Notices by Michael Lucas :flan_set_fire: (mwl@io.mwl.io)

Mike Karels died on the way home from #BSDCan, at the age of 67.

https://www.gearty-delmore.com/obituaries/michael-mike-karels

This man spent 40 years working on BSD. His code appears in #FreeBSD, #OpenBSD, #NetBSD, and everywhere.

If you have used the Internet, you have used code he wrote.

RIP, sir. You changed the world for the better.

What's probably his last talk: "I don't have much to say," followed by a spellbinding eighty minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSziyKlG1ws

[edited to remove echovita obit; apparently that's an AI scam site :flan_molotov: :flan_rage: :flan_hulk: ]

When I left Twitter, I worried that it would impact my ability to make a living.

That worry was unfounded.

Would I be doing better if I was still on Twitter? Perhaps. But looking at my #ryoms visitors on Kickstarter, it's clear that the fedi is a more than adequate replacement.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mwlucas/run-your-own-mail-server

Thanks for sharing, everyone. I appreciate your support.

@nixCraft

Skip the AI. Go over to More, click the Web drop-down. Almost like the old Google.

Or use DDG, of course.

Today's mood:

New blog post: #Vultr just betrayed us.

https://mwl.io/archives/23498

I've recommended them for years. Will be moving off immediately. #sysadmin

No, not a joke.

Hey everyone! #vultr just enshittified!

They re claiming ownership of all intellectual property you host on their VMs.

https://grimgreenfo.rest/notes/9rdle0uyo4d30029

Clear violation of copyright law.

So, where are people moving to? What options are out there? that suck less?

@nixCraft@mastodon.

See, that's your mistake.

Toasters are for NetBSD.

The steroids are kicking in...

My new favorite correction.

If you have an Adobe account, for Acrobat or Photoshop or whatever: they've turned on the "we will pillage your work for AI" setting.

Go to https://account.adobe.com/ -> Account and Security -> Data and Privacy Settings -> Content Analysis. Turn it off.

If they want to learn from your work, make them pay for it.

[Edit to add: before you gripe at me about using Adobe, read https://mwl.io/faq#tools ]

@nixCraft

Linux. The kernel. Hands down. Even non-technical folks have heard the word.

Watching Dogma for the first time in I don't know how long.

Wow, has the world changed.

Apparently my blood pressure went up 70 points since I had covid. It was 110/80 before, abruptly became 180/110. Also heart thickening. Which would explain most of my lingering symptoms.

Wear your damn mask.

I think I have a 2024 plan!

(Don't look on this. Seriously. You have been warned.)

Computers are like onions. Everything is layers built on layers, and every layer makes you cry. #sysadmin

I would like to wish everyone a peaceful "no goddamn Christmas until December."

(Or, if you live in the US, at least until after Thanksgiving.)

Come on, folks. You can taunt @zzclaybourne better than this. We need him to hit $9999 and stop hard.

Plus, it's a great book. You'll like it. It's rich and flavorful and has simmered on a hearth for a long time until it's distilled into pure awesome.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidiansky/breath-warmth-and-dream-book-one-of-the-khumalo-trilogy

Dear open source committers and developers: never, EVER do this.

https://ariel-miculas.github.io/How-I-got-robbed-of-my-first-kernel-contribution/

Newcomers need encouragement, mentorship, and support. Never dismiss days of work. Give them feedback and send them back to do it correctly.

OpenBSD is actually pretty good at massaging newcomers into producing solid patches, if you can ignore the haters on their mailing lists.

(blog post found via @vaurora, it's an excellent writeup of a problem I've seen too many times.)

@alexwinter

Losing Twitter has cost me tens of thousands of dollars. Book sales dropped by about a third, and my kickstarters by half.

But some of my readers told me that they were staying on Twitter because I was there.

I told them to sign up for my mailing list, or my blog, or follow me here, posted a final tweet, and left.

Me: I won't discuss business in a room with an Alexa, because Amazon is my business competitor and they eavesdrop.

Various other folks: :flan_eyeroll:

Today: Amazon to pay fine for eavesdropping. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/01/1179381126/amazon-alexa-ring-settlement