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Comment Re:"Force-updating" (Score 1) 32

It tends to have fewer exploits in the wild because hackers, when given a choice between going after 60% of the desktop market, and going after 5% of the desktop market, will nearly always choose the 60% piece of the pie. It's just not profitable enough to go after a tiny sliver of the market.

Linux underpins the internet. It's the primary server OS on the planet. High-value data is held on Linux systems. The idea that it's not profitable to attack those targets is silly. They're harder to attack. People still do it. That's why there are still ssh port scans for example.

Comment Re:Go for Linux (Score 1) 41

It is certainly more like Linux than say, Windows.

It is, but IME a lot of software needs architectural changes to work on it, similar to when you're trying to build software for Windows in cygwin. That's one reason I decided it wasn't worth the hassle back when I was running it.

When it comes to being allowed to do what you want with your computer, it's a lot more like Windows than it is like Linux. And it's been getting worse.

Comment Re:"Force-updating" (Score 2) 32

But it is also generally more secure, outside of its obscurity

This is a fantasy not substantiated by evidence. Heartbleed--a Linux vulnerability in an open source library--was lying in plain sight for years before some hacker discovered it, and it was exploited in the wild for years before anybody discovered the attack.

Now tell us how many similar bugs are in Windows, and will be found even without the obscurity of closed source. You don't know, because you depend on Microsoft to tell you when they fuck up, but you're declaring this a victory for Microsoft anyway? Do fucking tell.

Comment Re: Thank AI (Score 1) 45

I still don't understand why any SBC application that is not emulating classic videogames needs more than 4 GB, let alone 8 GB.

A lot of people are using raspis as workstations, with any heavy lifting being done elsewhere. They are perfectly adequate for most normal daily tasks, silent, and use very little power. There's a lot to like about them, they're just overpriced for what little you're getting. If you didn't have to pay extra for basic features like an M.2 slot maybe they would be worth it. After you pay for a case, power supply (and they are picky as fuck about that) and so on, you're not saving any money compared to buying a MiniPC with better support and a richer set of available software. Raspi only has good vendor support compared to other poorly supported SBCs, all the heavy lifting is done by the community which often has to work around the pi foundation's failures.

Comment Laws are weird (Score 0) 169

In California, it's illegal to do this. We call it a speed trap, even though that already means something — cop hiding in some shitty spot where the speed limit suddenly and unexpectedly drops or whatever. I got busted with one of these in Jackson City, TX, a trivial little carbuncle on the asshole of a slightly shortcut route to Austin if you're heading East on the I-10, with a stop sign completely enveloped in a fucking tree that probably produces 50% of that shithole's revenue.

*ahem*

Anyhoo this CO scheme wouldn't be legal here in CA. And we'd also make a city cut a tree back if they wanted to keep writing speeding tickets based on a sign inside of the fucker.

Comment Re:Stolen is one thing (Score 1) 69

The legal problems you're talking about are about training, not about the output. You need fair use to train your LLM with unlicensed text, but you don't need fair use laws to use the outputs.

That is a question which fundamentally has not been answered yet. The legislators and courts will collectively have the final say.

Comment Re: Thank AI (Score 1) 45

Er, I didn't write that right. Edit fail. This part:

Too much work. The point is that the devices are very expensive compared to much simpler devices.

The point is that the devices are very expensive compared to more complex devices. A phone has a LOT more hardware. It comes with a LOT more support. It comes with a LOT more software. It's shipped in a nice box with accessories, at least a sim tool if it's got a slot. Raspi has none of that. It's made with excess SoCs, whatever they can get cheap. Every single part of it is cheapass. And you can get a phone with as much RAM, much more CPU, and both cellular and wifi for around twice as much as the top end Pi. It's got a screen, it's got a bunch of storage, it's got a battery, and lots of such phones are not sold in huge volumes. So why is this grossly simpler device so expensive? Answer, people will pay for it.

The cost of development of a raspi is not much different from say an Arduino Mega. It's got a more expensive SoC which does a lot more, but that's still not a very expensive part. It makes the PCB more expensive, but not dramatically so. The community does most of the hard work of supporting it.

Comment Re: Thank AI (Score 1) 45

Define "overpriced". What's the BOM. What's the cost of assembly and production? What's the cost of running the business, including engineer?

BOM: way less parts than a cellphone. Cost of assembly and production: way less than a cellphone. Cost of running the business, including engineers: Way less than a cellphone. What am I comparing? A much much much simpler and cheaper device to engineer and build since it's just a bare board with some cheap parts including some SoCs that BCM had too many of lying around, which is how they pick 'em.

Here's a challenge: Find a product that is feature and performance comparable at a lower cost across the range.

Too much work. The point is that the devices are very expensive compared to much simpler devices.

A side point is that they also often suck. They keep making dumb errors in power supply or USB which compromise devices. Then they just publish errata and tell you how to work around their fuckups. How about doing some testing before shipping?

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