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simosx commented on Native Americans urge Apache Software Foundation to ditch its name   theregister.com/2023/01/1... · Posted by u/mgd
firstSpeaker · 3 years ago
I cannot even imagine the ramification of such change throughout the software industry. All the packages, modules, artifacts, dns names, and the list continues.

PS: I am not commenting about the merit of the demand but the ramification.

simosx · 3 years ago
The easy way out is to change the name to "ASF" and not use the full name "Apache Software Foundation". The downside is that it now becomes the "ASF Foundation" which is a big pill to swallow for the purists.

They don't need to change the internal use of 'apache'.

The ASF will keep 'apache.org' but the huge problem is that they will NEVER accept to add a reference on the front page of the website "If you want to find more about the Apache indigenous tribe, click here".

simosx commented on Allwinner D1s/F133 RISC-V Processor Integrates 64MB DDR2   cnx-software.com/2021/10/... · Posted by u/thedday
naraic0o · 4 years ago
Allwinner? Maybe, but I highly doubt it. They're one of the worst offenders when it comes to releasing sources.[0]

[0] https://linux-sunxi.org/GPL_Violations

simosx · 4 years ago
Allwinner wants to sell as many SoCs as possible. Being open and having good Linux support is good business. The serve the low-end sector, which means they may not spend a lot of money for Linux support. But Linux support is good for business.

About a decade ago, Allwinner was providing an "SDK" to vendors to customize the Linux kernel for their devices. This "SDK" was a tarball of the compiled Linux kernel. In it, there were object files for drivers by third-parties for devices in the SoC that Allwinner sourced from other companies. Allwinner had the source code but obviously could not release it. They did not think better, and included those object files because it helps device integrators (mainly Android) to get the job done.

How do you deal with this issue with this blatant GPL violation? Obviously, you do not alienate the company. They fcked up but it's not the end of the world. They cannot release the source code of parts they do not own. You build a relationship and get them through to the right path.

But what happened in reality? A colossal f

ck-up. An attempt to "blackmail" the company to release the full source code and enforce the GPL. Listen to this, an attempt to enforce the GPL to a company "located in China". Not even on vendors that sell products in Europe or the US.

This alienated any attempts to get Allwinner's upper management to work with Linux. Allwinner made an effort and released some stuff (https://github.com/allwinner-zh) including the bootloader source and documentation (2015). The damage was done.

In 2016, Linus and other kernel developers posted their position on enforcing the GPL (https://lwn.net/Articles/698452/). Very pragmatic and should have been followed with Allwinner.

simosx commented on Flutter is the default choice for future Ubuntu apps   twitter.com/ubuntu/status... · Posted by u/dangwu
ajfjrbfbf · 5 years ago
What's wrong with GTK?
simosx · 5 years ago
It is not much of a question of what's wrong with GTK, Qt, etc.

Flutter is cross-platform. Canonical is doing the work for Linux. Toyota is doing the work for embedded devices (to use in their cars). Microsoft is doing the work for their foldable tablets. At the moment, Flutter has the momentum to be the UI for everything. Whether it will pan out, we will be here to see.

simosx commented on Flutter is the default choice for future Ubuntu apps   twitter.com/ubuntu/status... · Posted by u/dangwu
bithavoc · 5 years ago
Can I use flutter without Material Design? It’s one of the things that throws me off about it, all the examples look like Android apps.
simosx · 5 years ago
Oh, on Linux, Flutter apps will have the default Ubuntu theme.
simosx commented on “I saw that you spun up an Ubuntu image in Azure”   twitter.com/LucaBongiorni... · Posted by u/fireball_blaze
njkleiner · 5 years ago
It's a real shame, Ubuntu used to be my go-to distro, but for me this is the last straw in the history of shady things Canonical has done.

One of the things I liked most about Ubuntu is that the installation process is incredibly easy and everything "just works". Does anyone know a good alternative?

I'd love to go all in on Alpine, but using it on the desktop doesn't exactly spark joy.

simosx · 5 years ago
It is weird that this is your "last straw". Most likely you haven't used Ubuntu for a very long time and just want to influence others to switch away from Ubuntu.
simosx commented on “I saw that you spun up an Ubuntu image in Azure”   twitter.com/LucaBongiorni... · Posted by u/fireball_blaze
slim · 5 years ago
I used to be a ubuntu user from the time they were mailing cds like you. I abandoned ubuntu for debian when they started doing strange things with my desktop like putting the window controls on the wrong side of the window for no other reason than user lock in.

Last week my son installed ubuntu on his cheap tablet pc. it worked flawlessly : wifi, sound, track pad and even touch screen. on screen keyboard worked. even the wacom tablet worked out of the box. when he was on windows he had to install a driver for it to work!

so I guess I'm not mad at ubuntu anymore. it's just not for me. or any linux geek. it's for windows users.

simosx · 5 years ago
Those windows controls on the left was the result of UI experiments. The mouse travels less when the controls are on the left. Imagine launching an application with the launcher on the left, and when you want to close to close the application, you have to move the mouse aaalllll the way to the right. It is not a breathtaking innovation as OS/X had been doing it already.

You can learn to use the windows controls on the left. I got used to using them and it takes a few days to feel at home. When sadly Ubuntu switched back to GNOME Shell and reverted this change, it felt really unnatural to have those windows controls on the wrong side. Still, you get used to it after a few days.

simosx commented on “I saw that you spun up an Ubuntu image in Azure”   twitter.com/LucaBongiorni... · Posted by u/fireball_blaze
tailspin2019 · 5 years ago
I too have started to notice some increased “friction” when trying to setup Ubuntu these days.

Like you, I don’t care about “snaps” (though in my ignorance I’m willing to accept I may be missing out on something useful...)

Even when you go to their Download page for Server, the first option is not a download link but some blurb about “Multipass” which I’m pretty sure is not what the majority of people are looking for when they click a menu option called “Download” for a server OS.

But this LinkedIn crap is just awful and surprises me coming from Canonical.

simosx · 5 years ago
That's the page, https://ubuntu.com/download/server

You get three options to run Ubuntu server.

The first option is to run Ubuntu server in a VM, and most users will want to run Ubuntu server in a VM. Multipass is a tool that helps you run Ubuntu server in a VM. Multipass is just a front-end for KVM when you use a Linux distribution. If you use Windows, it is a front-end for Hyper-V, etc.

The second option is to perform a manual installation, which means that you get the ISO and do your thing.

Between the two, most people would want to install Ubuntu Server in a VM rather than on baremetal. I think it makes sense to put that first. If a person is a power-user, then can read on and select Option 2.

I see that there is a perceived negativity on anything Ubuntu that if something is different, it is perceived as something bad is happening.

simosx commented on “I saw that you spun up an Ubuntu image in Azure”   twitter.com/LucaBongiorni... · Posted by u/fireball_blaze
somehnguy · 5 years ago
I installed Ubuntu onto a physical machine recently because I needed to use a Linux package for something real quick.

Upon trying to install the incredibly common package I was given some error about it not existing and some nonsense about using snaps. I don't care about learning how to use snaps, I just want to get something done. I quickly installed Debian instead and got back to doing the work I needed to do. It really soured my opinion of Ubuntu - a distro I first used back when they were still mailing out CDs.

This furthers my negative opinion of Canonical and solidifies my position that I'll never use Ubuntu again. Debian it is for me if I need Linux.

simosx · 5 years ago
Most likely you tried to run a command, this command was part of a package that has not been installed, and Ubuntu suggested to you to install a specific deb or snap package.

There is a usability package 'command-not-found', which is a handler for the shell and runs when the command you tried to run, was not found.

You mentioned though that you tried to install a package, the package was not found and got a suggestion to use snaps or something. There is no such thing as far as I know.

There are two packages, 'chromium-browser' and 'lxd'. In Ubuntu 20.04, both these packages are now only available as snap packages. If you try to install them with `apt install`, you get a notification that they are now only available as snap packages, and the installer transparently installs the snap package for you. This has been discussed a lot before implementing, and also here. The gist is that when you `sudo apt install chromium-browser`, you want the installation to work, not get an error message to run `sudo snap install chromium` instead.

simosx commented on Talent Is Largely a Myth   blog.nukemberg.com/post/t... · Posted by u/rayrey
simosx · 5 years ago
talent (τάλαντο) is a Greek word to describe some quality or charisma that some people may possess when they do something.

It comes from the ancient times of rulers and peasants when people actually believed in unspecified innate qualities that differentiate people from each other.

"talent" is so much ingrained into culture that people take its vague existence for granted. I think that "talent" is used as a praise for the purposes of attracting/luring someone to do all the work.

simosx commented on Three reasons fungi are not plants   asm.org/Articles/2021/Jan... · Posted by u/chewbacha
simosx · 5 years ago
There is evidence of fungi appearing over 1 billion years ago [1].

Plants first appeared around 400 million years ago or later [2]. In fact, early plants required symbiosis with fungi to grow. Even now, plants grow better if they have symbiosis with fungi and most plants (such as tomatoes) can grow symbiotically with fungi. But it is cheaper to use fertilizers, and those are used instead. Still, forest ecosystems still depend on fungi and require them as a way to recycle plant material (fallen leaves, dead plants and trees).

Evolutionary, fungi existed well before plants managed to evolve.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_fungi

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_history_of_plants

u/simosx

KarmaCake day630February 26, 2015
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