Tiraon's recent activity
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Comment on Roku says its ads aren’t meant to be ‘interruptive’ after controversial test in ~tech
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Comment on Why are integrated batteries so accepted? in ~tech
Tiraon Link ParentI do think standardization of such an important component should be incentivized generally and it is not as if it is a monumental technical challenge. It would simply for some categories of...I do think standardization of such an important component should be incentivized generally and it is not as if it is a monumental technical challenge. It would simply for some categories of devices make them slightly larger with slightly lower initial battery capacity. For others it would simply require not gluing things on, done.
Where there is will there is way and while I don't actually know how much waste is caused by this specifically I feel confident that is not negligible amount.
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Comment on Why are integrated batteries so accepted? in ~tech
Tiraon Link ParentI don't think it is possible to accurately assume this from the current market. There is simply close to zero option for a removable battery smartphone. Anecdotally and very tragicomically funny...This is most prevalent on phones, and I don't think it has much to do with advantages to the manufacturer, it mostly has to do with customer demand.
I don't think it is possible to accurately assume this from the current market. There is simply close to zero option for a removable battery smartphone. Anecdotally and very tragicomically funny is a Samsung rugged line, specifically for work outside if I remember correctly. I am not even holding out hope for standardized battery which would be significantly better but realistically won't happen without legislation forcing it. Another alternative to that would be the manufacturer having to keep batteries available for a reasonable time, measured in no less than decade after support ends.
Back to the point, I think people who would specifically seek out this feature are in the minority but not so much for close to no models across product range to be available if customer desires were the main driving force.
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Why are integrated batteries so accepted?
Just something I was frustrated by ever since it became increasingly common even outside of smartphones and tablets. For a few years now I increasingly see basically any battery powered product...
Just something I was frustrated by ever since it became increasingly common even outside of smartphones and tablets.
For a few years now I increasingly see basically any battery powered product having mostly internal accumulator options(aka proprietary battery of uncertain ability to replace), especially in more expensive items in the category. Why?
I mean do see several advantages from the business side, I simply have no idea what advantage would there be for the actual user.
I could see it if the batteries had comparable lifespan to the product, which they most definitely do not unless the item is of truly bad quality.
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Comment on Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days in ~tech
Tiraon Link ParentPersonally don't think there is any actual balance in mainstream update practices in general, simply one side leveraging their position. General acceptance of forced updates makes it significantly...Personally don't think there is any actual balance in mainstream update practices in general, simply one side leveraging their position.
General acceptance of forced updates makes it significantly easier to push any kind of anti features, especially since feature updates are force pushed alongside security fixes.
I am not saying the security argument is invalid but rather that it had dominated the opinions on updates to the point that any concerns are mostly brushed aside instead of weighted against it.
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Comment on Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days in ~tech
Tiraon Link ParentGenerally device autonomy. I wish the standard would have been a very simple no unauthorized internet connections and no unauthorized software changes. That should not be that much to ask for....Generally device autonomy. I wish the standard would have been a very simple no unauthorized internet connections and no unauthorized software changes. That should not be that much to ask for.
Specific cases fall outside mainstream smartphone use but I don't think an intentional surprise restart is acceptable for a device the user owns.
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Comment on Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days in ~tech
Tiraon Link ParentI admit that I don't have all that much law knowledge but this seems honestly insane. Which jurisdiction are you referencing here?I admit that I don't have all that much law knowledge but this seems honestly insane. Which jurisdiction are you referencing here?
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Comment on Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days in ~tech
Tiraon LinkLink to release notes My opinion is that this is a theoretically useful feature but I zero confidence that Google will approach it correctly(from a user experience standpoint). That would have...My opinion is that this is a theoretically useful feature but I zero confidence that Google will approach it correctly(from a user experience standpoint). That would have been a very simple - a message only after which it would be enabled, along with making the time configurable.
It it also touches on the much larger issue of how much control Google has over the "open source" Android(technically correct, the best kind of correct except among others, this case) and mainly the ecosystem around it.
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Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days
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Comment on Kindle modding wiki in ~books
Tiraon Link ParentKobo still forces one time internet activation(or at least did on Libra 2) but at least the email does not need to be confirmed. Otherwise yes, it's less restrictive.Kobo still forces one time internet activation(or at least did on Libra 2) but at least the email does not need to be confirmed. Otherwise yes, it's less restrictive.
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Microsoft starts final Windows Recall testing before rollout
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Comment on Should I stay with Kingdom Come: Deliverance? in ~games
Tiraon Link ParentI think this is actually a large reason why I personally dislike them. I am against any kind of grind in games generally but at least with a character one there is generally a better possibility...I call these games skill grinds
I think this is actually a large reason why I personally dislike them. I am against any kind of grind in games generally but at least with a character one there is generally a better possibility to short circuit it using external tools even if manually tweaking difficulty is vastly worse than the developer just adding options. And ideally not including filler.
It is personal preference of course but I consider design that relies on repetition of being killed to be unenjoyable. I think that ideally a decently proficient player with prepared character should be able overcome any boss on first try, or at least game design should be geared towards that possibility.
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Comment on The Tiny Soapbox: a platform for small, low-stakes rants in ~talk
Tiraon Link ParentAutomatically clear the alert when the user touches the textbox again? I just feel animation is too in the users face when it does not have to be. I can see the password is incorrect, I just want...Automatically clear the alert when the user touches the textbox again? I just feel animation is too in the users face when it does not have to be. I can see the password is incorrect, I just want to enter it again, no shaking neccessary.
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Comment on The Tiny Soapbox: a platform for small, low-stakes rants in ~talk
Tiraon LinkTextbox shaking on incorrect password. What does that help? Just say password incorrect - done with, complete, nothing more needs to happen. Also any kind of ups, umm or "cute" pictures on error...Textbox shaking on incorrect password. What does that help? Just say password incorrect - done with, complete, nothing more needs to happen.
Also any kind of ups, umm or "cute" pictures on error messages. I sometimes am in an area with bad internet and I want to shake whoever authorized the firefox no internet page anytime I have to look at it.
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Comment on Artificial incompatibility - a rant (Dell notebook) in ~tech
Tiraon Link ParentI would have really liked if it was something so easily resolved by standard system tools. Though I also got the problem both plugged in and on battery so it seems a yet different problem than the...I would have really liked if it was something so easily resolved by standard system tools.
Though I also got the problem both plugged in and on battery so it seems a yet different problem than the one linked.
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Comment on Artificial incompatibility - a rant (Dell notebook) in ~tech
Tiraon Link ParentI suppose I can't be sure that it is broken by design instead of broken by shipping bad sw to production then hotfixing few most common sw configurations. The fault is in my opinion on Dell in...I suppose I can't be sure that it is broken by design instead of broken by shipping bad sw to production then hotfixing few most common sw configurations. The fault is in my opinion on Dell in either case.
They released firmware that does not conform to standards, then added hacked patches, refused to provide the already existing solution to general download then shrugged and went on their way.
lot of work just to target the 0.0001% of their customer base that would install a different Linux distro.
I don't have hard numbers but let's say based on the various online posts that only hundred people reported this problem. That puts the required sales of this single laptop line into hundred millions. Let's instead say that for every report there is hundred people who had the issue which I feel is very conservative still along with the hundred reports. That would put neccesary sales at tens of billions.
What would the mechanism of this lock-out even be?
My guess, and it is squarely a guess is simply broken thermal reporting and management that is then force fixed by os layer.
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Comment on Artificial incompatibility - a rant (Dell notebook) in ~tech
Tiraon Link ParentGenerally it is really not in my experience which is why I am so frustrated with this. This is not a problem of Linux but of Dell. For whatever reason they shipped device with broken firmware then...I mean this is the Linux experience as far as I'm concerned
Generally it is really not in my experience which is why I am so frustrated with this.
people were talking about how mature Linux is but man, it's just not
This is not a problem of Linux but of Dell. For whatever reason they shipped device with broken firmware then applied hacked together hotfix for select few os and called it a day refusing to fix it in the years since. Also refusing to even make the Ubuntu image generally available. There are threads about this on Dell forums with pages of people reporting it with the response being don't care(corporate edition).
I dont know exactly what the actual problem is but from the various topics and from what I've seen it is either the firmware is reporting bad values or just sets bad defaults and there is not much the os can do by itself. The underlying sw simply does not conform to the standards and the solution is a custom hack(including dell drivers).
hardly any manufacturers explicitly test Linux, so the support is a complete crapshoot.
Except here they explicitly did on this exact model. They just restricted the availability of their solution.
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Artificial incompatibility - a rant (Dell notebook)
As per title this is inspired by my recent problems with a Latitude 7320 notebook. I can't use my desktop right now and so wanted some cheaper nb for normal usage and eventually settled on this...
As per title this is inspired by my recent problems with a Latitude 7320 notebook.
I can't use my desktop right now and so wanted some cheaper nb for normal usage and eventually settled on this model due to being able to get it at an acceptable ratio of price to age and seeing it as compatible on Ubuntu, not noticing the disclaimer until later.
The problems started right after installing Fedora KDE - the nb was running at absolutely abysmal performance and this problem affects several models.
Running passmark I've got above 2000 on cpu, on Windows I had 11000. The cpu was throttling to 1500Mhz and lower for no reason. Switching a BIOS setting of power management to "ultra performance" got me to twice the score.
Eventually using throttled from github for various Lenovo and Dell models and thermald I was able to get to twice that again, still a fifth less than on Windows. Also the repo has potential of security concerns due to how it works, also potential to just stop working due to them later.
Mainly I'm posting this to just say that there is zero legitimate technical reason why this should happen, it works on Windows and on Dell tampered Ubuntu images. The hw is fine but for some reason someone somewhere decided to artificially limit the hw for whatever reason.
Right now I am still indecided if I should write off the several hours I've spent on this and return the machine to play the dice with some other model.
Edit 5.4.: it turns out I was not using the throttled package correctly and now have roughly equivalent performace in Linux as in Windows up from the 4/5 or so after all the other workarounds. All of the points still apply though. I also heartily recommend s-tui as a nice utility for cpu monitoring and stress test.
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Comment on What if we made advertising illegal? in ~tech
Tiraon LinkPersonally I feel that completely banning advertising is going too far in the opposite direction. As I understand it there are several parts why it is so prevalent and obnoxious. All ultimately...Personally I feel that completely banning advertising is going too far in the opposite direction.
As I understand it there are several parts why it is so prevalent and obnoxious. All ultimately having root in either weak regulations or the power balance between average person and the industry:
- no strong alternative payment model. This is a big one
- no hard upper limit to per person earning potentional. There are limits of course but more amorphous than say direct payment. Also double dipping potential
- extremely low general tech literacy enabling hostile on device sw behaviour. If the device someone uses works against their interest, content filtering is suddenly harder. Even if the person knows it is possible
Actual regulation around the content, method of delivery and better general education combined with strong social safety nets would naturaly limit advertising volume. Any one of these would have benefits.
Actual banning would simply let large players use loopholes while also being less realistic in current climate than everyone switching their primary computer to Linux tomorrow.
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Comment on Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account in ~tech
Tiraon (edited )Link ParentIdeally it would not be any different and it would just be standard that user can use their purchased electronics to their full potentional excluding actions requiring actual positive effort from...Ideally it would not be any different and it would just be standard that user can use their purchased electronics to their full potentional excluding actions requiring actual positive effort from the company without any further involvement of the company.
Personally I focus my
preachingadvocacy (though I limit the extent of it) on Windows because I have to use it.
And that is why I am not buying any internet required crippled computer(anything smart more or less and even things not labeled as such. As far as I can yell smart is simply used to downgrade the expectations of the product) unless I have to as happened with the smartphone I got.
Barring specific and niche situations buying something that the manufacturer can control at will and that requires internet will inevitably cost more in the long run in time, sanity and money replacing the thing.