OpenStars
@OpenStars@piefed.social
Compassion >~ Thought
- Comment on USA | CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately, upending expectations of an extended withdrawal 1 day ago:
They are not only "unnecessary", but counterproductive...
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to the purpose of corporations making short term profits. "Workers" can be replaced, but won't someone please think of the impact that telling people to stop paying for flights and food and such will have on ThE eCoNoMy!?!?
- Comment on Elon Musk email to X staff: ‘we’re barely breaking even’ 3 days ago:
That won't stop him from lording it over and blaming his subordinates as if it were personally their faults.
- Comment on How long does it take for a quantum torpedo to cover a distance of 12 parsecs? 2 weeks ago:
Well ackshually... yeah!?
- Comment on Google searches for deleting Facebook, Instagram explode after Meta ends fact-checking 2 weeks ago:
Friendica
- Comment on How active is Lemmy now? 3 weeks ago:
Well actually we use Arch btw...
Also, technically...
I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.
- Comment on How active is Lemmy now? 3 weeks ago:
The real answer: https://lemmy.ca/post/35073012
- Comment on How active is Lemmy now? 3 weeks ago:
- Comment on My attempt at explaining the fediverse in a way that is more fun and engaging 3 weeks ago:
Beautiful! 😍
- Comment on Not federated Lemmy instances? 3 weeks ago:
Hexbear essentially predated federation iirc, then migrated to Lemmy when that became possible. Hexbear is I think roughly the 3rd oldest instance - sorting its posts by Old shows that it is 4 years old, while lemmygrad.ml is 5 years old, and lemmy.ml is 6 years old. Lemmy.ca in Canada and the Finnish sopuli are both also 4 years old, mander.xyz is 3 years old, but Lemmy.world, by far the largest instance with ~80% of all users, is only ~2 years old, being formed at the time of the Rexodus.
Read some more about it here (*don't* click the link there to follow further - in true hexbear trolling fashion it will simply take you to a picture showing a pig in the act of pooping, you have been warned) and especially here, e.g.:
Two of the sites listed there, Hexbear (aka. chapo.chat) and Bakchodi, do not federate. They are not part of the Fediverse, but they are using Lemmy. Hexbear is actually running their own *fork* of Lemmy.
TLDR: bc they felt like it, then they didn't, now it seems like they almost do again, bc facts are nearly always stranger than fiction:-).
- Comment on My attempt at explaining the fediverse in a way that is more fun and engaging 3 weeks ago:
The Fediverse is a bunch of pirate and free trade ships that pass messages around with one another.
Pick a ship and let's get going!
Then show a list of the top instances. e.g. lemm.ee has the maximum amount of content, but at the cost of including all known trolling instances - Alt-Right, Alt-Left, and otherwise. lemmynsfw.com for, you know, porn, but many people block it as a result. Themed instances for Star Trek, Star Wars, anarchy, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, computer programming, gaming, anime, climate change, general science, etc. Or location based like aussie.zone for Australia, lemmy.ca for Canada, feddit.org for Germany, feddit.uk for UK, jlai.lu for France, Discuss.Online for USA, etc.
Sorting the list at https://lemmy.fediverse.observer/list can help. Unfortunately it requires 2 clicks after following that link to see what I mean, as the URL won't provide a sort ordering.
For the examples given, you could make links that show the feed sorted by Local and Active, to show what kind of content is most readily accessible there - e.g. this link, and therefore would have the least amount of federation (message passing) issues especially delays.
For the most part I would avoid instances having only a single admin as there can be problems with that, like them not responding quickly to a request to make a new account, or in the worst case what happened with Ernst at Kbin.social or dmv.social or so on where when the single person called it quits then the entire instance disappeared.
Which boat you choose can have a MASSIVE difference in how you experience the Fediverse - e.g. check out how different lemmy.ml looks from Lemmy.ca - bc of how many people will straight up block your entire instance (e.g. I have blocked all users from Lemmy.ml, bc I don't enjoy those type of tankie/Alt-Left messages in my feed).
- Comment on Is the Fediverse Too Complex? Can It Embrace Simplicity Without Losing Its Identity? 3 weeks ago:
A few ways to contribute to move these ideas forward:
If you know one of either Python or HTML+CSS then you can start contributing to PieFed (explanation, which is much easier than learning Rust (+ also JavaScript) for Lemmy.
There is just *so much* low-hanging fruit there - like in Lemmy why can I only see upvotes separately from downvotes when viewing the web UI from a mobile device but not a desktop one, and even then for posts those values are below the post, alongside the actual voting voting, whereas for comments that identical information is way up above the content in a whole separate area, sometimes on the right of the screen but other times to the left. Ofc there are apps but those fall behind too, as new changes come out.
Similarly, Sublinks uses Java, and Mastodon uses mostly Ruby on Rails and JavaScript (description).
Or Mbin already combines Lemmy + Mastodon, written in PHP (requirements).
Or make a community on an existing platform, and invite people to post and join as you do the work of moderation.
Or help with funding bc server hardware and networking isn't free. Or start one of your own and invite people to join.
Lots of work is happening. Lots more remains to be done.
- Comment on Is the Fediverse Too Complex? Can It Embrace Simplicity Without Losing Its Identity? 3 weeks ago:
The first half of the sentence you quoted is:
Explore the possibility of a single account system that allows users to seamlessly log into multiple Fediverse platforms
So one account for a Lemmy instance, another for a Mastodon instance, another for a Friendica instance, another for Loops, another for PeerTube, etc.
- Comment on Single instance Lemmy? 4 weeks ago:
- Comment on I cannot tell you a way my life has genuinely gotten better since the advent of "smart" phones. 4 weeks ago:
Oh that's awesome! I barely use my camera as it is, so that is perfectly fine for me:-). Everything I hear about it sounds so good:-).
- Comment on I cannot tell you a way my life has genuinely gotten better since the advent of "smart" phones. 4 weeks ago:
That somewhat sounds like perfection actually:-).
Is the touchscreen experience less smooth than a traditional smartphone?
- Comment on I cannot tell you a way my life has genuinely gotten better since the advent of "smart" phones. 4 weeks ago:
Wow and even those have touch screens (most of them:-).
- Comment on I cannot tell you a way my life has genuinely gotten better since the advent of "smart" phones. 4 weeks ago:
It is a tool. Make sure to use it rather than allow it to use you. For my next phone I wish I could get a dumbphone but the need to have something like Google Maps is too strong. I'll definitely just get a cheapie though, or perhaps a Fairphone.
- Comment on Joe Biden issues 'full and unconditional' pardon for son 1 month ago:
We might be past the point where notes, or facts, help rather than hinder anymore:-(.
- Comment on Joe Biden issues 'full and unconditional' pardon for son 1 month ago:
I mean, it'll make it harder / less likely for people to oppose things. Unless I'm still way too naive even after this last term. I'm still way too naive even after this last term aren't I!?:-(
- Comment on Joe Biden issues 'full and unconditional' pardon for son 1 month ago:
- Comment on Joe Biden issues 'full and unconditional' pardon for son 1 month ago:
*He* is not, but centrists who aren't paying close attention are.
Most American's don't pay close attention, and many are vulnerable to such an optic.
This fuels the thought that the Dems are corrupt - which ofc they *are* (not saying that this is an example of that, just in general) - though they are by no means equally so to the other side.
I'm not even suggesting that he should have done differently - maybe? but what do I know? - I am saying that this will become fodder for the other side to claim corruption.
- Comment on Joe Biden issues 'full and unconditional' pardon for son 1 month ago:
Oh I thought you were asking what I meant. "The new Presidency will absolutely spin and use this event." and then "Yes the system is broken but the optics here look REALLY bad."
The reasoning doesn't even matter anymore, bc it's already done. I was talking about the fall-out. Centrists who aren't paying attention won't care about reasons anyway.
But if you want to get into it, it sounds like it would be a cost-to-benefit trade-off, e.g. if 16 months in minimum security prison, maybe able to just do a house arrest situation (didn't they do that for Roger Stone?), then that's one thing. As people are saying here elsewhere in the comments, "hunter filled out a form wrong" - which sounds like the penalty for that would be super low? But perhaps I'm missing something.
And some people consider principles to be quite important. Arguably it was the lack of enticement to vote Democrat that led to Trump winning the Presidency even?
Though anyway, I'm not trying to "both sides" this - I consider the matter already settled and done, and again was talking purely about the fall-out i.e. what happens next?
- Comment on Joe Biden issues 'full and unconditional' pardon for son 1 month ago:
Ofc, but that's more evidence of Trump doing whatever - whereas now they have something to point to in order to claim "bOtH siDeS", which even if only 5% true / 95% false, can nonetheless work on a centrist who isn't paying attention. And since the popular vote means nothing and those people control the entire outcome of every election, that could end up being highly impactful, e.g. in an upcoming House or Senate race where it might flip a seat towards Republicans that would otherwise have gone to Democrats.
- Comment on Joe Biden issues 'full and unconditional' pardon for son 1 month ago:
They will spin it regardless:-P.
Not everyone seems to be agreeing that this is bad.
Yes the system is broken but the optics here look REALLY bad.
I liken it to what happened to the post office: first they shoot it in the leg, then blame it for being slow, then move to kill it off, citing how poor its performance is and thus deserving of blame and yeah sure "*that*" is why it must be killed off.
Now they have that much more support to kill off the DOJ - b/c despite how the President can do whatever he wants, now the previous President *also* did whatever he wants too (not really but again, optics, especially to those who will refuse to dig deeper into learning about something, even prior to showing up with a gun to help "defend democracy").
- Comment on Joe Biden issues 'full and unconditional' pardon for son 1 month ago:
Yes but now it will be that much more difficult to fight against it - assuming anyone even tries.
Hunter himself pleaded guilty, and this pardon is prior to sentencing (there are *reasons* for such obviously), and the justification is not that he is innocent, but that people who commit this crime usually are punished in a civil rather than criminal manner. Plus Biden seemed to be firm that he would never do this, until then he changed his mind and did - which on top of "DOJ bad" adds a measure of "President can do however he pleases". Especially for people who aren't paying attention, these are powerful symbols.
Conservatives were going to *try*, and who are we kidding almost certainly will have succeeded (definitely eventually anyway, even if heavy pushback might have lengthened the timetable more than they would have preferred), but their chances of succeeding right away are now higher than they were last week.
I wonder what the alternative would have been - 16 months in jail for the crimes he committed (that was only for one of the two though), vs. what now that will shake the foundation of our nation?
- Comment on Joe Biden issues 'full and unconditional' pardon for son 1 month ago:
The new Presidency will absolutely spin and use this event.
- Comment on Silenced and erased, Hong Kong's decade of protest is now a defiant memory 1 month ago:
- Comment on Silenced and erased, Hong Kong's decade of protest is now a defiant memory 1 month ago:
Jon Stewart
- Comment on chirp 2 months ago:
Want some...?
- Comment on 'Ouest-France' becomes first French newspaper to stop posting on X 2 months ago:
What if they were to admin their own instance? It'd be a lot of work though.
