I guess I'm still thinking about this so I'll talk about it: significant free software projects that could (and did, and do!) actively improve people's lives are routinely shut down by large corporations and while there are genuine problems with the priorities and attitudes of the free software community it's really disingenuous to blame those failures on those issues

**Alastair Toft** · Aug 04, 2020, 15:15

Alastair Toft boosted

**Ash Furrow (ft. )** @ashfurrow@mastodon.technology · Aug 04, 2020, 15:15

Aug 04, 2020, 15:15

Ash Furrow (ft. ) @ashfurrow@mastodon.technology

Playmobil kids, *do not read*!

LEGO kids,, hello,

https://www.designedbycave.co.uk/2020/LEGO-Interface-UX/

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 26, 2020, 18:56

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 26, 2020, 18:56

Jul 26, 2020, 18:56

Alastair Toft @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place

I wrote up a blog post of the stuff I've tried with the @PINE64 #PinePhone so far. Excited to do more with it 😊 https://www.atoft.dev/posts/2020/07/26/getting-started-with-a-linux-smartphone/

**Alastair Toft** · Jul 21, 2020, 14:17

Alastair Toft boosted

**Nolan** @nolan@toot.cafe · Jul 21, 2020, 14:17

Jul 21, 2020, 14:17

Nolan @nolan@toot.cafe

I think it's no coincidence that someone like me, who has worked with computers for over a decade, prefers to own a dumb TV, a blender with mechanical knobs instead of a touchscreen, no "smart home" stuff, etc. I know how computers work, and for that reason I am terrified of them

Show thread

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 19, 2020, 15:57

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 19, 2020, 15:57

Jul 19, 2020, 15:57

Alastair Toft @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place

After much frustration with wrapping everything in Rc and RefCell I did manage to get something kind of working

80e9cec973de4062.mp4

Show thread

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 12, 2020, 17:56

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 12, 2020, 17:56

Jul 12, 2020, 17:56

Alastair Toft @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place

Finally spending some more time messing around with #gtk and #rust. No prizes for guessing what it does 😛

80339e8d67d5bcd1.png

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 05, 2020, 09:43

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 05, 2020, 09:43

Jul 05, 2020, 09:43

Alastair Toft @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place

Tooting from Tootle on #Pinephone

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 04, 2020, 20:21

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jul 04, 2020, 20:21

Jul 04, 2020, 20:21

Alastair Toft @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place

This was a pretty fun video https://youtu.be/4N-YcVclaUI

**Alastair Toft** · Jul 01, 2020, 03:29

Alastair Toft boosted

**☆ Dmitri ☭** @yogthos@mastodon.social · Jul 01, 2020, 03:29

Jul 01, 2020, 03:29

☆ Dmitri ☭ @yogthos@mastodon.social

Commercial software using closed protocols is the reason we have to juggle a bunch of different apps like Discord, Slack, Hangouts and so on. Closed platforms fundamentally undermine the very spirit of how the internet is meant to work.

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jun 28, 2020, 21:40

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jun 28, 2020, 21:40

Jun 28, 2020, 21:40

Alastair Toft @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place

PinePhone stuff

For example, it was as easy as on desktop to add the Syncthing repository and get my files syncing across

Show thread

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jun 28, 2020, 21:38

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jun 28, 2020, 21:38

Jun 28, 2020, 21:38

Alastair Toft @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place

PinePhone stuff

#Mobian is closer to what I want from "Linux on mobile". The UI is a bit choppy compared to Ubuntu Touch, but having full access to ARM Debian packages is great

Show thread

**Alastair Toft** · Jun 27, 2020, 23:22

Alastair Toft boosted

**⛵ Corsair of RadTown+ Now** @whiskeysailor@radical.town · Jun 27, 2020, 23:22

Jun 27, 2020, 23:22

⛵ Corsair of RadTown+ Now @whiskeysailor@radical.town

LGBTQ+ rights are hardly universal and people are still struggling for thier basic rights.

ad014bac8ece9fba.png

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jun 27, 2020, 00:22

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jun 27, 2020, 00:22

Jun 27, 2020, 00:22

Alastair Toft @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place

Do any of the big music streaming services provide an API that's not deprecated or totally broken? I'll drop Spotify in a second if I can get support for open source clients.

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jun 25, 2020, 19:29

**Alastair Toft** @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place · Jun 25, 2020, 19:29

Jun 25, 2020, 19:29

Alastair Toft @alastair@mastodon.gamedev.place

PinePhone stuff

Not had too much time to try it so far, but UBPorts is pretty nice. The UI and the web browser are impressive. It's a bit locked down out of the box though, I'd like to be able to install normal packages without jumping through hoops.

Show thread

**Alastair Toft** · Jun 25, 2020, 01:55

Alastair Toft boosted

**Dr. Quadragon ❌** @drq@mastodon.ml · Jun 25, 2020, 01:55

Jun 25, 2020, 01:55

Dr. Quadragon ❌ @drq@mastodon.ml

Why the Fediverse is significant, beside privacy

Because big corporations are not forever.

Say about them what you will, but there IS a value in social media, they do satisfy the need, they do scratch that ancient itch of human beings to hear each other and be heard. They do it quite perversely, as a side-effect to filling their shareholders' pockets, but still, as a matter of fact.

The corporations though, do close down for all kinds of reasons.

There was a time before Twitter. Someday Facebook will disappear. Someday, YouTube will go dark.

The Fediverse, in this sense, is a toolkit, that will allow people to rebuild the Internet as we know and love it today in the future, when most companies have gone extinct.

The Internet is not a thing that "just is", it's "what people do". The Fediverse recognizes and embraces this fluid, dynamic nature: every now and then there's new servers that pop up and old that ones go down. It's not really a big deal around here. And it's... beautiful?