Say the new Googlebook is perfect.
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Say the new Googlebook is perfect. It isn't, far from it, but stick with me for a moment.
Here's what goes through my head: my Chromecast / Google TV was, when I bought it, an excellent streaming device that did almost exactly what I wanted. Sure, I had to tweak my router's settings and run my own DNS stack to keep it from phoning home so often, but still.
But then the on-screen keyboard stopped working unless I gave it mic permissions, which I did not do. And now the search button is gone.
The latter one is confounding. It's Google, for fuck's sake, search is kind of Their One Job. So why in the hell would the *search* button just disappear?
Ah, because they replaced it with a "Gemini" button.
Now, when I look at Google hardware, I can't just evaluate it on the basis of what it is when I buy it, but what it could turn into when Google's org chart next shuffles around.
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Say the new Googlebook is perfect. It isn't, far from it, but stick with me for a moment.
Here's what goes through my head: my Chromecast / Google TV was, when I bought it, an excellent streaming device that did almost exactly what I wanted. Sure, I had to tweak my router's settings and run my own DNS stack to keep it from phoning home so often, but still.
But then the on-screen keyboard stopped working unless I gave it mic permissions, which I did not do. And now the search button is gone.
@xgranade One of the more insidious aspects of the 'needs an internet connection to be even vaguely useful' design of such things; You can't actually make it *not* enshitify - it will do so whether you want it to or not, less you block it from the internet, in which case it is effectively just e-waste.
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The latter one is confounding. It's Google, for fuck's sake, search is kind of Their One Job. So why in the hell would the *search* button just disappear?
Ah, because they replaced it with a "Gemini" button.
Now, when I look at Google hardware, I can't just evaluate it on the basis of what it is when I buy it, but what it could turn into when Google's org chart next shuffles around.
Not that Google is alone in that, they're just the latest example to annoy the piss out of me. Tech is just *like that* now. I don't think that's inevitable, I'm only describing the current moment, not trying to limit future moments.
But gods. This moment in tech sucks, and it's because tech is *just like that*.
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@xgranade One of the more insidious aspects of the 'needs an internet connection to be even vaguely useful' design of such things; You can't actually make it *not* enshitify - it will do so whether you want it to or not, less you block it from the internet, in which case it is effectively just e-waste.
@miss_rodent Yeah, there's no way in principle to keep that one off the internet, I want it precisely because it does nice things when connected. But it also does bullshit and asinine stuff like that.
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@miss_rodent Yeah, there's no way in principle to keep that one off the internet, I want it precisely because it does nice things when connected. But it also does bullshit and asinine stuff like that.
@xgranade Yeah, at this point I'm basically only considering devices if I can actually change the OS and such on them; even if it comes with an 'open source' default, if I can't *actually change it myself*, then I will just assume the device is garbage that is - or will become - some invasive parasitic force in my life.
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@xgranade Yeah, at this point I'm basically only considering devices if I can actually change the OS and such on them; even if it comes with an 'open source' default, if I can't *actually change it myself*, then I will just assume the device is garbage that is - or will become - some invasive parasitic force in my life.
@miss_rodent Which is definitely smart. I'm pretty far along that path, but yeah, there's some things I can't quite do that way yet.
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@miss_rodent Which is definitely smart. I'm pretty far along that path, but yeah, there's some things I can't quite do that way yet.
@xgranade Fair, I'm curious what things; I've definitely... structured my entire life in a "chronically pissed off queer anarchist that reads too much philosophy" sort of way, so, I have only a vague idea how most people actually engage with technology.
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@xgranade One of the more insidious aspects of the 'needs an internet connection to be even vaguely useful' design of such things; You can't actually make it *not* enshitify - it will do so whether you want it to or not, less you block it from the internet, in which case it is effectively just e-waste.
@miss_rodent @xgranade you can *occasionally* dnshole a given always online piece of tech (my boox tablet, for example) so it cannot update itself without explicit permission....
But that is hardly a solution for the average human
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@miss_rodent @xgranade you can *occasionally* dnshole a given always online piece of tech (my boox tablet, for example) so it cannot update itself without explicit permission....
But that is hardly a solution for the average human
@cthos @miss_rodent DNSholing Google devices only works if you also block outgoing 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 at the router.
[edited to add: I know both of y'all know that, just saying for the folks following along at home, and as a gripe that I have to do the chore of blocking those outgoing routes]
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Say the new Googlebook is perfect. It isn't, far from it, but stick with me for a moment.
Here's what goes through my head: my Chromecast / Google TV was, when I bought it, an excellent streaming device that did almost exactly what I wanted. Sure, I had to tweak my router's settings and run my own DNS stack to keep it from phoning home so often, but still.
But then the on-screen keyboard stopped working unless I gave it mic permissions, which I did not do. And now the search button is gone.
@xgranade I was very happy with our Chromecast, but it will be replaced as soon as I can get my hands on a Steam Machine.
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@xgranade I was very happy with our Chromecast, but it will be replaced as soon as I can get my hands on a Steam Machine.
@krans That's my hope as well, it's been slowly turning into a piece of shit, and I hate that Google is doing that.
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@xgranade Fair, I'm curious what things; I've definitely... structured my entire life in a "chronically pissed off queer anarchist that reads too much philosophy" sort of way, so, I have only a vague idea how most people actually engage with technology.
@miss_rodent Mostly streaming mainstream movies and shows, or playing mainstream games (the Steam Deck has helped a lot with the latter, but it's not a complete solution). Hell, a lot of indie movies and shows are only on YouTube right now, much as I fucking hate it.
Piracy is an option, obviously, but one that I have some qualms with given where I'm coming from... not to mention I have limits to my storage space.
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@krans That's my hope as well, it's been slowly turning into a piece of shit, and I hate that Google is doing that.
@xgranade The one ray of hope I've had for corporate tech has been my Steam Deck. It's just been… some good hardware? And reliable software, with a genuine Linux desktop built into it? And the tech stack has been created by directly funding independent open source developers?
It feels like a doorway into a parallel dimension where Google and Doubleclick didn't merge.
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@miss_rodent Mostly streaming mainstream movies and shows, or playing mainstream games (the Steam Deck has helped a lot with the latter, but it's not a complete solution). Hell, a lot of indie movies and shows are only on YouTube right now, much as I fucking hate it.
Piracy is an option, obviously, but one that I have some qualms with given where I'm coming from... not to mention I have limits to my storage space.
@xgranade Ah, fair. I... don't really see movies, (or own a TV, etc.) or watch videos or play games or anything like that when I'm away from an actual computer/laptop.
so a lot of that is not a major concern... my phone is mostly an IM device & ebook reader, for drm-free (one way or another) ebooks, lol. -
@xgranade Ah, fair. I... don't really see movies, (or own a TV, etc.) or watch videos or play games or anything like that when I'm away from an actual computer/laptop.
so a lot of that is not a major concern... my phone is mostly an IM device & ebook reader, for drm-free (one way or another) ebooks, lol.@miss_rodent I watch a fair bit of TV and movies, and enjoy doing so from a couch. There's some "ten foot" UIs for Linux, but they're all fairly far behind where the desktop / laptop UIs are at.
Sometimes it's even just things like HDMI-CEC support, or using a smaller remote instead of needing a full keyboard/mouse setup.
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@miss_rodent I watch a fair bit of TV and movies, and enjoy doing so from a couch. There's some "ten foot" UIs for Linux, but they're all fairly far behind where the desktop / laptop UIs are at.
Sometimes it's even just things like HDMI-CEC support, or using a smaller remote instead of needing a full keyboard/mouse setup.
@xgranade Fair, I haven't had a TV or similar since like 2009-ish?, (and even then only really used it for game consoles.) so just, completely out of the scope of things I consider... so much so I had to look up what a "ten foot UI" even means.
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@xgranade Fair, I haven't had a TV or similar since like 2009-ish?, (and even then only really used it for game consoles.) so just, completely out of the scope of things I consider... so much so I had to look up what a "ten foot UI" even means.
@xgranade (I don't mean that as a judgey/superiority thing - my lifestyle choices are ... Not for everyone, and definitely lead to some complications.
A recurring minor bit of social friction is that a lot of my friends make references to various shows, animes, whatever, basically none of which I have seen or know anything about, often haven't even heard of, unless I watched it with one of them or a partner at some point.) -
Not that Google is alone in that, they're just the latest example to annoy the piss out of me. Tech is just *like that* now. I don't think that's inevitable, I'm only describing the current moment, not trying to limit future moments.
But gods. This moment in tech sucks, and it's because tech is *just like that*.
@xgranade Yup. For every piece of hardware, and every piece of software, I now find myself doing threat modeling and having an exit plan for when (not if) it inevitably transforms into user-hostile bullshit. This is energy I should not have to spend! I am tired all of the time!
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@xgranade (I don't mean that as a judgey/superiority thing - my lifestyle choices are ... Not for everyone, and definitely lead to some complications.
A recurring minor bit of social friction is that a lot of my friends make references to various shows, animes, whatever, basically none of which I have seen or know anything about, often haven't even heard of, unless I watched it with one of them or a partner at some point.)@miss_rodent I mean, I'm also learning to do screenwriting, which is... something that takes participation in movie and TV culture.
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@miss_rodent I mean, I'm also learning to do screenwriting, which is... something that takes participation in movie and TV culture.
@xgranade Yeah, I imagine it would be hard to do without being familiar with the general culture around it, lol. (Mostly added the 'not meant as judgey' because people often parse 'I don't have a TV' as a judgmental/superiority thing? I don't know why - it's actually kind of a pain in the ass to not have one or any access to the streaming sites in the world as it is? def created a bit of a cultural disconnect.)
