lynxy's recent activity
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Comment on What we talk about when we talk about sideloading in ~tech
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy LinkNow that I've caught up with a bunch of university units (cryptography is.. slow going), I'm looking at finding the energy to re-build the solutions I use for fetching content from certain stores....Now that I've caught up with a bunch of university units (cryptography is.. slow going), I'm looking at finding the energy to re-build the solutions I use for fetching content from certain stores. I'd like to wrap access to the given back-ends in APIs which are publicly accessible and authenticated so that I can fetch files wherever I am, without having to worry about making back-end-specific code for interfacing with these stores portable.
Currently I use apkeep to fetch files from the Play Store, but the developer of apkeep is relatively opinionated and doesn't believe that implementing a function which returns the currently available version of an app is a useful endeavour- though to me it seems like it would be useful to prevent fetching large files which I already have locally. The split/legacy APKs are then stripped of signatures, merged (side-note, the split APK paradigm is yet another push by Google to phrase a change which complicates side-loading as a customer-friendly change), re-signed, and hosted on a private fdroid repository. I've looked briefly into the undocumented protocol which devices use to fetch content from the Play Store, and a minimalist bridging API shouldn't be too complex.
Another back-end which I want to bridge is Deezer (which I pay for, but the Android app is a broken mess), as I prefer to have my music locally.
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Comment on Removing obfuscation in Minecraft Java Edition in ~games
lynxy LinkWow- I'm actually shocked and impressed. I understand that there exist a plethora of tools which, by this point, work around the obfuscation reasonably well, but this is just going to smoothen the...Wow- I'm actually shocked and impressed. I understand that there exist a plethora of tools which, by this point, work around the obfuscation reasonably well, but this is just going to smoothen the process a bunch, especially when debugging.
Though I'm honestly shocked it wasn't done sooner, before the Microsoft purchase. Minecraft has always been a foremost example of a game which endures at least partly because of the size of the modding community, aided at least in part by the fact that the codebase is Java.
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Comment on Supermarkets intentionally charging full prices on sale items in ~food
lynxy Link ParentHe is also the father of Sam Reich, of College Humour / Dropout fame!He is also the father of Sam Reich, of College Humour / Dropout fame!
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Comment on What code editor / IDE do you use (2025)? in ~comp
lynxy LinkJust checking into this thread one last time to thank everybody for their suggestions, including the Vim users in the audience. I really appreciate all of your perspectives. I've been using Zed...Just checking into this thread one last time to thank everybody for their suggestions, including the Vim users in the audience. I really appreciate all of your perspectives.
I've been using Zed now for about a week and after a couple of days configuring it to my liking- configuration which is now included in my dotfiles- I'm very happy with it! It ticks all of the boxes, and runs so smoothly (except when chugging through Java language server processing, but whenever is that not the case?). Once again, thanks :).
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Comment on Unseeable prompt injections in screenshots: more vulnerabilities in Comet and other AI browsers in ~tech
lynxy LinkThe only word that comes to mind is schadenfreude, to be quite honest. Injection attacks have been a known concept for a couple of decades or more at this point. I'm not shocked that the...The only word that comes to mind is schadenfreude, to be quite honest. Injection attacks have been a known concept for a couple of decades or more at this point. I'm not shocked that the organisations intent on haphazardly shoving AI into any product they deem semi-marketable have failed to do so in a way that protects the user. The sooner this bubble pops, the better. Maybe then the few sensible use-cases for AI, both in the LLM sense and the more traditional sense, can get on with it without the surrounding bullshit.
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Comment on This is not a ruined cottage | The Druridge Bay ruin in ~humanities.history
lynxy Link ParentThere are beaches and other public areas on the south coast where it's taken-as-read that most unexploded ordnance has been removed, but the unfortunate thing is- you never can be completely sure...There are beaches and other public areas on the south coast where it's taken-as-read that most unexploded ordnance has been removed, but the unfortunate thing is- you never can be completely sure an area is clear. A lot of the waters off the coast are still filled with ordnance, and a lot of it is known and marked and monitored, but given the amount that was dropped during the war periods there statistically must be so much more out there. Very rarely does it actually cause an issue, or any injuries, though.
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Comment on This is not a ruined cottage | The Druridge Bay ruin in ~humanities.history
lynxy Link ParentThe thing Tom brought to the table was information, presented in an interesting manner, without the video feeling like the equivalent of the video in which a truck hits a bollard but the camera...The thing Tom brought to the table was information, presented in an interesting manner, without the video feeling like the equivalent of the video in which a truck hits a bollard but the camera cuts to a different view just before impact every time.
I find so many other imitators unwatchable- I've already clicked on the video, stop trying to bait me. This guy is reasonably good at presenting the information directly, but there were a few instances where I just hoped he would get on with it.
Otherwise, a very interesting video! He even mentioned a pillbox near where I grew up that I never knew about!
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Comment on Amazon Web Services outage shows internet users ‘at mercy’ of too few providers, experts say in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentI suppose it depends on who you consider as customers- yes, primary customers have a choice of what cloud service they use (until it's revealed that non-AWS cloud services are just AWS cloud...I suppose it depends on who you consider as customers- yes, primary customers have a choice of what cloud service they use (until it's revealed that non-AWS cloud services are just AWS cloud wrapped in a different branding, a la Apple cloud).
The end users, however- the customers of the customers- end up stuck relying on potentially sub-par service as large swathes of the net are knocked out for half a day or so every now and again. Because everybody just uses AWS at this point; because it's seen as the industry standard. Because it's easy to pay somebody else to do the work that used to be done in-house.
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Comment on What code editor / IDE do you use (2025)? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentI've just spun up Zed on my x86_64 machine, and played a little with the customisation options, and wow. This might be exactly what I was looking for! I've also installed it on the arm64 machine...I've just spun up Zed on my x86_64 machine, and played a little with the customisation options, and wow. This might be exactly what I was looking for! I've also installed it on the arm64 machine and it looks to run just fine :)
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Comment on GrapheneOS is finally ready to break free from Pixels, and it may never look back in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentI have used LineageOS for years (though my current device doesn't have a build), and in my opinion it is a reasonably clean ROM with a great amount of flexibility. There are often problems with...I have used LineageOS for years (though my current device doesn't have a build), and in my opinion it is a reasonably clean ROM with a great amount of flexibility. There are often problems with non-official builds for devices for which there is no official maintainer, but it's an active community of very smart people.
Any device which is listed as officially supported will just run out of the box.
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Comment on GrapheneOS is finally ready to break free from Pixels, and it may never look back in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentI understand the security implications of root, but in my opinion anybody who has put in the effort to search for and install GrapheneOS on a device they own, should also be allowed to decide what...I understand the security implications of root, but in my opinion anybody who has put in the effort to search for and install GrapheneOS on a device they own, should also be allowed to decide what compromises to security they can make without the derisive attitude that comes with any action that might have security implications.
As for the location services, from what I've read, there were limitations when it comes to the choice of location backend, especially for MLS (Mozilla Location Services, now deprecated), which were largely the consequences of one of Daniel's many spats with other open source projects.
But again- I've used LineageOS for years, and I've not really touched on GrapheneOS, nor have I participated in the GrapheneOS matrix instances. I admit that what I have read could be completely wrong, or an exaggeration, but I don't much have the energy for a deep-dive, especially into a project tied to such a problematic developer.
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Comment on What code editor / IDE do you use (2025)? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentFlow looks very interesting- though as you say, perhaps not ready for prime-time yet. I'll keep an eye on it, thanks!Flow looks very interesting- though as you say, perhaps not ready for prime-time yet. I'll keep an eye on it, thanks!
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Comment on GrapheneOS is finally ready to break free from Pixels, and it may never look back in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentI'm not certain about "least of all evils"- from what I've seen of the LineageOS team, they're a lot more level headed. The project itself seems to strive for freedom from Google, and they don't...I'm not certain about "least of all evils"- from what I've seen of the LineageOS team, they're a lot more level headed. The project itself seems to strive for freedom from Google, and they don't try to restrict what you can do with your device as much as the Graphene team do- as well as having a much larger list of compatible devices.
One of the more persuasive critiques I have read for Graphene is that, though they may very well be the most secure option, there are a couple of choices they've made in implementation (re: root, location services) which seem opinionated at best, and kowtowing to Google at worst- speculation suggests that they believe that the less they upset Google, the more likely they are to gain access to the device integrity programme.
But in all honesty, this is just online sentiment, parroted. I don't have much experience with GrapheneOS, having not owned a Google Android device before.
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Comment on GrapheneOS is finally ready to break free from Pixels, and it may never look back in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentAt the time it was phrased by both the developer in question and the GrapheneOS social teams that it was a cutting of ties, but.. more recently they've walked back these statements and claimed...At the time it was phrased by both the developer in question and the GrapheneOS social teams that it was a cutting of ties, but.. more recently they've walked back these statements and claimed that everybody misinterpreted them. He's also being very vocal on any discussion site that mentions him, and calls himself a GrapheneOS developer so. IDK, it seems to be a whole mess.
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Comment on GrapheneOS is finally ready to break free from Pixels, and it may never look back in ~tech
lynxy LinkI'm surprised they've managed to foster a relationship with an actual OEM given how involved their ex-lead developer appears to still be with the project, and how abrasive he has been...I'm surprised they've managed to foster a relationship with an actual OEM given how involved their ex-lead developer appears to still be with the project, and how abrasive he has been historically.
I didn't even know about him until recently, but I was reading the LineageOS changelog 30 release post on hackernews, following the post on here, and a single user was flooding the thread with rather unfriendly propagandising about GrapheneOS and I thought to myself "who is this dickhead?". By all accounts he is trying his hardest to pick fights with everyone who will engage.
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Comment on What code editor / IDE do you use (2025)? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentYep- the way Microsoft restricts installation of a set of plugins which have become the "standard" for their functionality, if you're using a client not distributed by them is disgusting. My...Yep- the way Microsoft restricts installation of a set of plugins which have become the "standard" for their functionality, if you're using a client not distributed by them is disgusting. My solution was to fetch the plugin files using the undocumented marketplace API and push them to VSCodium using the local commandline tooling, but it's a pain, even with a script which automates the process. On top of that, so many of the plugins that provide amounts of language-server capability are so buggy. For the last month or so I've been having massive issues with the Python plugins, and the C++ language plugins have filled my cache with ~20GB of nothing, despite the fact that I rarely program C++ these days.
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Comment on Some protein powders and shakes may contain high levels of lead in ~health
lynxy LinkWhile not a protein powder, it would be interesting to see if this trend extends to food-replacement products such as yfood- I've been working through a few bags of the powder as a way to increase...While not a protein powder, it would be interesting to see if this trend extends to food-replacement products such as yfood- I've been working through a few bags of the powder as a way to increase my food intake over the one-ish meals a day that has become a potentially unhealthy habit.
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What code editor / IDE do you use (2025)?
For a while now I have used VSCodium- which is just Microsoft's VSCode, but with as much of the telemetry stripped out (or rather, not built-in in the first place) as possible- but I've found...
For a while now I have used VSCodium- which is just Microsoft's VSCode, but with as much of the telemetry stripped out (or rather, not built-in in the first place) as possible- but I've found myself with a desire to move away from Electron-based apps for a number of reasons.
Primarily, I'm ideologically opposed to the trend in which everything is an Electron-based web app packaged as a "desktop application", but on a slightly more functional note, Electron seems to behave poorly in Wayland contexts, especially on Arm64 devices.
In terms of feature set, I'm not too interested in complexity. Something open-source, relatively clean / light-weight, capable of providing a project overview and a number of tabbed or vsplit / hsplit buffers. Something with comprehensive syntax highlighting and some form of language server interface. Something theme-able, and good to look at, with relatively intuitive or well-established keyboard shortcuts. I don't much care for integrated terminals, extensive debugging tooling, or any form of built-in AI assistant.
I have been trying out Micro, with a set of plugins which allow for a project overview, a language server, and a number of other QOL improvements, but it has a list of breaking issues that will likely not be solved for years given the speed at which pull-requests are addressed, if at all. Even so- it hits most of the marks that I find most important to me.
But I'm also interested in what other people use; what other programmers find matter to them. So what text editors, or IDEs do you swear by (and please don't suggest VIM- it's overwhelming ;])?
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Comment on LineageOS 23: Sleek sixteen, streamlined suite, future flow in ~tech
lynxy LinkIt's good to see they're working on some tooling to streamline the process of bringup up an unsupported device- at some point I need to finish looking into building for the Xperia 1 VII, which is...It's good to see they're working on some tooling to streamline the process of bringup up an unsupported device- at some point I need to finish looking into building for the Xperia 1 VII, which is as yet unsupported. I just have so many other things that require attention first..
Certain Linux tools, such as Waydroid, work well enough on arm64 Wayland devices that it would be possible to run an environment for apps for which there is no non-Android alternative- apps which require Google infrastructure to work- but it would be better if this were not necessary, and I don't know the path to that ideal.