pipsy's recent activity

  1. Comment on On building your favourite web browser from source in ~comp

    pipsy
    Link Parent
    I often dream of having a minimal browser. Then I remember all the shit I use to improve QOL. Ad blocker, privacy enhancers, web developer tools, etc. It'd be great to have something lightweight...

    I often dream of having a minimal browser. Then I remember all the shit I use to improve QOL. Ad blocker, privacy enhancers, web developer tools, etc. It'd be great to have something lightweight that also somehow managed to include the features I enjoy, but it's not really feasible.

    10 votes
  2. Comment on A good alternative to ________ is ________. in ~talk

    pipsy
    Link Parent
    Yes, but they recently gave it to the DDG dudes.

    Yes, but they recently gave it to the DDG dudes.

    20 votes
  3. Comment on What are some of your favorite "lost" games? in ~games

    pipsy
    (edited )
    Link
    Fantasy Online A very basic browser game that for some reason I really enjoyed. I never got into RPG's, nor was I really a big fan of browser-based games. But the simplicity of Fantasy Online,...

    Fantasy Online

    A very basic browser game that for some reason I really enjoyed. I never got into RPG's, nor was I really a big fan of browser-based games. But the simplicity of Fantasy Online, from it's basic game play mechanics to 'old school' visual design, drew me in. I wasn't looking for something super in-depth, just something to play from time to time. It had a relatively decent online community as well. It was eventually bought by Newgrounds, who sadly shut it down a few years ago and is no longer available to play.

    There's a new game in development by fans of FO, but honestly from what I've seen it doesn't look like something that will make me feel like I'm playing FO again.

    ItsWar

    ItsWar is/was another browser game somewhat similar to Utopia or Earth: 2025. A lot of strategy went on in each team's IRC channel, so you could communicate in realtime with your team to let them know what's going on. As far as I can tell the website is offline and has been for some time.

    2 votes
  4. Comment on Dear Developer, The Web Isn't About You in ~comp

    pipsy
    Link
    It's of course worth noting that (most) developers are at the mercy of a client or someone higher up. I'm sure there are plenty of developers that would love to bring down page load times and...

    It's of course worth noting that (most) developers are at the mercy of a client or someone higher up. I'm sure there are plenty of developers that would love to bring down page load times and website sizes in general by removing scripts, pop up windows, fancy scrolling, video backgrounds, etc. But clients today expect and request them. Why? Because their competitors have them.

    You can try to persuade them away from the shit we find super annoying, but if you actually succeed in doing so and their marketing doesn't do as well as expected, they'll likely blame you for not adding in all that annoying shit from the beginning. Developers aren't purposefully adding in this crap - someone higher up with little to no knowledge of how a website is built is pulling the strings. And when they have a marketing department showing how well those little pop-ups bring down bounce rates and increase site interactions, it doesn't help your case.

    6 votes
  5. Comment on The YouTube stars heading for burnout: ‘The most fun job imaginable became deeply bleak’ in ~life

    pipsy
    Link Parent
    I've honestly never felt much sympathy for YouTubers who are in it for a living. It was never promised to be a viable alternative to a 'normal' job; merely a reward for creating content. The...

    I've honestly never felt much sympathy for YouTubers who are in it for a living. It was never promised to be a viable alternative to a 'normal' job; merely a reward for creating content. The system was/is quite volatile due to various reasons, meaning you're pretty much never promised the same amount of money month to month even if you do equal work. You can suddenly have dozens if not hundreds of your videos de-monetized for illegitimate reasons due to YouTube/Google's piss-poor DMCA handling (the DMCA system itself is to blame for that honestly). It shouldn't be looked at a reliable source of income, especially if it's you're only source.

    When I see videos of people saying they've quite their day job to do YouTube full time, I just roll my eyes and wait for the eventual video complaining about how YouTube de-monetized them for some bullshit reason, and promote their new Patreon. We'll see the same shit happen to Twitch eventually, if not already.

    7 votes
  6. Comment on A Constructive Look At TempleOS in ~comp

    pipsy
    Link
    I recommend watching this video about the creator of TempleOS. Just a heads up, expect very harsh language.

    I recommend watching this video about the creator of TempleOS. Just a heads up, expect very harsh language.

    5 votes
  7. Comment on California lawmakers pass nation’s toughest net neutrality law in ~tech

    pipsy
    Link
    California lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that would guarantee full and equal access to the internet — a principle known as net neutrality — in the biggest pushback yet to the federal...

    California lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that would guarantee full and equal access to the internet — a principle known as net neutrality — in the biggest pushback yet to the federal government’s rollback of rules last year.

    The California bill is viewed as even stronger and more consumer-friendly than the original measures carried out by the Obama administration and abolished in December by the Trump-era Federal Communications Commission. It is sure to set up a fight between broadband providers, which say strict rules would increase their costs, and consumer groups, which seek to ensure that all traffic on the internet is treated equally.

    It is the latest effort in a growing fight against deregulation by the Trump administration. Federal agencies that have slashed regulations on telecommunications are being challenged in court by more than 20 states. Thirty states have introduced bills to ensure net neutrality.

    5 votes
  8. Comment on Valve launches Steam.tv, a possible competitor to Twitch in ~games

    pipsy
    Link
    So far it's only streaming Dota 2 tournaments, and doesn't allow anyone to actually stream to it like Twitch. But one can assume it'll eventually arrive.

    So far it's only streaming Dota 2 tournaments, and doesn't allow anyone to actually stream to it like Twitch. But one can assume it'll eventually arrive.

    4 votes
  9. Comment on Which password manager do you use and recommend? in ~tech

    pipsy
    Link
    As others have suggested, I use KeePass. I have it setup to sync with Google Drive, so I'm able to stay up to date on either my laptop or Android phone. There are plugins that offer syncing to...

    As others have suggested, I use KeePass. I have it setup to sync with Google Drive, so I'm able to stay up to date on either my laptop or Android phone. There are plugins that offer syncing to other services such as Dropbox, which I've tried before and it worked.

    1 vote
  10. Comment on Does Denuvo slow game performance? Seven games benchmarked before and after they dropped Denuvo in ~games

    pipsy
    Link
    The results are a bit varied, but overall the performance impact seems negligible.

    The results are a bit varied, but overall the performance impact seems negligible.

    2 votes
  11. Comment on Patrick Stewart will reprise the role of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in a brand new "Star Trek" series in ~tv

    pipsy
    Link Parent
    It will apparently take place after TNG and Nemesis. The wording makes it seem like it won't really be TNG 2.0, but rather how Picard's life unfolds after retiring? Just a guess. Or perhaps as an...

    It will apparently take place after TNG and Nemesis.

    The exact plot details are being kept mostly under wraps, though the series is said to tell the story of the next chapter of Picard’s life. That indicates that it will take place after the events of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” rather than being a prequel or reboot.

    The wording makes it seem like it won't really be TNG 2.0, but rather how Picard's life unfolds after retiring? Just a guess. Or perhaps as an Ambassador?

    1 vote
  12. Comment on Let's talk about recent good experience in ~talk

    pipsy
    Link
    I'm relatively certain I was able to fix a rather big issue with a large client of ours. Its been an issue for several months actually. We've been swamped with other projects, as well as other...

    I'm relatively certain I was able to fix a rather big issue with a large client of ours. Its been an issue for several months actually. We've been swamped with other projects, as well as other issues they've brought up. My boss came in and shook my hand the day after I implemented said fix. I'm still not positive if it actually worked though, so I'm holding my breath till then.

    1 vote
  13. Comment on Does anybody else find themselves lurking a lot more on Tildes? in ~tildes

    pipsy
    Link
    I've been slightly more active on tildes, mainly due to the low traffic. If there's an interesting topic, there's actually a chance someone will read my comment due to there being only ~20-30 in...

    I've been slightly more active on tildes, mainly due to the low traffic. If there's an interesting topic, there's actually a chance someone will read my comment due to there being only ~20-30 in total. Compare this to the several hundreds or thousands you'll see on a popular post over reddit, you don't really stand a chance.

    Tildes is sort of like browsing the new queue on reddit, without needing to specifically click on 'new'.

    5 votes
  14. Comment on Your own user page now has paginated Topics and Comments views - let's talk about user history visibility in ~tildes.official

    pipsy
    Link
    I'd say let the user decide, and make all public by default. If they don't want their history shown, they can hide it via a preference.

    I'd say let the user decide, and make all public by default. If they don't want their history shown, they can hide it via a preference.

    4 votes
  15. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~books

    pipsy
    Link
    I picked up Dragons of Eden today from a local bookstore. No idea when I'll get to it, perhaps this weekend.

    I picked up Dragons of Eden today from a local bookstore. No idea when I'll get to it, perhaps this weekend.

    2 votes
  16. Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music

    pipsy
    Link
    I put on a classic folk playlist at work and have been enjoying it. I highly doubt the majority of songs would be considered 'classic folk', but it a nice change from our usual classic rock playlists.

    I put on a classic folk playlist at work and have been enjoying it. I highly doubt the majority of songs would be considered 'classic folk', but it a nice change from our usual classic rock playlists.

    2 votes
  17. Comment on The Bullshit Web in ~tech

    pipsy
    Link
    As a web developer, I create what I hate. I'm not a fan of the typical 'hero' images that take up the entire screen, followed by sections with far too much padding, sometimes coupled with...

    As a web developer, I create what I hate. I'm not a fan of the typical 'hero' images that take up the entire screen, followed by sections with far too much padding, sometimes coupled with unnecessary animations such as images sliding or fading in. And yes, of course they require you to download certain fonts, more than one stylesheet, a plethora of plugins if the website is on a CMS, all of which coincides with a multitude of tracking plugins and other scripts.

    Problem is, this is how business owners want their websites to function, or at the very least look. If we were to create a website with optimal spacing for showing as much content as possible without all the fancy stuff, they'd say it looks 'old' or out-dated. It'd look like...well...old reddit or currently Tildes. Now some of the padding and such makes sense from a mobile perspective, and that's really what I believe started this nonsense in the first place.

    2008 saw the rise of smartphones and a glaring issues with mobile browsing. Websites were pretty shit at displaying content on smaller screens, and it didn't help that different sized screens were introduced as time went on. Responsive design became a top priority, causing designers/developers to essentially create two versions of the same website. You can have an entirely separate subdomain that loaded and was dedicated to the mobile version, or simply create a single responsive website with media queries and other tools.

    But that divide between responsive and non-responsive grew smaller and smaller over time. Instead of focusing on creating two separate versions, modern web is essentially a combination of both, with more emphasis on mobile-friendliness (which is okay, since like 70% of people visit your website from a mobile device). Crazy padding makes sense on a touch device, so it was simply brought over to the desktop versions as well because it's visually appealing and frankly easier to just apply the same styles to both versions. Same for hero images, the rise of parallax, etc. Mobile is really the cause for websites being so big, both in the visual and physical sense.

    We'll often times meet clients with older websites looking for an update. Sometimes these websites were created in the early to mid 2000's, and it shows. And I honestly wouldn't mind if that came back somehow. It would certainly take some adjusting to, but I'd be down for it.

    9 votes