mxuribe's recent activity
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Comment on Best way to setup email forwarding for a domain I own? in ~tech
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Comment on Best way to setup email forwarding for a domain I own? in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentWhen i woke up today i did not expect to be the pseudo-sales person for Zoho! lol :-D More seriously, if you scour some forums (like tildes, hacker news, lobsters, reddit, etc.) and search for...When i woke up today i did not expect to be the pseudo-sales person for Zoho! lol :-D
More seriously, if you scour some forums (like tildes, hacker news, lobsters, reddit, etc.) and search for email providers that you can pay, there will be no shortage...however, you will start to see a pattern of common names begin to emerge...I happen to use Zoho, but there are tons of people who will mention Fastmail, migadu, and other providers who have reasonable costs and great service....so i highly suggest you do your homework to find those names of email providers that keep coming up...and then you can do your own trials of them. I mean, that's how i stumbled upon zoho years ago. And, because i use my own domain name, NOTHING is stopping me from moving to a different provider without losing any messages, etc....And in my case, i have like 2 or 3 backup providers (like fastmail, etc.) that i would jump to in a heart beat if Zoho ever begins to enshittify their service. ;-)
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Comment on Best way to setup email forwarding for a domain I own? in ~tech
mxuribe LinkHi @everyone_is_butiful may i highly recommend you move away from Google/gmail, and towards ANY other email provider that folks here recommend plus using your own domain name. Google and other big...Hi @everyone_is_butiful may i highly recommend you move away from Google/gmail, and towards ANY other email provider that folks here recommend plus using your own domain name. Google and other big tech companies will only tighten their grip more and more...so if you can afford it, get or use a domain name and PAY an email provider to use which allows you to use your domain name. By using your own domain name for ALL of your email, it gives you maximum flexibility...Because if you ever become unhappy with an email provider, you can switch and NEVER have to change your mail address again.
Here is what i suggest as a rough plan:
- Get or start using your domain name...ensure it is one that you can expect to use for decades, years down the line.
- Research which email provider you would use e.g. fastmail, zoho, namecheap, Gandi (many domain providers sell cheap mail services), etc.
- Go with one paid option for email provider where you can use your domain name.
- Set things up and start testing it, getting used to using your own domian name.
- Little by little for all of your bills, EVERYTHING in your life that has an account with your old gmail mail address, change your email address to your new one with YOUR domain namne...Do NOT feel you need to rush this.,...do it little by little. Even make a list of all the areas that are CORE/IMPORTANT and just update the info little by little, at your own pace.
- In parallel, see if Gmail still supports automatically forwarding messages...and still log into both your new email provider and Gmail - to ensure you don;t miss anything.
- At some point in the future, the messages will slow to a trickle on gmail side...but do NOT get rid of it....since you can still use gmail as your account to access services like youtube...but maybe by then , your life will live on your paid email providers and you can get whatver services you need (for mail anyway).
Thanks and goo luck!
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Comment on Best way to setup email forwarding for a domain I own? in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentI do not know where in the world you are based...but I'm based in the U.S., and Zoho offers extremely cheap plans that are not enterprise level, where you can indeed use your own domain name. In...However, you need an enterprise plan in order to use custom domains.
I do not know where in the world you are based...but I'm based in the U.S., and Zoho offers extremely cheap plans that are not enterprise level, where you can indeed use your own domain name. In fact, I've been a Zoho customer for several years. I've been using the "Mail Lite" plan and started paying $1 per month, and this includes a handful of my own custom domain names....but then about 3 years ago, increased the storage limit, so now pay $1.25 per month per user. Its pretty cheap pricing! Here's the pricing page: https://www.zoho.com/mail/zohomail-pricing.html#zplan2
Now, again, maybe where you are based, they do not offer these cheap plans...but definitely offered (for years now) for folks in the U.s.
Also, as to the functionality/performance of zoho, i would say they're fine. Maybe other providers are faster, but not by much...and i feel you get a really good value for the low monthly cost....of course this might only be my experience.
As to the UI of their web apps....yeah, i'm not a fan. I think they're designed well enough, its just that they fill their apps with soooo many knobs and buttons, etc...that to me its simply that they include everything in their UI/too busy...this is a personal opinion of course...However, if you use other tools to access your email, like thunderbird, etc....then the UI issue is not a problem.
I'm not affiliated with zoho, and could care less if anyone signs up with them or whatever, but for many years now, i can not knock zoho...i've received great performance, low cost, and the like 2 times i needed to reach out to their tech support (which admittedly was low complexity topics) they were addressed within reasonable amount of time via tech support chat. So, i recommend zoho....but that should NOT take away that there are also plenty of other good providers out there as well such as fastmail, etc. Thankfully, there is choice out!
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Comment on Fairphone Gen 6+ now available in the US in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentThey're not a new company...They been around for quite a number of years (like since 2013 or 2015), selling to other, non-U.S. markets primarily...and this latest phone only now hits the U.s....They're not a new company...They been around for quite a number of years (like since 2013 or 2015), selling to other, non-U.S. markets primarily...and this latest phone only now hits the U.s. market....so i'd guess the U.s. is a secondary market for them, or only now trying to hand at the U.s. market? See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairphone
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Comment on [SOLVED] PC upgrade vs replacement in ~tech
mxuribe LinkHi @moocow1452 While i don't know the system requirements of SteamOS, have you considered first setting it up only as a media server (using, say, jellyfin or something like that), and then running...Hi @moocow1452 While i don't know the system requirements of SteamOS, have you considered first setting it up only as a media server (using, say, jellyfin or something like that), and then running it for some few months? That way, as you actually use it for something, you will begin to definitely see what thing(s) should be upgraded....Or, can decide that the whole thing should be replaced...and hopefully in some months maybe things calm down overall for the prices of both upgrade components and whole new PCs. It may sound like i'm suggesting you to wait, but its actually use/test things while you wait. ;-)
...Of course, if you run it with a lean linux distribution and only as a headless media server...maybe it does not need to be upgraded or replaced at all! Maybe it could give you value for what it is - a minimal media server....Then, later on you get a new/used/different computer for some other purposes...That would be the best of both worlds! :-)
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Comment on Shopping around for a new-and-improved backup solution in ~comp
mxuribe Link ParentAh, i see what you mean! Ok, yeah, then rsync won't fill that need. From what you described, i wonder if maybe considering an approach leveraging ZFS...Ah, i see what you mean! Ok, yeah, then rsync won't fill that need.
From what you described, i wonder if maybe considering an approach leveraging ZFS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZFS#Snapshots_and_clones), might help?
Caveat: I have not implemented nor used ZFS myself...But i follow a couple of linux-related podcasts (https://latenightlinux.com/) that mention (and on the 2.5 Admins podcast in particular, they rave) about ZFS. For some episodes, they did mention using ZFS successfully for at least some of your use-case....so maybe wanna look into ZFS? Good luck and cheers!
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Comment on Shopping around for a new-and-improved backup solution in ~comp
mxuribe LinkHi @Eric_the_Cerise So, first of all, for a number of years, I used to just manually copy/paste my home directory over to a samba destination drive/share on my local LAN...and then also copy that...Hi @Eric_the_Cerise
So, first of all, for a number of years, I used to just manually copy/paste my home directory over to a samba destination drive/share on my local LAN...and then also copy that to one of those external USB drives....Slow as hell, and cumbersome, but if all things failed except for the USB drive, then it would be easy - though slow - to recuperate things. Its a pretty inefficient method, but pretty good...well, it depends how much data, speed of the USB ports, the LAN/network, etc. But, it was solid, did not require special apps/clients, and as noted quite direct to restore things.Then, I started using rsync (and very, very similar parameters to the command you referenced above, though i exclude other stiff not videos)...After an initial copy/paste of a directory, then I just keep using rsync at a regular interval, and its worked GREAT! The delta approach that rsync uses (only sending changed stuff) is so powerful! Yes, other apps, clients also use delta transfer, but nothing so non-specialized as rsync. Are there better backup systems? I'm sure there could be. But, you should consider, what is it that you are trying to improve, what are you hoping to achieve by reviewing other approaches, apps, clients, etc.? Its possible what you seek can be better implemented by something other than rsync...but when i reviewed my needs, rsync met them way better than anything else that i have tried...Everyone's mileage will vary. :-)
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Comment on Ars Asks: Share your shell and show us your tricked-out terminals in ~comp
mxuribe LinkI really like playing with the themes, look-and-feel, and custom prompts of the shell/terminal...but i discovered that it blocks me from getting stuff done. So, i tend to use some very minimal...I really like playing with the themes, look-and-feel, and custom prompts of the shell/terminal...but i discovered that it blocks me from getting stuff done. So, i tend to use some very minimal prompt customizations, and store them in my .bashrc, and call it a day. When i really, really feel like changing my theme/look-and-feel, i use the available themes in konsole, and then swap between them every few months...but don't get too hung up on things anymore, and don;'t spend time implementing them permanently in my .bashrc file.
I have to keep reminding myself that life is too short to fiddle around with "customization p0rn"! :-D
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Comment on Ars Asks: Share your shell and show us your tricked-out terminals in ~comp
mxuribe Link ParentI LOVE Cool Retro Term! I don't use it as much as I did in the past (mostly due to laziness in installing and configuring it when i nuke and pave my machines)...but still have much love for it!I LOVE Cool Retro Term! I don't use it as much as I did in the past (mostly due to laziness in installing and configuring it when i nuke and pave my machines)...but still have much love for it!
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Comment on How to turn anything into a router in ~comp
mxuribe Link ParentNo, no, most people know that sourdough is the worse type of bread for a speed boost in networking...Its just so good tasting that humans and network packets alike want to slow things down in...No, no, most people know that sourdough is the worse type of bread for a speed boost in networking...Its just so good tasting that humans and network packets alike want to slow things down in order to better relish the yummiess!!! lol :-D
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Comment on How do you keep your life organized? What tools & systems do you use? in ~talk
mxuribe LinkHi @Atvelonis i think the suggestion from @artvandelay to give Trello a try might be a good idea for you. I used to use Trello for a few years, and liked it alot. (I recently moved away from...Hi @Atvelonis i think the suggestion from @artvandelay to give Trello a try might be a good idea for you. I used to use Trello for a few years, and liked it alot. (I recently moved away from Trello, but not due to lack of features, nor anything bad or nefarious that Trello did...Moved more for my differing work flow, plus my desire to use more open source stuff or self-host my own things, etc.) Trello seems to check some of the features you seek.
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Comment on Scripts I wrote that I use all the time in ~comp
mxuribe Link ParentI'm happy to have helped @tauon (even though it was a happy accident)! :-D And, funny that you should mention about your version of the author's copy/pasta...Now, that i've been getting more and...I'm happy to have helped @tauon (even though it was a happy accident)! :-D
And, funny that you should mention about your version of the author's copy/pasta...Now, that i've been getting more and more back into using the terminal on a more regular basis...I'm really enjoying reading about these scripts that others create and use. And, of course, inspiring me to create my own for personal use...which are by no means sophisticated. But getting back into all this, has begun to generate some fun and energy for me - some of it bringing me back to my earlier computing days...ah, the fun i had, and am now beginning to have again! -
Comment on Scripts I wrote that I use all the time in ~comp
mxuribe Link ParentOh wow @Boojum, I'm going to have to borrow 1 or 2 of your snippets myself! Your "toimg" alias function is brilliant! Kudos!Oh wow @Boojum, I'm going to have to borrow 1 or 2 of your snippets myself! Your "toimg" alias function is brilliant! Kudos!
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Comment on Paid e-mail providers - your experiences, how you use them and how I would use it in ~tech
mxuribe Link@Pavouk106 I'll add another comment (separate from my Zoho feedback)...that if you have an Android mobile phone there is an annoyance for syncing contacts and calendars with any paid email...@Pavouk106 I'll add another comment (separate from my Zoho feedback)...that if you have an Android mobile phone there is an annoyance for syncing contacts and calendars with any paid email providers...This is NOT the fault of any email providers, its simply how Android is configured to favor Google offerings. Basically, whenever not using a google offering like Gmail or Google calendar, Android will need a sort of "sync bridge" between your Android device and providers that are not Google. So, whatever email providers you consider might either nudge you to use their mobile apps (which avoid the Android synch hoop jumping), or they will suggest that you use a sync bridge in their setup guides....The ones i see recommended are DavX5 (which is what i use, and it works great!), etc. Don't be turned off by this! Its annoying, but many providers craft good documentation around this, and you do it once and won't need to worry about it (unless you change phones, etc.).
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Comment on Paid e-mail providers - your experiences, how you use them and how I would use it in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentI'll second this on Zoho! I've been a paid customer for a handful of years now, and its been really great! I'm on the lowest paid plan - i think "Lite" maybe? Anyway, the storage tier isn't that...I'll second this on Zoho!
I've been a paid customer for a handful of years now, and its been really great! I'm on the lowest paid plan - i think "Lite" maybe? Anyway, the storage tier isn't that great, its ok, but more than enough for my family's needs. I moved to them as i was beginning my de-googling. Funny actually, because i was grandfathered into that Google w/Your Own domain/Google Suite thing, whatever it was called. Back then i was weighing my options between Fastmail, Zoho, and a few others (i think one of the options i considered was also a low cost one in Germany as well?)...anyway, I really just went with Zoho due to low costs. But, as noted, they've been really great for several years.Some Pros:
- low cost overall
- also, you can start with a low cost paid tier, and then instead of jumping to next up tier, you can simply add small enhancemnts. for example, if you're on the $1/month tier and the next tier is $3/month, but you only want a little more storage, they have i think they call them add-ons, where you just pay for a little more storage...so i think you pay like $0.25 more per month for that extra storage.
- decent performance via a conventional mail desktop clients like thunderbird, or mobile app like K9 Mail, etc.
- generous enough amount of storage - at least for the price
- you not only get email, contacts, and calendar, but also other stuff like ToDos, and other ancillary apps...Its not like super amazing, but they're decnet...and again, not bad what they throw in for the low cost
- their uptime/availability is ridiculously rock solid...the very few outages have had zero impact to any storage (no data loss), and these outages last like 3 minutes, etc. Again, the outages are really impressive considering the low cost!
- when you have what's called an "Organization" where you pay for more than a single account (like i pay for 4 accounts for my family), their admin portal has tons of knobs and buttons to configure...its clear they've made it 100% suitable not just for private/consumer users but also bigger corporations...of course, you need not use many of these features...but for small or medium businesses, their admin portal is impressive, flexible, comprehensive!
- oh and very important for me, they support all the established standards (imap, cardDav, calDav, ActiveSync, etc.)...so while you can use their web and mobile apps, that is not required.
- also, both their web and mobile apps are decent....the one exception being slight recent issues with their web ...but its still quite functional!
Some Cons:
- performance via their web mail UI used to be much faster, but has degraded in speed over just the last year...its not super terrible, but its a thing now..or at least, i'm noticing it more just recently. Now once might assume that it could have been a bad code release...but its been like this for several months...maybe just shy of a year
- also they seem to have more ads...To clarify: they're not general ads (since you're paying them for email service), they're specifically Zoho ads. Ads for their other paid offerings, or for some free conference they're hosting, etc. I mean, they're not terrible ads. Its just that there are a couple more than there used to be...Still not so bad...its just that they seem slightly more intrusive. I also wonder if the code to run these ads might be more of the cause for the web mail UI degradation that i have only started feeling over last year. So far, its annoying but not enough to leave...but, if things get much much worse, then i'll look elsehwere of course.
- while the UI interface for the web app is totally fine, i find that the size of their buttons and some UI elements are a little too small for someone my age...they basically don't design their stuff well for accessibility...which may not be a thing for many young whipper snappers, but i guess for me now, its annoying enough. When i'm on mobile or on desktop client like thunderbird, its not an issue...but lately have needed to use the web app..and i feel the annoyance...and weirdly for all the comprehensiveness of their admin portal, they lack any suitable accessibility options, or very, very minimal set of them.
- There are couple of other Cons...but they're so very minimal, i would be nitpicking severely at that point. and, again, at less than $2/month, i'd be a jerk to bring them up.
Still, overall, Zoho is pretty good for the low cost.
Now @Pavouk106 I'll add a tiny bit about Fastmail, since there's many mentions of them...While i have only experience with what used to be their free tier mail years ago, it was really rock solid and , well, fast...but i've never used their paid offerings. Back a few years ago, when i was looking for a paid email provider, Fastmail seemed to be the most expensive offering on my shortlist, and the storage was ok, not bad, but not great...Well, i just checked and wow have they raised the amount of storage you get when you pay them! If i ever move away from Zoho, I'll be seriously considering migrating to Fastmail! My comment might only be a small data point, but hope it helps!
EDIT: As @macleod rightly noted, Zoho's MX DNs record setup wizard is pretty impressive!
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Comment on What follows GitHub? in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentThis really helped; thanks! I also looked at the (software) forge entry on wikipedia...But prefer your explanation :-) Thanks so much again!!!This really helped; thanks!
I also looked at the (software) forge entry on wikipedia...But prefer your explanation :-) Thanks so much again!!! -
Comment on The family computer in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentPAM usb login via floppy disks? - That's truly awesome! And, yeah fully agreed, that for a family computer for those scenarios where the different users want their own space, customizations, etc.,...PAM usb login via floppy disks? - That's truly awesome!
And, yeah fully agreed, that for a family computer for those scenarios where the different users want their own space, customizations, etc., 100% that linux is the perfect kind of OS!
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Comment on The family computer in ~tech
mxuribe LinkThis post was wonderful and full a neat nostalgia! And that line near the end (about installing a linux distro) made me chuckle quite loudly! :-) Its really cool to see that linux has become/is...This post was wonderful and full a neat nostalgia!
...did what any sensible person would: I installed a Linux distribution...
And that line near the end (about installing a linux distro) made me chuckle quite loudly! :-)
Its really cool to see that linux has become/is becoming more of the solution for both replacing machines after Win10 dies/goes out of support...but also - and i would say more importantly - sustaining older machines far beyond their expected lifecycle! Beyond the cost savings to a family, its really nice from a green/environmental aspect. (Yes, yes, i know that some older devices are not as power efficient...but if this approach avoids/delays dumping stuff into landfills...then i think its worth it!) -
Comment on What follows GitHub? in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentHi @Banazir would you kindly clarify what the difference(s) might be here? I genuinely did not these were different things...and really wish to learn. I have not done professional dev work in...I fall into the category of people who don't need a git forge, just a git host.
Hi @Banazir would you kindly clarify what the difference(s) might be here? I genuinely did not these were different things...and really wish to learn.
I have not done professional dev work in about 19 years, but do the odd little script for myself. So, yeah i have a github account with tiny repos...and it only exists for convenience...But would prefer to use something else (for philosophical reasons)...but alternatives often felt a bit much - again, just for little old me and my tiny scripts.
So...if there's some info you could share about git forge vs git host (or even directions that i could research myself), please share; and thanks! :-)
Interesting, I've been using Namecheap for many many years now...and had not known there were issues with them. (Never encountered any issues.) However, over the last year i had been migrating away from them (towards porkbun)...but that had nothing to do with function or behavior, and had everything to do with them raising their prices...whereas porkbun still has quite low pricing. So, my migration away from namecheap for better pricing is now maybe helping shield me from whatever shenanigans they're pulling? Huh, well, look at that! TIL