donn's recent activity

  1. Comment on How democratic governments came to view VPNs as circumvention software that must be restricted in ~tech

    donn
    Link Parent
    yeah my main use case for that is like. coffee shop wifi

    yeah my main use case for that is like. coffee shop wifi

  2. Comment on How democratic governments came to view VPNs as circumvention software that must be restricted in ~tech

    donn
    Link Parent
    Whenever I have to explain I use Tailscale to SSH home I have to be like "so it's a VPN in the classical sense" lmao Then again you can also use it to use your home computer as an exit node. which...

    Whenever I have to explain I use Tailscale to SSH home I have to be like "so it's a VPN in the classical sense" lmao

    Then again you can also use it to use your home computer as an exit node. which acts like the other "VPNs"

    5 votes

  3. Comment on Do you play knock-offs of celebrated indie games? in ~games

    donn
    Link Parent
    Do you have a source on patent law not protecting game mechanics because everything I know points to the contrary..? Though admittedly it's not done very much because it's costly and mechanics...

    Do you have a source on patent law not protecting game mechanics because everything I know points to the contrary..? Though admittedly it's not done very much because it's costly and mechanics have to be proactively patented, vs copyright being implicit.

    2 votes

  4. Comment on European Citizens Initiative to "Demand the full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in view of Israel’s violations of human rights" has now been signed by over one million Europeans in ~society

    donn
    Link
    With Orban gone too, the wheel might turn. Then again idk Merz is kind of sus

    With Orban gone too, the wheel might turn. Then again idk Merz is kind of sus

    4 votes

  5. Comment on Nintendo Switch 2 update adds ‘Handheld Boost Mode’ for original Switch games in ~games

    donn
    Link
    Not gonna lie, this is pretty cool because I didn't expect Nintendo to actually do it, but this adds an option in settings to force Switch 1 games to run in TV Mode even in handheld mode on Switch...

    Not gonna lie, this is pretty cool because I didn't expect Nintendo to actually do it, but this adds an option in settings to force Switch 1 games to run in TV Mode even in handheld mode on Switch 2.

    This effectively means we don't have to suffer through 720p Switch games in handheld mode anymore as games typically ran at 1080p for TV Mode on the Switch 1. It does not increase the framerates unless the game had an uncapped or unstable framerate. It disables the touch screen though but very few games used that.

    From my testing:

    • Games with a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition or a Nintendo Switch 2 "free update", e.g.: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pokémon Violet: those run the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the binary in handheld mode, in 1080p. Unlike the Switch 1 in either mode, Violet runs at 60 fps as well.
    • Games running via backwards compatibility, e.g.: Pokémon Sword, FANTASIAN: run in TV mode at the same resolution and framerate as the Switch. Super Smash Bros Ultimate is a nice locked 1080p 60fps too, which is delightful.
    11 votes

  7. Comment on Our commitment to Windows quality in ~tech

    donn
    Link Parent
    I don't daily drive Windows, but my gaming PC/oversized Steam box does run Windows 11 Education (leftover license from Uni) with that script and it's quite good. I don't see Copilot or ads anywhere.

    I don't daily drive Windows, but my gaming PC/oversized Steam box does run Windows 11 Education (leftover license from Uni) with that script and it's quite good. I don't see Copilot or ads anywhere.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    donn
    Link
    I have gotten the ending of Act 3 of Hollow Knight: Silksong and I really can't stop thinking about it. Mind you, the game frustrated me a lot at times. Spending a week of game sessions on and off...

    I have gotten the ending of Act 3 of Hollow Knight: Silksong and I really can't stop thinking about it. Mind you, the game frustrated me a lot at times. Spending a week of game sessions on and off fighting Savage Beastfly only to unlock a niche crest and not progress made me stop playing for two months.

    When I got back and finished Act 2, the game took a major step up both audiovisually and gameplay wise. Hornet has her full movement options in-battle so you feel in-control of most situations. I loved Act 2.

    From what I'd heard, Act 3 was a pretty big difficulty bump and basically a gauntlet, so I was concerned. In the end, Act 3 was easier than Groal the Great. Not only that, it had some of the funnest boss fights in the game with once again great music and environments. It also did something I liked in games like Final Fantasy 6 and Dragon Quest 11 did where an event changes the world so the first thing you want to do is just check up on everyone.

    I was a pretty fair weather Hollow Knight fan, but I loved Silksong. Definitely enough to check out the DLC which I didn't feel like I needed to with the original.

    2 votes

  9. Comment on That one study that proves developers using AI are deluded in ~tech

    donn
    Link Parent
    My experience is about the same amount of time is taken reviewing and fixing AI code compared to just writing it myself. One situation I have found it to be actually of any use was when a codebase...

    My experience is about the same amount of time is taken reviewing and fixing AI code compared to just writing it myself.

    One situation I have found it to be actually of any use was when a codebase is outside my area of expertise and I am running into a bug, but even then, I can't completely trust anything it spits out. For the same issue, Claude spit out a different solution for me and my colleague, and my colleague's happened to be wrong after we asked the maintainer.

    So if even the state-of-the-art agents aren't super reliable, why am I supposed to run 10 of them and maximize my "output"?

    9 votes

  10. Comment on Android to debut "advanced flow" for sideloading unverified applications in ~tech

    donn
    Link Parent
    This doesn't meaningfully affect most alternative app stores like Samsung or Epic as long as they and their developers get a signing key from Google which is a one-time $25 fee per developer. This...

    This doesn't meaningfully affect most alternative app stores like Samsung or Epic as long as they and their developers get a signing key from Google which is a one-time $25 fee per developer. This only affects unsigned [EDIT: or self-signed] apps.

    Which of course is a problem for the only alternative app store that matters to me, F-Droid, but you know. It has no bearing on Epic v Google.

    19 votes

  11. Comment on In the world of tech, people constantly ask “Could chatbots ever be conscious?” but I feel like asking “Are you?” Take the test! in ~tech

    donn
    Link
    I want to say both well done because this got me thinking about what you wanted me to think about, but I also feel slightly toyed with. Replying to some other folks who didn't get it is I want to...

    I want to say both well done because this got me thinking about what you wanted me to think about, but I also feel slightly toyed with. Replying to some other folks who didn't get it is I want to say a bit too much dedication to the bit.

    4 votes

  12. Comment on Proton Mail helped US FBI unmask anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ protester in ~tech

    donn
    Link
    Payments are kind of the weak link in any privacy-focused operation I've seen. Like whatever precautions you take; no logging, E2EE, etc your users will eventually need to pay money, and that will...

    Payments are kind of the weak link in any privacy-focused operation I've seen. Like whatever precautions you take; no logging, E2EE, etc your users will eventually need to pay money, and that will typically be done through the most auditable system in existence.

    30 votes

  13. Comment on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in Israeli and American joint strikes in ~society

    donn
    Link
    Welp. No need to restate the obvious vis-a-vis international law but what's the endgame for a decapitation strike here? I have a terrible sinking feeling about all of this because if the end game...

    Welp. No need to restate the obvious vis-a-vis international law but what's the endgame for a decapitation strike here?

    I have a terrible sinking feeling about all of this because if the end game is a new government, it would be stuck in a quagmire of a civil war with the IRGC; and sectarian civil wars tend to leave a vacuum for actors like Al-Qaeda who are already recovering from the war on terrorism under the Taliban's aegis.

    I think the best that could be hoped for here is this goes the Venezuela route in which case a new Ayatollah is able to most levers of control but is more pragmatic about dealing with the US.

    8 votes

  14. Comment on Ladybird chooses Rust as its successor language to C++, with help from AI in ~comp

    donn
    Link Parent
    Swiftbros it has never been more over

    Swiftbros it has never been more over

    12 votes

  15. Comment on Phil Spencer is leaving Microsoft/Xbox in ~games

    donn
    Link
    Can't say he had a particularly easy job cleaning up the absolute disaster Don Mattrick left behind, but gotta say, I don't think buying up a ton of studios to try to get people hooked on a $30/mo...

    Can't say he had a particularly easy job cleaning up the absolute disaster Don Mattrick left behind, but gotta say, I don't think buying up a ton of studios to try to get people hooked on a $30/mo subscription service was a particularly good direction for Xbox either. I'm sure there'll be a couple good articles assessing his legacy shortly.

    9 votes

  16. Comment on Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen releasing February 27th on Nintendo Switch in ~games

    donn
    Link Parent
    The Berry Glitch was fixed in later prints of RS and that's definitely the release they'd use.

    The Berry Glitch was fixed in later prints of RS and that's definitely the release they'd use.

    2 votes

  17. Comment on Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen releasing February 27th on Nintendo Switch in ~games

    donn
    Link Parent
    Emerald desperately needs a reprint, the only legal way to play it is $250 cartridges which is psychotic

    Emerald desperately needs a reprint, the only legal way to play it is $250 cartridges which is psychotic

    6 votes

  18. Comment on Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen releasing February 27th on Nintendo Switch in ~games

    donn
    Link
    Oh, excellent. Pokémon LeafGreen has a special place in my heart. Wow, super faithful experience too. Just like when I was 9, I won't be able to trade with anybody!

    Oh, excellent. Pokémon LeafGreen has a special place in my heart.

    Online play is not supported.

    Wow, super faithful experience too. Just like when I was 9, I won't be able to trade with anybody!

    25 votes

  19. Comment on The watchers: how OpenAI, the US government, and Persona built an identity surveillance machine that files reports on you to the feds in ~tech

    donn
    Link Parent
    I got Corridors of Time from Chrono Trigger and I think pausing that is illegal in some parts of the world

    I got Corridors of Time from Chrono Trigger and I think pausing that is illegal in some parts of the world

    2 votes

  20. Comment on Need a replacement for my old macbook pro, should I just get another one? in ~tech