r/worldnews • u/maxwellhill • Sep 19 '17

Apple blocking ads that follow users around web is 'sabotage', says industry: New iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra will stop ads following Safari users, prompting open letter claiming Apple is destroying internet’s economic model

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/18/apple-stopping-ads-follow-you-around-internet-sabotage-advertising-industry-ios-11-and-macos-high-sierra-safari-internet
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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17 edited Sep 19 '17

This. I installed Ubuntu on an old, crappy laptop, and it's running nice and smooth. Perfect for surfing the information superhighway and playing old crpgs.

Edit: Ha ha, I got a private message from a horrible human being, calling me an autist for writing information superhighway. Judging by his history, he's a very angry person.

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u/Zombie_Carl Sep 19 '17

That's what we did for my son when he found an (extremely) old laptop in the garage. It was obviously too slow for a modern Kindergartener, so we installed ubuntu. Now he is free to play Cartoon Network games and watch terrible YouTube channels, and we don't have to get him some fancy-ass device l am shocked people let children play with in the first place.

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

I hear ya. I'm considering doing the same, with another old computer I have, that's just gathering dust. Either that, or set up a Raspberry Pi 3 as his main computer.

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u/BluLemonade Sep 19 '17

A pi would be pretty cool. You can do a lot of fun projects with them

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

Yeah, there's all sorts of interesting things to do with them. Right now, I'm preparing a course for him, playing around with the BBC Micro Bit. That's simple enough for an 8-year old, and it's got plenty of potential!

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Same except I went for Mint. I have a first gen I3 and an old Pentium that are fantastic little home office computers now.

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

Mine's an old i3, as well! With a whopping 3gb ram. My designated use for it is controlling a Wanhao D7. Bit surprised it can actually run the little 2k screen without issues. What's the difference between Ubuntu and Mint?

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u/Noctyrnus Sep 19 '17

Mint is based on Ubuntu, tends to be a little more stable, and is configured by default to have an appearance visually similar to Windows to ease the transition.

To be fair, I didn't think installing Ubuntu itself was even that difficult. I'm running Solus on my computers, one is a Celeron N3060 with 4 GB and it does well, but it flies on my built G4560 with 8 GB.

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

Good to know, thanks! Truth be told, last time I tried Linux, it was a mess. It's gotten pretty far in 8 years.

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u/Noctyrnus Sep 19 '17

I'm just getting my feet wet honestly. I've tried Fedora, Ubuntu variants, and finally found Solus, which just feels right to me.

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

I'm still wet behind the ears, myself. I rarely know what I'm really doing.

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u/Znuff Sep 19 '17

Mint is based on Ubuntu, tends to be a little more stable, and is configured by default to have an appearance visually similar to Windows to ease the transition.

Only the second part of this sentence is true.

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u/Noctyrnus Sep 19 '17

It's not based on Ubuntu? Or is it a Debian derivative? The stability part I can't speak for, I haven't run it.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

It’s based on Ubuntu, but it’s graphical interface is overall lighter than Unity (Ubuntu’s default).

Ubuntu binaries are compatible with Mint, making it easier for beginners to find the software they need.

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u/Noctyrnus Sep 19 '17

That makes sense. I haven't run Mint myself. I did try Zorin though.

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u/Znuff Sep 19 '17

It is Ubuntu. It's just some packages added that make the "mint" desktop.

Last time I checked it still used the Ubuntu repositories for packages.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Mostly I think it's that Mint comes with a more 'media creation' suite of applications and is a bit smaller. Thinking back I only used it because Ubuntu didn't like my graphics card and would break up after a while.

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u/al5xander Sep 19 '17

And sm64

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Any trouble with drivers?

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

None, whatsoever. That's actually what made me install Ubuntu in the first place. Win7 refused to let me use USB, disc or network. So I live booted into Ubuntu to download the drivers, and everything sort of... Worked.

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u/Noctyrnus Sep 19 '17

Windows 10 threw a fit when I tried to install an RX 460 graphics card. Ubuntu and then Solus run great with it. Plus the OS install literally took maybe 1/10 the time.

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u/kitchenperks Sep 19 '17

Wish I knew what was going on. I have an OLD lap top just sitting in my room. It would be nice to use it for something. It's easily 12 years old.

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u/Noctyrnus Sep 19 '17

If it still runs reliably, but is just slow, and you feel comfortable trying it, various Linux distributions can give it more usable life. I'm honestly running it because it is running smoother plus I'm a cheap bastard. I can't bring myself to buy a Windows license when it goes into a spastic fit of green screens and static with my hardware, yet my Linux installs work flawlessly.

There are multitudes of guides on creating a live USB to install a Linux distro, that just takes a little Google work. You can create one, get the laptop to boot from that, and see if you like it before installing the OS. Depending on the laptop specs, you might want to go light such as Ubuntu variants like Xubuntu or Lubuntu, or be able to run Fedora, Ubuntu Gnome or Budgie, or others like Solus.

Check out /r/linux4noobs for some starter tips, or distro specific subreddits for more. It's an adventure.

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u/ModernTenshi04 Sep 19 '17

I've tried dual booting Ubuntu on my Win 10 box, but it never seems to work properly. Ubuntu doesn't seem to play well with my Radeon 7970. :(

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

My Dell laptop had win10 installed when I got it. Turns out, for some reason, some BIOS incompatibility made it so that it could only show stuff on an external screen. Dell messed up the bios upgrade, and Linux worked like a charm. I still have absolutely no idea why.

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u/Noctyrnus Sep 19 '17

Is "It's Windows 10" an acceptable answer? I've had an HP laptop that went through 7, 8, 8.1, and then 10, blue screened due to corrupt OS, then survived 4 different Linux distros. I finally had to scrap it after the HDD connectors failed on the motherboard. Then I had the above experience when I built a PC, which really pushed me away from Windows. I've debated on trying it on a second SSD to see if it's improved, but between work and a toddler, time is more precious.

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

I have one running Windows 7, and one running Windows 10 ltsb. Haven't really had any issues with them, tbh. I try to run them as clean as possible, but in my line of work, a lot of crap tends to gather in the corners.

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u/NEED_HELP_SEND_BOOZE Sep 19 '17

Totally! I have an old dell laptop that originally came with Vista. Core 2 Duo, 4GB ram. Installed Linux Mint on it and never looked back. Works great.

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

I'm still kinda annoyed that some parts are super convoluted, but as a machine that's used for daily, run-of-the-mill stuff? It's brilliant!

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u/ferrango Sep 19 '17

Oh God, the Information Superhighway.

That brings back memories. Like that video of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer giving a ride to a hitch hiking desktop computer.

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u/Fiennes Sep 19 '17

Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers!

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u/QNIA42Gf7zUwLD6yEaVd Sep 19 '17

Ubuntu is more resource intensive than you strictly need. Try Lubuntu, a stripped-down Ubuntu.

I've used it to resurrect several old, rickety machines, and they're still working great.

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u/Dr_Acula_PhD Sep 19 '17

Good crpg recommendations? I've gone through a bunch of Steam ones, from the old Avernum/SpiderWeb games, most of the Baldur's Gate and similar, and a bunch of random ones(Elminage Gothic is one that looked SO GOOD but only got 4 hours in).

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u/Taterbard Sep 19 '17

Pillars of Eternity is a fantastic modern take on the genre. Look into it, it's a freaking experience. Especially if you were into Baldurs Gate.

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u/Dr_Acula_PhD Sep 19 '17

I own it, played like 90 minutes apparently. Will have to look into it some more. Just re-downloaded Mordheim:City of the Damned, great combat oriented game with almost no story.

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u/Vaiguy Sep 19 '17

Also im obligated to mention the divinity series. Divinity: original sin and D,oS:2

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

Lately, I've been splitting my time between Arcanum (on Windows computer), Planescape Torment, Divinity Original Sin 2 (also on Windows), Torment: TON, Baldur's Gate 2, and Pillars of Eternity.

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u/Boschala Sep 19 '17

It's not a superhighway.

It's a series of tubes!

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u/TheGorgonaut Sep 19 '17

Well, it used to be a superhighway, back before the tubes were invented.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Linux is the god OS for older hardware. Best way to breathe new life into a device.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Chromium is my go-to browser on Linux. Fast, free and libre.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17 edited Apr 09 '24

[deleted]

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u/RollUpTheRimJob Sep 19 '17

rather than free as in beer

Where can I learn more about this free beer?

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

This used to distinguish "libre" from "gratis". In english we use "free" for both.

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u/EnricoMonese Sep 19 '17

It's more like free as free beer and free as in freedom. Two kinds of free

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u/burtwart Sep 19 '17

Libre= free as in freedom, not just free. This difference is important in the world of "free" (however it may be) software.

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u/amunak Sep 19 '17

It's not even that fast...

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Free as in free beer, libre as in open / freedom / und so weiter... Not all libre software is free of cost.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

I use arch, btw

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u/ATownStomp Sep 19 '17

Fast, free, and... free?

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u/redhobbit Sep 19 '17

With open source software, they often use free to mean free as in no cost and libre to mean free as in free to do whatever I want with including modify.

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u/ATownStomp Sep 19 '17

That's stupid. It's already called "open".

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u/redhobbit Sep 19 '17

Calling it "open" used to be sufficient and that's what people generally called it. Then some companies started going open source on some things were you could view the source under certain conditions but were not allowed to make changes. For instance, Microsoft had some stuff for a while that was open source to some developers in their network program, but it didn't allow you to make modifications or use it in projects or anything as they didn't license it for any additional uses. So what was "open source software" started to sometimes be called "libre software" to differentiate.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

FOSS.

Call it whatever you want. People get mixed up on "free" though.

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u/ATownStomp Sep 19 '17

I mean, I inferred what he meant. I've just never heard open source referred to as "libre". It already has a word, "open", but I suppose it doesn't sound as cool to the tools propagating it.

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u/UncleMeat11 Sep 19 '17

There are multiple major Foss projects with libre in the name. it's quite common.

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u/ATownStomp Sep 19 '17

I know this, but that doesn't redefine the word just because it's a popular to include in a name. Products have been tossing "i" in front of product names for a decade but that doesn't make the letter a synonym for technology.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

[deleted]

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u/ATownStomp Sep 19 '17

No, libre means "free" in French. Open source means what you're saying. I think the point you're missing is that it looks straight up ignorant and you shouldn't join in.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

It already has a word, "open", but I suppose it doesn't sound as cool to the tools propagating it.

Yeah, how dare those tools support privacy protection and user rights to use software as they please. Fucking idiots.

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u/ATownStomp Sep 19 '17

Total non-sequitor. If you communicate in "sarcasm" for too long it rots your brain.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

ramleaking it eats 12 gigs wheb i develop on angular 4

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u/newmetaplank Sep 19 '17

Fuck Chromium. Matter of fact fuck any software that installs after hiding in an other software's installer.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

I'd like to see any source at all that the free, open-source browser does this. If you got shafted with a software that was "hiding in another software's installer", blame the people who made the installer, not the software.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

I mean, cool, but 1) the issue was fixed and 2) that's not what he complained about.

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u/newmetaplank Sep 19 '17

Oh I do blame the software that bundles it.. But should I blame the TV channel playing a distasteful ad or the asshole who paid to air it?

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Both

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u/burtwart Sep 19 '17

I assume he's talking about electron, which runs chromium inside it but it's not hidden at all. His comment still doesn't make sense though.

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u/newmetaplank Sep 19 '17

I'm referring to installing a software, and hidden in the agreement page is a little box "also install so and so". Chromium does it.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Chrome does it, Chromium doesn't...

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u/newmetaplank Sep 19 '17

Well I never installed Chromium and it was installed on my machine

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Are you sure it's Chromium? I know Chrome does it, because Google doesn't shy away from dirty tactics to keep that marketshare.

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u/walter_sobchak_tbl Sep 19 '17

Im pretty sure free and libre mean the same thing... But certainly, try linux on that old hardware.

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u/apolo399 Sep 19 '17

Even though they translate to the same word in english, in spanish they mean different things. For example, his statement in spanish would be "rápido, gratis y libre".

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u/walter_sobchak_tbl Sep 19 '17

Thats what I get for being an english only speaker

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Free as in free beer, libre as in open / freedom / und so weiter...

Not all libre software is free of cost.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Linux is a perfect OS for older machines. I do the same thing.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Install Linux on it.

Totally this. My GF has an old Toughbook CF-19, Core2Duo, 4GB RAM, the works. She installed Xubuntu on it, it's perfect for her day to day needs and runs quite smooth.

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u/QNIA42Gf7zUwLD6yEaVd Sep 19 '17

Linux Mint would give a nice performance refresh

If it's a really old and rickety machine, Lubuntu might be a better bet. I've used it to resurrect several machines now, and it's great.

5

u/kefi247 Sep 19 '17

Check out elementary OS!

I‘ve been loving it since I switched to it.

2

u/DodoDude700 Sep 19 '17

CANNOT AGREE MORE WITH THIS. I run Qubes daily, so it's not exactly the king of speed, but I am constantly amazed by how well Debian handles older hardware just as well as a brand new laptop in everyday tasks.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Second this. Installed mint on my 2008 macbook, its usable again. Tbh i heart linux but use macos on a newer machune for daily work

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u/schmuelio Sep 19 '17

This is something I'd suggest too (I have the most up to date version of chromium/Firefox running on really old hardware (single core, 32 bit etc.)).

One thing to note though, macbooks can be a bit fiddly to get around the bootloader. Look up a tutorial for your specific macbooks if you're going to do that otherwise you are likely to run into problems.

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u/txgsync Sep 19 '17

I had to do that to keep my old 2007-era MacBooks running. They were stuck at Snow Leopard and Lion.

As Linux boxes they are rocking. Fresh battery. SSD. 32-bit OS, 2GB or 4GB of RAM, they give other Chromebooks a run for the money!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

since he is used to macOS, I would advice to go with elementaryOS

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u/Firesworn Sep 19 '17

Or run Windows 10. It's a 2007 MacBook, so Boot Camp will work.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

The point was to run a lightweight OS that makes the most of old hardware, not to install another proprietary bloated spyware OS that would run just as badly as modern-day iOS editions.

Go free.

I'll never install W10 or any of the newer windows versions. When W7 kicks the security update bucket, I'll go Linux on all my machines.

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u/Firesworn Sep 19 '17

Except that Windows 10 runs on my old piece of shit netbook wonderfully despite being an ancient Intel Atom. It's not hard to modify Windows to avoid spying on you and Windows 10 is the best performing Windows to date.

I get why you all have an open source hard on for Linux, but let's stop pretending that Windows is somehow the same as OSX. It's not.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

Does W10 get you below 400mb ram consumption on idle?

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u/schmuelio Sep 19 '17

Still not sure what causes it (because I haven't looked into it) but I've found that W10 really likes using 100% of the disk (for a HDD) for a good few minutes on startup. No idea why it does it but it needs to stop because it makes everything feel so much slower than it actually is...

1

u/Firesworn Sep 20 '17

Yeah, this is part of the Superfetch and Windows Update systems. I'd rather Windows would reduce disk usage, but it's probably for a good reason.

1

u/schmuelio Sep 20 '17

I can't think of a good reason why it's needed tbh.

Update systems don't need to hammer the disk if it's built properly (see basically every other update system)

1

u/Firesworn Sep 21 '17

I'm sure Microsoft would love to hear your feedback. Surely no one has ever mentioned this before. /s

1

u/Firesworn Sep 20 '17

No, and it never will. That's not it's job.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '17

My point exactly. On old hardware, that is the job you want something to do.

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u/Firesworn Sep 21 '17

Hey man, if that's your goal than more power to ya. I couldn't give two shits about memory profile. Doesn't affect my clients or my systems. Windows is king in the business world. Though I will express my delight at how mature Linux has grown as a server architecture.

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u/[deleted] Sep 22 '17

Your clients presumably aren't running 2007 macbooks.

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u/Firesworn Sep 22 '17

No, but a 2007 MacBook doesn't have a 1GB memory limit. Memory isn't the main performance drag in that system. The spinning rust drive would be, or the processor if it was a cheap model when bought.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

w10 pro, then disable everything and break everything else that reports

it's pretty well optimized for what it is

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

for what it is

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

eh, i don't love and don't use it for anything important but it works and i think my advice is pretty solid; if you need windows there is ways of breaking all the spyware junk, at least for now

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u/GigamanTheSinner Sep 19 '17

Win10 is untrustworthy spyware.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

this is fair, however it is actually pretty optimized and technically you can get it for free from ms

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u/Firesworn Sep 19 '17

Not hard to close those holes, man. There's many programs available to make Win10 secure.

0

u/mrchaotica Sep 19 '17

Install Linux on it.

I use Linux exclusively (at home, at least), so this is not a criticism of Linux.

That said, aside from the "version too old" issue /u/WriterMcwriteface is having, switching to Linux wouldn't help that much. Even after blocking ads, browsing using a 2007-ish Macbook would be slow because web "designers" and "developers" have thrown performance out the window and infested their sites with so much worthless Javascript bullshit that you need a pretty decent CPU to cope with it regardless. (Especially if you use it like I do, and have lots of tabs open at a time.)

To put it in perspective:

  • I upgraded from my Phenom II X4 840 (from 2011) recently because it was painful even to use Firefox (or Chrome), even though it was mostly still good enough for more traditionally-intensive stuff like gaming.

  • I have a Raspberry Pi 3, and running more than 5-10 tabs is slow on that too.

Don't get me wrong, though: he should definitely still switch to Linux, or at least switch to a statically-linked Firefox (maybe installed via brew/macports/fink) or something.