=== ANCHOR POEM === ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────── @user-1692 I usually write everything down in a script that way when I call it from an external service all I have to do is point at the file sorta like... hacking environmental options into a config file like... I don't write an ffmpeg command every time I want to record my screen. I just type "screen-record" and then it'll do the thing that I figured out how to do a long time ago. ... oh no there's an error, I wonder what changed out from under my feet. huh it's wine, that one's always confusing to debug. Let's see... "could not open program.exe" uh-huh. Well, why not? is there a dependency issue? something miscompiled or configured? no? it's just... broken? you don't get to use that program today? huh that's weird. that's linux for ya I guess. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────┘ === SIMILARITY RANKED === --- #1 fediverse/5783 --- ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────┐ ║ I think our industry should work on one project at a time │ ║ │ ║ "do one thing and do it well" │ ║ │ ║ linux users code. │ ║ │ ║ everyone backends ffmpeg. │ ║ │ ║ everyone online uses chrome. │ ║ │ ║ what if we just rewrote every single program and... left it without updates in │ ║ a "permanently forbidden" zone │ ║ │ ║ ... I mean what if we wrote non-proprietary alternatives to every proprietary │ ║ source of computational knowledge and then we could only patch security │ ║ vulnerabilities and compatibility change-bounties [oh no now you're allowing │ ║ for endless levels of abstraction [meaning, operating system package │ ║ installation bloat] and distasteractions.] │ ║ │ ║ the futures where all is not well nearly outnumber the well. but the inverse │ ║ is also true, for they are divided roughly equal fifty. balance, in all │ ║ things, is the only temperate state. when balance is │ ║ [changed/something/uplifted], balance is inevitable to be search-shifted. │ ║ │ ║ why must you die for an audience? │ ║ why │ ║ │ ║ ... I don't really want to, but what happens happens. we'll see if it's a for │ ║ sure dealing. │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════┴──────────┘ --- #2 fediverse/1246 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── @user-883 hehe if I don't understand how it works it's difficult for me to use things. My Linux friends get so exasperated with me because I'm like "cool script gimme like 2 days to figure it out" and they're like "bro just use these flags" and I'm like "no" ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────┘ --- #3 fediverse/6101 --- ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────┐ ║ oh look at me, cargo-culting wine commands because I can't be bothered to │ ║ guess whether the windows software running on my computer is doing evil │ ║ microsoft things as part of the drivers or whatever. I mean, there's gotta be │ ║ a reason that microsoft's software runs slower on linux than linux software │ ║ runs on windows, right? │ ║ │ ║ ... wait I forget exactly where I was going with this, are you saying there's │ ║ a keylogger built into the wine / windows environment software? no, but I'm │ ║ not NOT saying that. listen I'm too eepy sleepy for hardcore computing like │ ║ that! rubbin' bits between your fingers and twiddling the nose of cutie pies │ ║ is only sorta my jam - the rest of the time I like to snuggle up with a pillow │ ║ shaped like a pillow and then fall asleep to the tune of the tortured souls │ ║ being reaped from the afterlife and given new life as seeds and berries in │ ║ this one. oh, did you think death had no other homes? all things are defined │ ║ in waves, something something samsara but like, different because humans cant │ ║ be rite │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╧══────────┘ --- #4 fediverse/3907 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────── kinda wanna make a linux distro that has all the capabilities of a GUI distro and isn't so minimal (like screen recording, calculator, screenshot, wifi manager, etc etc) but with i3 instead of a desktop. they could literally just be symlinks (shortcuts) to scripts that are in your /usr/bin or whatever directory seriously it's not like there's THAT many ways to use ffmpeg, why not just write a script for them? that's what you're going to do when you use it for the first time, anyway, so... ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────┘ --- #5 notes/elementary-problems --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────── it's often considered a sin to defame the works of others. we naturally strive to inspire confidence in our allies, so we always try to be on our best behavior. = so = through meanings interpreted from our behavior, there is a tendency to listen to that which is most outstanding. but not all of the truths can be found in a book, sometimes you need to be [out in the field standing] [like a scarecrow] [silly how strange it seems. that listening brings out our own behavior. it's like it's built into our functioning, that we must obey the pull of the water. I don't understand it, nor do I appreciate any sense of pursuit when I'm using it, I simply wish to understand. I try and write things down, but nobody reads them. or at least nobody responds to them. they used to, but not for every one. I believe the things I do are useful. why would I otherwise do them? but there's not always a = so = correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no reason a windows partition couldn't alter the nature of some of the files in the linux partition? I mean, none of the filesystems from linux are in play, because it's basically just dead weight on the computer when Windows is being booted. why wouldn't it change and alter it? and while yes, something could simultaneously be done in the other direction too - linux spying on the Windows partition. And everything has to be able to be run in a VM without triggering any false positives, so the issues aren't able tobe solved so easily. not with any one bit of guidance, it must always be more thorou. [thorough] I want to play World of Warcraft ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────┘ --- #6 fediverse/5211 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────── ┌──────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: most-of-this-post-is-made-up │ └──────────────────────────────────┘ My computer has an extended password where you have to type the things that most people put in ~/.bashrc in order to get the system fully operational people say "why does it take half an hour to turn your computer on" because I keep forgetting the somatic typing components, beatrice. dear, please give me a moment, I'll have netflux up and running in - ... oh yes thank you, I would have typed netflix in wrong. that helps, and explains this error here where it says it can't find "netfucks" I was like... WHY ISn't this listed in the dependency repository?? [hackers just clone your hard drive megabyte by megabyte every time you start a particular program or use a piece of the system utilities like finder or un-win-rar, so having a longer password won't help] ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────┘ --- #7 notes/who-likes-linux --- ═══════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── [a picture of someone's neofetch] /u/HartBreaker27 =============================================================================== I was gunna pass this over... than my spidey senses kicked in.. whats Arch fam.. and explain like your talking to a potatoe. Also, if this is beyond potatoes level skills, im fine with being told that.. Seriously fam, potatoes.. /u/ugathanki =============================================================================== You know how using a windows and a mac feel different? Like they have different personalities. That's because they're using a different "Operating System". An OS is a collection of tools and utilities that coalesce into a cohesive unit that co-illustrates your coincidental contact with computers. Paired, of course, with the contributions of the hardware and the network. Linux is sorta like the soul of an OS - not quite an entire OS, but rather just a piece called a "kernel" - like a nugget of gold (or truth!) the kernel defines basic operating methodologies and brings order to the chaos of the machine. From that order strives the will that dutifully obeys your base instructions after being passed through several translation layers. Huh? Oh right potatoes. Arch is like a body that's layered upon the soul (kernel) of Linux. It's what's known as a "distribution" or "distro" - and one that's quite focused. Arch is very close to the machine, with barely any translation going on at all! It's also very bare bones, allowing you to build up exactly what kind of computer you'd like to have through various "packages" of software that you can download through a "package manager". Each distro can use whichever package manager they'd like, but it's generally good practice to pick one and stick with it. This distro is known as Arch Linux because it's the fusion of "Arch" and "Linux" - who'd've thought amiright? There are plenty of others that are more familiar to users of Windows and Macintosh computers, mostly via mimicking their user-interface styles (such as having desktops with icons and start-menus with dropdowns and the like) - these distros are great for people who'd prefer the workflow of the other OS's but would still like to use Linux. Arch in it's base form is nothing like Windows or Mac. You interact with it purely through a "terminal" which is like having a conversation with your computer. Like a scientist writing notes on the moon, and sending them to a lab orbiting around it to conduct experiments. You type commands, and those commands (if properly understood) can produce a myriad of effects great and small. But some of the experiments you'd like to conduct need to be done more than once - it'd be nice if you could ask the moon-lab to store some of the procedures and execute them whenever you need - sorta like abbreviating a long phrase or sentence that you use often - like ASAP for As Soon As Possible or OS for Operating System. Well... There are! They're called "scripts", and you can write scripts for anything you'd like. Since everything is controlled on the terminal via a TUI -> "Terminal User Interface" -> you can write down a note with all the commands you'd like to run and give it a name. Then you can use that name in the future to execute that familiar experiment in your moon-lab. after writing enough scripts, you can start to chain them together and layer them on top of one another - sorta like creating your own language. a personal dialect between you and your computer. and these scripts are portable too - they can be given to another computer, who'll instantly understand what you're trying to say. this kind of sharing is a central tenant of what's known as the: "Unix Philosophy: Do one thing, and do it right." Linux lends itself toward people who love to hack things together - not like breaking into a system and stealing your credit cards, like you see on TV, but more like cobbling together a go-cart out of rusty parts and proceeding to get a speeding ticket on the high-way. That kind of fervent creative impulse is true passion, a shining light for us who are blinded to follow. These "hackers" are some of the brightest people around, and I have immense respect for them. They are kind and share knowledge freely, which often gets them in trouble with copyright laws! I make it sound difficult, but really it's pretty easy - about as easy as learning Windows or Mac for the first time. Most of us did that when we were young though, and kids learn pretty quick - so it may feel harder now, but it's really not. Once everything starts to "click" then it's just a matter of knowing which commands to run. Speaking of which, if you know a command but you don't know how to use it, you're in luck! There's some super convenient notes written by previous scientists who came before you and live on other nearby planets. These are called "the man pages", and they are instructions written in a manual format for manual application of man-made management applied to manufactured man-chines. Sorry for that last one I had to. You can always find new commands by downloading new software on your package manager - generally, one package = one command. "Do one thing and do it right" if you have any questions lmk - i'm not exactly a wizard, more of a prophet / wielder of the will of the watchers within, but i'll do my best ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #8 messages/181 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────── I know you don't want to hear this, but there is a chance that there will come a time where your life depends on your ability to debug a computer without the internet. To set up an SSH server. To install Linux. To program in C. To do something else that I'm not prepared for... If StackOverflow didn't exist because network connectivity has been lost, could you remember syntax? Maybe it's a good idea to set up a local LLM that can answer basic questions about technology. Maybe it's a good idea to set up on your parents computer, just in case you have to hide out there for a couple months. Maybe it's a good idea to download wikipedia, just in case. If I need to use a mac, I'm screwed ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #9 fediverse/3896 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────── I'm worried that if I install NixOS on my desktop instead of Void Linux then all the hackers who watch my screen every day won't be able to see anymore. T.T Listen I'm not trying to mess up your business and whatnot but like, Void Linux keeps breaking and idk NixOS is just... so much nicer? Like, having a config file handle everything is great because, like, there's only so many commands you can use in a config file, right? With the more ad-hoc approach of running commands and whatnot there's always a ton of flags to memorize and I'm not about that. Downside is... SystemD instead of Runit... So maybe I'll stick with Void for now, haha SystemD is the king of "memorizing random commands" like what ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────┘ --- #10 fediverse/3065 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────── ┌────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: complaining-about-tech │ └────────────────────────────┘ I feel like if I wanted to keep every single one of my games playable I'd have to boot them up at least once every 3 months or so. That's EXHAUSTING. Linux is supposed to "just work" - so why does everything break every time you run an update? WHY can't I just... maintain a copy of old software if it's still in use? Or like, include all the installation steps that check for dependencies (and install them if necessary) into the "launch game" script? Backwards compatibility for a single season ago is apparently too much. I've written a few scripts for it but you can only do so much when the game files aren't on github -.- ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────┘ --- #11 fediverse/5873 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────── "the problem with linux is you have to spend part of the program just... interacting with the filesystem. like, where is their /usr/bin file? (oh it's called a directory over there, my bad) weird they put their config over here (what language is that written in?) uhhhh I don't know much about localization settings (-- two computers on a botnet --) ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────┘ --- #12 fediverse/3592 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────── @user-1570 [meme of Mr Incredible from the Incredibles pointing at a table] LINUX IS LINUX. (anything that works on Linux can theoretically be made to work on your toaster, if it also runs Linux!) This is very cool, and if I understand correctly it means that any Godot games could theoretically be played on these NEAT as HECK little devices, yeah? So cool! ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────┘ --- #13 fediverse/548 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────── I added a line to my .bashrc that cats out a random one of my notes every time I open a terminal. I keep reading things that I swear I didn't write, but feel right and true to me in a way that could only imply that they came fully formed into my eyes through the lines on my screen, cast upon the mirror panes of my hard disk drive by the pounding of my keyboard as I once upon a time did cast a spell upon my future. It's pretty neat, but it speaks to a shadowed perspective that perhaps is neither within nor without. Side note, I think I've been possessed by a witch. But like... in a consensual way. Like "Hey witch, wanna live? You can chill out with me." [ha that's one way to look at it] ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #14 fediverse/1720 --- ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────┐ ║ there's even websites online like Facebook or Twitter where you can share │ ║ advice and various spells you've invented yourself (it's totally easy to do │ ║ btw, I'll show you how) │ ║ │ ║ everyone's super friendly and anyone who's not isn't allowed to bother us. │ ║ it's pretty neat. anyway no matter what it is, if something's bothering you │ ║ about your computer, you can fix it. it's just a matter of reading through │ ║ documentation. Ah, well, isn't it great to have a lot of free time that you │ ║ don't know what to do with? │ ║ │ ║ Linux is pretty great, I gotta say. I honestly never really leave the command │ ║ line - the text based buttons, I mean. I only use a mouse when I'm doing │ ║ something with pictures (or playing a game like freecell or hearts) │ ║ │ ║ plus you can do things like sending raw packets of information to your friend │ ║ who's on the other side of the country and they can use a secret key-code to │ ║ decrypt it like checking the mail at a locked mailbox. │ ║ │ ║ anything you can imagine using the physical components of a computer, is │ ║ possibleifyrts │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────┴──────────┘ --- #15 messages/755 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────── Code editor that moves boxes by saving over the file with a lua script every time you moved a function call around. Oh lemme start at the beginning: A code editor program that's like a text editor like Vim or Emacs. If you don't know what those are, you should probably learn Emacs. Or Vim. Up to you. Oh right so if you do know what those mean, here's the idea: the white space matters. It's counted and tracked into variables in a LUA script which interface with the Vim C keybindings. "run a function within a c program or LUA script which calls a bash command which opens Vim for example with a file you want to edit. Then, inside the file, your spaces and tabs would WYSIWYG for the various food ads placed about, and then you could very easily create game design knowledge. WASD to move, alternatively hjkl It would run a check every time the file updates and depending on how it changed it'd mark certain variables which would change the website as the user moved things around. It's just files. And files are just bits. But files are a useful abstraction, If you realize that "ugly hacking" should be industry standard. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────┘ --- #16 messages/1173 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─── "I noticed that your program is spinning up a crypto generator to run in the background for 1 second every 10 seconds, did you know that?" said no llm ever "I read through every single file in your project and I think I have a pretty good picture. This is a keylogger app wrapped around an HTML web server that displays pictures of cats alongside inspirational phrases and motivational artwork." said no llm ever "This is very inspirational stuff! your recipe generation program knows just how to send encrypted text files to remote servers. I love the part where it combines ingredients like tomato soup, cheese, and breadcrumbs into encryption seeds that are applied to password files and raw browser history records before being mailed to the user who requested a recipe. Potential improvements include adding a method for selecting a new recipient aside from the hardcoded IP address in Somalia. Would you like me to implement an HTML dashboard that lets you select a random IP address from a specific country of origin?" said no llm ever "what are you talking about you use claude-code every day, and that's an LLM" yeah... I guess I'm not actually concerned, and I see the beauty of the technology that everyone's been primed to hate because it works against them as it's wielded by the massive corporations who can restrict access to it to only those who can afford 20$ per month or whatever. I see the promise, it's there, and every year we're getting closer, but frankly I don't think the wounds caused by the cultural resistance backlash movement will heal quickly, or ever. Maybe that's the point. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──┘ --- #17 fediverse/383 --- ╔════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────┐ ║ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ ║ │ CW: linux? │ │ ║ └──────────────────────┘ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ If I'm trying to get a game or piece of software working, I'll pretty much │ ║ install any package that some random post from 2017 tells me to. Sometimes it │ ║ feels like I'm a Linux grandma clicking on things that say "bored of your │ ║ marriage? click here for games!" and I say to myself "well my marriage is │ ║ fine, but I enjoy horsing around from time to time" and then I get a virus and │ ║ my things break and I go to my niece who's just a darling and say "hello │ ║ niece, I can't check my emails anymore because I downloaded some spam, can you │ ║ give me some tips on how to fix my computer?" and she just rolls her eyes │ ║ because this is like, the fifth random package I downloaded just because some │ ║ random forum poster that SAYS it's from 2017 but who I don't actually KNOW is │ ║ from 2017 and isn't just some automated LLM output that tells you to │ ║ downloaded automatically generated virus packages that are secretly snuck into │ ║ the package repositories because nobody can keep track of ALL THIS STUFF │ ║ anymore now that the internet is AI │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────┴──────────┘ --- #18 fediverse/3151 --- ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┐ ║ ┌───────────────────────────┐ │ ║ │ CW: re: cursing-mentioned │ │ ║ └───────────────────────────┘ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ @user-1461 │ ║ │ ║ I'm best at Bash. │ ║ │ ║ I'm most capable with Lua. │ ║ │ ║ My favorite is C. │ ║ │ ║ I'm not a good programmer, I think too hard. Massive systems are too large for │ ║ me. I like laying out data, whether that be by files and programs in Bash, │ ║ arrays and tables in Lua, or memory and datatypes in C, I like to think about │ ║ how programs are constructed. │ ║ │ ║ Which functions point to which piles of numbers? what do they do when they get │ ║ there? │ ║ │ ║ I think I'm better as an artist. But I can do systems administration quite │ ║ well (with Bash and a guiding hand telling me what and why to do) │ ║ │ ║ ... though I kinda suck at technical sysadmin, like Gentoo. There's too much │ ║ terminology - why is data too complicated? Just use data! │ ║ │ ║ anyway. I sound opinionated, but I listen closely to good arguments and │ ║ quickly change my tune when I am incorrected. I am a team player, and I firmly │ ║ believe that sometimes a bad plan executed with cohesion and precision is │ ║ better than the best play executed too late and with too little strength. │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═══════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────┴──────────┘ --- #19 fediverse/5237 --- ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────┐ ║ that feeling when you're working on a large piece of software which has the │ ║ capability to process in advance which operations will go in what order (a │ ║ form of constant re-compilation) and schedules tasks like an operating system, │ ║ to be executed on one of many individual threads. │ ║ │ ║ your filemanager probably has a thread for a moment, then passes it back, │ ║ waiting it's turn to be updated while you're messing around on Inkscape or │ ║ writing something in Neovim or running neofetch 256 times in order to find the │ ║ best background to go along with it or whatever it is people do when using │ ║ computers │ ║ │ ║ the task scheduler meanwhile has the glorious opportunity to work at a higher │ ║ level of abstraction, managing each individual process and learning bits and │ ║ pieces of what needs to be processed next. It all gets put on a list, and │ ║ whenever a new thread comes up to be available it can point it toward one of │ ║ those in the list of tasks to be executed by the task executor who works on a │ ║ schedule and laughs externally in wintertime~ │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───┴──────────┘ --- #20 fediverse/2674 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────── ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: factually-untrue,-that-never-happened.-this-is-just-gesturing. │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ the kind of friendship where you SSH into each other's systems and leave notes for one another. as soon as you find one you message the person who left it like "yoooo only just found this lol" and they're like oooo yeah did you see the bash script I wrote in that directory "yeah totally I used it on one of my video files just now - cool filter!" ahhhh reminds me of all the times hackers have hacked my permanently insecure system and left me friendly messages like "hey I'm on your side" or "how's life, friend? I hope it's going well." or "never forget; you are worth all the fear" y'know cute things like that oh. right. because leaving vulnerabilities like that can lead to threat actors affecting your stuff. how lame. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┘ |