ewintr's recent activity

  1. Comment on Microsoft testing new AI features in Windows 11 File Explorer in ~tech

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    I think the part of human nature that makes us get excited about shiny new things is more to blame.

    I think the part of human nature that makes us get excited about shiny new things is more to blame.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Where's the Shovelware? in ~comp

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    Then you would be wrong. I have over 25 years of experience and these days I use Claude Code almost full-time. That is because I am currently working in languages that I don't really know, but...

    I don’t think a developer with over 20 years experience is using it much for these things, the things that its good at.

    Then you would be wrong. I have over 25 years of experience and these days I use Claude Code almost full-time.

    That is because I am currently working in languages that I don't really know, but that are related to languages/technologies that I do know. Last week I spent two days setting up a (for me) complicated cloud configuration on GCP with Terraform. I have experience with Pulumi, I have experience with configuring those types of environments on GCP and AWS, but I had actually never used Terraform before. I can explain in clear terms what I want from Claude and I know which questions to ask when I read the code it spits out. In addition it turns out Claude is incredibly fast at writing gcloud commands that help debug something that isn't quite right. Really, if I had had to learn all that from the documentation, it would have taken me days extra, if not a week.

    The weeks before that I was writing web services in Python. Same thing. I have over two decades of experience in writing internet backends, but somehow I have never done one in Python. I know how to ask for what I want and I know how to test and debug what I get back. Of course, I could have written it all by myself, and it would not have taken me months or weeks. But simply not having to worry about the exact syntax, or figuring out what the standard libraries for X or Y are, is a massive timesaver.

    6 votes

  3. Comment on Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store in ~tech

  4. Comment on Spotify is adding direct messaging to their music streaming app in ~tech

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    Don't worry. Soon they will release an AI music companion, so you have something to talk to.

    I can't see a reason to get DMs on a music sharing platform.

    Don't worry. Soon they will release an AI music companion, so you have something to talk to.

    7 votes

  5. Comment on Norwegian prog/metal band Leprous covers "Take On Me" on the spot in ~music

    ewintr
    Link
    I have seen more videos from these series and I love them all. It is not often that you can see and follow the creative process before you see the final result. Often I find that process more...

    I have seen more videos from these series and I love them all. It is not often that you can see and follow the creative process before you see the final result. Often I find that process more interesting and entertaining.

    It has something to do with all the possibilities and ideas that are floating around, things that might be. And when you get to the final song, it carries more impact than when you would just casually play it while browsing around.

  6. Comment on People who contribute to libre projects - how do you find time for this? in ~hobbies

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    This poses a conflict for me. I have firsthand experienced that, yes, volunteering can be like extending your workday without any compensation, and I have stopped multiple attempts to contribute...

    Then don't. Developers are a weird kind, there aren't many people who have a hobby that is identical to their job, and that can be unhealthy. Writing code on the side should be an enjoyable activity, not a chore, otherwise you're just extending your work day without any compensation.

    This poses a conflict for me. I have firsthand experienced that, yes, volunteering can be like extending your workday without any compensation, and I have stopped multiple attempts to contribute just because of that.

    But at the same time I find free and open software incredibly important for society, I have almost exclusively run free software on my devices for decades, and that includes the software I use to earn my income. In short, free software is a major factor in how I live my life, and I am immensely grateful that it exists.

    Currently, I try to help out in other ways. I donate to projects I find important and I try to blog about the subject. On a local level, I try to nudge people around me to free alternative, but not too much as to avoid becoming that annoying 'digital vegan'.

    I am confident that that all counts as contributing. But like the OP, knowing that I possess the skills to contribute code, and knowing how much there is to be done, leaves me unsatisfied with myself. After all, software development is generally well compensated. Wouldn't it be fair to do a bit more work without more income?

    3 votes

  7. Comment on Debate has erupted in Denmark over the fate of a mermaid statue that is to be removed from public view after being decried as “ugly and pornographic” in ~arts

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    I guess it depends on whether the art is any good then. In my mind it was, but a city sponsored gala evening to erect a mural very much doesn't sound like it would produce something good. I...

    I guess it depends on whether the art is any good then. In my mind it was, but a city sponsored gala evening to erect a mural very much doesn't sound like it would produce something good. I entirely agree.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Debate has erupted in Denmark over the fate of a mermaid statue that is to be removed from public view after being decried as “ugly and pornographic” in ~arts

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    Is it? Saying "out loud" what everyone already feels is not a negative. It is getting one step closer to a solution. If anything, that is a useful application of art. Would you rather have...

    Imagine a mural in a busy downtown underground, where commuters must pass through every day to and from work. If they install something huge that speaks about the depression, pointlessness and monotony of day to day life, that's harmful to the community.

    Is it? Saying "out loud" what everyone already feels is not a negative. It is getting one step closer to a solution. If anything, that is a useful application of art. Would you rather have everyone being miserable alone and by themselves?

    10 votes

  9. Comment on Tech keeps stealing my life, and I want tips on how to make it stop doing that in ~tech

    ewintr
    Link
    The idea that the computer is a tool and that it should simply do what you want it to do has indeed slowly been eroding for years. Decades even. Although I recognize the struggle, I feel lucky...

    Every day, often 3-4 times a day, it is a regular point of stress, of contention in my life, deciding whether to devote hours (sometimes days) of my life to strong-arming software into working the way it was supposed to work in the first place, or to try my best to accept that we just can't have nice things on our computers, and move on.

    The idea that the computer is a tool and that it should simply do what you want it to do has indeed slowly been eroding for years. Decades even. Although I recognize the struggle, I feel lucky that I learned to use computers before this started, because that means that I have a good intuition to discern whether something is hard because it is hard, or because the pile of software I am using is bad and not up to the task. Today, in 90% of the cases, it is the pile of software that is bad.

    I think this came to be because, for various reasons, in software it is much easier to paper over problems than to actually solve them. Just add another layer, another app, or another framework, and it is "fixed". Sort of. In a Rube Goldberg machine kind of way. A contraption that grows and grows and becomes more unstable all the time.

    There is no easy solution. What works for me, somewhat, is digital minimalism. Cut away as much as you can. Throw away everything that is not absolutely necessary. Try to find a few applications that work for you. Then become a master user of those apps.

    Maybe LibreOffice is a good one for you, even though the handling of cell background colors is not (yet) up to par. But if you pick LibreOffice, make it a resolution to use it for at least five years. That way the time you spent on strong-arming it won't feel lost and the knowledge that you gain will compound over time.

    9 votes

  10. Comment on A less affectionate approach to technology in ~tech

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    This is not the case for Europe. I live in the Netherlands and never installed WhatsApp. This has caused me exactly zero problems because there is always SMS, and that is very cheap over here.

    It's not really mandated by governments, but instead it's just what the vast majority of people use. Not using it can severely hamper your ability to communicate with others since many people won't have an alternative means of communication

    This is not the case for Europe. I live in the Netherlands and never installed WhatsApp. This has caused me exactly zero problems because there is always SMS, and that is very cheap over here.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on iOS26 "Liquid Glass" - is it really such a big deal? in ~tech

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    I don't have any Apple devices, so I don't really care other than that other companies will try to copy it without thinking, but to me it just looks tacky. Technically impressive, but still tacky....

    I don't have any Apple devices, so I don't really care other than that other companies will try to copy it without thinking, but to me it just looks tacky. Technically impressive, but still tacky. So indeed, just like Aero Glass.

    3 votes

  12. Comment on I deleted my second brain in ~tech

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    When I went to a phase/experiment where I wrote down my thoughts and ideas for later use in a second brain type of system, I discovered that my notes simply documented the thought process, but not...

    I also feel like a lot of these systems work against you in that they keep you always on edge. On the lookout for actionable items and ideas you need to note down. The action of writing it down at that moment purely for the sake of documenting also serves to interrupt the chain of thought it originated from.

    When I went to a phase/experiment where I wrote down my thoughts and ideas for later use in a second brain type of system, I discovered that my notes simply documented the thought process, but not in a useful way. For a particular idea, I ended up with the final idea in my head and on paper I had several notes that described the lead-up to it. It looked a bit like the work of a "thinking" LLM.

    My mind tends to ruminate on things that I experience as a problem, until it finds a solution. The solution can then be applied somewhere and is useful. The in-between stages before that are not. At least they're not worth the effort of interrupting the flow and writing them down.

    3 votes

  13. Comment on Experience on Mastodon in ~tech

    ewintr
    Link
    My experience so far is somewhat lukewarm too. However, I did find an account that daily posts a themed list of interesting accounts to follow: @FediFollows@social.growyourown.services . It is a...

    My experience so far is somewhat lukewarm too. However, I did find an account that daily posts a themed list of interesting accounts to follow: @FediFollows@social.growyourown.services . It is a service associated with this directory: fedi.directory

    I have a personal GoToSocial server running, so I don't even get the local messages one would see on a Mastodon instance, and my feed isn't that dynamic yet. But I don't really worry too much about it. It will grow in time.

    3 votes

  14. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    ewintr
    Link
    Like many, I am conflicted about the current rise of AI assisted coding agents and tools. A lot is written about the pros and cons already, but the thing that bothers me most when actually using...

    Like many, I am conflicted about the current rise of AI assisted coding agents and tools. A lot is written about the pros and cons already, but the thing that bothers me most when actually using something like Claude Code is that by letting the tool write the code, the developer is not really internalizing the problem and the solution that is implemented. In the short term, that is great because it takes less effort and concentration to build something useful. In the long term, it is disastrous because it is the quickest route to an immense, unmanageable pile of technical debt.

    So I had the idea for a coding agent that would do all the things you'd expect, except for one thing: it cannot edit your code. Instead, it would present suggestions, snippets, advice, etc. that you would need to add to the code base yourself. UI is crucial here, obviously. It must be easy, but not too easy, to implement the suggested changes. But the good thing is: you can use the editor/IDE you already know to edit the code.

    Unfortunately, I am very much a backend person, so progress is slow. But I can say that the most basic prototype I have now (a chatbot + tools to read files) already sparks more joy than using something like Claude Code, even though featurewise this is comparing a paper plane to a fighter jet.

    Hopefully, that will give me the momentum to continue working on it.

    4 votes

  15. Comment on The world’s most-visited museum shuts down, in response to mass tourism in ~travel

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    To me, the photo also doesn't matter much, but I acknowledge that people like to have some souvenir from the experience itself. Not just from the object they saw, but from their actual visit. So...

    To me, the photo also doesn't matter much, but I acknowledge that people like to have some souvenir from the experience itself. Not just from the object they saw, but from their actual visit.

    So the idea is to give some kind of memento that is directly tied to their visit, like a professional photo, but with a time and date stamped on the back. (I am not a marketeer, there are likely better ideas than that) This would be special to you, similar to how some people like to keep tickets to the concerts they visit. But it is not nearly as interesting to show off on social media.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on The world’s most-visited museum shuts down, in response to mass tourism in ~travel

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    You could do even better. Included with the ticket comes a photo of the object made by a professional photographer, better than you'd ever take in those crowded circumstances. You could stamp it...

    You could do even better. Included with the ticket comes a photo of the object made by a professional photographer, better than you'd ever take in those crowded circumstances. You could stamp it with the date, for the connection with that specific moment, etc. Add a certificate, I don't know, the options are endless.

    But if the fact that you are not in the photo is a dealbreaker, then it immediately follows that you think you are the most important element, and not the art.

    3 votes

  17. Comment on Every Wes Anderson movie, explained by Wes Anderson in ~movies

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    Haha! I am keeping it.

    Haha! I am keeping it.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on Every Wes Anderson movie, explained by Wes Anderson in ~movies

    ewintr
    Link
    I wouldn't call this explaining. More a long list of 'Yeah, and then I met this guy and he was cool. And then I met this other guy and and he was cool too and I learned a lot.' At least, that was...

    I wouldn't call this explaining. More a long list of 'Yeah, and then I met this guy and he was cool. And then I met this other guy and and he was cool too and I learned a lot.'

    At least, that was my impression of the first movies. I did not get fat into this video.

    5 votes

  19. Comment on What is the current state of Linux on phones? in ~tech

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    The 6 is also still in support. I am using it right now to type this comment. Hopefully it stays in support for a long time, because it does everything I need. Never had a problem with an app not...

    I think that's the oldest currently in support - maybe the 6

    The 6 is also still in support. I am using it right now to type this comment. Hopefully it stays in support for a long time, because it does everything I need.

    Never had a problem with an app not running, banking or otherwise.

  20. Comment on The first Tildes Short Story Exchange is now open to submissions! (May 2025 edition) in ~creative

    ewintr
    Link Parent
    I wonder what would become of this story if you were to spend more time on it. On one hand, the more dynamic (chaotic?) sentences make the story feel hermetic, which helps to evoke a distant...

    I wonder what would become of this story if you were to spend more time on it. On one hand, the more dynamic (chaotic?) sentences make the story feel hermetic, which helps to evoke a distant atmosphere and matches the struggle of the archivist. That suits the story well. On the other hand, I have to admit, I found it challenging to read.

    A sentence like this stops me completely:

    The writer rose from their coveted corner embossed with a small stack of papers, blue marbled ink, and a centuries old writing vessel perched on a composite material that hadn't been produced in over a hundred years older than the pen.

    Something is more than a hundred years older than the pen, or something was produced more than a hundred years before the pen. But something is not produced in over a hundred years older than the pen. This sentence is quite long, so when I arrive at the end of it, I am sort of 'out of breath' and the confusion this causes kills off any reading flow I had.

    The idea of the story spoke to me, and you can conjure up interesting and surprising images with your writing, but more polish would help improve the flow tremendously, and I think I would enjoy it a lot more then.