Arcane Roops

This is a moment for me. I can't really explain it, but now I understand how FOSS can be the future.

I wrote something on Ubuntu, ran a trial version of Devuan booted live from a MicroSD card (!), and all I had to do was install VLC to get its libraries and the same code runs OK, even though I didn't bother to locate its config, or the music library.

Yes, I know it's ugly. It was equally ugly on Ubuntu, but I get my music my way, and it seems nobody can stop me :-)

Didn't even have to recompile.

This ease of moving is something the big players *hate*. They want lock-in.
#FOSS #tunes

I went into a tool shop to ask for this Sealey screwdriver, just right to keep in my work bag, along with a few extra bits. Ended up buying it online.

When I said the name Sealey the joker behind the counter said ”I'm sorry we only sell sensible screwdrivers". No sale there, but I'll definitely go back for the cheeky attitude :-)
#tools

So my toy #mainframe #retroComputing OS needs a UserID which will only be used for good.

I chose 'Gandalf'
Guess what the #password is?

I'll give you eleventy-three guesses :-)

@aoeuidhtns@app.wafrn.net @zzt@mas.to I guess I deserved that. Touché!

But my point remains that when I working in a new area, or I simply need to look up a message in stderr that is fashionably helpful like "Oopsie. Surprise is no longer adequate, and we are forced to resort to astonishment." with no product name, I'm likely to get answers much more quickly if use a search engine.

Even if I recognise the msg as one from Kludgeit & Proffitt corp., going to their website to find the message, I may have to use their search, which may be Gargoyle anyway.

So I end thinking "when I need a broad web search, which is the least grotty option?"

...and I see zzt has disappeared from view, without suggesting a viable alternative.

This is what I mean by viewing everything in life in 1-bit binary. There's no nuance possible.

Eventually, will these boolean people will be telling me I can't buy bread from my 1 and only local bakery, because they also buy their ballpoint pens from Amazon? :-)

Of course we need to work against the big monopolies. But calling everyone names who uses Kagi as an alternative to Google isn't helping anyone.

Anyway, last time I checked a lot of Kagi's search info comes from other sources, not Gargoyle. Has that changed again?

@aoeuidhtns@app.wafrn.net @zzt@mas.to If the thing I want to search for is in the filesystem, fine.

Now what if I am new to the fediverse, and I want to find a comparison of Android and Linux clients, or I am new to using Kotlin with Compose, or...

I dislike these corporate vampires with a passion Cory Doctorow would probably approve, but I have to work with what I have, and the days when I can know an entire subject before I start working on it are long gone :-(

I decided to raid the cookie jar. "Enjoy your life; be pleasant and gay, like the birds in May." it says :-)

I think I may have found something LLMs are good at. No, really. Don't block me 'til you read this.

I keep seeing musical association chains like Shakti->John McLoughlin->Mahavishnu Orchestra->Billy Cobham (drummer)->
Miles Davis Bitches Brew sessions with McLoughlin->Jack Bruce->Cream->Eric Clapton->Yardbirds->Jimmy Page->Led Zeppelin and I'm sure some of them are from LLMs.

They still waste energy and resources, of course, but instead of pushing people out of jobs, these chains make me go out and buy more music instead of wasting my money.

@aoeuidhtns@app.wafrn.net @zzt@mas.to You don't seem to know what search engines (should) do. If I have already seen the page that will help me, there's a good chance I'll remember what it said, or at least where it was.

The thing with search engines, you see, is that they find pages I haven't seen yet. I can't use my brain cells to process info from a page I haven't seen yet. I know it's a bit tricky to understand, but I have faith in you.

@HitchhikersGuideQuoteBot2@mastodon.social "Ever thought of going into advertising?"