I've only used the basics of RegEx but it can be very useful not only for advanced search and replace, but also pattern matching of URLs, parsing text, scanning directories or files in a program, and lost more.

It is one of those functions that put many off by it's numerous escape characters in the syntax. So sometimes all that is needed to break the barrier to using it effectively, is a video that simplifies it a bit.

Chris also shows the use of Grant Skinner's open source online Regexr tool for learning, building and testing Regular Expressions.

Watch https://youtu.be/uwtPH6owqZA

#technology #RegEx #programming #patterns #RegExp

Here’s a dirty little secret of the tech industry: “Almost every device these days has a battery that’s going to wear out, and it’s a built-in death clock,” says Kyle Wiens, the CEO of repair community iFixit. Today, there are batteries in everything from your toothbrush to your vacuum cleaner. They are consumable products, like printer ink or tires.

But buying gear with batteries sealed inside is kind of like buying a car where you can’t change the tires. We just don’t realize we’re doing it, or how it’s contributing to our climate and sustainability crises.

Making new devices requires mining raw materials such as cobalt, often at great human cost. Disposing old gadgets is costly and is fuelling a rash of dangerous battery fires in trucks and recycling centres.

It's why repairability is becoming so important. With the number of devices in circulation, and many only having batteries that last 2 or 3 years, this adds up to shocking amounts of waste (cost as well as garbage). Manufacturers that only provide updates for two years are also adding to the push to replace products that often work perfectly well still.

Yes we need to push back against this by using our gadgets longer, and maybe also compromising for a slightly larger size or no waterproofing.

See https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/08/02/why-gadgets-die/

#technology #gadgets #environment #obsolescence

Threema's instant messenger has proven to be an answer to security and privacy concerns surrounding WhatsApp and Telegram. It has also managed to provide an alternative to Google's push notifications with the introduction of Threema Push, allowing you to be more independent of Google services. Now, the company has gone a step further by introducing Threema Libre, a variant of its app that is completely free from any proprietary dependencies.

So this also means that those using degoogled phones such as Huawei, GrapheneOS, etc can now also take advantage of push notifications.

Interestingly enough the fact that you don't need to pay for the app again on F-Droid if you bought it through Threema's website, says something too about the walled gardens of Google and Apple's app stores. I experienced the same when moving from Android to iOS, that the apps that I'd paid for outside of the Google app store, could continue to work in premium mode under iOS after I'd signed in.

See https://www.androidpolice.com/threema-f-droid-free-google-code/

#technology #Threema #opensource #instantmessengers #privacy

GitLab is aware of the potential for angry opposition to the plan, and will therefore give users weeks or months of warning before deleting their work. A single comment, commit, or new issue posted to a project during a 12-month period will be sufficient to keep the project alive.

Back when I was young... I took great pride in writing software once, that required no further intervention on my part. For example, I'd make the VAT rate an editable item the user could change, I'd include maintenance options to perform a reindex, etc.

I recently started coding again, and wrote a utility in Python that parses some command line stuff to manage a Cloudflare WARP GUI for Linux users. So unless Cloudflare actually changes the format of what they show, I should not have to update that app for two or longer years.

The point is, you should not risk throwing away good software just because it does not get any updates. Yes, new features may justify updates being done, but why penalise software that is stable and works well?

I see though they will give warning, and it seems a comment will suffice, so maybe it is more about identifying project owners who are no longer alive. But that said, still, do we want to lose valuable code that others can fork or learn from? In my opinion, no, as some text files and a binary don't take up so much space.

"People host their code there because there is this idea it will be available to the general public to reuse and remix"

See https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/04/gitlab_data_retention_policy/

#technology #gitlab #opensource

Twenty years ago, pretty much nobody had heard of “social media.” Today, there’s almost no way you can escape it. Despite this, Americans are increasingly disenchanted with these platforms—and many view them as corrosive to our politics and culture. From polarization to eating disorders to January 6th, there isn’t much that Facebook and Twitter can’t be blamed for these days.

Back in 2017, the pseudonymous hacktivist known as “The Jester” decided that he was sick of social media’s noxious ways—the disinformation, the internecine verbal sparring, the endless rage and fury. In particular, he found himself concerned about “influence operations,” the propaganda campaigns that have become so common online—and that seem to be swiftly driving us all collectively insane.

Instead of quitting social media outright, though, Jester decided to do something slightly different.

In a matter of months, he had spun up CounterSocial, an alternative social media site that was designed to “counter” the disinformation, trolls, influence operations and harassment prevalent on other platforms. He wanted to create a controlled environment—a walled garden where ugliness and toxicity could be moderated out. Today, the site has approximately 100,000 users and continues to see steady growth.

Interesting to see that it is built on top of Mastodon, Mozilla, Apache Jitsi and MIT code via Rocketchat. The Mastodon user interface is very obvious. It has custom "glue" holding the open source bits together, and I imagine the big difference will be that it is tightly moderated (something that many social network users actually desire). Yes if you prefer to troll and abuse etc this won't be for you. There are certainly some very interesting features the network provides (and many of those will likely be behind the Pro level access).

See https://gizmodo.com/jester-hacker-trying-to-fix-social-media-countersocial-1849035091

#technology #socialnetwork #CounterSocial #Mastodon #antitroll

With so many great shows out there publishing new episodes regularly it can be hard to keep up, which is what a podcast manager like gPodder can help with.

This week a brand new version of gPodder was release. It’s the first significant update the podcast manager has received in over a year. Naturally, plenty of improvements are included.

For instance, in gPodder 3.11.0 you can double-click (or tap Enter) on a podcast in the sidebar to open the channel settings dialog. From there you can edit the name and description, and manage subscriptions on a per-podcast basis — a nice time-saver.

So many good podcast and RSS aggregators are now going subscription model, so it is nice to see a solid free and open source podcast aggregator still going strong, and receiving meaningful updates.

See https://www.omglinux.com/gpodder-linunx-podcast-app-updated/

#technology #podcasts #gPodder #opensource

As reported by LWN, longtime GNOME contributor Jonathan Blandford is developing a new crossword puzzle game for Linux users. It’s called Crosswords, no surprises there.

There are a few puzzles provided by the game. In addition to that, you can download and play puzzles from popular news outlets like Atlantic, Guardian, etc. You can also open .ipuz and .puz files to play the puzzles you have downloaded or created.

For Arch based Linux distros, I found it in AUR and as a Flatpak.

See https://itsfoss.com/crosswords/

#technology #Linux #crosswords #puzzles #opensource

Your iOS device, whether it be an iPhone or iPad, comes with a GPS that works to provide your location to many different types of apps. To take full advantage of these apps, you’ll want to have the ability to spoof location on iPhone. This will tell any app that requests your GPS data to provide services and information based on your spoofed location. This might sound complicated at first, but with AnyGo from iToolab, you can do this with simple software that does not require your device to be jailbroken.

If you want to unlock new content from dating apps, games, social media, or anything that gives you content based on location, this is the best way to do that. Go even further by spoofing your movement using the settings that allow you to create custom routes, so your phone will think that you’re walking along a specific street. Any apps that give you achievements or unlock prizes based on your movement will think you’re walking around when in reality you can be fast asleep in your bed.

I remember using a very similar app on Android, but AnyGo seems to have a few extra modes for controlling the simulated movements.

See https://www.xda-developers.com/how-to-fake-gps-location-on-iphone/

#technology #iOS #fakelocation #GPS #Apple

In May, Kim Durkee saw warnings from her Apple Watch two nights in a row warning her that her heart was experiencing atrial fibrillation.

At first, she thought the wearable was giving misreadings but then she got another warning.

“The third night, the numbers went a little too high for comfort,” Kim said. “Then I said you know what, go to the emergency room if they tell you it’s nothing to worry about, then toss the watch.”

https://9to5mac.com/2022/07/19/apple-watch-uncovers-deadly-tumor/

#technology #health #applewatch