Wes's recent activity
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Comment on What are your current pain points with Linux? in ~tech
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Comment on What are your current pain points with Linux? in ~tech
Wes (edited )Link ParentGood news coming in Plasma 6.8. https://blogs.kde.org/2026/09/04/this-week-in-plasma-auto-scrolling-and-dwell-clicking/#plasma-68 edit: They've since reworded this, since it caused a little...There is no accessibility-friendly autoscroll in KDE Plasma yet.
Good news coming in Plasma 6.8.
We’ve implemented something very much like the “Autoscroll” feature on windows, whereby you press the middle mouse button to enter a dedicated scrolling mode, and then move the pointer to scroll. This feature already existed for when you pressed and held the middle button, but now there’s an option to enable and disable this mode as an on/off toggle by pressing the button normally. (Uriel Fontan, KDE Bugzilla #495617)
https://blogs.kde.org/2026/09/04/this-week-in-plasma-auto-scrolling-and-dwell-clicking/#plasma-68
edit: They've since reworded this, since it caused a little confusion (including for me). New text:
Speaking of pointers and clicking… the feature to scroll by holding down the middle mouse button and moving the pointer now has a new optional triggering mode: you can press the middle mouse button to enter and exit this scrolling mode, without having to hold it down. This makes it bit closer to the “Autoscroll” feature on Windows.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Wes Link ParentWe read The Dispossessed for Tildes Book Club, so you can review others' thoughts when you're done (spoiler warning before that). I personally really enjoyed it, and feel that much of the...We read The Dispossessed for Tildes Book Club, so you can review others' thoughts when you're done (spoiler warning before that).
I personally really enjoyed it, and feel that much of the uncritical arguments for anarchism in the first half were by design. This is a story told from the perspective of one raised on Anarres, after all. But their thoughts and views may change as they're exposed to other worlds and new ideas.
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Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games
Wes Link ParentApparently on the SNES version, quitting to menu counts as a death. I have no idea why, but it wasn't the fairies that did you wrong. As you suspected, though, this was fixed/changed in the GBA...Apparently on the SNES version, quitting to menu counts as a death. I have no idea why, but it wasn't the fairies that did you wrong. As you suspected, though, this was fixed/changed in the GBA version.
I personally used a lot of strategic quit-outs to warp around the map, so I'm sure I fared no better in death count.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly - Final Thread for Season 3 in ~games
Wes Link ParentThat's smart, and I should really make use of schematics as well. If you're curious, I'm pretty sure I know what happened. There's a restart mechanism for the conveyor that activates when you...That's smart, and I should really make use of schematics as well.
If you're curious, I'm pretty sure I know what happened. There's a restart mechanism for the conveyor that activates when you initially pull the lever. However, it directly connects that lever to a sticky piston, which makes it vulnerable to leaving its block behind from a rapid pulse. So I think I accidentally double-clicked when turning it on, and that was how I broke it.
It is a super cool contraption, though, and I love how there's a scoop that comes by every so often. Great application of a piston tape.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly - Final Thread for Season 3 in ~games
Wes Link ParentThat's wonderful, thank you! I'm very pleased to hear I may not need to trim the season 2 chunks myself. I'm happy to use whichever format is easiest for you — torrent, direct download, FTP, whatever.That's wonderful, thank you! I'm very pleased to hear I may not need to trim the season 2 chunks myself.
I'm happy to use whichever format is easiest for you — torrent, direct download, FTP, whatever.
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Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games
Wes Link ParentLooking at some screenshots for zelda3 (dangerous project name), I honestly think that's just how the game looks! It really is a combination of fantastic sprite work and clear, communicative...Looking at some screenshots for zelda3 (dangerous project name), I honestly think that's just how the game looks! It really is a combination of fantastic sprite work and clear, communicative design. The port might add widescreen support or optional shaders, but it basically just looks like LTTP as I know it. As crisp now as it was then.
I know what you mean about returning to a game after taking a break. I'm glad you participated and got to experience some of it anyway.
I'd say you played through about a third of the game. To put that in the proper context, try imagining you'd just rented it from Blockbuster and your weekend is up. If you ever rent it again, somebody has probably overwritten your save file so you'll likely be starting over anyway. Such is life in the 1990s!
By the way, I understand your pain completely on the platforming boss. Moldorm (or Wiggler as I call him) is a master troll. Even with my overpowered level 3 sword, he still knocked me off twice. Stupid worm.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly - Final Thread for Season 3 in ~games
Wes Link ParentThat's cool, thanks for sharing. The massive Chinese dragon was the main thing I remembered from season 1, though I only played very briefly. I saw that you'd edited the world to trim it down with...That's cool, thanks for sharing. The massive Chinese dragon was the main thing I remembered from season 1, though I only played very briefly.
I saw that you'd edited the world to trim it down with MCA, which is probably what I would do as well. No pressure, but if you were ever to upload the world (modifications included), I'd grab it so there'd at least be another copy out there. It seems like there is some danger of the map being lost, so I figure another person archiving things couldn't hurt.
The season 2 world is comparatively massive, so I'll have to see if it's possible to trim that down for long-term storage, too. Might be a challenge!
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Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games
Wes LinkThis is one of the first games I can remember playing. It holds immense nostalgic value for me for that reason alone, but as it turns out, it's also just a great game in its own right. More than...This is one of the first games I can remember playing. It holds immense nostalgic value for me for that reason alone, but as it turns out, it's also just a great game in its own right.
More than any other title, LTTP channels the feeling of setting out on a quest. Your uncle has fallen, and you must take up the sword with no training. Through adversity, you defeat foes, get stronger, and save the world. It sounds like a tired plot, but it just works so well here.
There is constant progression as you find new gear, unlock hearts by discovering secrets, and meet odd characters who sometimes help you out. By the end of the game, you really do feel like the hero you set out to be.
LTTP provides a lot of tools, and many help you deal with specific challenges. Enemies are often designed with specific weaknesses, like shooting Eyegores with a bow, or flipping Turtles by hammering the ground.
Admittedly, a few of the tools can feel a little redundant. The Cane of Byrna is functionally very similar to the Magic Cape, and the Ice Rod sees little air time. The shovel is a one-and-done, and this game's rendition of the boomerang is quickly outclassed by the hookshot. Still, most tools are situationally useful, and game knowledge helps you know your Bombos from your Ether.
LTTP has some great dungeons, both in theme and design. The difficulty is never overwhelming, but they still include plenty of puzzles and combat sections. I do appreciate how the traps are usually (usually) not too punishing, and are often as harmless as turning you into a bunny for a short while.
One dungeon criticism I have is that there's a bit too much reliance on mazes as a challenge. I don't mind getting lost in a complex dungeon, but I'd rather not pace the same pitch-black room for minutes as I look for the exit.
The overworld design is perfect, though, and I love both the light and dark worlds. The theme song for the latter remains one of my favourites, and there are just so many secrets to find. It's crazy that they packed everything in this game into less than a megabyte.
I've played through LTTP a handful of times over the last 30 years, but it's been a long time since I last played. I was glad to see it selected for the CGA.
Since I and many others have previously played this game, I suggested a multi-person randomizer run via Archipelago, which I completed with @Durinthal, @MimicSquid, and @Dendrian. My apologies if the Insert Cartridge thread was a little noisy as a result.
For this run, my seed was very front loaded with damage. I had the level 3 sword from nearly the start, and yet I didn't get any defensive items until the back third of the run. No shield or tunic upgrades! I felt like a glass cannon as I could take down bosses in 2-3 swings, yet also took huge damage on every hit. I was surprised by how much a simple shield helped with survivability, especially against the many projectiles the game throws at you.
Many of the important key items were locked at the very end of the game. One in our group had both levels of power gloves locked behind Ganon's Tower in another player's game, and two of us went without flippers for 90% of the game. Poor Durinthal had to enter the dark world dungeons with nothing but a few hearts and a hammer, which does not have a good reach. Yet this kind of variety is what makes randomizers such a fun prospect.
It was enjoyable, and took just under a week to complete while playing asynchronously. It was also an interesting experiment into a more collaborative way of doing the CGA. My thanks to my comrades-in-arms for joining me on this adventure.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly - Final Thread for Season 3 in ~games
Wes Link ParentI'd also love a world download for this and previous seasons. I did actually find a download link for Season 2, as kindly hosted by @Nankeru. I plan to do a fly-through of that soon....I'd also love a world download for this and previous seasons.
I did actually find a download link for Season 2, as kindly hosted by @Nankeru. I plan to do a fly-through of that soon.
Unfortunately, all of the season 1 torrents appear to be dead. Maybe @teaearlgraycold still has a copy?
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly - Final Thread for Season 3 in ~games
Wes Link ParentMyself and @fuzzypickle9 did a server tour this week, thanks to the convenient compass packs provided by @IsildursBane. It was fun to explore the world and see what others had built. I have to...- Exemplary
Myself and @fuzzypickle9 did a server tour this week, thanks to the convenient compass packs provided by @IsildursBane. It was fun to explore the world and see what others had built.
I have to say, the scale of some of these projects is monumental. You folks have really outdone yourselves. I also love how everybody has their own building style, and I felt like I started to get a feel for each builder's personality as I explored.
Here are some standouts that I ran across. I'm sorry if I missed yours -- it'd be too long to mention everybody.
- The Egyptian build by @j0hn1215, our Nether-neighbour. The wall art is super cool, and I love how you used tight spaces as part of the aesthetic.
- Poland by @TaylorSwiftsPickles. The immensity of this build is overwhelming. I especially love the massive power lines and water treatment plant.
- @Evie's nearby base, which is tight and cozy, and full of cool contraptions. That day/night music disc swapper was inspired. I also spotted some incredible map art on display.
- @GravySleeve's flying city/amusement park. I rode the minecart track, did the chopper parkour, and had a blast exploring all the details. Just a delightful build all around.
- The underground city by @Mendanbar has some great atmosphere. I actually explored this last week, and kinda-sorta broke the conveyor belt (sorry!). I spent an hour studying the redstone to fix it though, so all's well that ends well, right?
- We didn't use any public farms this season, but I was very impressed by @Positive's guardian farm. The sound of it running can only be described as a jet taking off.
- I grew concerned with @Jambo's ghast obsession, but was won over when I saw the little guy floating around.
- @PunchTunnel's wacky corner base wasn't in the lodestone tour, but he showed it to me some months ago and I needed to revisit it before the server end. It oozes creativity in a way that leaves you feeling dazed and confused. I have no idea how you get your ideas, but I'll look to you if ever I need inspiration.
- Tildes Town itself, for which I wandered for over an hour and am sure I still missed buildings. There were lots of standout builds, but my favourite was probably @Bront's lovely nature dome on a hill.
It's been a slice playing with everyone, and creating such a cool map in a collaborative fashion. Finally, my thanks to @teaearlgraycold for hosting the server all this time, and being gentle when he teleports inside of me.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly - Final Thread for Season 3 in ~games
Wes LinkI last played a vanilla world in 1.13, back in 2018, so this server has been a very fresh experience for me. I've otherwise always played modded worlds, which tend to focus more on tech and...I last played a vanilla world in 1.13, back in 2018, so this server has been a very fresh experience for me. I've otherwise always played modded worlds, which tend to focus more on tech and engineering. Vanilla has engineering too, but of a different variety. So it's been fun learning the different ways of accomplishing goals, and coming up with unique farm designs.
I've been trying to finish up a few final items at my group's base before the server is put out to pasture. I definitely didn't accomplish everything I Imagined at the start of this season, but I'm still really happy with our result.
Are there any thoughts on doing a server tour before we end things off? I've yet to do any real exploring, and am curious to know what others have been up too. I stumbled across a cool underground city just North of me this last week, and know there's a few other mega builds around.
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Comment on CGA-2026-06 🦇🧛♀️🔥 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow in ~games
Wes LinkAh, it's time to eject the cartridge on our August game, Aria of Sorrow. Wait, where is everybody? Okay, so I got a little distracted in June and had to come back to this one. But that doesn't...Ah, it's time to eject the cartridge on our August game, Aria of Sorrow. Wait, where is everybody?
Okay, so I got a little distracted in June and had to come back to this one. But that doesn't mean that I didn't love this game! It was my first Castlevania, and I had a great time with it.
The castle was a spiraling maze, as it should be. The combat and exploration were top-notch, and I was really impressed by the level of enemy variety that made each area feel unique.
There is a sense of progression that keeps you constantly pushing onwards. Each new area feels overwhelming, but only briefly, as you get stronger and learn your way around. Every time you get a new weapon or piece of equipment, it feels like a meaningful upgrade, and being able to demolish earlier areas makes you feel more powerful, too.
The different weapons each had a unique feel. Some were faster, others had longer reach. It gave you reason to swap between them, and meant your moveset was constantly changing throughout the game. I was a big fan of the whip sword early on.
The souls mechanic also worked to add variety. I found some surprising uses, like how the Waiter Skeleton's curry could turn giant enemies/guards around. In the late game, the Gungnir and Succubus synergized well for restoring HP with a multi-hit attack. This was needed, as hearts weirdly restore mana and not health (not that it stopped me from destroying every torch).
While the souls feature worked well mechanically, it also worked thematically. It tied into the story, being the main reason you're there. It's great when the narrative and ludo-narrative work together.
I enjoyed the overall story, and what I assume is a reversal of the typical Castlevania story (kill Dracula). Though some of the dialogue was hit-or-miss for me, with some awkward lines:
"Aside from that, I've discovered that I, too, have magical powers."
I guess vampire stories have always been a little cheesy.
The music was fantastic throughout. Some tracks were serene, while others nice and crunchy. I liked that they included a sound test once you completed the game.
One frustration I had with the soul system, as I've seen others comment on, was needing to constantly switch between them in the menus. This was at its worst in the water area, when you needed to swap Undine and Scula all the time. At least the menus were responsive, but I don't see why these couldn't have been permanent upgrades.
I did get a little stuck at the end. I beat it normally and got the bad ending, as I was expecting to happen. I'd found all three books, but couldn't figure out the third hint. Turns out I needed to farm a Flame Demon for the final soul. So after looking that up, I completed the game properly. The Belmont fight was worth it. Chaos, eh...
The only other thing I couldn't figure out was that dang waterfall. I had to backtrack through the entire Chaos area in the post-game to complete it. I suppose I should've done so sooner, because that sword was extremely OP. Though I never felt underpowered, so maybe it's better that I saved it for last.
My play time was 8:15, with 99% completion. I'm not sure which room(s) I missed, as the map looked pretty complete to me!
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Comment on Anyone using a DGX Spark? in ~comp
Wes LinkIt seems like the CUDA monopoly is slowly breaking, but it will still have the best software support for the moment. If you're pricing it out versus hosted options like OpenRouter, make sure to...It seems like the CUDA monopoly is slowly breaking, but it will still have the best software support for the moment.
If you're pricing it out versus hosted options like OpenRouter, make sure to factor in electricity costs as well. I've not run the numbers myself, but it will likely take at least 5–10 years to pay for itself at current rates. For that reason, it's probably only worth it if you value privacy and independence from cloud providers.
That said, open weight models are excellent, and continue to get better. Everybody is very excited for Qwen 3.8 right now, but there's always something new on the horizon. New models come in all different sizes and quants. Kimi K3 was a whopping 2.8T parameters.
The /r/LocalLLaMA community has a lot of resources on local hosting, and though it's less serious than it used to be, a lot of people there have put down real money on testing different hardware setups. I'm sure you can find more information there.
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Comment on Order of the Sinking Star | Release date announcement in ~games
Wes LinkI played the demo during Steam Next Fest, and it's incredibly good. The blending of different puzzle elements creates some very novel and surprising gameplay. It also seems quite challenging. I'm...I played the demo during Steam Next Fest, and it's incredibly good. The blending of different puzzle elements creates some very novel and surprising gameplay.
It also seems quite challenging. I'm expecting that, much like The Witness, immersing myself into this game will colour how I see shapes and symbols for weeks to come.
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Comment on Epic Games Store will support Linux "soon" in ~games
Wes Link ParentI feel like being Electron is not actually too helpful here. It certainly helps with the store features, but a launcher still needs to do a lot of platform-specific work. Game installing and...I feel like being Electron is not actually too helpful here. It certainly helps with the store features, but a launcher still needs to do a lot of platform-specific work.
- Game installing and updates require disk access, dealing with different filesystems, layouts, permissions, and distro-specific features like immutability and selinux.
- Downloading games requires networking features, and needs to handle all the different weird states a computer's network can be in, like being behind a VPN/proxy. This likely uses a different interface than Windows, and would require some special handling.
- Perform process management to launch games, and detect when they're closed. Especially for features like cloud sync. Some games complicate this further by including their own launchers, etc.
- Installation needs to handle all dependencies, and any wrapper layer like Proton/Wine needs to be specifically set up on Linux.
- Application rendering itself needs to support X and Wayland systems, and run on integrated and discrete graphics.
Electron may handle some of those things, but I expect there's still a lot of Linux-specific differences they need to contend with.
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Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games
Wes Link ParentDoor Randomizer sounds nutty. It reminds me a lot of the Fog Gate Randomizer mod for Dark Souls, which similarly shuffles the paths between areas. You can crank up the settings to turn the entire...Door Randomizer sounds nutty. It reminds me a lot of the Fog Gate Randomizer mod for Dark Souls, which similarly shuffles the paths between areas. You can crank up the settings to turn the entire game into a giant, interconnected maze.
On the run I did, I ended up writing down over 100 connections in a text file, which I needed to then study to find my way to a destination.
It's kind of an exhausting run, but totally unique and memorable, too.
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Comment on End of Series - Tildes Book Club discussion - July 2026 - A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers in ~books
Wes LinkI'm fashionably late as usual, but I've taken a break from my own reading list and this was the perfect palate cleanser. Wild-Built is my first Becky Chambers book, though I've a few in my...I'm fashionably late as usual, but I've taken a break from my own reading list and this was the perfect palate cleanser.
Wild-Built is my first Becky Chambers book, though I've a few in my backlog. I went in expecting a sci-fi story about robots and a futuristic society. What I got was far more human, and very down to Earth.
It's an intimate story. We spend a lot of time in the head of Sibling Dex, knowing them as they know themselves. Their ennui and dissatisfaction. Their uncertainty and vulnerability.
How many of us can relate to not knowing what we want to do in life? Quite a few, I imagine.
I thought it led well into the final message, as delivered by the plucky robot, that it's okay to not have a purpose. That we are not defined by our aspirations. We have innate value in simply existing, as animals do, and any meaning beyond that is self-determined.
In the context of the story, this seems to run somewhat counter to the religion of their world. Vocation is core to their beliefs, and seems inseparable to one's identity. In many ways, I think that parallels our own world. We define ourselves by our jobs, and let the actually-interesting things about us — our pursuits, experiences, and dreams — take a back seat.
It also reminded me of the argument that religion defines purpose in life, and that atheists must thus live without purpose. This notion has never sat right with me. So what if life is meaningless? In choosing our own purpose — or lack thereof! — we give life meaning. If I want to watch stalagmites all day, then that's something that's meaningful to me. So I appreciated this final note, as Mosscap's message really resonated for me.
Thematically, I found the focus on tea to be interesting, especially after reading Tea Girl a few months ago. It seems that in both stories, tea served a restorative role. Here, it allowed one to slow down; to take a moment away from busy modern life to just breathe, and let go of burdens.
At this point, I'd like to broach the topic of gender. I fully recognize that I'm ill-equipped to navigate this topic comfortably on Tildes, and likely don't know all the correct words. But its relevance here was meaningful for me, and was a large part of my takeaway from this novella, so I'd like to touch on it.
Dex is nonbinary. At no point did the author give any indication of their sex at birth, and I think this was very intentional. Only once is their preferred pronoun even mentioned, and it's during an introduction.
In principle, I applaud this approach. I feel that representation is often at its best when it just is — showing regular people living their lives. Yet I have to admit that I also found it... not uncomfortable, but maybe harder to connect with the character as a result.
I think there were two hurdles for me.
First, every time I read "them" in the first few chapters, I had a moment of involuntary confusion in wondering who the second person was. This didn't hurt my enjoyment, but did feel like little speed bumps in reading, causing me to slow down before proceeding.
Second, I found it difficult to construct an image of Dex in my head. I didn't know if they were short, tall, masculine, feminine. Did they have a rounded face, a squared jaw? I hadn't realized how dependent I was on knowing a discrete gender to help inform that image, and how it would short circuit my brain to instead put a question mark over someone's appearance.
To be clear, this isn't a complaint. It was a realization for me that I was using gender as a shortcut in all the wrong ways. I appreciated that this story invalidated that assumption for me, even if it made the book more difficult to get into.
By the end, I felt much more comfortable with both aspects. The speed bumps had leveled out, and I felt like I knew Dex well enough that I no longer needed to know what they looked like. As Mosscap said, they just were, and that's enough.
I'm not claiming that I was able to completely rewire my brain in just 150 pages, but I think it helped. I'd like to expose myself to more media of this type, and have already ordered the next book in the series which I plan to start soon.
I'd like to end on a note of appreciation for @boxer_dogs_dance, who has done an incredible job in guiding us during these last two and a half years. Thank you for all that you've done in organizing discussions, voting threads, and coming up with discussion prompts for each book. I wish you the absolute best in your new book club; they're lucky to have you.
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Comment on Is there any interest in building a Tildes successor? in ~tildes
Wes LinkTo clarify, Tildes is in maintenance mode but is not being sunset. There is no end-of-life date, and I think it's likely that Deimos will continue to support us for as long as we wish to stay. I...To clarify, Tildes is in maintenance mode but is not being sunset. There is no end-of-life date, and I think it's likely that Deimos will continue to support us for as long as we wish to stay.
I know you covered this at the end, but I wanted to emphasize it for anybody that only skimmed.
My feeling is that it's premature to discuss a successor. Tildes continues to work, and though the software isn't perfect, it's still very good. I suspect that building an alternative right now could have the harmful result of splitting our userbase. Rather than acting as a lifeboat, it may sink the ship.
I don't wish to discourage anyone else from building a project that they're interested in or passionate about, but that's the perspective I'd approach this from.
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
Wes Link ParentAs with @Grumble4681, I also had hope in the community fork/maintainership. It seemed like the best path forward for us. I understand though that priorities have just not aligned in this case, and...As with @Grumble4681, I also had hope in the community fork/maintainership. It seemed like the best path forward for us. I understand though that priorities have just not aligned in this case, and it likely won't be possible to make work. I appreciate the efforts from yourself and @talklittle all the same.
I see. You're right, that is less than ideal. Still an improvement over the current method, but not as convenient as Windows.