This is meant as a cautionary note regarding open source software forks. And by this I mean hard forks, namely that one project goes a different way than a previous version. Both are a bit different, but happened within six months of each other to important (to me) open source projects: Syncthing-Fork --> syncthing-android KeePassXC ... Read more
Updated 15-Oct-2026 Note: v.2.x.x has been released: Syncthing (deb) Syncthing forum BasicSync (android wrapper/app) Syncthing is a continuous file synchronization program. It synchronizes files between two or more computers in real time, safely protected from prying eyes. Your data is your data alone and you deserve to choose where it is stored, whether it is ... Read more
Updated 22-Apr-2026 Algorithm aversion is when an AI is discriminated against. There are a variety of approaches for studying this phenomena which clearly exists. Algorithm aversion Aversion is assumed to be an irrational and largely unconscious preference against something or someone. Algorithm aversion is an implicit prejudice against AIs in the widest sense of the ... Read more
Updated 31-Aug-2026 See also Samsung buds core bluetooth Android devices Android apps Disable One UI 7/8 battery indicator Android Debloater I hate bluetooth I have hated and rejected bluetooth for since its inception. I mean, for headphones/earbuds. Of course I use bluetooth for things like: Smart band Car connectivity (in conjunction with wifi) SMK25II midi ... Read more
Updated 24-May-2026 There are several places to put in DNS resolvers and Secure DNS servers to use, and variations of those services. DNS resolvers Resolvers resolve DNS names to IP addresses. These are usually one or two IPv4 and/or IPv6 addresses. These can be set at your home router, so that all DHCP leases have ... Read more
Update: Screw it, go with AMD. This driver hell is ridiculous. Yeah, Nvidia is a mess to deal with. That is, regarding Linux video drivers, and getting things working. Graphics on Linux can be nearly as frustrating as audio on Linux (well, not that near but still, frustrating). For Nvidia video cards, there are several ... Read more
Updated 19-Apr-2026 See also: Android devices Over the years I have been a fan and consumer of Xiaomi products including several phones, electronics of all types, backpacks, etc. Since they tend to enshittify, that is get crappier over time, I've scaled back and have found better substitutes. The following are not yet out of our ... Read more
Updated 29-Sep-2026 Note: I avoid Flatpak and Snaps. I prefer apt and appimage (if I must), though I do occasionally install and use Perl, Python, and Node apps (sigh, sigh, and sigh), and recently Docker. These are the apps that I currently (or more recently) run in various Linux distributions (mainly Debian), for desktop and ... Read more
Updated 21-May-2026 Kontact is a bit complex, and so it needs its own page for configuration information. Workflow My workflow currently is to use Gmail as the main calendar provider, and connect with it via Kontact and also Etar, the Android calendar. Gmail calendar also has a few different Holiday calendars available (Thailand, Japan, United ... Read more
See also: Ungoogled Chromium, Vivaldi, and Chromium in general. Firefox woes Firefox has dramatically disintegrated under the so-called leadership of Mitchell Baker, enriching herself to the tune of millions while the market share (and revenue) of Firefox plummeted and 250 employees were laid off. This alone is reason enough to avoid such a toxic software ... Read more
Updated 27-Aug-2026 Note 03-July-2026: I've now tried inbox.eu, mailbox.org, and runbox, and all three fall short in important ways. I'm now with Migadu which is a breath of fresh air. I've looked at them before, but they didn't seem to have a sweet spot regarding pricing, but it turns out I fit exactly into the ... Read more
Updated 15-Aug-2026 For XMPP clients, see XMPP Clients: Conversations, Dino. See also the Prosody IM chatroom itself. Preamble Note that after a year of using Snikket, I've installed Prosody (on which it is based) and find it to be more flexible, and more-or-less straightforward. Prosody is also super-easy to integrate with coturn for audio and ... Read more
While there is something to be said for actual self-hosting a server (at home or mobile), having a low-cost spot on the Internet is good for not having to worry about one's own personal connectivity at any given time, for services to work. By services, this could include: Web server (Caddy) Email server (Mox) File ... Read more
Updated 15-Sep-2026 Update 15 Sep 2026 Well, I'm back on normal chromium because the ungoogled thing is hard to keep up-to-date without using flatpak, and flatpak won't allow passkeys through my keepassdx app, and Amazon is requiring passkeys, soonish. So, here we are. In any case, to get Chromium to login properly into Google, you ... Read more
Updated 29-Sep-2026 I've avoided Flatpaks and Snaps for a long time, but now see three uses for Flatpaks (though none yet for Snaps). The main issues have to do with the size of files, security stuff, and simply being not as convenient as using apt repositories. But when some folks can't keep those things stable ... Read more
Updated 02-Mar-2026 For XMPP server, see Prosody, which works lovely and is super-easy to integrate with coturn for audio and video calls. Note that Movim and Jitsi Meet are two additional items that can be integrated as well. Preamble I've used Signal for the past number of years as a chat / videocall app, having ... Read more
Updated 22-Jul-2026 Uses Golang and can play nicely with caddy web server. Installation and Configuration Unfortunately apt and standard sources will not provide a recent update of Hugo, so best to download the .deb file from Github (sigh). Markdown in Hugo Hugo uses Goldmark which supports some GFM and Markdown Extra syntax (including footnotes). Getting ... Read more
Updated 31-Aug-2026 See also Samsung buds core bluetooth Android devices Android apps Disable One UI 7/8 battery indicator Android Debloater Android hardware At this point, I feel that Chromebooks are non-starters. Either Android or Linux (Debian) are the proper OSes of choice, and decent hardware that can support these platforms. We have moved to Samsung ... Read more
Updated 18-Jun-2026 Reaper is the DAW I've decided on based on a combination of functionality and affordability. Reaper is not open source, but it does have a reasonable and affordable license. I'm fine with supporting them, up until enshittification (which isn't 100% guaranteed in any case). See also Generative AI in Music The main thing ... Read more
Updated 15-Oct-2026 I have several different thoughts on AI music. Note: Over the past 4 months November 2025 - February 2026) I have created over 6 hours of songs in a variety of genres, and this music has and is enjoyed by my friends and family. Overall a positive experience. Copyright and infringement Generative A.I. ... Read more