Post AP1O2MxoMEvfGZFBQG by drq@mastodon.ml
(DIR) More posts by drq@mastodon.ml
(DIR) Post #AP1O2MxoMEvfGZFBQG by drq@mastodon.ml
2022-10-28T09:09:17Z
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Your battlestation pwns with the best of them, your laptop is the sharpest tool you carry and your phone is a literal miracle in your pocket.However, the thing about those as it is now, it's 95% chance that they are made with modern day slave labour (sometimes literally by children), and using some very nasty chemicals which are a nightmare to recycle and which shouldn't be out in the soil unless you like poisonous food.No! No! Hold your judgement. I'm not some anprim dimwit who would tell you to throw your tech out the window and go pick berries and nuts and stuff. Your gadgets are still amazing. It's not their fault that they are born this way. And besides, you'll certainly get poisoned by picking a wrong berry.In fact, I will urge you to do the exact polar opposite of that.
(DIR) Post #AP1O3vtZy4BBtX0fnE by drq@mastodon.ml
2022-10-28T09:09:17Z
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For the sake of all of us, show your devices some love. Get really-really into them. Reuse them. Repair them if they're broken. CreatIvely repurpose them (this activity is also known as 'hacking'). If you can't, give them to someone who can do that for you, we're always looking for a job.Upgrade only as needed, preferably grafually, and don't throw out the old stuff - you don't know when you need a spare or your little cousin needs one certainly for school, pinky promise. Don't upgrade often, don't jump on new and shiny. Moore's law does not dictate you to buy into every iteration. In fact, skip a couple of generations. It's better to be truly amazed by your next big upgrade, than jumping one and getting only 'meh.' performance growth. Learn the benefits of delayed gratification, and stick to what you already have.
(DIR) Post #AP1O40X4jA9KHBWGuW by drq@mastodon.ml
2022-10-28T09:09:18Z
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When you DO the big upgrade, treat it an investment it is. Factor in the ownetship costs like repairs. If one device is unrepairable but cheaper and the other one is easily repairable with parts available but the price tag is higher, take the latter one, for it is truly the cheaper option: it will last you a good while.Use FOSS. In fact, default to it. You don't need to necessarily become a Stallmanite, use the right tool for the job, sure, but if you aren't giving a FOSS solution an honest try before resorting to proprietary products, you're doing yourself a great disservice by robbing yourself of choice. Trust me, you'll be amazed with things you can do and how much of your needs you csn cover with just about any modern GNU/Linux distro. I've come to use it almost exclusively. And it's free! And it's hackable! It just takes some getting used to.
(DIR) Post #AP1O425UwfHL6EdHCi by drq@mastodon.ml
2022-10-28T09:09:19Z
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So there! Keep your devices like a pirate would keep their weapons (in a way, they are) - ready, well-maintained, loved and customized by you, and out of the landfill. They will thank you in ways you don't expect. I still have home surveilance built out of old netbook motherboards running somewhere. Also your cash jar (or bank account, or crypto wallet, if you're into that sort of thing, I don't judge - have to survive on it myself, because of where I live) will look happier. And you'll also at least won't perbetuate slavery and environmental neglect as much. Which is, you know, just a right thing to do.
(DIR) Post #AP1ZRJikePUnwaIYiW by bemyak@lor.sh
2022-10-28T11:17:02Z
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@drq Is this a @Fairphone ad? đŸ˜„Great device, btw. Checks all the boxes:- repairability- honest labour- renewable materials- amazing software support
(DIR) Post #AP20PHZmLqStTXM7cm by drq@mastodon.ml
2022-10-28T16:19:11Z
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Oh! Oh! Completely forgot!If we're talking PCs, LEARN TO BUY USED!!!Because PC is such a flexible platform and spare parts are so readily available, the second hand market is the actual treasure trove of goodies. Most of the stuff inside the computer, when properly tended to, suffers almost no wearout over time, and can be scored unapologetically cheap, because modularity and availability!You can go full junkyard warrior and build a sweet machine that may be only one or two generations behind the bleeding edge (trust me, it will still kick ridiculous amount of ass) for a fraction of the cost of the new parts. You will just have to know where to ask. Craigslist might be a good start. Offices throw their old ("old") workstations out for free or almost for free. And yesterday's server hardware is still very competent desktop equipment, ask Huanan motherboard owners (hi, @kafazen ;)
(DIR) Post #AP21x2zbB9mQ2s64dE by drq@mastodon.ml
2022-10-28T16:36:31Z
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When buying used, pack up a suite of benchmarks and tests and learn how to use them. They will tell you if a part is actually good. If tests say yes, then you most certainly will be fine with the part.By the way, I'm typing this with a used graphics card. It was probably decommissioned off some mining rig, IDK. RX580. The sweetest GPU I've ever had. Love this thing to pieces.There's one important exception to it though:STORAGE.Disks DO degrade over time, both HDDs and SSDs. SSDs degrade as they are being written, HDDs degrade because HDD gods say it's time for it to go, who the fuck knows, they are electro-mechanical devices, they got a lot of moving parts.Buy used storage only when in a pinch. Because you don't want to know what happens when a disk you store all your life's work on gets degraded. Buy new storage if you can - preferably double, because you have to keep backups.
(DIR) Post #AP24HnaPqzQMFmLBvE by saiv46@mastodon.ml
2022-10-28T17:01:09Z
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I think it was about @postmarketOS - you can install Linux on any computer easily, but not old phones@bemyak @drq @Fairphone
(DIR) Post #AP24HoNgtmq6ibOXj6 by drq@mastodon.ml
2022-10-28T17:02:39Z
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@saiv46 @bemyak I wasn't keeping any brand in mind but I'm glad that companies like @Fairphone and things like PoMOS exist.