100% free and local.

https://github.com/leftouterjoins/voicewrite

It can struggle with proper nouns but will return something phonetically similar.

My main gripe is that it requires a separate model download per language. I understand the why they did this (to save disk space). But it makes multi-lingual audio hard to transcribe unless you know ahead of time the languages in the audio.

As an app developer the biggest win from using Apple's model is I don't have to bundle it in my app so my app looks much smaller. If a user has many transcription apps each one could have their own model. If Apple's model is used only one copy is needed.

The civil engineer who builds a great suspension bridge probably looks down on the one who builds a bridge over a irrigation ditch in a rural county using a big metal pipe covered with dirt.

Much like you may look down on train builders who make the novelty trains for kids parks.

Software engineering happens to be useful everywhere and most stuff in life is low stakes and the economics do not exist to make it perfect.

However, in aerospace, banking, and other high stakes industries software engineering projects are met with the rigor that is called for.

Apple and Google can now credibly claim to governments to have nearly ubiquitous computing platforms that they can guarantee do not run any software that is not approved or antithetical to the goals of authorities. This makes the device safe for storing things like government IDs. OSs and Browsers will be required to present these IDs or at first just attest to them.

Before posting online, renting a server, using an app you will have to idenitfy yourself using your phone or similarly locked down PC (i.e. mac).

The introduction is under the guise as always of protecting the children. In reality they are removing your rights to privacy and free speech.

I am not going to say what it is because all of the AI haters will immediately flock to leave it bad reviews and overwhelm my support systems with bad faith requests (something that has already happened).

I've been writing software for 25 years, I know what I am doing. Every bug I shipped was my fault either because I didn't test well enough or I did not possess enough platform knowledge to know myself the right way to do things. "Unknown unknowns"

But I have also learned better ways to do things and fixed every bug using AI tools. I don't read the code. I may scan it to gain context and then tweak a single value myself, but beyond that I don't write or read code anymore.

Its not a magical few shot prompt then reap profits machine. I just feel like a solopreneur ditch digger who just got a lease on a new CAT excavator. I can get work done faster I can also do damage faster if I am not careful.

Beyond this concern,

It is closed source but the algorithms that decide what Claude code does when, could behave differently when the API responses are slower. Maybe it does fewer investigatory greps or performs fewer tasks to get to “an” answer faster and with less load.