Pistos's recent activity

  1. Comment on Anyone can access deleted and private repository data on GitHub in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link
    This is less "this is wrong and needs to be fixed", and more "this works differently than you might think, so you should be careful".

    This is less "this is wrong and needs to be fixed", and more "this works differently than you might think, so you should be careful".

    11 votes

  2. Comment on Seeking advice on untangling the hornet's nest that is my business's website in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link
    Setting aside the monetary cost for a moment, the technical approach could be something like this: An experienced senior developer should do/lead this, so as to keep quality high and technical...

    Setting aside the monetary cost for a moment, the technical approach could be something like this: An experienced senior developer should do/lead this, so as to keep quality high and technical debt low, etc. The dev team can look for ways to parcel off portions of the whole system such that the rewrite can be done gradually, and live (i.e. not wait for the entire migration to be implemented before releasing it live). This will be tricky, but the idea is to have both old and new code and system parts running live, and cooperating with each other. The first main hurdle will be sharing authentication with both, so that being logged into the old system means also being logged in on the new system.

    Then, you can migrate from old to new, bit by bit, with reduced risk, and over a reasonable time period (months, maybe 1-2 years), without (much) downtime, without temporarily losing features, without disrupting your users' experience too much. The idea is to actually retire parts of the old system/code as the new one is capable of providing the features. Wherever possible, you'll want to try to make the user experience seamless, so that end users can't even tell that new code is doing what the old code was doing. With some things this will be possible, with others, maybe not.

    The actual details of this kind of migration will depend on the actual system and code themselves, so I can't comment on that, but an experienced developer should be able to draft a plan (or three) after having sat down with you (and whoever else has experience with the in-house code), and having reviewed the codebase and DB. Off the top of my head, some techniques that could be employed: database dual writing, API endpoint versioning, frontend libraries and frameworks that play well with others (and don't require exclusivity in the codebase), multiple API domains, wrapper/shims for API calls so that each call can be migrated from old to new independently of the calling code.

    Now, back to the topic of money. You might be able to get by hiring just one single person who has a multi-faceted skill set. You'll get it all done faster by adding a few more people, though (up to a point of diminishing returns, of course). These kinds of decisions will depend on what kind of timelines or deadlines you want to set and meet, and your budget.

    Hope this helps, and I wish you success.

    4 votes

  4. Comment on How should you prepare for the end of the honeymoon phase? in ~life

    Pistos
    Link
    Looking back, I think the main thing that has made my long-lasting relationship last is focusing on and aiming to be the best person I myself can be. I know that's a very broad and vague thing to...

    Looking back, I think the main thing that has made my long-lasting relationship last is focusing on and aiming to be the best person I myself can be. I know that's a very broad and vague thing to say, so, to make it slightly more specific: I settled on (found? gravitated to?) a specific religion/philosophy, learned what it had to say about how people should be and what they should do, and then strove to follow that. I think almost all the problems and struggles in our relationship came from one of us behaving in ways they ought not to have.

    So, yeah, I guess my advice is: shape your conscience, and listen to your conscience, and strive to be good, even (especially?) when some of your inclinations are not to be. Then, I think you're ready to deal with almost any trial or tribulation in the relationship that comes. Even if it comes down to breaking up, it would be mutually agreed, with both of you at peace, and not feeling malicious towards the other.

    3 votes

  5. Comment on "Privacy-Preserving" Attribution: Mozilla disappoints us yet again in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link
    Honestly, I can admit that this isn't that great, but I will still keep using Firefox because the not-great-ness of this doesn't outweigh the need to fight against one single tech power having too...

    Honestly, I can admit that this isn't that great, but I will still keep using Firefox because the not-great-ness of this doesn't outweigh the need to fight against one single tech power having too much influence over the Internet (via browser monopoly). I'm just grateful for a mechanism to opt out.

    I'm also not comfortable with how often the article makes claims without linking to sources or references to support them. Even the writing style comes off as a bit too emotional and sensationalizing.

    5 votes

  6. Comment on Steam - Game Recording Beta - A new built-in system for creating and sharing your gameplay footage in ~games

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    I would still turn to OBS if I need to pull in other sources (e.g. mic, video conference), but for just recording some game play, this is indeed easier.

    I honestly don’t think I would have ever gone through the trouble of setting up and optimizing OBS to record gameplay.

    I would still turn to OBS if I need to pull in other sources (e.g. mic, video conference), but for just recording some game play, this is indeed easier.

  7. Comment on ‘We’re living in a nightmare:’ Inside the health crisis of a Texas bitcoin town in ~tech

    Pistos
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Update: zenen edited to clarify:

    As one of Tildes' resident pro-Bitcoin people, I have been long frustrated by the obnoxious nature of the community in many respects.

    You should perhaps clarify which community you mean here.

    Update: zenen edited to clarify:

    frustrated by the obnoxious nature of the crypto community

    8 votes

  8. Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June/July 2024 in ~games

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    5 tickets from me for "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical", please. Looks really cool and unusual, and I have some people in mind that would probably enjoy playing through it with me. And thanks,...

    5 tickets from me for "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical", please. Looks really cool and unusual, and I have some people in mind that would probably enjoy playing through it with me. And thanks, as usual, for doing this.

    2 votes

  9. Comment on Steam - Game Recording Beta - A new built-in system for creating and sharing your gameplay footage in ~games

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    Update to my comment: I come back today, and see that I have some footage available on the "home page" of the game in my library. I went to look, and the video player and clip editor all seem to...

    Update to my comment:

    I come back today, and see that I have some footage available on the "home page" of the game in my library. I went to look, and the video player and clip editor all seem to function fine now for that footage. So, regarding yesterday's experience, perhaps it was just that this new feature doesn't do so well for very live/recent footage.

    I'll note though, that I was watching in htop, and saw that the screen recording was taking up 2 full cores (while my game takes about 4 on average). Not sure how I feel about a 50% increase in CPU burning, but perhaps I can give this a shot again on a case by case basis, when I think I would like to catch (record) something live.

    2 votes

  10. Comment on Steam - Game Recording Beta - A new built-in system for creating and sharing your gameplay footage in ~games

    Pistos
    Link
    So I just tried it, and ... it was pretty buggy. More than half the time, buttons were disabled, or didn't seem to do anything when they seemed like they should have. Because of the bugginess, it...

    So I just tried it, and ... it was pretty buggy. More than half the time, buttons were disabled, or didn't seem to do anything when they seemed like they should have. Because of the bugginess, it wasn't intuitive. I couldn't see the very latest footage, only stuff older than, like, 2+ minutes ago. (I was using the "always record" mode, not the "record on demand" mode.) I'm a developer, so I give more of a chance to something than the average user, but this was essentially unusable in its current state for me (under Linux). I'll let it cook some more, and give it a try again later when I hear there are updates and fixes.

    4 votes

  11. Comment on Looking for a good, cheap VPS for a VPN in or around London in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link
    Are you able to just use a physical computer in your home?

    Are you able to just use a physical computer in your home?

  12. Web tech job sites?

    ~comp Ask (recommendations)
    I'm looking for recommendations for good web tech job sites, ones which are most likely to lead to interviews. While I can always do a websearch myself, I haven't done a job search for many years,...

    I'm looking for recommendations for good web tech job sites, ones which are most likely to lead to interviews. While I can always do a websearch myself, I haven't done a job search for many years, so I don't know what job sites are trustworthy or not nowadays. Working remote is almost must-have, otherwise Canada would be the region of interest.

    9 votes

  13. Comment on “It can’t be that easy, right?” (a Linux desktop environment appreciation post) in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link
    I don't think I've ever switched between Gnome and KDE (or maybe just once many years ago). However, it sort of makes sense that it shouldn't be too hard, because the main applications you use...

    I don't think I've ever switched between Gnome and KDE (or maybe just once many years ago). However, it sort of makes sense that it shouldn't be too hard, because the main applications you use (browser, office, etc.) will keep their own settings and things independently of the DE you are using. You should be able to just open your browser in one DE or the other, and just get going, just with different window decorations, etc. And: your data (documents, music files, etc.) are independent of the DE, too.

    The difference you might feel is stuff like default behaviour, look, and feel of things like your file explorer, contact manager, and of course, the desktop UI itself (task bar, system tray, start button, etc.)

    Anyway, I'm glad to hear you had a smooth experience with Linux in this case.

    5 votes

  14. Comment on Guess I'm still young enough to be angsty over a stupid game jam in ~games

    Pistos
    Link
    What works for me is to get an impetus from an external source. Take songwriting for example. I'll go months without writing anything or even thinking about songwriting. But then I'll get asked or...

    What works for me is to get an impetus from an external source.

    Take songwriting for example. I'll go months without writing anything or even thinking about songwriting. But then I'll get asked or commissioned to write something, and, boom, now there's a deadline, and there are people counting on me to produce, so it gets done. Or: practicing or working on music (performance). If I'm just doing it for fun or for myself, then I just noodle around, start working on a song, put it away, pick up another, etc. etc. randomly. But if I get a gig, well hey, now there's a deadline, and I have to work on stuff at least not to look foolish on stage, but also just to be professional and meet responsibilities and expectations like an adult should. Moreso if I'm playing as part of a band or other ensemble, where, if I don't do a good job, it's not just on me. It would affect others, too.

    So, analogously for your case, maybe look for some other contest to join, or even just a little online community (a subreddit, a forum, a Discord -- heck, Tildes) where you can aim to present something by some deadline. At your discretion, you can choose to post about it beforehand, so the soft deadline becomes public, and could give you a stronger push and boost in motivation.

    Life's not pointless. I hope things turn up for you.

    2 votes

  15. Comment on The new YouTube layout is just too horrible, is there a way to revert back? in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    Ah I see. I guess the reason I never hit this is because I use keyboard shortcuts (f for fullscreen, t for theatre mode).

    Ah I see. I guess the reason I never hit this is because I use keyboard shortcuts (f for fullscreen, t for theatre mode).

  16. Comment on The new YouTube layout is just too horrible, is there a way to revert back? in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    I'm not trying to make you use Freetube, but, in its defense: I've never had spacebar do anything other than pause/play, but I'll admit I don't flutter around the UI much beyond the basic...

    I'm not trying to make you use Freetube, but, in its defense:

    • I've never had spacebar do anything other than pause/play, but I'll admit I don't flutter around the UI much beyond the basic controls.
    • I use Ctrl-N to open a new window. Middle clicking thumbnails also works.

    For me, watching YT ad-free is so huge. Having slightly reduced tracking is nice, too.

    (People want to [contribute and] change titles?)

  17. Comment on DeGoogling 2024: Replacing Photos, Gmail, and Search in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    I'm curious how or why you are tied to Google Maps. I have literally never in my life used Google Maps for live navigation. Currently I use Osmand on Android, but it's surely not the only...

    I'm curious how or why you are tied to Google Maps. I have literally never in my life used Google Maps for live navigation. Currently I use Osmand on Android, but it's surely not the only competitor available.

    And what features do you get out of Google Drive?

    2 votes

  18. Comment on Games where the campaign serves as the tutorial? in ~games

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    GW2 can be taken as intensely or as slowly as you like, and you don't get punished for it. There are dailies, but missing them doesn't leave you behind other players in any significant way. There...

    GW2 can be taken as intensely or as slowly as you like, and you don't get punished for it. There are dailies, but missing them doesn't leave you behind other players in any significant way. There are several "modes" in the game, so it can suit a broad range of player types and preferences. For example, I play mostly Structured PvP, whereas other players are almost exclusively PvE. You can do storylines solo, or you can join others and cooperate to complete a dungeon or mission. The game is so rich (over 10 years of development and story expansions), but there is no need to "finish" large portions of the game before you can have fun. The PvE parts scale down to your level, so you won't get steamrolled in combat (as long as you stay in safer areas).

    3 votes

  19. Comment on Games where the campaign serves as the tutorial? in ~games

    Pistos
    Link
    Guild Wars 2 is a bit like that. The common joke is that getting to max level (80) is the tutorial. (For the experienced player the game "begins" there.)

    Guild Wars 2 is a bit like that. The common joke is that getting to max level (80) is the tutorial. (For the experienced player the game "begins" there.)

    3 votes

  20. Comment on How it feels to get an AI email from a friend in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    I'm just another anecdata point, but: I work in tech, and my department's age distribution is a left-skewed bell from 20s to 50s. My day-to-day experience is exactly like stu2b50 describes. The...

    I'm just another anecdata point, but: I work in tech, and my department's age distribution is a left-skewed bell from 20s to 50s. My day-to-day experience is exactly like stu2b50 describes. The vast majority entirety of inter-human communication is by Slack and Zoom, and emails are automated messages and reply-not-expected stuff. Not once in the last several years has a colleague said "hey, did you get that email I sent? I haven't received a reply".

    Granted, outside of work, I do write and receive human-to-human emails.

    2 votes