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ian ian @feddit.uk
Posts 4
Comments 115
Oh, come on!
  • English is slightly ambiguous here. As tighten has 2 meanings. Turning a screw clockwise is to tighten it, as opposed to loosen it anticlockwise. But it's quite loose. Finally, to make it tight and secure, you tighten it with one last turn.

  • Hackers take control of robot vacuums in multiple US cities and abuse owners, yells racist slurs
  • Me in shop: I want to buy a robot vacuum cleaner. Do you have one of those sweary ones?

  • URBAN BIKING: The Art Of Carrying Things By Bike
  • Yes. I put a basket on the back, which gets used all the time. Bike lock. My bag of rain gear or shopping bag. You can chuck in items, such as gloves, without needing to stop. I have an elastic, where one hook is bent closed, so it stays attached all the time. Which let's me carry lots of shopping or awkward items.

    For heavier loads, such as beer crates, I attach my trailer. That beats a cargo bike as you don't always want it attached. And its cheap and easy to pack away.

    Since getting the trailer, I no longer need to borrow a car. That is such a nice feeling of freedom and independence from high costs, parking problems, needing to plan ahead.

  • I want a soundbar
  • HDMI is important as you can control it with the TV remote control. On off too. Essential.

    I have a Sony soundbar with a separate, floor standing, Bass unit. If you have a good screen then good bass, I mean really good bass, gives it a cinematic feel. Play the THX Intro on YouTube and you'll know what I mean. My neighbours love it too!

  • What web browser do you recommend and why?
  • Vivaldi. It has lots of good usability functions, and handles tabs and bookmarks really well. In fact, as it is descended from the original Opera browser, it had a long heritage where other browsers copied the good features they developed, such as sync and tabs.

  • What app store for Android do you recommend?
  • Droid-ify and F-Droid seem to work well.

  • Images to animated GIF offline and FLOSS ( Linux )
  • I used Gimp for animated Gifs in the past. But I find doing it in Kdenlive video editor easier. It let's you import a folder of images as a clip. https://kdenlive.org/

  • Why is UI design backsliding?
  • In this case I wouldn't associate the poor usability with the designers, I think its down to big business not caring. Plus it costs more to make a UI good, and flexible for different user situations. They'll also hire the cheapest designers. It's all about saving money and more profit. Their main aim. And in the case of monopolies, people can't go elsewhere. The problems all come down from the top.

  • Why is UI design backsliding?
  • For some, with only a small screen, wasted space means extra navigation to find hidden commands. A usability fail just so the app looks pretty. Also a symptom of "one UI fits all" just to save businesses money.

  • Is there a Windows 10 inspired launch menu?
  • In KDE Plasma, if you right click on the launch menu button, there is an option Show Alternatives. Here, you can immediately select and use one of the installed alternative start menus. On top of that, you can install further launcher menus, which will then appear in the Show Alternatives list. I installed Simple Menu (from Eike Hein) that has categories, favourites and search. And let's you move the icons around. But its that easy to try out different launchers. I hope you find a good one.

  • Despite tech-savvy reputation, Gen Z falls behind in keyboard typing skills
  • Yes. To a typist, it's all about the typing. The design, engineering and drawings don't seem to be important it seems.

  • Why is Facebook filled with so much random junk now?
  • It's a centralised network. They need to make maximum profit and don't need to care about users, because they won't leave whatever nasty thing happens. Being on there encourages friends and family to stay and suffer too. And keeps people off of decentralized networks.

    I'm surprised people stay on Facebook, then grizzle about how bad they've helped it become.

  • Despite tech-savvy reputation, Gen Z falls behind in keyboard typing skills
  • Not being fast at typing does not mean you are not tech savvy. There is more to tech than typing. Like an architect doesn't need to be good at brick-laying to be a good architect.

  • How can we make Linux more appealing as "just works"?
  • Copy pasting strange commands people will not memorise does not solve it! To keep non IT people on Linux, they need to find out how their desktop GUI works, so they are in control and happy to stay. The aim is not to use the minimum possible time writing the tips. Thrusting an unfamiliar environment on people is sure to scare them away, and is bad usability.

  • How can we make Linux more appealing as "just works"?
  • I searched but never ever found a website with Linux help specially for non IT people. This is seriously needed. Everywhere I've looked, gatekeepers with no clue about the GUI solutions, insist people use the command line for day to day user tasks. Sure things vary between desktop environments, but it's important people learn about their desktop. It's how they get comfortable, and stay. And not stuck reliant on strangers having to spoon feed them cryptic text commands each time. I'd be happy to help contribute. As I've found GUI ways to do nearly everything.

  • Racism, misogyny, lies: how did X become so full of hatred? And is it ethical to keep using it?
  • Twitter was a cess pit before Musk took over. It had gone the way of most centralised networks. People won't leave or they get cut off and lose their followers. Networks know this, and stop caring. Twitter still exists because selfish people won't leave. Never join any centralised network. You are helping it go bad. Musk did a good thing in chasing millions off of Twitter. Some stay on there and grizzle about the mess, they themselves, made, and blame it all on Musk.

  • Is Linux (dumb)user friendly yet?
  • I setup and use Linux on my home PC for the last 12 years, as a non IT person. I don't use the command line or any IT tools. It has to be user friendly. 99.9% of the time, me, and many others, enjoy a very good, modern experience. I'm happy with the Linux apps for home use. Installation, partitioning, app store and updates are all graphical. There might be the occasional glitch. Where you need online help. Ignore those who say the command line is the only way to solve it. They know nothing about GUI solutions. Nearly all issues are solvable. If you are unlucky, at worst, a reinstall is quick, and GUI based. Your learning can be confined to discovering the easy tools and GUI alternatives. I find Kubuntu good, because it allows me to solve things due to its flexibility.

  • Whats your go-to naming convention?
  • This question just shows how messed up, and broken much of IT is.

  • GIMP 3.0 Enters String Freeze, Inching Closer To Release
  • People speak many different languages around the world. Gimp doesn't have a bad connotation outside small and sad group of people. A subset of English speakers only. People like that should not dictate what the rest of us, outside their bubble, do.

  • GIMP 3.0 Enters String Freeze, Inching Closer To Release
  • Businesses around the world, who have no idea what a few people use the term gimp to mean, are no different. The name makes no difference to them. To most people around the world, gimp means that photo editor.

  • Sync to Samba Share via GUI

    I’m looking for a way in Plasma to backup and sync my data from PC to a LAN Samba share on my NAS, using a GUI program.

    The many sync apps (Grsync, Unison, Lucky, RealTime, Kup etc.) I’ve tried over many years, don’t let me set a remote/samba target. Most navigate locally only. I would mount the share, but nobody I’ve found knows of a GUI way to permanently mount it.

    Everything else I need on Plasma has a GUI solution. Just a sync fails. I’d be grateful to hear of a GUI solution

    38

    Inkscape 1.3 Released!

    inkscape.org Inkscape launches version 1.3 with a focus on organizing work efficiently | Inkscape

    <p><img alt="Inkscape 1.3 About Screen CC-By-SA 4.0 by Denis Kuznetzky" src="https://media.inkscape.org/media/news/uploads/about-screen-banner-1-3.png" style="width: 30%; float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0" title="Inkscape 1.3 About Screen CC-By-SA 4.0 by Denis Kuznetzky" /></p> <p>With version 1.3 o...

    Lots of new features in Inscape 1.3

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    Share your vector artwork!

    Have you got a drawing made in Inkscape or other vector program that you are proud of? Share it here. Here's one to start off.

    !

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    What is Inkscape?

    Inkscape is a drawing program that creates vector graphics, or shape objects. Which is different from pixel graphics where the image is made from a grid of coloured dots. It has advanced functionality for creating professional artwork. Inkscape is a free, open source program. So if you want to try it you can download it from inkscape.org and install it right away.

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