Michael Downey 🇺🇳 @downey@floss.social
Admin
FLOSS.social admin. Open source person at the United Nations Foundation by day.
Joined Apr 2018
Pinned toot
A few folks have asked how they can support the expenses of running the FLOSS.social #Mastodon instance. There are not a lot of expenses right now (€10/month) but if you're interested in chipping in, you can now become a FLOSS.social "Monthly Supporter"! Donations accepted via CommitChange, who run the free software Houdini Project to manage transactions. 🙂
Thanks!
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
Google Chrome is now officially adware.
Anti-virus programs should start tagging it as such.
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
Delete Chrome. Now.
Google is using its exceptionally powerful position to make *the browser itself* analyze your browsing behavior and serve that on a plate in the form of "cohorts" to anyone interested.
They are transforming Chrome into a "browsing-history-passport" - right now.
If you care about your intellectual freedom even a little bit, you must put Chrome out of your life as soon as possible. Support others doing the same.
Anyway:
- Get vaccinated as soon as you can with any type of #COVID vaccine you can;
- Keep wearing masks and distancing until we reach the right point globally.
The past week I started #flying again. First time since the #pandemic started in Jan 2020. Being fully #vaccinated, I felt quite safe, but felt very stressed by those who were subject to others refusing to follow basic non pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) like wearing #masks (fully) at all times and physical distancing.
People may be reckless but there's no right to recklessly endanger the 80% (in the US; far higher elsewhere) of people who aren't able to be vaccinated yet.
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
Looks like I don't really need @EFF 's HTTPS Everywhere add on anymore as Firefox has added HTTPS-only mode ( for new enough releases ) and also blocks mix content
I had been wondering if it's still providing me any functionality
If you still want the rulesets, HE is moving to a lookup service from DuckDuckGo (sounds privacy problematic) by the end of 2021
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/04/https-everywhere-now-uses-duckduckgos-smarter-encryption
Thanks to @resist1984 for commenting on the ruleset change as I'd overlooked the announcement
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
RT @matrixdotorg@twitter.com
Gitter is now bridged natively to Matrix! As such we will soon retire the previous bridge in favour of the new. Learn more at https://matrix.org/blog/2021/04/15/old-gitter-bridge-end-of-life-2021-04-21-to-be-replaced-with-native-bridge
🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/matrixdotorg/status/1382988032236789763
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
Reflections on Proprietary Software - @lightweight : https://davelane.nz/reflections-proprietary-software
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
Please help me find a resource detailing privacy issues with Google Chrome in one place other than www.GNU.org's one. Do you know one? I need to write an article which is easy to read to beginners related to that, especially, I am looking for the reasons and the proofs not the alternatives. Thank you, All!
Friends: @fsf @fsfe @fsfi @Framasoft @ChatonsOrg @torproject @tails_live @switchingsoftware @privacytools and all | Tags: #chrome #google #privacy #freesoftware
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
Today we're kicking off the #GNU Assembly!
This is a new umbrella for GNU people seeking transparent decision-making and built around consensus. It's the result of a decade of struggle to make #GNU inclusive, transparent, and community-driven.
#GNU contributors: consider joining!
#FreeSoftware activists: help us spread the word!
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
Slackware Lives! Upcoming Slackware 15.0 Beta is Out. Download and Test Now. #linux #opensource #slackware
https://www.debugpoint.com/2021/04/slackware-15-0-beta/
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
Moritz
Mailman(+), RMS
"The #GNU #Mailman Steering Committee condemns the reinstatement of Richard M. Stallman (#RMS) to the Board of the Free Software Foundation
(#FSF)"
Further more, they are actively exploring ways on how to become independent from the FSF and the GNU Project:
"We do not want our project associated with such a person, nor to provide economic resources to organizations that promote him to leadership positions."
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
"Put away your torches and your pitchforks and instead grab your scalpels, because we have some cancer to excise from the FSF and that cancer is the board of directors."
https://anonymoushash.vmbrasseur.com/2021/04/13/future-of-free-software-and-fsf
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
Free (as in freedom), privacy-friendly, lightweight alternatives to Disqus:
- Isso - https://posativ.org/isso/
- Schnack - https://schnack.cool/
- Commentics - https://commentics.com/
- Spirit - https://spirit-project.com/
- HashOver - https://github.com/jacobwb/hashover-next
- Epoch (WordPress) - https://gopostmatic.com/epoch/
- Lyked (uses Google reCAPTCHA) - https://lyket.dev/
🤔 Perhaps if your company has to spend $23,000,000 USD per year for CEO personal security, just maybe you're doing something wrong for the society that gives you permission to operate a corporation. #Facebook
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
The GUADEC 2021 registration is now open! Sign-up today: https://events.gnome.org/event/9/registrations/34/
The conference will be held online this year and take place July 21-25.
#MastoAdmin Does anyone know of good ways to schedule toots in advance? It seems the #Mastodon API has supported this for a long time but the webapp still does not.
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
W3C slaps down Google's proposal to treat multiple domains as same origin
Link: https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/08/w3c_google_multple_domains/
Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26747715
#RetroComputing Many years ago, I had a job that used a DEC VT320-A (white text) terminal and LK201 keyboard ... but both with a *black* plastic case. Has anyone seen these around still?
This seems like a good time for us all to remind our friends that this is the Internet, and they don't have to settle for isolated corporate-controlled communication surveillance-gardens that sell privacy for profit.
Michael Downey 🇺🇳
boosted
It's Open Tech Will Save Us #12, live NEXT WEDNESDAY (14th) at 5pm UTC! Watch @Primalglow@twitter.com and friends presenting online crisis support tool using Matrix, Will Bamberg on the Open Web Docs project, and Bruno Windels developer of the Hydrogen Matrix client! https://matrix.org/open-tech-will-save-us/
Admin
FLOSS.social admin. Open source person at the United Nations Foundation by day.
Joined Apr 2018
Michael Downey 🇺🇳's choices:
