Sure, rent a cloud server for $10/month, install Docker/Podman then all self hosted services you need. Invite people on your Jitsi Meet server, publish your videos on PeerTube, work via NextCloud, etc. It’s not easy the first time but with each (well documented) step it becomes easier. Most important : backup your data.
I don’t think it matters so much. It’s possible to test Linux literally in seconds with nothing to install thanks to virtual machines on the Web. It’s risk free.
What prevents people from migrating isn’t technical, it’s mostly FUD and marketing (not to say lies) from MicroSlop.
Honestly I don’t mind that, at all. What I mind is if it’s mandatory and only through proprietary applications.
WiFi, BT, Zigbee, Z-wave etc are not per se a problem. The question instead is who practically owns the device. If the behavior is force on you as a customer, then it’s easy, it’s not YOUR device. Consider then buying OSHW or whatever alternative you need, including potentially non connected devices that you yourself connect on your terms.
Edit: check which devices are compatible with GadgetBridge and/or HomeAssistant then reviews from actual customers. That should help you find out which devices can match your requirements.
dumb shit like system updates
You can’t do that, if you allow that then how can you be sure the next “update” won’t make your experience worst? Optional update controlled by the user is great, mandatory ones mean “your” hardware is actually not yours.
For hardware that does insist on connection and even enable mesh networks, it’s safer to not buy those.
It’s always about AGENCY and power, not performances or preferences.
Right, Betamax much? It doesn’t really matter if one technology is objectively “better” on all aspects than another if the strategy to make it popular outpaces the other.
To be clear I wish you were right (even though I don’t find open source models to be free of problems) but I think the conclusion is a wish, not a logical one.
No.
Not because it’s not technically feasible but rather I would psychologically not manage to make money knowing my portfolio, either directly or via EFTs, makes me money by profiteering of BigTech or surveillance capitalism.
Full disclosure : I did have Apple and NVIDIA stocks and I did sell them not because they were not making money (there sure were) but because I felt disgusted by HOW they made money.
PS: KYC and related laws in a lot of countries demand you use your real information and declare your earnings, so again it’s not a technical problem, it’s at least ALSO a legal problem, and arguably a moral one if you believe KYC kind of laws help to curb money laundering.
I think that’s an important distinction here :
versus
So when you say “what’s frustrating is that we can’t really vote with our wallets, and any right-to-repair or consumer-is-in-charge movement is going to be limited by intelligence agencies, corporations like John Deere, Apple, and the entire entertainment industry” I disagree.
We CAN really vote with our wallets precisely by purchasing things like Precursor, MNT, NitroKey, etc while at the same time expecting, sadly, that it won’t become the most popular devices in the market. I believe allowing creators and maintainers of such system, and even distributors like CrowdSupply, to exist even though they are and might always remain niche, is already empowering. So I’d argue both of us already voted with our wallets on this topic and our acquaintances too.
I’d also be cautious about preemptive pessimism. Sure it’s important to be mindful of worrisome examples like the FlipperZero (which AFAICT is only banned for purchase in Brazil due to lack of Anatel’s certification for wireless, I believe it’s possible to legally bring and use a FlipperZero in the country but I’m not a lawyer) or DRM for streaming (which I thought was a huge deal until I disabled DRM support in my browser and basically nothing changed in my browsing habits) precisely to learn from them. Also FWIW I did gather some ideas on the topic at https://fabien.benetou.fr/Content/SwappingPartsOfTheRestrictionStack so I’d be curious about your opinion on the topic, suggestions welcomed.
TPM. It’s what protects your phone and servers from attackers. Desktop would also benefit from it a lot.
Hard disagree here, TPM is only 1 more protection, it’s not what alone does protect your data. Also desktop vs phone and servers are very different use cases. You can easily get your phone stolen in a public space. Your server if it hosted in a data center you don’t own might get compromised … but your desktop, it means breaking in or inviting in guests you do not trust. The situations are very different. Encrypting disks on a small device holding sensitive data, e.g. banking, that can easily be taken from you in public makes sense for most people. Doing so on a heavy bulky device that sits in your locked house where is quite another thing.
FWIW for RPi https://www.crowdsupply.com/anavi-technology/anavi-tpm-2-0-for-raspberry-pi and more generally to store anything anywhere https://shop.nitrokey.com/shop/nitrokey-storage-2-56
Neat, also got my Precursor there, but then are you saying that projects there are limited and if so how?
A good rule of thumb is : does any of the participant maintain the backend?
If not then you are dependent on at least a 3rd party. If that 3rd party is not entirely open, meaning at least
then basically you should consider that this 3rd party owns your group, there is no expectation of privacy in it, it can be closed in an instant, messages can be modified without you knowing it, etc.
TL;DR: bad.
limited by intelligence agencies, corporations like John Deere, Apple, and the entire entertainment industry
What do you think of commercial platforms like CrowdSupply with e.g. https://www.crowdsupply.com/search?q=tpm where OSHW solutions can be sold to individual and companies?
I bet the downvotes are because it’s not helpful to OP.
What software?
Anyway you can use QEMU https://computernewb.com/wiki/QEMU/Guests/Windows_11 or rent a VPS for the duration of your testing, assuming there is hardware related.
Historical context : it’s a 1yo post.
TPM itself isn’t the problem. TPM itself technically might be a good solution, what the FSF precisely put forward is “out of the user’s control”. They even mention how it’s not about theoretical ideas but how it’s actually used. If Microsoft gets to decide HOW your computers works DESPITE you wanting NOT to behave that way AND it makes Microsoft itself, or its partners, even more entrenched then it’s a serious problem, it means “your” computer is their computer.
What we have all witnessed is that bit by bit OSes like Windows, but also MacOS and Android, are not simply providing stores or tightly controllers channel (with fees for themselves) but ALSO removing entirely, or making it radically harder, to install software the user actually wants to install (not malware).
It’s not about TPM, it’s as usual about who control your computer.
Apple still has the most reliable out of the box experience for hardware.
Out of curiosity, did you try an equivalent, e.g. Framework or Tuxedo or a SteamDeck, or only generic hardware, like a PC, then slapped on it a random distribution?
I don’t want to presume of your experiences and only to highlight that Apple out of the box experience better be flawless precisely because they have very limited hardware to support. In fact I would argue any distribution, even an obscure one, could fare very very well if it only had well known hardware (even if hundreds of them) supported, as opposed to an open and thus endless ecosystem.
Fair enough but I think every single “I managed to leave the wall garden!” is a rally cry for others who are still on the verge of trying. It’s encouraging to see the success of others.
I believe the idea is that you run your own instance if none of the existing one fits your need.
If you do set one up for your own LUG you can, if you want, decide to then open it up for LUGs organizers elsewhere.
That’s actually my recommendation yes.
If somehow after a month you feel like you do want this “lifestyle”, are comfortable with setting up a VPN (if you need external access) THEN spend more and get your a SBI like a RPi and have it at home. If that’s still not enough then go up to a proper server you host, use a non commercial ISP, etc … but IMHO don’t start with a server at home if you are not familiar with all this, it’s counter intuitively harder and definitely more expensive.
Also FWIW you should still have an offsite backup regardless of how you do it.