a small population of computer users are moving with Linux
they dont have tablets, or need to integrate them.
i would switch everything to linux just so i can Stop relearing this windows or mac wheel.
and if i could install a distro……
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Switching due to CSAM is drastic and premature
- Thread starter crymimefireworks
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they dont have tablets, or need to integrate them.
i would switch everything to linux just so i can Stop relearing this windows or mac wheel.
and if i could install a distro……
Apple is not blackmailing anybody nor telling anybody to turn off iCloud , that’s spin. Apple doesn’t want csam on their servers. Nothing changes if iCloud was off to begin with. If iCloud was on and one is uploading csam it has the potential to be detected(as it should be)
I already use windows, but not using android as I’m not going from the frying pan into the fire.
I would love to go the Linux route and am a big fan of open source. I use open source software on my Windows desktop where possible. Fedora would be my choice since I really like Gnome. But it's not always possible to replace core apps on Linux.
Another option is Windows 10 LTSC. Most of the bloat is removed, and you can further remove telemetry and other services. There are even forums where folks took the additional crap out and posted the ISO (legit key needed). The current LTSC is based on Windows 1809. A new one is around the corner based on 21H2. I have a VM running it, and I bought my key on ebay. I plan to replace my desktop with the next LTSC.
Another option is Windows 10 LTSC. Most of the bloat is removed, and you can further remove telemetry and other services. There are even forums where folks took the additional crap out and posted the ISO (legit key needed). The current LTSC is based on Windows 1809. A new one is around the corner based on 21H2. I have a VM running it, and I bought my key on ebay. I plan to replace my desktop with the next LTSC.
I keep getting a surface devise itch, I'm already using a NAS as my cloud and have both MAC and PC.
To fill a hole in apps as I investigate if a Surface Pro could replace my iPad pro I've installed the 'BlueStacks 5' Android emulator.
For the IOS apps I can't get for windows it fills the hole as they are mostly available on Android.
Its an interesting project to see if you can get the flexibility of Windows plus the required tablet/mobile apps.
To fill a hole in apps as I investigate if a Surface Pro could replace my iPad pro I've installed the 'BlueStacks 5' Android emulator.
For the IOS apps I can't get for windows it fills the hole as they are mostly available on Android.
Its an interesting project to see if you can get the flexibility of Windows plus the required tablet/mobile apps.
I have absolutely no problem with CSAM. It’s not because I have no interest in kiddie pr0n but because I have come to realize that we no longer live in a free society anywhere. We are all being monitored out the wazoo 24 hrs a day regardless if you use an Android phone or an iPhone. A Mac or a Windows PC. Big brother is watching, thanks for the tip Edward Snowden.
Personally I think pedophiles are the worst of the bunch. If if we can catch a few more, all the better. If I were to move away from Apple’s hardware it would be for other reasons and not CSAM. I have never tied myself down to any platform since i’ve been working with computers since the early 80’s.
Personally I think pedophiles are the worst of the bunch. If if we can catch a few more, all the better. If I were to move away from Apple’s hardware it would be for other reasons and not CSAM. I have never tied myself down to any platform since i’ve been working with computers since the early 80’s.
Yeah I don't see any way for Linux to solve this without money. In that way, Linux has been DOA since Day 1 as a consumer OS.
That said, I like the System76 approach. Getting amazing Linux geeks supporting me is so valuable. I would be interested in another Linux distro where you could pay for phone support. I would pay $100/year for Linux support.
Chromebooks have some selling points--particularly low cost and "enough laptop" for many situations. But I don't think they'd be a good choice for those who are escaping from Apple, due to privacy concerns.
What could be a possibility, though, is if someone made a similar device, but with a design that is privacy respecting.
No question, it was more of a generalized point about chromebook's increasing market share, given their simplicity and price point
Is Chrome OS based on Linux? Wikipedia says so. Not sure how that fits into ppls definitions of "Linux won't be for consumers".
Android is also based on Linux and is perfectly suited for consumers.
What people probably mean is that basic Linux distro's are not suited for mainstream customers.
Oh that makes more sense. Excited for better consumer-first Linux distros like Pop OS and Elementary OS!
I absolutely love Pop!_OS.
Interestingly, it's the Linux distribution that convinced me to stop distro hopping, and that's after trying many different variants, such as Ubuntu (though Pop!_OS is a flavour of Ubuntu), Arch Linux, Linux Mint, MX Linux, Manjaro, Fedora, etc.
Exactly. CSAM, imo, is not a good enough reason to abandon the Apple platform (like some users are doing).
Having CSAM on my device does not bother me in the slightest. There is no "big brother Apple" spying on its users because they literally don't even know anything about the images unless you decide to upload the offending images to the iCloud... and they have to be actual CSAM images before Apple can do anything about it, otherwise they are completely blind to the material.
Basically what happens is that once you choose to upload (any) photo(s) to the iCloud a piece of software runs a check on that image and compares it against an encrypted database ON THE DEVICE (which the user nor Apple can actually use on the device, and keep in mind that this piece of software does NOT learn ANYTHING about non-CSAM images). A "tally" of positive matches are kept, and only once a certain threshold of positive matches are found will the image be uploaded to the iCloud server with a voucher attached to it that basically notifies Apple of the offending image, which is then reviewed by a human.
I don't really see this as an invasion of privacy if Apple literally can't know about the image unless it is something noteworthy, and only after a specific threshold is crossed.
The way some people are describing it is that it's like some tool that gives Apple complete freedom to access their device and snoop all the photos/data, which it's not.
What may not be important to you, doesn't mean its unimportant to everyone else.
Clearly given the huge amount of backlash that Apple received and some people in fact choosing to leave, means it is a good enough reason for them.
This doesn't mean your opinion is any less important, but by the same token, that doesn't mean those people choosing to leave are wrong. You see no issues with CSAM and that's fine, others do and they have just as much right to their opinion as you have for yours.
That's not entirely accurate. The device you own (MacBook, iPad, iPhone) performs the image hashing and checks it against the database, uploading the match result with the image. The server keeps track of how many positive vouchers there are (sometimes throwing false ones in so the actual number is off), and if a threshold of positive matches is reached, the server then tries decrypting the matched vouchers. Images with positive matches are uploaded after the voucher is assembled, not after a threshold of positive vouchers.
The problems myself and many others have with this approach are:
1. Apple has to wait until accounts get flagged and go to human review to ensure the database sources aren't abusing Apple's system. Apple backed themselves into a corner with this system, and I don't trust that the database won't be seeded by the providers. My only problem with Apple is that they decided to build and (try to) implement this hashing system.
2. The database and hashing program lives ON OUR DEVICES. Among power and performance concerns, and concerns about the database living on our devices, this is a dangerous precedent Apple just set that you know the rest of the tech industry will follow without the same level of care. The fact that NCMEC was so ecstatic about this is alarming. Our entire iCloud Photo library can be decrypted by Apple AT ANY TIME they wish, with or without CSAM detection. It is not E2E encrypted, and no intention of making it so was announced. This system provides absolutely no increase in privacy, and could simply be done entirely on-server for SHARED photos only (technically, "hosting" means sharing with other people).
3. Other companies, such as Dropbox, already perform this scan on-server. Their human review team gets to see the full image and not a "visual derivative", which could actually REDUCE the number of false reports. As someone who had bathtime photos accidentally stored on Dropbox for months as part of a drive backup years ago, nothing came of it.
4. With part of the scanning system already on-device, it's not hard to see a future update moving the ENTIRE system on-device, nullifying the opt-out of "Don't use iCloud". The opt-out at that point would be, "Don't use iPhone", followed by "Don't use smartphones" within 2 years. Slippery slope argument? How about stepping off the edge of the Grand Canyon rim?
TL
R:1. Apple has little way to verify database integrity.
2. Crossing the on-device line will forever tip the balance of power away from users.
3. Server-only scanning of non-E2EE content works for the rest of the industry and would be fine for Apple, too.
4. iCloud's role could only be temporary as detection and reporting move completely on-device. Rest of the industry follows suit.
My stance:
I would be okay with server-only scanning of photos shared with other people. I could even be persuaded into entire library scanning only done on-server (again, I use other cloud storage that does this). Absolutely, DO NOT put any part of an illegal-content scanning system ON MY DEVICE. I would much rather continue to use and enjoy my Apple products (the iPhone makes many things easier when other people are involved), but I am prepared to leave behind my Apple and other "smart" devices if need be. I am careful to only purchase items that, at most, have an app that is optional for extended functionality but not required for basic use. I personally have paused my exit at this point, but have some replacements already in-place.
Plus linux servers usually have a very specific purpose: Apache, PHP, MySQL. Or sendmail and dns. In other words, all you do is throw up a distro, install what you need for the server and go. Server needs are much more linear in nature.
Still on ios14, now apple is flagging my phone/tablets all the time that 15.1 is available. I think it’s time to ditch apple and get rid of the apple spyware.
My $.02
First I absolutely abhor the nagging that apple does, no question. But android has the opposite problem - getting updates. I had to google when Android 11 came out (Sept 2020), and a year later its just at the 25% mark. You just don't get new versions of android and you'll be lucky to get one version upgrade, never mind two.
As for spying - I'd venture that Google collects a lot more of your data then Apple does.
That is true, but the CSAM issue is different in kind. It is a fundamental difference that no other manufacturer does. I can't wait until they formally remove it altogether and I can consider going back.
https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/15/governments-planned-to-misuse-csam-scanning-tech/
Either way, Android is improving in this arena. Just buy a Pixel phone or even a Samsung phone and you get updates for years...and even very granular security controls over apps--similar to iOS14.
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Google might be collecting more data...but I've heard concerns about iOS, and I've heard at least one suggestion that iOS may be worse in some ways. I suppose this is one of those situations where views can vary...
In any case, I'm at a point where I'm not sure I'd trust either platform as anything more than a secondary device. If I had to use a smart phone--and use it more than a casual secondary device--I'd go with deGoogled Android.
Software updates aren't that important to me on a device that only gets light, secondary use--so the question of how long the software update support lasts on a given Android device isn't as important.
In any case, I'm at a point where I'm not sure I'd trust either platform as anything more than a secondary device. If I had to use a smart phone--and use it more than a casual secondary device--I'd go with deGoogled Android.
Software updates aren't that important to me on a device that only gets light, secondary use--so the question of how long the software update support lasts on a given Android device isn't as important.
side note: no offense to statcounter but that's the worst graph I've ever seen in my life, I have absolute no idea what line is what 😂
Due to events ^, all I have to say now is:
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Due to events ^, all I have to say now is:
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Due to events ^, all I have to say now is:
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I think I recall this idea for the proposed Ubuntu Touch phone many years ago. Detached, it's a phone, running a phone configuration. Attached to a montior, and it switched to a full desktop mode. I thought the idea was intriguing--and could be nice for many people. One device that did it all. Admittedly, power is probably low--but many people probably use comptuers more for keyboard and big screen than raw power.
Glad to hear the idea is still around--and being used!