No, firefox doesn't implement the webusb standard which they probably want.

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebUSB_API

The problem here is not browser support, but them not shipping a native application or library (which I would want to be open source).

Please don't use Debian Testing. It doesn't receive security updates in a timely manner. I previously made a post about it:

PSA: You should know that Debian Testing does not receive security updates in a timely manner, and is not intended for production use.

Unlike Debian Unstable or Debian Stable, there is no fast track for vulnerability fixes needed into Debian testing. In my post above, I note that Debian stable and unstable received a fix for a very severe vulnerability. However, Debian testing was left to dry for almost a week, for a known critical vulnerability.

If you want more updated applications, you can use tools like flatpak, distrobox, appimage, or nix to layer newer applications onto a system of any Linux distro.

If you want newer base packages and underlying utilities, like a newer desktop environment, you can get stable distros that provide this, like Fedora, or Opensuse Leap.

Unfortunately it is still in Beta, but Opensuse Slowroll is OpenSuse's solution, a rolling release that delays package updates to test and iron out bugs before pushing updated versions out. It's somewhat of an in between a rolling release and a stable distro, and a very promising model.

You can also just directly use a rolling release distro. Debian Unstable isn't as bad as it sounds. Unstable doesn't mean unreliable or prone to breakages. Unstable just means that the bugs deal with will constantly be changing, instead of dealing with the same bugs all the time.

But please don't use Debian Testing. It's in the name, it's only for testing purposes.

https://getindie.wiki/

This is a browser extension that shows you the non fandom instances of wiki's, if they exist. Or, it can also use breezewiki as a privacy preserving frontend to fandom pages.

The indie wiki's aren't usually federated, though.

On reddit, there is a community called r/progressionfantasy, which is about a specific type of fantasy fiction. They have a rule that self promotional posts (for paid books) must be preceeded by 10 comments, and actual engagement with the community.

This is a reasonable compromise, in my opinion. Known community member who has been answering questions and contributiting to discussions?

I would be okay if they dropped a paid product of good quality and with a reasonable business model (please no vibecoded slop).

But drive by ProductNameAccount users who have never posted on lemmy before a bunch of self promotional posts? Yeah ban that shit.

Thank you so much. This was so annoying. Although another comment mentions that this appears to be specific to samsung devices, and doesn't work on general android/aosp.

For those the ADB solution another comment mentions probably must be used.

Sorry for no transcript :(

No, this is kinda right. Memory leaks =/= memory safety. Memory leaks are just when you keep allocating more and more memory, and can be done in any language. If I make accidentally make a list that infinitely grows in python, that's a memory leak.

There are techniques to write code that is mostly free of leaks, which is what he is referring to.

Memory safety, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be mentioned on that page...

If you're not on archlinux, you should probably switch. It has the latest packages of everything, and the Arch User Repos are essentially compiling whatever xyz program you want from source, in one command.

You should also be careful with doing stuff like installing deb/rpm's directly from sites, because that's how you can break your system. Also, I suspect you installed pip packages to the system itself, which can also can break your system.

Anyway, mesa, a "system" package is definitely more challenging as well, since it needs to be deeply integrated into the system. If you actually need a newer version of it, then the easiest is to just switch to a distro that has a newer version, or if you only need the userspace version, you can use it within a docker container like the one's offered by distrobox or junest.

If you were wanting a newer version of an "application", flatpak would probably be good enough to get it onto your system. "Applications" don't need to be as integrated with the rest of your system.

As a rebuttal to your post though, there is a very good reason why Linux does packaging the way it does. Installing a program on Windows is nowhere as simple as it may seem to you.

You probably have an adblocker, and use a non google search engine, and know your way around sites. But consider the average users actual process of installing a program on Windows. It looks something more like:

• Search on google for program
• Click first link. Oh wait, that's a sponsored link that leads to malware.
• Click second link. Oh wait, that site is not an ad but also probably malware
• Navigate through "You've got a virus on your PC"
• Go back to google
• Find the real link. Click through the ads on that site because of course it has ads.
• Download the real software

Of course, to you the process probably takes 15 seconds. But to a real average, non advanced user, this experience is fraught with risks. If they select wrongly, then they get malware on their computer. Compare this to installing software on Linux from a distro's repos:

• Open app store / package manager GUI
• Find program. Click install. Enter password.
• Don't think about things like program versions, and just be happy you now have Krita or whatever program you want.

No risk. No pain. Simple.

There is a very good reason for older packages in distro repos as well. There are two main reasons:

The first is stability. Stability vs unstability doesn't mean anything about system reliability, but is instead about lack of change. I like to say that a stable release distros doesn't just mean you older packages, it means you get the same system behavior over a period of time. Instead of a constantly changing set of bugs, you deal with the same set.

I like Arch. I like new packages. I can find workarounds for the current annoying bug this update cycle. But the average user probably doesn't want to have to deal with that. They probably don't want to have to deal with the bug of the week, and they would rather just have some predictable bug that stays there for a few years that they already know their way around.

I remember watching a twitch streamer hit this, actually. They were complaining about new packages, and I pointed out that the reason why older packages are there is to have the same predictable set of bugs, instead of a changing set. They dismissed me, claiming they needed new packages, which is understandable. But then they (an ArchLinux user) immediately encountered an issue with Dolphin (Linux file browser) where the top bar / UI wouldn't load at all and got really frustrated. I didn't say anything, but I did laugh to myself and feel vindicated when it happened. Of course, eventually that bug will be fixed. But new ones will come along.

The second reason, is supply chain security. Debian, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, where not affected by the XZ utils backdoor, due to having a policy of only doing carefully cherry picked security updates. I won't go into detail here, but I have another comment about it.

This includes sideloaded apps.

This exactly. I have a FOSS app called VirtualXPosed installed (although I never use it anymore), which creates a "virtual android" in which apps can be installed and be manipulated in ways that would normally require root, despite me not having it on my phone.

Despite having "play protect" disabled, google still constantly sends me notifications about it being harmful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46MQ1ZMZ-l4

3 and older game.

https://help.kagi.com/orion/faq/faq.html#oss

We're working on it! We've started with some of our components and intend to open more in the future.

The idea that "open-source = trustworthy" only goes so far. For example, the same tech company that offers a popular open-source browser also has the largest ad/tracking network in history, with that browser playing a significant role in it. Another company with a closed-source browser (using WebKit like Orion) is on the forefront of privacy awareness and technologies in its products.

So, does anyone here remember when all chromium browsers had a secret api that sent extra data to google? Brave, Opera, and Edge got hit by this one, but I think Vivaldi dodged it. They all removed this after they found out, but still...

When it comes to things like browsers, due to the sheer complexity and difficulty to truly audit chromium, I don't really consider chromium to be "open source" in the same sense as many other apps. Legally, you can see and edit the code. But in practice, it's impossible to audit all of it, and the development is controlled by a single corporation who puts secrets in it, or removes features that harm their interests (manifest v3). Personally, I consider Minecraft Java to be closer to open source than chromium is.

To say that:

The idea that "open-source = trustworthy" only goes so far

is really just a cop-out and excuse for not being transparent with their code and what they are doing.

Stallman doesn't seem to get that pedophilia is wrong because of the hierarchy of power, and the power imbalances between older/younger people, not because of some inherent wrongness about being attracted to a prepubescent person. This is shown by how he condemns some pedophilia, but is accepting of 12+/past puberty. (I despise this logic, because it would also make gay sex and sodomy wrong, as well).

I find this deeply ironic, because his primary issue with proprietary software is the way that it gives developers levels of power over users. From his article Why Open Source Misses the Point

But software can be said to serve its users only if it respects their freedom. What if the software is designed to put chains on its users? Then powerfulness means the chains are more constricting, and reliability that they are harder to remove.

You would expect someone who is so in tune with the hierarchies that appear with software developers, publishers, and users, to also see those same hierarchies echoed in relationships between people of vastly different ages, but instead, we get this. I'm extremely disappointed.

These failures to understand hierarchy and power, are exactly why Stallman shouldn't be in a position of power. Leaders should continually prove that they understand hierarchy and the effects of their actions on those below them. Someone who doesn't understand how their power could affect another, shouldn't be a leader.