I blog about #technology #gadgets #opensource #FOSS #greentech #traditionalwetshaving #LCHF #health #alternativeto #hamradio (ZS1OSS) #southafrica - see https://gadgeteer.co.za/blog. I also blog to various other social networks which I list at https://gadgeteer.co.za/social-networks-i-post-to.

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Cake day: Sep 26, 2022

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There’s no mention though in the linked article that Richard actually thinks this? Both XMPP and Nostr are extensible. Nostr saw accounts linked to a server as weakness, and therefore went with many relays (any of which can be used).

But as also mentioned, Richard is actually very active on Mastodon today. ActivityPub is not the best protocol around, but it is now a W3C standard and seems to have more popular uptake than both XMPP and Nostr (Nostr having the excuse that it is very new still).

BTW I’m active daily on XMPP, Nostr, Mastodon, IRC, and many more, so have no particular stake in any one.


Thanks, I see now it is actually more a migration option for some supported extensions, I’ll see if I can update the post accordingly. The title they gave was a bit misleading.


Thanks, I see now it is actually more a migration option for some supported extensions, I’ll see if I can update the post accordingly. The title they gave was a bit misleading.


Firefox can now import and use Chrome extensions as part of its migration import option
In a major update towards cross-browser compatibility, Firefox users are set to enjoy the benefits of importing Chrome extensions (note this is really part of the data import/migration from an existing Chrome browser installed, just for extensions that are already supported, and not installing from the Chrome web store), thanks to a new feature unveiled by Mozilla. This is a big deal because it brings us one step closer to having more compatibility between browsers. Mozilla has been working on making extensions easier across multiple browsers, and this new feature is currently being tested. Best part? It’s already available to all users of the latest stable version of Firefox. Firefox itself actually has quite a few excellent extensions that you don't find on Chromium based browsers, so I'm wondering whether Google will be responding with importing Firefox extensions into Chrome? But I'm not holding my breath at all. See https://debugpointnews.com/firefox-chrome-extensions/
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They are probably too many people and trying to push the videos out to sustain and grow that further. Quality and detail can suffer because of that. They probably need to scale back a bit, and spend more time on producing the videos (sort of go back to their roots).


Yes I had big issues with Fitbit straps always breaking. But they only lasted for me just past warranty dates. A ring is really hardy and still gives about 6 days ona charge.


India, the world’s largest smartwatch market, is getting new smart rings by BoAt and Noise, similar to Oura but likely cheaper
Tech giants such as Apple, Samsung and Huawei have long focused on the wrist. It’s not the most comfortable option for everyone, and it can be challenging to maintain precise tracking through the wrist. Ensuring that your smartwatch fits snugly to obtain accurate data is crucial. A smart ring can be the great solution, however, provided you have the right size. A finger has access to arteries, which a smartwatch could not reach, Mohit Kumar, founder and CEO of Ultrahuman, which counts iSeed, Steadview, Nexus Venture Partners and Blume among its key investors, told TechCrunch. “If you go to any medical grade pulse oximetry devices, you put it on your finger. You don’t put it on your wrist. That’s primarily because this is a much better source of data,” he said. Khatri of Noise agreed with Kumar and said the data available through a finger is way higher than a device can get from a smartwatch. Launching smart rings from BoAt and Noise is expected to bring competition to this nascent space. The products are not yet launched, but the R&D and work commenced over a year back. Another positive sign is that it is unlikely that the data will sit behind a subscription pay wall (as Oura's latest ring has). I've been pretty impressed with my Oura ring, but it was very costly, and they did send me a replacement ring just after the warranty expired as the battery was suddenly giving out. So I may be keen to test one of these new Indian rings out when they are available. So I'll be watching this space closely. More competition in the market, especially from India, is going to be good for consumers. See https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/13/smart-rings-india/
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I can identify with this. I went on early retirement (5 years ahead of time) because I was sick and tired of an open-plan office that kept distracting me constantly. If I had to get something done seriously quickly, like consolidated month reports etc, I had to do it from home. My productivity was at 50% or less at an office because of constant interruptions, or colleagues talking at the desk next to mine.

And of course senior managers would have their own offices, so they could get work done.

The rule should be, if open-plan offices make so much sense for collaboration etc, then everyone gets an open-plan office, including HR and the CEO. They can also go meet in a meeting room for private conversations.

It’s easy to make decisions for employees when you don’t have to follow those decisions yourself… want employees back at work, yes then make it better for them.



No as far as I know this was legal requirements around thd right to be forgotten. It costs time and effort so not a feature they exactly wanted to just role out for the good of all.


Google has announced several key changes to make its search platform safer for users by giving more control to South Africans (and other countries) over what personal information appears in results. The internet giant said that it is bundling a host of new features that will allow users to remove their personal information from search and tackle explicit material posted without consent. Google said that it is implementing major updates to this tool, making it easier for users to remove their personal contact information from Search. The tool will proactively monitor the web for results containing users’ contact information and enable immediate removal requests. Users will also be notified when new results appear containing their contact info. Why this is also positive, is that it can also be difficult to get information removed from actual websites which are in many different countries. So being able to also just remove the indexed link, does help quite a bit as there is no longer something pointing most users to that information associated with you. So will this be possible with DDG and Brave search too? I know some may decry the freedom of search is being encroached here, but it should also be remembered that it does often happen that the private information being published is also not legal. Just today, when testing this out I discovered my private cellphone number published (I know from the wording with it, that it was obtained from very likely a banking or insurance source, and my permission was not given for it to be published). In many countries, the right to privacy is also entrenched in their laws. The right to know does not usually override the right to privacy that individuals have. See https://businesstech.co.za/news/internet/709098/4-big-changes-coming-to-google-including-removing-personal-information-and-images-from-search/ #technology #privacy #search
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Snowrunner for me too. I nearly gave up in frustration at the beginning though, as the trucks are near useless at getting through any mud or water. But the stunning physics and landscapes etc kept me going. Once you have your bearings and get a decent truck, the whole experience changes.


There are some such as D3.js, and some Python libraries such as Plotly, Bokeh, Matplotlib, etc but I’ve not used them. Another source may be free analytics apps. But it may also be worth seeing if you can’t import your data to something like Samsung Health as the upload does also strip out most normal metadata that an actual app is reading the whole time. Otherwise this app may be an alternative too with some built-in analytics at https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.tadris.fitness/.


Does it not depend on who you follow, is what you see in your feed? Like most networks on Fediverse.


It was actually created in 2022 as Calckey, as a fork of Misskey, so one of the Fediverse social networking sites. It has recently rebranded though to the Firefish name. It is a real breath of fresh air though in terms of features and great UI!


They did not mention iOS. I suspect, although they exclude Google Services, it is hooking into some other dependencies. Their Githib project drills into more details on specific Bluetooth LE devices supported.


Value your health by keeping track on your training. It records as you go running or walking, and gives you a bike computer with a bigger screen for cycling. You can even mark interesting locations along your way with pictures. The app keeps recorded statistics in great detail for analysis. It also has voice announcements, and supports Bluetooth LE sensors for heart rate (Polar, Wahoo Kicker/Ticker, moofit, Mi Band 3, Amazfit Neo, Garmin HRM, and more), speed and distance (running and cycling), cadence (cycling), and a power meter (cycling). It measures altitude gain/loss via the phone's barometer sensor. You can export data without any restrictions, as tracks either as KMZ (incl. photos), KML, or GPX. It requires no Internet access, or extra permissions, and there are no adverts nor in-app analytics. You share only the data you want others to have. It can be installed from the Google Play Store, but also from the F-Droid store, with all Google services excluded. It is not aiming to be a direct competitor to Strava because there is no public website, and also no iOS app. Strava's website does help create more of a social and peer pressure type motivation for many, across both Android and iOS users. But OpenTrack is focussing more on preserving privacy by not using such a service, although one can import the recording into other apps and share from there. Regarding iOS, well the app is fully open source, so maybe someone could consider compiling it for iOS if the dependencies are not an issue. See https://opentracksapp.com/ #technology #fitnesstracker #health #OpenTracks #opensource
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The wakeup really is not whether it is the NSA or anyone else buying the data, it’s about the companies providing the data to the data brokers, who on-sell it. I, just this week, reported a company who state don Google Play Store that they don’t send data to 3rd parties, and where in their Privacy Policy on their website state in numerous places where and how they send data to 3rd parties (they actually use the words 3rd parties). I also sent them an e-mail highlighting the contradiction.

The fact is they rely on us not digging any deeper than the superficial statement. Whatsapp and Facebook do really deep level metadata analysis, yet they focus only on actual message content not being harvested. It is smoke and mirrors…


I’m sorry, but those “suggestions” sound wrong - a chronological feed exposes users to untrustworthy content. The point is an algorithmic feed is unknown manipulation UNLESS the algorithm is known and published. Engaging less is also NOT a bad thing at all, unless you are the platform itself. The inference is that an algorithm will expose users to less political and untrustworthy content? Well, certainly not if the platform wants to generate continuous engagement through provocation and the creation of outrage.

But OK, it is an experiment by Meta, so let’s just leave it at that.


That is really going to be interesting, yes! It is seriously needed despite what Apple will say. And if implemented correctly it can still be E2EE but with our own client apps.


No, not regionally, as Whatsapp is probably used most. It is more individuals who decided not to use Facebook related products. Luckily, about 90% of my contacts are on Telegram. It’s a bit sad that a proprietary product that leaks metadata could be so widely used. If there was going to be a single “one product” I’d rather prefer that to be an open standard protocol. Those protocols exist, but are not in broad use. But the W3C standard for social networking, really needs to also cover chat messengers.


Not “everyone” uses Whatsapp though - I deleted mine after the Cambridge Analytica scandal and I know of a few others who also did so. As far as I know Whatsapp has still never changed their T&C to pass metadata upstream to Facebook.


Well universal chat (like universal e-mail) is either going to be a common open protocol (does not seem very likely given Apple and all the other players) or is going to be something like this on the client side. Although its a lot of work, it does seem more possible. The only pity is it can’t solve connecting to services that I don’t use like Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp.


According to the International Water Association (IWA), the main culprits for this loss are underground leaks on water mains and service pipes. To monitor leaks in water pipeline networks, researchers at the Polytechnic University of Milan have experimented with a novel method using fibre optics — the inexpensive and commonly-used technology that allows us to have fast internet at home. The scientists developed a distributed fibre optic sensing (DFOS) cable based on the so-called Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) technology, which enables the processing and storage of optical information. This is a staggering amount of water lost daily, and it's not just the drinking water itself, but for local governments it usually also means lots of lost revenue. In South Africa, we've seen the crazy situation where a city is being flooded by rains, but there is a shortage of drinking water. But the reason is simply due to problems with the delivery of water, even though dams may be full. It is good to see research not only focusing on putting billionaires on Mars, but also trying to solve real-world challenges facing billions of humans on Earth right now. Water is our most precious and essential resource here on Earth, and although we may see much of it, only a very little is actual drinking water, and that water needs to reach people every day for them to survive. It would be great if this fibre could be both used for this detection, and at the same time, also provide Internet access. See https://thenextweb.com/news/fibre-optics-answer-to-water-loss-leaky-pipes #technology #fibre #waterleaks
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The app was written in Python and started out for the HP-45 (ROM is included) but finally included also the HP-35 and the HP-80, as well as three others. For macOS and Windows you could just run the included executables, or with the Python code, this will run fine on Linux if you have Python installed. Nice thing is that you can also modify or tweak the Python code if you wish. As she states, this is not a "how to learn HP or RPN" but there is a lot of included online help, and the original HP manuals are available online. What an amazing resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the inner workings of these legendary calculators. See https://sarahkmarr.com/retrohp1973.html #technology #opensource #Python #HP1973 #HP45
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I rediscovered this weather app again (for Android and iOS) and am quite amazed that it now has a 4.9 out of 5 rating on the Google app store, and 5m+ downloads just on Android. Weather forecasting is just never going to be 100% accurate but I do like that this app presents a forecast view from a number of forecasting services so that you can best compare them. The widgets are also the most customisable that I've seen with font size adjustments, icon type, and a good selection to choose from. The weather page itself is also customisable to quickly see what you most want to first. I was pleased to see it does accept, and works fine with, a non-precise location. It is also ad-free and there is an option to share some info, but it is defaulted to off. They work on donations via PayPal for once-off donations (nice to have that option), or monthly via the Android or iOS app stores. The app is Japanese based so hopefully data is safe from the US NSA, but they do state they are not selling data to any 3rd parties. They do seem to be handling privacy according to best practices. They claim their feature is actually the "wow" weather photos you see, and they also offer a marketplace to sell your own weather photos via their market. See https://weawow.com/ #technology #weather #weawow
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BMW smart glasses help bikers navigate with head-up display technology: But of course it's not cheap
The new BMW Motorrad ConnectedRide smart glasses integrate the familiar BMW head-up display technology found in its cars. They project data such as navigation, speed or selected gear directly into the rider’s field of vision in real time. They are designed for comfort and fit numerous helmets and face shapes. The lithium-ion battery enables up to 10 hours of operation and BMW Motorrad supplies two sets of certified UVA/UVB lenses with the frame. I remember a helmet also having something like this a few years back, and I'm not sure if it is still around. This, being a BMW product, probably means it is solid and works well, but also means it's going to cost €690 (ZAR14,202). Having navigation directions also visible does mean your expensive phone need not be sitting exposed on the bike's dash (which in South Africa can be a brave thing to do). See https://www.timeslive.co.za/motoring/news/2023-07-11-bmw-smartglasses-help-bikers-navigate-with-head-up-display-technology/ #technology #motorcycling #BMW #HUD
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Lemmy instance for amateur radio enthusiasts
All things amateur radio at this instance. So if you're interested, you can follow from any existing Lemmy instance you're at. I see the following communities already there: - Amateur Radio at [!amateur_radio@lemmy.radio](https://lemmy.radio/c/amateur_radio) - Lemmy talk - Homebrewing - Digital Modes - Rag Chew - CW Talk - Weekly Net - Macs in the Shack - VHF+ - SOTA - Shack Pics - POTA - DMR
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Social Media is broken. Can we fix it?
Most people agree that Social Media is broken and that we need to find new solutions. Max DeMarco embarked on a journey to find out more about a new invention called NOSTR. This is his documentary about that journey and his interview with key players. I've actually been on Nostr myself a few months (and did my own video about it). As with most alternative networks, you see who you put in your feed. Watch at https://youtu.be/aA-jiiepOrE
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Withings Body Smart Review: A Connected Scale For the Masses that includes baby/pet weight
I like devices that are not locked into an OS ecosystem (Apple, I'm looking at you!) and although I already have a Fitbit Aria scale, it gets thrown out when my wife stands on the scale with a pet, to get the pet's weight (you weigh yourself, hold the pet, and then work out the difference). Having a built-in pet/baby mode is actually really useful. But Withings also has some other interesting features like Eyes-Closed mode, Athlete mode, Pregnancy mode, etc apart from all the usual smart scale measurement features. And of course it will sync to Apple and Google/Samsung Health, and Strava or MyFitnessPal. Thankfully the Withings+ subscription is not needed for any of the above functionality, so I may seriously consider buying this scale. See the review at https://www.howtogeek.com/894214/withings-body-smart-review/ #technology #weight #Withings #smartscale #health
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How to Download Your Reddit Data and have full text search of it offline
Reddit has a form where you can request a copy of your data. The process can take up to 30 days, after which you will get a private message on your Reddit account with a download link. The data comes in the form of CSV files that you can open using Microsoft Excel or any text editor. If you’d rather not wait for Reddit to deliver your data, or would prefer to keep your data in a searchable archive, you can use Brownman’s tool, reddit-user-to-sqlite. This command line application can download the complete public archive of any Reddit user and compile it in an SQLite database file. Just keep in mind that this method will stop working on July 1, 2023, when the API change occurs (because you don't actually own that content you created on Reddit?). See https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-download-your-reddit-data/ #technology #deletereddit #Reddit
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Easy Deepfake Voice Cloning technology is an emerging risk to organizations
It is interesting how easy this has got with a popular service like Prime Voice AI, and when you realise that many use voice recognition for authenticated access to systems, we can see where the risks come in. Like most technology, there are lots of positive upsides, but it always opens up the negatives as well. As Steve points out in his commentary in the linked article, the bad actors are often quicker than anyone else nowadays to take advantage of these new developments. No end in sight for the upward trajectory of careers in security and vulnerability consultants. #technology #security #voicecloning
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What Is a GaN (gallium nitride) Charger, and Why Should You Buy One?
When you’re on the hunt for a new USB power adaptor, you may come across a few options with gallium nitride (GaN) technology. These charging bricks tend to be a bit expensive. But due to their reduced size and increased charging ability, a GaN charger may be your ideal purchase. It could even help you save money in the long run. Most USB chargers use silicon semiconductors. Gallium nitride (GaN) is simply a power-efficient alternative to silicon. It allows a charger to achieve small size without a reduction in charging speed or thermal performance. A GaN charger is ideal for travelling or powering several high-wattage devices, such as laptops. With more and more laptops charging through USB-C, and more phones making use of ultra-fast charging, you'll start to notice that the silicon based chargers can get really hot during charging these devices. Instead of buying a large silicon-based charger that only has two ports (with a shared throughput), you can buy a GaN charger with four, five, or even six high-speed charging ports. #technology #chargers #GaN
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Why You Should Use Bionic Reading in Chrome (or Any Browser): An extension to highlight the most important parts of words
Bionic Reading is a new way of reading text that uses a patented algorithm to highlight the most important parts of words, making it easier and faster to read. The method was developed by a German software developer named Renato Cukar, who was inspired by the way the human eye reads text. Bionic Reading works by highlighting the most important parts of words, which helps the eye to follow the text more smoothly and efficiently. This makes it easier to read longer passages of text, and can also help to improve comprehension. Bionic Reading is available as a free Chrome extension, as well as a mobile app for iOS and Android. It can also be used on websites and in PDFs. See https://www.howtogeek.com/882688/why-you-should-use-bionic-reading-in-chrome-or-any-browser/ **EDIT**: Although some individuals claim to see improvement, it may be that results do vary as one test shows no real improvement across the board - https://blog.readwise.io/bionic-reading-results/ #technology #bionicreading #reading
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My video overview of Nostr: A simple, open protocol that enables global, decentralized, and censorship-resistant social media
Nostr is unique in that it has a global public key ID that replicates posts (notes) via relays, so it is scalable, resistant to censorship, and the user fully owns their identity profile. There are only two parts to the network, namely relays and clients, with the Nostr protocol linking them. Every post is signed, and every client validates these signatures. In this video I explain more about Nostr is, why it is probably one of the easiest networks to get registered and going on, I compare it with some other protocols, and I demonstrate a few of the web as well as Android mobile apps. There are no servers at all needing to be chosen, and it is truly irrelevant which client app is used. I'll also explain where cryptocurrency may come in, but why you need not worry about it all, or even use it at all. Watch https://youtu.be/8mSyMCJlSwA #technology #Nostr #socialnetworks #alternativeto #decentralised
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Veloren is an open-source multi-player voxel role-playing game that can be self-hosted (and has more adventure and fun than Minecraft)
It is inspired by games such as Cube World, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft. You can play single player or multi-player, standalone or use an online server, or even host your own server in a Docker container, or on a Raspberry Pi. Plenty of options! You start by creating your character, you can collect items for your inventory, you can craft items, there are weapons and combat, you develop skills, can tame creatures, you can trade with merchants, you can socialise, and lost more. There is no single, specific goal or focus, and the idea is to keep exploring and have adventures. The game is community driven and actually updates quite regularly. It is clearly no clone of Minecraft. It is fun and adventure! See https://veloren.net/ #technology #opensource #gaming #selfhosting #Veloren
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Bluesky vs. Nostr vs. ActivityPub — Which Should Developers Care About More?
Yes, there is quite a debate raging across different networks about what protocol to support. Obviously, those who know only one well, are going to root for that one, irrespective of whether it may be the best one. From a dev perspective, where do you throw your efforts in from a perspective of the future growth of the protocol, and how flexible and free is that protocol going to be to new ideas and advancements. The “best” protocol also does not necessarily mean it will be the most successful, or the most adopted one, as we’ve seen all sorts of politics, misinformation, bad PR, etc play a role in the past (just see what happened to the Zot protocol which has nomadic ID). From a user perspective, what network do you join and put all your creativity efforts into? There is no easy answer, and some have even suggested, to get away from the entrenched positions, why not create a brand new protocol! But that has actually happened repeatedly already, and none ever took the “ring that would rule all rings”. Client apps like Hubzilla and Friendica, of course, took the approach rather to support multiple protocols so that your one app connects across different networks. Maybe there is still something in that idea. The Bluesky protocol may well be loosened up in future, and although ActivityPub is quite open (not owned by anyone), it is still actually quite limited in terms of not having profile migrations, groups, and other features. So yes, Nostr right now is probably the most open with devs registering NIPs (Nostr Implementation Possibilities), much like we also see with XMPP protocol’s XEPs. It all comes down then, to what NIPs a particular client supports. Personally, as a user, I still long for a fully interoperable protocol, one for instant messaging, as well as for social networking (or combined into one). Look at e-mail. It may be very dated, but it made no difference which service your joined (apart from the domain name you got) and it always connected to other e-mail clients, and it is not owned by any one company or central server. But whilst we have this situation, I’m wondering if we won’t see the emergence of some future “translation protocol” that will allow posts from XMPP to translate into ActivityPub, Bluesky, Nostr, etc, and go the other way too? I do think users, at least, are starting to accept the situation of social networks going decentralised and federated, and are realising it is not so complicated to grasp. We’ve been spoilt and brainwashed too long by strong authoritarian centralised network services. If we don’t demand more open and interoperable social networks now, we are doomed to repeat the lock-ins of Twitter, Facebook, etc all over again. Then our friends can be on any network, and we can still interact fully with each other, like we’ve been doing with e-mail. See https://thenewstack.io/bluesky-vs-nostr-which-should-developers-care-about-more/
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Qwantify: Self-Hosted and Open Source Project for Gaming Online with Friends
One of the best parts of gaming is gaming with friends, but often this requires everyone involved to have the same expensive piece of hardware. Almost everyone has a computer with a browser already, though, so if you’d like to play online with friends who don’t have the same gaming machine as you, they can play along now simply by opening a web browser thanks to this project called Qwantify. There are a few requirements to get this to work, though. At least one person needs to have a computer with a GPU to run the docker container that hosts the game, but once that’s done anyone with a browser can connect to it and play. The entire project is open source as well, and since it’s currently a very young project there is only support for AMD and Intel GPUs but it does have a fairly intuitive user interface as well as some other features like allowing for various gaming peripherals and supporting streaming gameplay to Twitch and YouTube. I'm not yet seeing any videos yet showing how it is actually setup and working. Their GitHib project page does have the instructions though on how to set up the Docker container to get going. See https://hackaday.com/2022/12/26/self-hosted-gaming-with-friends/ #technology #opensource #gaming #qwantify
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Universal Android Debloater GUI - an open source low-level app for debloating Android phones
This is a complete rewrite in Rust of the UAD project, which aims to improve privacy and battery performance by removing unnecessary and obscure system apps. This can also contribute to improve security by reducing the attack surface. Packages are as well documented as possible in order to provide a better understanding of what you can delete or not. The worst thing which could happen is removing an essential system package needed during boot causing then an unfortunate bootloop. After about 5 failed system boots, the phone will automatically reboot in recovery mode, and you'll have to perform a FACTORY RESET. So make a backup first! In any case, you can NOT brick your device with this software! So the app itself is not going to cause any direct damage. The issue is more around how deep the bloatware sits, and whether some part of the phone's OS really relies on that bloatware being there. But they do have debloat lists per OEM, so hopefully that means those, at least, are fairly OK to rip out. See https://github.com/0x192/universal-android-debloater #technology #opensource #android #debloat
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