Andreas

A quite frequent traveler based in Amsterdam. I do networks, infosec, scalable systems, cloud and now I ensure it is always a DNS problem.

#Travel, #SaltStack, #SaltProject, #JustAdminThings, #Network, #Infosec, #Python

Birdsite: https://nitter.it/i_x_s
GitHub: https://github.com/ixs
ISP: https://www.bawue.net

Last Notes

2025-10-21 18:50:47 GMT

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You know... I thought so too.
But since 2022 I had to kinda update my predispositions on that.
If you're working for a spyware company, yeah, you're still scum.
If you work for a missile manufacturer or artillery manufacturer that delivers to Ukraine?
Let me buy you a beer.
It's a complex world and much less black and white than previously thought...

2025-08-26 17:47:57 GMT

Victoria is raising a good point. Self-hosting your stuff is the best way to ensure digital sovereignty.
If you self-host, nobody can sell your data to random third parties or monetize you.
Nobody can use your data to present you with a constant barrage of advertisement, turning you (or your attention) into a product to be sold.
And it becomes much harder to feed you a constant algorithmic diet of AI generated slop telling you that fashism is okay and it‘s time to hate your neighbor.
So we should all self-host. Everything. All the time.
Except self-hosting is hard. And a lot of effort. And sometimes not even really possible due to network effects: I can do the best job in the world at self-hosting the loveliest forum but it is nearly guaranteed that I will not get enough users from my region to ensure that I can sell my old furniture there. Not like on facebook where selling old furniture to people in my city is easy because there‘s a group for that.
So let‘s stay super realistic. Social things are difficult, just look at Mastodon itself as an example. But hosting email, photos, websites, books and movies is a really good idea. For so many reasons.
But it is hard, just like running a farm.
If I read Victoria correctly, then she’s trying to illustrate why self-hosting is impossible for many people?
I’d agree with that. Self hosting is hard. But what did we do back when there was no Google? The alternative to self-hosting is not giving up and handing everything to US-billionaire owned companies.
Maybe there‘s a friend who really likes to mess with computers and they could host your stuff for you?
Or maybe there‘s a small group or a non-profit who can host your stuff? Maybe it‘s even close-by, giving you the opportunity to go by the datacenter, pet the server and tell it what a good job it is doing?
The answer does not have to be gmail or bust. There are multiple options around and they are not always called posteo or any of the other big alternatives.
My small alternative is @npub12u8…7tc6 where I can in fact pet the server if I am so inclined.
But there are other small leftovers from the beginning of the internet, still providing great services like trustworthy mail and hosting. Use them. Itms not as convenient as gmail, but you‘ll be infinitely better off.
https://mastodon.social/@vicgrinberg/115071519370965362

2025-01-19 12:57:27 GMT

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Two? Way more.
First there was GitHub Copilot, the OG Copilot. And that seemingly was successful at what it did.
And because GitHub is a limited-integrated MSFT property, they of course kept the name and reused it EVERYWHERE where there is a search form.
The did change the icon though.
So now you got Azure Copilot, M365 Copilot, Windows Copilot, Bing Copilot and of couse bare Copilot. Neither of which is GitHub Copilot.
The thing I do not understand though is, why there is no Microsoft Flightsimulator Copilot.
That would make sense.

2024-09-25 21:51:46 GMT

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As far as I can tell, hundreds of applicants on every open position within the first days is just "normal" for a while already.
That being said, most of these candidates were unqualified for the position and would've required visa sponsorship. Easy to filter out back then.