of a very old SMART test run, as opposed to from a recent SMART test run that you just ran.
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Comment on Breaking of "colors" and "faker" NPM libraries show that everything isn't right in the FOSS ecosystem in ~comp
Pistos Link ParentWait wait wait. This is entirely in the power of the users of the package manager to manage within their own projects. Yes, you can say "just install any version", but you can also pin a version...NPM’s design choice is the exact opposite.
The right path forward for NPM and package managers like it is to stop preferring the latest possible version of all dependencies when installing a new package
Wait wait wait. This is entirely in the power of the users of the package manager to manage within their own projects. Yes, you can say "just install any version", but you can also pin a version in your project's
package.json. To suggest "npm is designed badly" or "what npm should change is ___" is not accurately describing the current state and design of npm (nor other package managers like Ruby's rubygem system, to which my statements apply just as well). -
Comment on Help needed: slow external hard drive in ~tech
Pistos (edited )LinkThat suggests the drive has physical issues, and is getting to the end of its life. You were wise to back up the data. Next step (if my assumption is true) is to run some drive tests which will...The drive sounded louder than normal
That suggests the drive has physical issues, and is getting to the end of its life. You were wise to back up the data.
Next step (if my assumption is true) is to run some drive tests which will test for bad sectors, seek failures, and stuff like that. A basic web search should reveal some common tools used to do this. Once you've verified that physical failure is truly the problem, then you have to decide whether it's worth trying to keep using that drive or not. For example, you could use it as temporary storage for files that you don't really care about, because once a drive gets in that state, it gets worse as time passes, and you increase the risk of not being able to read files back off of it (some bytes will be corrupt or missing, or take too long to read off the disk).
One other thing: If a drive is not that damaged yet, with only a few bad sectors, the drive can be told to avoid the bad sectors, and still give some more months of service. The same drive checking tools I mention above can be used to set this up on the drive.
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Comment on Breaking of "colors" and "faker" NPM libraries show that everything isn't right in the FOSS ecosystem in ~comp
Pistos Link ParentWell, you can't pull everything into the standard library. A strategy like that would just be shifting the problem a little, but not fully dealing with it. And, even standard library maintainers...Well, you can't pull everything into the standard library. A strategy like that would just be shifting the problem a little, but not fully dealing with it. And, even standard library maintainers are imperfect, and may let something slip here and there. The onus is (should be) on the downstream lib users to be prudent and careful when employing third-party code.
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Comment on Breaking of "colors" and "faker" NPM libraries show that everything isn't right in the FOSS ecosystem in ~comp
Pistos Link ParentI can't talk about what happens at every company, but I have worked for a company where they took this quite seriously, including having automated checks on licences of new libraries that a new...I can't talk about what happens at every company, but I have worked for a company where they took this quite seriously, including having automated checks on licences of new libraries that a new commit would introduce to the codebase. The company's legal team also had a hand in things, and were very much on the side of "don't let your engineers include libraries with these licences" (as opposed to being lax and not caring).
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos Link ParentNo worries, it's a single player game, so do whatever you want to have a fun experience. :) That said, don't forget that Saviour Schnapps will let you save anywhere, anytime. By the mid-game, it...No worries, it's a single player game, so do whatever you want to have a fun experience. :) That said, don't forget that Saviour Schnapps will let you save anywhere, anytime. By the mid-game, it is fairly easy to buy or craft.
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Comment on Gaming on Linux - LTT Daily Driver Challenge Finale in ~games
Pistos Link ParentWellll.... I'll provide the counter point that there are still a few niche industries or areas of interest where commercial offerings on Windows and Mac are better than the open source...Gaming is the last big hurdle Linux realistically needs to turn the tides and shift the status quo
Wellll.... I'll provide the counter point that there are still a few niche industries or areas of interest where commercial offerings on Windows and Mac are better than the open source alternatives. In particular:
- image editing (Photoshop -- I use GIMP whenever I can, but it isn't on par yet with PS)
- video editing (though the Linux offerings are getting better)
- audio and music editing/production (though I do love ardour, and it does everything I expect it to)
- CAD
But I'm rooting for the developers (and companies) that are working to tip these scales.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos Link ParentI wasn't aware of this. You see their chat in the local chat channel? Good God. Sorry to hear that. You're so brave (or brazen!) to leave your ship in motion unattended, ha.you can still talk to people in busy sectors while playing solo
I wasn't aware of this. You see their chat in the local chat channel?
while typing out this comment, I accidentally flew into a capital ship orbiting earth
Good God. Sorry to hear that. You're so brave (or brazen!) to leave your ship in motion unattended, ha.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos Link ParentIs there value in trying to find a small community or anything? Like a Squadron, or whatever it is, or maybe even a non-Squadron community. I'm having decent fun already just by myself playing...Is there value in trying to find a small community or anything? Like a Squadron, or whatever it is, or maybe even a non-Squadron community. I'm having decent fun already just by myself playing Solo mode, but I'm sticking to that mostly because I don't want to have my ship destroyed by rando griefers, or even by people who are active in PowerPlay who are supporting a different Power than me.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos LinkA great deal of my time has been dragged into the black hole that is Elite: Dangerous. I'm enjoying this space game, but, man, does time really fly by while you're engaged with this!A great deal of my time has been dragged into the black hole that is Elite: Dangerous. I'm enjoying this space game, but, man, does time really fly by while you're engaged with this!
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Public Domain Day 2022: Works from 1926 are open to all
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Comment on Gaming on Linux - LTT Daily Driver Challenge Finale in ~games
Pistos LinkI have not watched the OP video. I have read some of the comments on this post here, though, so I thought I'd chime in with my own experience / data points: I am not an extreme gamer by any...I have not watched the OP video. I have read some of the comments on this post here, though, so I thought I'd chime in with my own experience / data points:
I am not an extreme gamer by any stretch. I don't download/buy a new game every week. However, while my PC is not a dedicated gaming rig, it's not a poor gaming PC either. I'd say it's above average, in fact. (Radeon RX 580, Ryzen 7 3700X). I would say that I'm very satisfied with my "gaming on Linux" experience. Can I play any Windows game I want? No, not at all. But neither would I say I can only play some tiny fraction of Windows games. Of games that I've been interested in, it easily feels like at least half are playable on Linux. I have some 80 games in my Steam library, collected over the course of maybe a year and a half. If you shift the question/statement to specifically "Steam gaming on Linux", I'd say that the experience is very good. Valve has done and continues to do a lot of great work for Linux gaming by way of Steam and Proton. (See https://www.protondb.com/, where several thousand games are reported as working with Proton.)
Thanks to Proton, the landscape of Linux gaming is light years ahead of what it used to be, say, 5 to 7 years ago.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos Link ParentThe reviews I skimmed on Steam for Odyssey were mostly negative. It sounds like it was buggy and poorly designed for quite a while up until only very recently (mid December). Your thoughts? I'm an...The reviews I skimmed on Steam for Odyssey were mostly negative. It sounds like it was buggy and poorly designed for quite a while up until only very recently (mid December). Your thoughts? I'm an avid FPS player, but those reviews make it sound like this dev company ventured into an area that they didn't have experience in, and it shows.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos Link ParentWhatever I purchased already seemed to have come with Horizons already. From what I've read, the devs changed Horizons from a paid-for to a for-free at some point in the past. So I'm good as far...Whatever I purchased already seemed to have come with Horizons already. From what I've read, the devs changed Horizons from a paid-for to a for-free at some point in the past. So I'm good as far as Horizons goes (and I've done a planetary landing or two already).
As for Odyssey: It's on sale at the moment at 30% off, but the price is still too high compared to what I'd normally buy even for a full game, so I think I'll wait for a bigger price drop before getting it. I'm having a blast already with just the base game + Horizons, and I haven't even done any combat yet beyond the training. Just pure Trader + Explorer at the moment.
I'm also feeling out the PowerPlay part of the game, seeing what that's about. I haven't pledged myself to any faction/power yet.
This game is really fun, and quite the time
sinkvortex. Hours go by without me noticing! This is both a good and a bad thing. :P -
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos LinkElite Dangerous (cc ~aphoenix , whom I heard about this game from) So I just started playing this a couple days ago, and I'm quite impressed. Definitely worth the deep sale price I got it for. I...Elite Dangerous (cc ~aphoenix , whom I heard about this game from)
So I just started playing this a couple days ago, and I'm quite impressed. Definitely worth the deep sale price I got it for. I can totally see how this game can become repetitive and grindy, but, so far, I'm not feeling that yet. Just casually travelling around the newbie region, doing some basic trading and delivery missions.
I have masochistically decided to do launches and landings with Flight Assist off! I practiced in the training mode several times, and have done it a few times now in the actual game. This was very challenging to do at first, but I think I have the hang of it, and am enjoying the challenge. To explain, for those that don't know the impact of FA-off: With FA on, the ship computer (i.e. game AI) automatically balances and stops your ship. That means all 3 axes of straight motion (x, y, z), and rotation(al momentum) around all 3 axes. So, the controls are very arcadey: after you hold down a button to, say, thrust forward, when you let go, the AI auto slows you so that your velocity goes back to zero. If you hold a key to roll your ship (left side goes up, right side goes down, nose stays pointing the same direction), when you let go, the AI stops your rolling. But, with FA off, the physics are much more realistic: if you activate thrusters to start pitching your nose up, it will keep pitching up because you have introduced angular momentum. You have to manually counter that momentum with thrust to pitch the nose down in order to stop pitching -- and it has to be the right amount in order to even approach zero rotation. It's easy to over- or undershoot with these compensatory thrusts. Because of the way this all works, it's possible for you to be travelling/drifting in a direction that's different than where your ship's nose is pointing, unlike what happens with FA on, which is that you're always travelling where the nose is pointing, kind of like a car.
Overall, it's providing great challenge, because the space stations and landing areas have some very tight quarters that you have to maneouver through, especially the main entrances -- which are more like mail slots. Only two ships can cleanly pass through at a time, and it's already stressful enough trying to go through this with FA off. Just today, I was trying to make my way through, and some ******* (AI) decided he would go through at the same time as me (passing me), and we ended up colliding, and I got stuck with the fine. So, 1 millenium into the future, and humans still find ways to give each other reasons to roll down the car window and shake fists at each other.
Anyway, I'm having fun with this, and look forward to more.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos Link ParentAs I understand it, the game region's towns and cities are almost all real (some still exist even today, and can be visited), and the major war/destruction events (which I am trying not to spoil...I have felt the world and conflict to be very believable
As I understand it, the game region's towns and cities are almost all real (some still exist even today, and can be visited), and the major war/destruction events (which I am trying not to spoil for you in writing this ;) ) were also real, historical events that actually happened.
re: money making: it is challenging in the early levels, but by mid-late to late game, it's fairly easy to make money with the right strategies. re: deterioration: in the early game, it'll often just be more economical to acquire replacements than try to pay for repairs. Scavenge and keep whatever you can at this stage, because pawning things off is more or less the better way to make money.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos Link ParentThanks for your response. This clears things up for me, and I will definitely pick this up during this winter sale. I'm not afraid of having a hard time; I enjoy difficulty and challenge in games....Thanks for your response. This clears things up for me, and I will definitely pick this up during this winter sale. I'm not afraid of having a hard time; I enjoy difficulty and challenge in games. I was just worried about, as you say, griefing or just outright stomping by PvP, where new players have no chance against experienced players. There's no fun in getting destroyed repeatedly, with no chance to hide or escape.
There are some very positive reviews of some of the later enhancements, such as Odyssey. Any thoughts on any of those? Recommendations?
Not sure how I'd never heard of Guitarix (not being a guitarist is probably why), but that looks great. Will test drive that with ardour at some point.