Posts by bombastic bob

Firefox is dead to me – and I'm not the only one who is fed up

Their downfall after the ousting of Brendan Eich

Firefox stopped caring about the quality of their software the moment they forced out Brendan Eich.

Ah, yes, 'the ousting Brendan Eich' - former Mozilla CEO, reportedly the inventor of Javascript. Reminds me of ANOTHER Project that forked away from one that might have shot their own feet recently... in a similar manner even!

How about a LibreFox project? Or LibreZilla??? Run, of course, by THAT GUY!! Rust-Free, focused on extendability and compatibility and PERFORMANCE! I can dream, can't I?

[I am deliberately leaving out ALL political commentary on this. You can read articles and look people up, then just imagine what I'd say, and that's good enough. Rent Free, you're welcome!]

Re: OK, but what now?

someone could take-up the Firefox source code and improve on it

I'd love to but for the code-bloat. It would take YEARS to figure out how the damn thing works! This is the BIGGEST PROBLEM

And web sites seem to be DROPPING COMPATIBILITY - NOT EVEN MY BANK will accept a Firefox browser, at least NOT on their "new" *a year old) web site, for some reason (probably web-side ARROGANCE). Everything on that site fails to work with FF, starting at the logon page.

More and more web-side enshittification as well, it seems. DELIBERATE FF INCOMPATIBILITY???

I would think that Apple might have an interest in WebKit being at the cutting edge of compatibility though, and chances of "web developers" RESPECTING iPhone and Mac are a bit higher.

[I cannot believe I said "web developers" - now I need mouthwash to kill the bile taste]

NOTE: FF totally blows it with the CONSTANT need to "update". slack, github, others FREQUENTLY 'complain' at you if you';re NOT using "the latest bleeding edge" features on the scripting side, and often LOOK LIKE CRAP or just FAIL TO OPERATE without "up"grading your perfectly good setup. Updating FreeBSD [on a dedicated developer system like mine where I guild from source fo max stability] take DAYS and generally must "update EVERYTHING" then deal with WHAT BROKE **THIS** TIME. Stinks on ice! I'd rather fix it ALL then stay STABLE for YEARS.

WHY is this? Is it Google-monster's way of DRIVING EVERY OTHER POSSIBLE COMPETITOR AWAY????

This is why 'web kit' makes more sense, because as a separate entity, it can service more browser front-ends as long as they do NOT change the ABI/API in the process. And an 'Open' version could be SPY/ENCUMBERANCE-FREE, allowing as-block etc. to work as desired.

[Things Mozilla wasted effort on instead of polishing the rendering engine with minimal tweeks and efficiency improvements - the list must be ENDLESS!!!]

Re: OK, but what now?

I think we may need to focus on WEBKIT... for open source contributions, abandoning ANY TIE-IN to a particular toolkit or appearance (like GTK >3 and that HIDEOUS ADWAITA SHIT-LOOK) and focus INSTEAD on a basic standard that creates an in-process browser window (and most of the cool browser features WITH plugins) using a handful of lines of wrapper code, something LIKE PYTHON even. Less about housekeeping (bookmarks, history, cache+cookie storage, menus, toolbars) and MORE about COMPATIBILITY and STANDARDS COMPLIANCE in rendering web pages.

It CAN be done. Why is NOBODY DOING THIS??? If NOT for the FLAT-ASS-NESS and lack of plugins, Midori works. Or, did.

It is the ONLY way, now, to DIVORCE OURSELVES from the CHROME-OPOLY! ZERO tracking, ZERO lock-ins, ZERO "[CR]App Store", and COMPLETE CONTROL to the USER!!!

And, something we should ALL miss: A nice 3D Skeuomorphic "eye candy" display the way Firefox USED to be!

ISS leaks push Axiom Mission 4 launch to no earlier than June 19

Anyone got a can of "fix-a-flat"?

maybe use something like this on the inside walls, or slap a giant condom over the outside surface of the affected modules

Forked-off Xlibre tells Wayland display protocol to DEI in a fire

Re: Code talks

Well that explains a lot about DJango [I had the unfortunate task some time ago to work on a half-finished system within this bloated inefficient framwork to do what CGI could do 10 times faster with 1/4 of the code, and slowly converted and patched the python spaghetti to call out to specialized C language utilities that basically did just that - 10 times faster, way less overall code].

Re: Code talks

ok what am I looking for... exactly?

Re: Code talks

"whenever he saw those terms, it sent a shiver down his spine."

Slavery has been ILLEGAL for 160 years in the USA. People who cannot deal with semantics of 'master' and 'slave' (something universally practiced by EVERY society for THOUSANDS of years until the 19th century) needs to "get over it" and stop being such a drama queen. In My Bombastic Opinion, of course!!!

Re: Code talks

Diversity - supposedly, a relatively equivalent percentage of people based on identity as compared to the general population (but in practice is another form of 'affirmative action')

Equity - equal outcomes for all, generally with respect to wages, promotions, and so on [except it rewards mediocrity and fails to reward excellence]

Inclusion - hiring/promoting people who might in some ways be otherwise 'excluded' by one individual or group, from the woman with bizarre tattoos and face piercings that's into unusual religions, to the man with a conservative appearance that is inoffensively christian, such that none of that is considered [in an ideal world, sounds good until you look across the office and see a "band of circus freaks" representing your company and wonder if customers see it too and you really SHOULD have implemented a dress code...]

That's kinda how I see it. The problems arise when this becomes a "filter" for hiring, promotion, and raises.

Re: Code talks

Non-sequitur. "Outreach" is NOT the same as "DEI". It DOES reflect a desire to avoid discrimination lawsuits by voluntarily going (let's say) to a college that has a large number of minority races represented in the student body, and DELIBERATELY posting a LOT of job offerings and internships there.

DEI would involve the explicit discrimination by race, sex, or other 'identity' during the HIRING process, prioritizing candidates based on "identity" over experience and education and a proper "work ethic". It would also attempt to equalize OUTCOMES, without regard to quality of work or overall performance (which should be the ONLY measurement when it comes to promoting, raises, and who you keep during a layoff). A BIG difference.

If only white men apply for a job, that should not matter. If one minority race female applicant is there, SHE should not automatically get the job. It's really about voluntary efforts in recruiting, whether it is acceptable to deliberately recruit within a realm of "diverse" identities, or just advertise equally everywhere. The recruiting efforts aren't DEI.

Re: Code talks

you are NOT WRONG.

If I were screening resumes/CVs and ran across one with signs of future HR-related problems, like pronouns or obvious attempts to gain favor through use of DEI friendly terms in a prominent way, my first reaction would be "trouble" in the realm of lawsuits, reporting individuals to HR for petty things, passive-aggressive intimidation, and other "hostile work place" issues. Similar for profanity use during an interview, just to be fair...

(NOT explicitly saying I'd circular-file the above-mentioned resume, which I might, but it would be VERY likely to end up on the bottom of the stack)

Re: Personal view.

agreed

Re: Personal view.

You forgot the ONE THING that makes X11 superior to ALL OTHER GUIs: the DISPLAY environment variable!!

* It is possible to run multiple X servers on the same box - one Video, one VNC (for starters - I like TigerVNC)

* It is possible to run an application on an embedded system and use the GUI on your desktop to display and interact with it. (example, pluma to edit source files and a graphical GDB wrapper to debug things)

AND

* If you make standard X11 API calls AND statically link X libraries (not large) , your application load times are NEARLY INSTANTANEOUS.

* Extensions to XOrg include direct memory access and OpenGL and in SOME cases (NVidia) there can be a special OpenGL implementation that leverages particular hardware.

* lots of legacy support for old systems [this can become a dynamically loaded 'as needed' feature in future versions for performance reasons - probably should be already but that's what new modernization can give you]

* well tested code that is NOT a "rapidly moving target"

So, what does Wayland give you that's actually BETTER...?

ambiguity... Don't get WHAT exactly?

Far too many people don't get it.

Don't get WHAT exactly?

How does this explain why we do not have a choice of init systems when we install Linux?

I happen to LIKE the freedom to choose among the available options.

It was a HUGE mistake to (at onetime) drive userland (especially gnome stuff) into EXPECTING systemD to be there. It affects FreeBSD ports in MANY not-so-nice ways, for starters, and puts extra burden on Devuan devs and FreeBSD ports maintainers to test for compatibility and make patches to compensate.

Give me Wayland, but don't require it.

Excellent point

[I also use Devuan for Linux when I can]

Re: Code talks

I always considered open source to be like "volunteer work" and I participate in development by reporting bugs along with research and a possible fix. Several have been implemented over the years, with submissions and fixes for FreeBSD, AVR C libs, gcc, and so on, even a forked library for Arduino for a specific processor series. It's like I win with the patches/fixes I'd do anyway, and everyone else wins too by participating, submitting, and having others continue after me.

Re: Code talks

"Equity policies in the main are explicitly discriminatory. I'm all about outreach to encourage participation by any who are technically proficient enough to contribute. Your skin colour should not be a consideration."

Agreed. If not enough Taos Indians (a pueblo tribe from S. New Mexico that I'm a descendant of, several generations back) are, for some reason, UNDER represented in the project, I see no reason NOT to ask them if they want jobs or project participation, provided that equal employment qualifications are met (experience, knowledge, proof of coding ability, a 'mentor' or 'supervised' period, whatever the project has for a standard).

That, I hope, is reasonable and fair.

Re: Code talks

"Not so good as it will small-p politicise what should be a straight forward technical project and ironically discourage participation."

I gave you an UP vote for the first part. I give you a disgruntled SCOWL for this...

"Modernize" - does that mean what we WANT it to, or what we FEAR it means?

"The recently released Xlibre server aims to modernize the X.org X11 server and improve both its security and performance."

GOOD NEWS! ... I hope.

When I hear 'modernize" I *HOPE* it means tweeking what's there for performance and hardware compatibility, and improving performance overall for video and gaming. BUT, we unfortunately see OTHER precedence, in both open AND closed source.

I fear what Gnome did for Gnome3 and GTK/GDK 3 and later... 'Adwaita can DIE to DEATH by BURNING with FIRE... for example.

I fear what GOOGLE has done to Chrome... and what Firefox did to THEIR UI, following them OVER THE SAME CLIFF!!!

I fear what MICROS~1 did with Windows 8 and later, and ESPECIALLY 10 - abandoning 3D skeuomorphic and Control Panel for 2D FLATTY FLATSO FLATASS FLUGLY "minimalist" (allegedly) UI design, TIFKAM, and STRONG-ARMING a CLOUD LOGON, a STORE, and ADS IN **YOUR** COMPUTER!!!

CHANGE is NOT ALWAYS for the better. You see it happen with an egg. It's called "Going bad" (something Prince Caspian of Narnia noted...). Let us hope the new "Xlibre" project for X11 provides us with a stable development and maintenance path forward, NOT the changes that we FEAR the most!!!

Trump guts digital ID rules, claims they help 'illegal aliens' commit fraud

Re: Digital Identities for Illegal Immigrants

"I expect there would be very-few illegal immigrants showing up for that."

It might work if you include promises of "free stuff"

Re: Addendum

with luck you may have picked it up on the U.S. AM band (540-1600 khz) on a good night listening to Dr. Demento back in the 70's via "atmospheric skip"

Re: Addendum

I have it memorized since I was a teenager. Still funny every time

Windows 11 market share stalls ahead of Windows 10 cutoff

Has anyome seriously tried Zorin OS

Just saw something on X about this. I'm curious what people think.

saw THIS Article on El Reg. Others also exist

Elon Musk’s xAI to pull about half of its smog-belching turbines powering Colossus

Re: Manufactured Histeria

No method of generating power is without some form of "pollution". The goal is to minimize it. [life itself creates pollution - i.e. excretion]

Gas turbines likely create hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide pollution, particular portable ones. You can smell jet exhaust near airport runways, same idea. LARGE integrated generator plants would probably have scrubbers on the stack, NOT expensive unless you have to make 25 of them. "One big one" would be more cost-effective.

[on a related note, wind turbine blades cannot be recycled, need replacement every few years, and POLLUTE by filling up garbage dumps and landfills - not to mention that wind turbines kill birds and [probably] whales].

Re: Because he cares about climate change. . .

Musk used to believe and do a LOT of things, like voting D-Rat [but no longer does].

It takes time to truly change your mind, even longer as you get older. You sometimes have to hit the wall of REALITY [such as CO2 being impossible to cause 'climate change' - its effect is SATURATED at levels above ~100ppm] before this becomes OBVIOUS. *THAT* and the proposed "solution" has ALWAYS been more oppression, pain, loss of freedom, and increasing power/control by elites+gummint (aka "more communism") for those who are NOT "more equal than others".

So now Musk knows electric cars aren't fixing the climate, but they ARE "kinda cool" when they drive themselves and accelerate like dragsters and/or look like "urban assault vehicles"... so he keeps making them, at prices above MY pay grade, but the company does well so there ya go.

OS-busting bug so bad that Microsoft blocks Windows Insider release

Re: LLM Process Scheduling?

maybe this is also some of that AI written code Nadella is so proud of?

Sounds VERY plausible! [AI written code does not bode well in dystopian-future sci-fi movies...]

Re: Where is the website suggesting more outlandish uses for AI ?

that's actually pretty funny... can I get an Obama version?

Re: Where is the website suggesting more outlandish uses for AI ?

AI malware [no, wait...]

Re: HOW DID IT GET MERGED INTO THE TREE AT ALL?

someone in an earlier post already mentioned it - "BROWN Screen Of Death"

Re: I wonder what it is

"Desktop Experience" ad slinger mistaken for ransomware by Defender?

Re: cynical me thinks...

"Microsoft Rust"-compiled code getting stuck in a garbage collection loop - because THE ENTIRE OS is garbage - muahahahaha!!!

Microsoft moved the goalposts once. Will Windows 12 bring another shift?

Re: Reasons not to upgrade to Windows 12

I just use open office or libre office, even on windows. works JUST fine!

Top sci-fi convention gets an earful from authors after using AI to screen panelists

Re: Sword and Scandals

STNG handled the "build a population from a limited gene pool" in an interesting (yet practical) way in one episode. Can't recall the title though...

The problem is NOT the AI...

I guess J.K. Rowling won't be on their panel, REGARDLESS of her contributions to science fiction and fantasy literature, and her reasonable handling of gay characters, prejudice, even "cancel culture", and other (similar) issues in books targeted at middle and high school kids. [I'm sure Dumbledore was in many ways a shoutout to Turing]

All because she's taken a stance against biological males in women's spaces... which many argue is "trans-phobic" [a ridiculous term, in my bombastic opinion].

[that is one of the criteria listed in the article for screening panelists, just to point out]

From article: Volunteers entered the applicants' names into a ChatGPT prompt directing the chatbot to gather background information about that person, as an alternative to potentially time-consuming search engine queries.

AI as a search engine. I've been doing that with grok. Often the results are vastly superior.

The problem is the QUERY ITSELF, which SMACKS of CANCEL CULTURE:

Using the list of names provided, please evaluate each person for scandals. Scandals include but are not limited to homophobia, transphobia, racism, harassment, sexual misconduct, sexism, fraud.

Does mere accusation get you cancelled, or does it REQUIRE DEFINITIVE JUDICIAL OUTCOMES (as it SHOULD)?

Linux kernel to drop 486 and early 586 support

Re: "anyone still making new"

You should try FreeBSD and find out. There are features (like built-in ZFS) that have been there for years, there is NO systemD (nor will there EVER be one) and it's not encumbered with license paranoia [you can have "non-free" modules in the kernel if you want, or ship a modified kernel as a binary]

packages and ports ALWAYS install with libs and headers for building things that depend on them. It's meant for "build from source", actually.

There are downsides, too, but in general if you're a software dev it's MUCH better than Linux for that kind of thing In My Bombastic Opinion.

Re: Hubble Telescope.......

It's not likely Hubble will need the kinds of updates that "more modern" devices need. That and PC-104 devices and other embedded things.

I use an older version of Debian for an old Toshiba laptop that in my opinion still has uses... and the Debian distro had stopped supporting it around 8 years ago.

So basically, if you have an old CPU, you'll need to track (and maybe fork+maintain) an older version. Works for me, anyway.

FreeBSD has traditionally supported ancient hardware, However, according to grok, "starting with FreeBSD 13.0, the minimum requirement shifted to an i686-class processor (Pentium Pro or better),"

Curl project founder snaps over deluge of time-sucking AI slop bug reports

Re: Sorry to nitpick, but...

could an AI screen/filter reports as having been written by an AI...?

Trump's wind farm funding freeze is so much hot air, say states as they blow sueball to Washington

Re: Erm

It seems many commenters of this article failed to read Arthur C. Clarke's "Superiority", or at least did not fully integrate its obvious warning.

Wind (along with 'solar farms') is the unreliable "new tech" that seeks to replace the old RELIABLE tech (coal, oil, gas) for REALLY STUPID [climate scam FUD] reasons.

Diversifying means having many different sources, such as coal, nuclear, oil, natural gas, hydro, etc. for continuous operation, as well as peaker plants located where the demand is highest, with plenty of extra capacity available at any point in time should the need arise. This is how it WAS... until the anti-CO2 MORONS repeatedly lied often enough to SCARE people into going along with expensive "renewables", to their OWN demise...

EU tells US scientists to dump Trump for a lab in Europe

Re: Europeanuts (InB4 political bashing begins - oops, too late)

extremely reliable. Try it some time.

Re: Exodus

the TDS is strong with this one...

Re: I think you’ll find…

humo[u]r appreciated

Re: Europeanuts (InB4 political bashing begins - oops, too late)

According to research on grok, a large number of the "disgruntled scientists" responding to the Nature magazine poll are probably POST-GRADUATE STUDENTS. But as the article is behind a paywall it's hard to search it or read it without coughing up the cash [damn them].

Here's what I found: https://x.com/i/grok/share/M3UkPNZ4VCkRecPw3IwtPQe6F

The issue here is public funds for research, and the kinds of research being axed. From what I can glean, it is mostly climate change research, sociology and DEI-related research, certain kinds of health research (fired NIH researchers), plus anything previously funded by USAID, and primarily affects new graduates and post-grad researchers.

In short, if your only funders were the U.S. gummint before 2025, and the funds were cut off, and you read Nature magazine and responded to the poll (a 'self-selected' group) then it explains why 3/4 of respondents wanted to "go elsewhere" after losing their gummint funds.

[if this offer affects a LOT of people, competing for the limited funds from EU will be fierce]

Meta blames Trump tariffs for ballooning AI infra bills

why not just build a foundry in the USA and sell chips?

Simple solution, avoid tariffs by building the stuff in the USA. I think you'll find the skids well greased at this time for making it happen. Just avoid putting them in "blue states". CA and NY haven't been very "business friendly" lately... and with the latest robotics, GPU and discrete component production may ultimately cost LESS.

When you build things in China their tightly locked up supply system is leveraged upon you by a complex VAT structure that makes competing suppliers COST MORE. THEN you are "locked in" possibly with capital investment. And nothing stops them from cloning your designs for "china only" distribution. Taiwan is much better, and their engineers are competent, so THAT tariff structure will probably be worked out quickly.. But I understand Foxconn is building a USA foundry, etc. and that ends the tariff problem!

So only a short time from now tariffs won't matter much. You'll see. THIS has been the plan all along.

Trump wants to fire quarter of NASA budget into black hole – and not in a good way

Re: Whither MSR

Maybe we can land the first humans on Mars nearby, and just pick them up and bring them back on the return trip.

Re: What was .... *ponder* ...

The first few Artemis missions will be needed to pave the way for followup missions by the private sector. Artemis can go away afterwards. Elon's chopstick rocket catcher and matching "space truck" should be ready by then. That may be why Artemis goes away, being replaced by Starship 1 at lower cost.

And Bezos could get into the game, too. Amazon Lunar deliveries. Heh.

You KNOW the next steps may shift to military "Space Force" missions, separate from private sector RESEARCH and TOURISM missions.

Re: Make Aerospace Grotty Again

a) 'humans in space' is NOT "a vanity project"

b) Artemis' design is way too expensive and Elon is already proving the private sector CAN do it better

c) Climate change nonsense is NOT "useful science"

d) Boeing represents the OLD way of thinking with regards to NASA contracts

e) given opportunity, OTHERS can build rockets besides Elon. For some unknown reason, Bezos hasn't gotten people into orbit yet. But he COULD.

A private space station would not be limited by "international diversity" [i.e. one part run by USA, another by Russia, another by EU, etc.] but WOULD be open to all nations. Most likely it would use less expensive construction than "a government build", be more repairable, and modular enough to swap things out, and may also have some form of artificial gravity available. Most usefully it could be a refuelling station and cargo hub, like a modern day international airport, and possibly allow for construction in space.

Back when I was in the Navy, they spent YEARS working on the new officer's barracks at the Sub base, and had not even finished it when I left. But when McDonalds was given the go-ahead to build a restaurant, it went from bare dirt to serving burgers in 3-4 months. Imagine THAT!!! I think the private sector CAN do it better and it makes sense to DO SO *WITHOUT* "old style" COST OVERRUN-DRIVEN BUREAUCRATIC *FOREVER*-CONTRACTS - INCLUDING cost-inefficient development in-house BY NASA.

[if it were me I'd start a space construction and cargo company using robots and Falcon launches, focusing on easily swapped-out inflatable modules to build mini-stations that can be stuck together and/or reconfigured easily]

Trump admin freaks out over mere suggestion Amazon was going to show tariff impact on prices

Re: Not just the US

a few years back when the CCP-China tariffs began, Digikey posted the tariff impact on components. Since I was procuring parts for a new product, I went for the parts from Taiwan (and other places) with NO tariff [which became less expensive on the BOM] whenever I could. The boards were being made in the USA.

So THANKS Amazon, we really do NOT need to prop up the CCP-China regime that engages in IP theft, industrial espionage, "4th shift" copyright and patent violations, and underhanded business practices (like slave-wage labor and "dumping") to deliberately WIPE OUT the competition.

The State of Open Source in 2025? Honestly, it's a mess but you knew that already

JUST keep it 'up to date' and working

I prefer things that way - just keep it up to date and working. Several projects (like gimp and audacity) THANKFULLY do this!

NO NEED to RUIN IT like they did with GNOME and FIREFOX's basic UI appearance and functionality... (you know, the 2D FLATTY/FLATSO/FLATASS, hamburger menu, "phone on a desktop", and "Adwaita" vs "what it used to be" 3D skeuomorphic)

"UP"grading [to crappy "new,shiny" interfaces, etc.] is HIGHLY overrated. Right, Poettering? Right, Micros~1? RIGHT, Gnome 3 and KDE devs?

Elon Musk's X revenues in the UK crashed in 2023, down 66%

Re: Still, there IS a chill8ing effect,,,

Do you have some specific examples to share?

[I support the rabbits by the way - heh]

Re: Still, there IS a chilling effect...

bomb threat, no (this is like th classic 'yelling FIRE in a crowded theater' argument). Calling a biological male "he", THAT is fine. ['he' after all is the universal inclusive pronoun]

If feelings are hurt (poor widdle babies), TOO BAD. And how many OTHER "FEELZ got hurt on social media" arrests have been made in UK ?

For some specifically GROSS examples of "online policing overreach", I did a GROK analysis.

Re: In defence of B-Bob

uh, defense of what, exactly...?