Notices by argv minus one (argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org)

@botvolution

The source file names aren't changing, only the folder structure.

If I wanted to keep a copy on my desktop of the photos on my phone, and organize those photos into several folders, how would I avoid re-copying photos I've already copied?

If I drop all my photos into a single folder, this is trivial: if there is already a file with the same name in the destination folder, then don't copy that one.

But if I drop the photos into multiple folders, that simple check won't work—the photo might have already been copied into a different folder!

What do?

#Linux

#Linux: dropping support for Apple HFS/HFS+. Apparently nobody cares enough about this file system to bother maintaining the kernel driver for it. Even though HFS+ was used in production less than a decade ago.

Also Linux: still has (presumably maintained) support for Amiga FFS. The last time someone used Amiga FFS in production was, what, 1994?

🤨

@hellomiakoda

I mean, yeah, there are reasons why you shouldn't use any given distro.

For example, if you want a macOS-like experience where you can do everything without ever directly touching a command line or configuration file, then Arch is probably a bad choice. But it is popular among people who want to get their hands dirty and fully control all aspects of their system.

The goal is to find the distro where none of the reasons-not-to-use-it apply to you.

So, if AI scrapers could share their scrapings with each other instead of DDoSing the entire web, that'd be great.

@bignose @rossquantum

The quirk in question is that macOS scanning happens on an Apple server. App publishers must submit their apps to that server for scanning. If the scan checks out, the server generates a cryptographic signature of the app, certifying it as malware-free.

App publishers must agree to a giant wall of legalese and restrictions, and pay $99/year, for the privilege of scanning their apps. FOSS developers generally won't do this.

The existence of the #Commodore PET implies the existence of Commodore CATTLE.

#shitpost

#Debian when I was young: “Look at me! I'm new! I can do cool things, like package management! Isn't that cool?!”

Debian now: “I am the Distro of Ages. I was born in the Before Times and shall endure long after all other distros have crumbled to dust.”

@wyatt

So what do you recommend?

@wyatt

So, what I'm getting from this answer is “🤷♂️ Framework is probably the best, but that won't stop me from complaining about it.”

I have a 15-year-old laptop. It is painfully slow. It requires a proprietary charger. The spinning-metal drive will probably have a head crash if I ever drop it. The battery lasts about 12 seconds. It's theoretically repairable except nobody manufactures replacement parts so in practice good luck with that.

In what way would a Framework be worse than that?

RAM in the oldest computer I've used: 655360 bytes

RAM in the newest computer I've used: 34359738368 bytes

Semiconductor manufacturing has come a long, *long* way.

@nopatience

> Smart cards has never, imho, been a realistic solution to almost any organisations; ever.

Why not?

@GossiTheDog

@johnshier

Which controls? MFA? The sum of two weak authentication methods does not add up to a strong authentication method. There's a reason security keeps getting breached despite all the flashy security theatrics of the last few years.

@nopatience @GossiTheDog

@GossiTheDog

Wait, what? I wasn't under the impression that small orgs even think about any of this stuff.

@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social

1. We're talking about big orgs with zillion-dollar budgets. They can afford smart card infrastructure.

2. Trusting random employees' smartphones to serve as authentication tokens is hilariously stupid.

3. Employees who do know the first thing about security aren't gonna be thrilled installing Microsoft apps on their phones.

4. MFA is the exact opposite of “minimal friction”.

5. If you must use a phone as a hardware token, then at least do it properly: NFC, QR code, etc.

@GossiTheDog

The solution to this problem is not MFA.

When you have a problem with passwords getting compromised/phished/bruteforced, and you solve it with #MFA, now you have two problems.

The solution to this problem is smart cards.

#cybersecurity #infosec #IT

One thing that bothers me about #Syncthing GUIs like Syncthing Tray is that none of them seem to be aware that you can connect to Syncthing over a Unix socket.

There would be serious security benefits to configuring Syncthing to allow access only by Unix socket, but I can't do that if none of the GUIs support it…

@sharina_mc1

AI does not excel in coding, art, or data.

This was patent encumbered and also a DoS vulnerability: tricking anyone into transmitting that sequence would knock them offline!

There must have been a better solution than this.

One possibility comes to mind: switch modes when the computer briefly toggles the DTR signal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Terminal_Ready

2/

The #Hayes #Smartmodem had a separate data mode (in which bytes are sent/received over the phone line) and command mode (in which the computer sent commands to the modem itself).

Switching from command to data mode was simple: send the command `ATO`.

The reverse was more complicated. The modem would switch from data mode to command mode whenever the computer tried to send the special character sequence `+++`, with a delay before and after the sequence.

1/

#RS232 #modem #retrocomputing