Hacker News: bluebarbet

New comment by bluebarbet in "Hungary's Orban concedes landmark defeat to centre-right opposition"

bluebarbet — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 21:55:10 +0000

Agreed on all counts. But the comment you are replying to is in fact something other than tiresome cynicism. It's propagating disinformation cooked up mostly in Moscow. The idea that Hungarians or any other Europeans are going to be "conscripted" to fight in Ukraine is laughably implausible. Luckily most people can see through these attempts at fearmongering and manipulation, as we found out tonight in Budapest.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Hungary's Orban concedes landmark defeat to centre-right opposition"

bluebarbet — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 21:45:55 +0000

This is the best news in years for a sovereign Europe. The planets may soon be briefly aligned for some badly needed reforms, which require unanimity among EU states. The crucial factor is that France and Germany are led by Europeanists who both want action. Potential spoilers Slovakia and Czechia can be persuaded, unlike Orbán's Hungary. The window may close with France's election next year.

New comment by bluebarbet in "What is RISC-V and why it matters to Canonical"

bluebarbet — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 22:12:34 +0000

Distant memories of a 1980s London classroom.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Top laptops to use with FreeBSD"

bluebarbet — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 20:03:33 +0000

Interesting. I will reconsider (some of) my priors in the light of this new information.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Intel 486 CPU announced April 10, 1989"

bluebarbet — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:08:49 +0000

My experience too, as I dimly remember it.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Top laptops to use with FreeBSD"

bluebarbet — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:20:12 +0000

>By what definition is PMOS not a "full" distro?

Can it run Sway window manager? Honest question.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Top laptops to use with FreeBSD"

bluebarbet — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:43:18 +0000

It is not trivial to get FOSS Linux onto a write-protected Intel Chromebook, compared to a Windows netbook of yore. It is harder still to get it onto an ARM Chromebook or Android tablet. PostmarketOS is a bit simpler (or at least better documented) but it is not a full Linux distro.

Installing a fully-fledged FOSS OS on low-end general-purpose computing hardware is getting harder. Certainly for the non-techies who have to be part of FOSS if it is to survive.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Top laptops to use with FreeBSD"

bluebarbet — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:54:05 +0000

Yes but it's a bit academic. The problem is that getting a FOSS distro of Linux onto low-end general-purpose computing hardware is harder now than it was a decade ago. I speak from bitter recent experience.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Top laptops to use with FreeBSD"

bluebarbet — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:52:11 +0000

Referring to Intel Chromebooks (i.e. laptops), that segment is now dwindling in size much as its predecessor (Intel Windows netbooks) did a few years ago. Most low-end ChromeOS devices now run on ARM. And Android is nipping at their heels.

New comment by bluebarbet in "EFF is leaving X"

bluebarbet — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:45:47 +0000

In turn I would argue that this kind comment, i.e. an entirely unfalsifiable calumny, is a poisonous waste of space that would best be deleted by the moderator (along with the current one of course).

New comment by bluebarbet in "Top laptops to use with FreeBSD"

bluebarbet — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:34:09 +0000

Most devices that you can buy for under $400 now run on ARM chips (frequently Mediatek). We're talking tablets (with keyboards), convertibles, even outright laptops (i.e. "netbooks"). These things qualify as computers. They are replacing traditional laptops, just as those replaced desktops.

And they do not run Linux out of the box.

New comment by bluebarbet in "EFF is leaving X"

bluebarbet — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:23:12 +0000

But since when did using a business's product come to require sharing (or not sharing) political views with the business's owner? Seems to me that this is what has changed.

PS. It's amazing to me, and worrying, the anger and vituperation this position is provoking. It was once almost consensus. To take the obvious parallel, buying a newspaper did not imply agreement with the reactionary press baron who owned it.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Artemis II crew see first glimpse of far side of Moon [video]"

bluebarbet — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:43:07 +0000

The condescension is uncalled for, this is simply a difference of priorities. In terms of our various ecological crises, the situation is absolutely not better than 20 years ago. My view is that the opportunity cost of manned space exploration is now unjustifiable. The resources consumed would be better allocated elsewhere.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Phone-free bars and restaurants on the rise across the U.S."

bluebarbet — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:12:48 +0000

>on my phone as a simple matter of practicality

Yes, I came to the same conclusion. IIRC I read Great Expectations on the thing!

In my case scrollability was a bonus. Horses for courses.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Phone-free bars and restaurants on the rise across the U.S."

bluebarbet — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:07:59 +0000

Not sure it would make me a "zombie" exactly but I agree it's an oddly incoherent position to judge the behavior of others while also being concerned about their gaze. Much introspection has not yet pierced this mystery.

New comment by bluebarbet in "The Enigma of Gertrude Stein"

bluebarbet — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 19:59:15 +0000

Subject featured in a recent (hilarious, insightful) episode of Legacy podcast. Highly recommended.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Reaffirming our commitment to child safety in the face of EuropeanUnion inaction"

bluebarbet — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 19:57:58 +0000

Seconded. Some common features: emotion-laden language; no new insights (let alone facts); low effort (poor punctuation etc). It's clearly a creeping problem here but I'm hopeful that the activist moderation and culling of politics-adjacent posts can keep a lid on it.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Phone-free bars and restaurants on the rise across the U.S."

bluebarbet — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 19:39:44 +0000

>someone sitting by themselves reading a book on the e-reader app

I was this person. Eventually I gave it up because I didn't want to be mistaken for just another screen-addled zombie with no impulse control miserably scrolling Whatsapp and Instagram.

Perhaps I have too much self-awareness but I'd argue most people have too little.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Artemis II crew see first glimpse of far side of Moon [video]"

bluebarbet — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 15:56:36 +0000

Agreed. I remember following the various Mars rover missions of the 1990s-2010s with avid interest. I have now lost my interest in space completely. The house is on fire and we're going on holiday again? It's beginning to feel almost indecent.

New comment by bluebarbet in "Lisette a little language inspired by Rust that compiles to Go"

bluebarbet — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 11:57:44 +0000

Eats shoots and leaves.