Yes, look at how they are pushing age verification. It's actually a decent implementation, if you accept the basic premise that there is a reasonable interest in protecting children from adult services and material.

In fact it might be an improvement over what we have now, where people have to show ID to enter certain venues or buy certain products. The checkout is anonymous, unless you have to show the clerk your ID to prove you are old enough to buy alcohol.

They way they have implemented it, you verify once, ideally with the government who already knows who you are anyway, and then your device can validate your age on demand. There is no way to tie the validation to an identity, and no two validations are relatable so it can't be used for tracking.

If they don't fuck up the crypto it will be an improvement over what we have now. It's actually shitty that the UK is no longer in the EU and won't benefit from it.

I think the EU would care, especially since Android is currently open and Google is taking something away. Apple gets away with it because they have been like that from day one.

Ah, yes. Well, we will have to wait and see I suppose. I would be surprised if they ended up killing F-Droid though, I really can't see the EU being happy about that.

Not sure that's the case, and above the bit you quoted it does also mention that there will be a special version for hobbyists that has different terms.

In short I think it's too early to say. It sounds like they haven't figured out what they are going to do yet.

Is that so? I can't find a source for Google saying that. Do you have one?

In any case, I think we will have to wait and see, because I can't imagine the EU being okay with them banning open source developers who refuse to register in that way.

I never thought I'd say it, but 2027 might actually be the year of the Linux desktop. There is gathering momentum for moving from Windows to Linux, with some major tech news sites doing extended tutorials and reports on it. Linux desktop user numbers are rising, fast enough that Microslop is trying to de-shittify Windows before too many people abandon it forever.

Most of all though, thanks to Valve compatibility has got a lot better. Not just for gaming, although that is a major part of it, but for Windows apps in general. Also, it has become a lot easier to write cross platform apps that aren't awful, and which feel native to each of Linux, Windows, and MacOS.

There are still issues, but unless Microsoft can really turn things around, and with AI making new hardware unaffordable for many, it's just possible that Linux really breaks through in the next year or two.

That's not what is happening. The first time you enable sideloading, there is a 24 hour cooling off period. After that, installs are instant. And there is probably no delay at all if you get F-Droid from Google Play, only if you download the APK and install it that way.

The other issue is that Google is requiring all developers to register if they want their apps to install on certified devices. Certified means runs Google Play and passes the security checks that some apps (e.g. banks apps, Google Pay) require. This is already an issue for Graphene OS users, because such apps will refuse to run for them due to the lack of certification.

It's hardly new though. Apple has required it since day one, and on Windows drivers need to be signed which means identifying yourself to a certificate authority. I imagine the solution will be the same as it is on Windows - someone will register and then sign F-Droid and all the apps offered on F-Droid. If you didn't know, F-Droid builds apps itself. The app source must compile on F-Droid's servers, with various limitations like not having any dependency on Google Play Services.

Like it or not, these things have been here for years and are not going away. They are cheaper than employing humans to answer the phone and direct calls, or handle web chats. So it's better that they get good, rather than remaining crappy and unable to understand what you need.

Of course, being corporate reps, they will still not be very helpful, but that's the world we live in.

He may be suffering from AI psychosis. Look at how easily he is manipulated when he meets far more intelligent and skilful leaders like Xi and Putin in person. Talks tough before hand, meets them and suddenly they are his best friends. It seems like it wouldn't take much for AI to convince him of its own worth.

If it does then it signals that a lot of other jobs are going away as well. Personally I feel that AI isn't good enough to replace me yet, but I can't rule out that it will be sooner or later.

That in itself isn't a problem, the issue is the political and social ramifications in countries that are already rapidly ageing.

It was legitimately a decent movie though. Not going to change the world or anything, but it was funny and well executed.

Why would people think it was going to be a total loss? Presumably those with a stake in it had seen it, or at least talked to people who had seen it, and knew it was pretty good.

California has been on the verge of a mass exodus of businesses for decades. Occasionally one is daft enough to try it, and realizes that the grass isn't really greener. Musk is one of the most recent, having incorporated some business and moved some management stuff out of California, just enough to claim he did it without actually doing it. Meanwhile California continues to be the richest state by a mile.

Is that right? I couldn't find any confirmation of it, but I suppose it's possible. I have a Pixel phone but didn't notice what was pre-installed as I immediately installed my usual apps anyway.

FWIW I no longer have Google Authenticator installed, and usually you can't completely remove pre-installed apps on Pixels.