sparky
@sparky@lemmy.federate.cc
Lead administrator of federate.cc and its services. Please don’t DM me for support with federate.cc, make a post in /c/meta instead.
Originally from Fort Lauderdale 🇺🇸, lived many years in Vienna 🇦🇹, now living in Setúbal 🇵🇹. Software engineer specialized in Apple platforms. 🌎
- Comment on EU fines Apple $568m for deterring third-party payment methods on App Store 12 minutes ago:
Yes but I don’t believe consoles are a target of the DMA or this investigation. While would be nice if consoles were opened up and forced to allow side loading and alternative stores, I think there’s an argument that they’re single purpose appliances - a PlayStation is sold to you with the intention of it being a gaming box and not much else.
A smartphone or tablet though is at this point a general purpose computer, and it’s reasonable to expect to have the same freedoms and open environment that you would on a PC.
- Comment on Airbnb will now show users the total cost of their stay right away 3 days ago:
Laughs in European
- Comment on Google has illegal advertising monopoly, judge rules 1 week ago:
Well, that’s what I mean by “not really”, as opposed to “not at all”. It’s a single as placement - searching in the App Store. One result. That’s it.
They used to have a real advertising business but shut it down some years ago, it was called iAd.
- Comment on Google has illegal advertising monopoly, judge rules 1 week ago:
Apple doesn’t really have an advertising business. You can criticize them for many things, but it’s hard to fault them for a market they don’t operate in.
- Comment on Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk would like to ‘delete all IP law’ | TechCrunch 1 week ago:
So basically the bluesky source code is now public domain?
- Comment on Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Card Overview 3 weeks ago:
Switch cards hold a maximum of 32GB, maybe that’s why? Although it seems no excuse for Switch 2, given it’s a whole new generation, why not support larger cards? I mean you can buy a 256GB microSD for $15, and that’s a private individual buying one; at scale, the memory can’t be too expensive…
- Comment on In the latest Windows 11 preview build, Microsoft removed the “bypassnro” command, which let users skip signing into a Microsoft Account when installing Windows. 3 weeks ago:
True, but realistically for most people the lack of Google Play is a non starter. Unless you’re really technical and committed to FOSS, you’re going to need every day apps in there.
IMO the biggest issue on mobile is not even the stores but the fact that both platforms are so tightly integrated with the cloud and the account signed into the OS. Again, if you’re an ordinary user, you can barely do anything without it being tied to your Google account or whatever.
- Comment on In the latest Windows 11 preview build, Microsoft removed the “bypassnro” command, which let users skip signing into a Microsoft Account when installing Windows. 3 weeks ago:
You can still very easily use macOS without an Apple ID or iCloud account, actually. You lose out on iMessage, FaceTime and the App Store, basically. But that’s about it. And they don’t nag you about it ever again unless you try to send an iMessage or what have you.
On iOS and Android it’s effectively a requirement though, because App Store / Google Play. Phone is not too useful if you can’t install any apps.
- Comment on In the latest Windows 11 preview build, Microsoft removed the “bypassnro” command, which let users skip signing into a Microsoft Account when installing Windows. 3 weeks ago:
It increases security ^of the Microsoft share price^
- Comment on After 50 million miles, Waymos crash a lot less than human drivers 4 weeks ago:
Why sell $2 light rail fares when you can sell $40 Waymo fares? Now you’re thinking with capitalism!
- Comment on Tesla recalls all Cybertrucks ever made over trim falling off | Electrek 4 weeks ago:
I’m not sure that really says much. I hate swasticars as much as y’all do, but like, $400 phone versus $100K car. Makes sense the fire phone sold better. And I mean, it wasn’t being pushed by a literal Nazi so that helps.
- Comment on Discord going public. Plz help a future refugee. 5 weeks ago:
Kibo lives!!!1
- Comment on The Humane Ai Pin Will Become E-Waste Next Week 1 month ago:
I love that this meme can be fully depicted using emojis. I demand emoji versions of other common memes.
- Comment on Italy to require VPN and DNS providers to block pirated content 1 month ago:
Making something illegal and actually stopping it are two different things. Also see: drugs.
- Comment on All of Humane's AI pins will stop working in 10 days 2 months ago:
Oh good, more useless e-waste.
- Comment on Apple, Microsoft Joining Google Using Gulf of America in Maps Programs 2 months ago:
You mean Arizona 2?
- Comment on Apple, Microsoft Joining Google Using Gulf of America in Maps Programs 2 months ago:
Territorios Norteños de México.
- Comment on I have $5 genuine United States dollars here. 2 months ago:
I believe OP meant to say that they are surprised our banknotes aren’t made of plastic or a more durable material as Canadian dollars are - rather than the other possible interpretation, referring to a cashless economy.
- Comment on Next Xbox Rumored To Launch In 2026 With New Call Of Duty 3 months ago:
You can run UWP executables! If you publish to the MS store, distribution on Xbox is automatic unless you opt-out. But you’re right that you can’t run an arbitrary exe.
- Comment on Next Xbox Rumored To Launch In 2026 With New Call Of Duty 3 months ago:
I mean, the current Xbox is already hiding Windows under the hood. Always has, hence the original project name „DirectX Box“ ;)
- Comment on If you are a young person you have no idea how bad everyone and everything smelled until at least the 1990s. 3 months ago:
That’s interesting! My uninformed guess: since smoke is such a powerful smell, smoking constantly probably suppresses one‘s ability to smell other things - so after 20 years you’re probably accustomed to things smelling less strong and more smokey than they actually do. So I can see why smelling something very strong like cheese with your full sense of smell restored would be quite a shock!
- Submitted 4 months ago to startrek@startrek.website | 4 comments
- Comment on Not allowed to work from home 5 months ago:
Doing the Lord’s work there, Sonny!
- Comment on 'It Has Plateaued': Should We Be Worried About Console Gaming's Future? 5 months ago:
Console manufacturers will have to adapt and liberalize self-publishing to stay relevant. AAA gaming continues to enshittify, and indie games / smaller studios are the ones releasing the good titles.
Valve knows this, and the ease for developers to release on Steam means they’re well positioned to ride out the transition. By comparison, releasing on console means signing license agreements, getting access to proprietary SDKs, submitting your game through an approval process, getting each update reviewed, etc etc. The barriers make releasing on console very unappealing for smaller developers.
So IMO if the consoles want to ride out the decline of AAA games, they will need to reinvent their image and how they interact with smaller studios and indies.
- Comment on Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart wanted ‘so-called’ portraits ‘permanently disposed of’ 6 months ago:
That’s not accurate at all! The real Gina would be eating spiders with her lizard tongue.
- Comment on Starfield's first DLC is one of the worst Bethesda and DLCs of all time 6 months ago:
It does go on sale from time to time. I picked it up on Xbox last year for 60% off if I recall correctly.
- Comment on [deleted] 6 months ago:
Nope, you can buy an external one or something as an accessory but it’s another hundred bucks.
