darrmit

This sort of disgusting privacy intrusion plus the rising costs of smartphones and their associated data plans have me thinking that eventually we'll just reach a breaking point where people choose to go back to dumbphones. I'm already nearly at that point myself.

I'm using container tabs for privacy reasons, i.e. I keep Facebook and Twitter in their own tabs and browse separately.

But the ability to keep work and home separate - separate bookmarks, extensions, etc. is really valuable. And although it's possible with Firefox, it can still be a little quirky having to setup custom Windows shortcuts, etc.

I'll check out about:profiles. Not sure I've ever seen it.

That and native containers knocks out two extensions for me. Three if you count Testpilot.

By the way, is multi-process going to make it more feasible to introduce a more robust profile feature like Chrome?

I have it working mostly on Windows but it still feels pretty rudimentary.

That's the only major feature for me that Chrome is really just so much better than Firefox.

I just tried the Nightly on Windows and I'm very impressed. Much faster and better looking.

Long time Firefox user and have been dreading the extensions going away, but it looks like Nightly has resolved some of the problems I was using extensions for (i.e. duplicate tab context menu) and I know some of the more prominent extensions (like NoScript) are being worked on.

I've had a tough time finding something good on iOS. I used WxUSA for a long time (I think that's what it was called) but then the dev stopped supporting it.

Then I switched to Storm, which was awesome until they decided to stop allowing ad-free subscriptions.

Then I switched to AccuWeather until this came to light yesterday.

Now I'm using Carrot and MyRadar which so far seems to be great.

I suppose you're right, I just know that privacy has become more of a known issue than it was 10 years ago. I guess users don't back that knowledge up with action by switching browsers.

I still use Firefox specifically because of Chrome's privacy concerns and was under the impression after dropping FirefoxOS Mozilla was headed in the right direction.

It seems they've convinced themselves that the only way to improve the product is to collect data on their users, rather than continuing to push the idea of privacy - which, in my opinion, if marketed correctly, could win over a lot of users. The browser is still fundamentally awesome.

This seems like the kind of thing they could push through their TestPilot program and just market it, rather than pushing it to everyone by default. But I imagine they want to push it to everyone specifically so they can take advantage of those who are ignorant to the ability to opt-out.

We are having major issues with an open office. It appears to be sort of like remote work: some can handle it fine, while others can't. It just gets deafeningly loud and distracting even with only 10 people nearby.

Last I had heard they were picked up by a startup (BitMitigate?) on the hosting side because everyone kept dropping them.

I assume Namecheap circumvented that by terminating their registration?

Source: https://www.geekwire.com/2017/seattles-bitmitigate-now-prote...

I already have Syncthing running, just haven't moved off to it.

The biggest offender is Photos. I just haven't found a good self-hosted photo solution.

I don't find Facebook useful for much and find that it brings the worst out in people, therefore I don't use it.

I do find Google useful but choose to use it very sparingly - no search, no mail, no maps. I do use Drive, Docs, and Photos (for now).

The problem I'm running into is some of Google's services are so exceptional compared to alternatives that it's becoming problematic to use alternatives. Maps is an example of this. In some ways Chrome is an example of this (when considering it as a platform/OS instead of just a browser).

I get the irony that their services are exceptional because of the data they collect, but that's sort of irrelevant.

But at the end of the day, I ask myself how much this matters in the absence of a VPN at home and on mobile when ISPs and cell providers are partnering up with advertisers and government agencies.

You can't just "replace AD servers with Samba4". It doesn't even begin to provide the same usability and feature set.

I love the idea. It's just not viable.

It is pretty amusing to see the script flipped here. The very same people saying the baker shouldn't have to bake the cake are now saying the rental service should be FORCED to allow them to stay.

Good luck with that.

I take tons of pictures of my son. I don't feel the need to share them on Facebook, nor does my wife. If we want a group of people to see pictures, we send them the pictures directly.

People ARE way too addicted to that red notification symbol.

Thanks for the tip. Didn't think to check anywhere other than Github, just defaulted to standing up an Ubuntu server.

Well, I'm talking from a non-developer perspective. I don't use Git daily, so I had to stand up my own Git instance or pay Github for a private repo.

PassFF works well for Firefox on my Mac, but no equivalent for Windows. If you're willing to forgo browser integration then that's less of an issue.

Lack of browser integration might also be less of an issue in Linux with dmenu or rofi plugins like others have mentioned, but that still doesn't solve Windows issues.

I had considered the Bash/Ubuntu/Windows option (instead of qtpass) but haven't tried it yet.

No, polished as in a functional browser integration and mobile app. For example, 1Password can fill in specific apps on iOS whereas I haven't found a KeePass app that can.

Small things, but "polish" nonetheless.

Have used KeeWeb and it's great.

I think pass is awesome if you have the workflow that supports it, but for the vast majority (myself included) it's entirely too difficult to setup and maintain. Particularly if you're using Windows regularly.

I'm glad to see this getting more attention because it has been brewing for months and 1Password is essentially doing what they promised they wouldn't - forcing users to the subscription/online model my phasing out support for local vaults.

I'm not mad at the subscription. I'd pay them the few bucks a month happily for what is an excellent application cross-platform. I AM mad at the forced cloud sync.

My current plan is to keep using 1PW 4 on Windows as long as possible and then re-evaluate when I absolutely have to. KeePass is a close alternative, but nowhere near as polished at this point.

I think "carbs are bad" is sort of overgeneralizing the problem. The problem isn't carbs, it's processed carbs that are low in fiber - i.e. not vegetables.

That said, I've experienced all this same stuff with processed carbs and sugar. I'll beat it for a few months and then end up binging/getting right back hooked.

The best recipe I've found for managing weight (personally, since YMMV is super applicable when it comes to fitness) is low-carb, high protein/fat, and weightlifting 3-4 times a week.

This is frustrating. I originally moved from LastPass to 1Password several years ago because of how they handled syncing.

I was one of many to complain about their new Windows app when they started only supporting local vaults read-only. They assured me they wouldn't be forcing users off to the hosted version, but that's essentially what they're doing for anyone using the Windows version.

For what it's worth, the hosted version is nice - particularly for non-technical users - but not sure it's worth the monthly fee when I can use open source alternatives like KeePass with few trade-offs and also not sure it's worth supporting a company who is forcing the move to a recurring subscription despite the negative feedback from some of it's oldest supporters.

I too have quit Facebook (and all social media) for long periods of time, but recently got back on. In the past I've felt pressure (from myself) to post witty things or drive up my friend counts. But now I see the value in just being a "consumer" - groups, articles, etc. Plus the added benefit of being able to see business pages, videos people send, etc.

I still agree it's crazy intrusive and addictive, I just think it's possible (though difficult) to find a middle ground.

Completely agree. I switched between Android and iOS for years because I enjoyed aspects of both, but the privacy concerns around Google (and by proxy, Android, thanks to the Google Play Store monopoly on app distribution) have seemingly permanently tipped the scales towards iOS at this point.

I remember getting stuck in emacs as a teenager on my only computer and having to just hold the power button down to get out because I had no way to search the Internet for the exit command. Haven't used emacs since. Good times.

This is by far my biggest issue with MS updates. Every time I come in and my computer has rebooted itself I want to smash something.

I work for a Microsoft partner, so certainly not astroturfing. I just really don't care for Azure. Though, today's announcement re: Bash shell in the browser for Azure is certainly a step in the right direction for usability.

I've had exactly the same experience with Azure and GCP. Started out with Azure and got so fed up with the crazy interface that I switched to GCP and have been consistently impressed with the attention to detail - especially with the tools they provide in the browser.

Agreed. I think this has been more damaging than anything. Most people just have no idea what they're giving up in exchange for the free software/service, and when they find out, it's too hidden for them to care.

Was (consumer) software ever perceived as that valuable, though? Most everyone I know is completely unwilling to buy an app or subscription. Even some technical people I know just refuse to spend money on software or services. It's not something I understand or agree with, just something I've noticed. It may be a more regional thing, too, here in the rural southeast.

For those thinking Enterprise and/or Education may be better, it's only better if you're using it in an environment where privacy settings are enforced via Group Policy or some other method. Standalone (like I'm running it) is really not much better than Pro unless you go through and manually intervene.

For example, the default telemetry level is "Enhanced":

"The Enhanced level gathers data about how Windows and apps are used and how they perform. This level also includes data from both the Basic and Security levels. This level helps to improve the user experience with the operating system and apps. Data from this level can be abstracted into patterns and trends that can help Microsoft determine future improvements.

This is the default level for Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education editions, and the minimum level needed to quickly identify and address Windows, Windows Server, and System Center quality issues." [1]

On a fresh install of Windows 10 Enterprise I still have to manually disable updates by disabling/setting permissions on scheduled tasks for updates and I'm still prompted for things like "Use OneDrive!". Cortana is also enabled by default.

[1] https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/configure/...