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Seconding. I have a 3D printer. A couple of them. And I use JLC for PCBs and 3D prints because they have AWESOME printers and it’s just as fast to push the button and have it show up from them as it is for me to find the time and baby a print.

$300 for the most important piece of software on the hardware that you interact with every day, sometimes all day, for years? That’s a steal.

And again, as an OS, Windows just works and Linux doesn’t. Even if you wanted to set things manually in the registry to disable the bad consumer “features”, you’d still spend less time than configuring a standard Linux install and it would be more stable.

It’s like Apple fan bois nowadays. Ridiculous.

Or… Read what I said. Spend the $300 on the enterprise license. No ads. No forced notifications. A single computer with multiple users at one time in a home environment is not a use case that would get any thought. Those that want it, can do it. And it’s easy, and free. Hyper-V is free and the licenses for the virtual machines are free too because the container host is windows. Lock an instance per output and voila. Recall won’t be coming to enterprise or server and if it does, it will be disablable. Just like forced updates are disabled in enterprise. Forced reboots disabled. Etc.

If you want that experience you buy that experience.

I’m sure if you edit the registry inside emacs from a live iso boot from 6 burned CDs, it will unlock all the golden rainbow features you require.

Yes exactly. I love Linux. I build embedded systems devices with it. I run it on some of my rack appliances. But I’m also not a blind fan boi.

Windows made leaps and bounds into stability with XP. And since then it’s been a slow cog into being an excellent enterprise grade OS even with users bashing it all sorts of ways.

Most (all) of the complaints except price focus on money grabs and features for the docile masses. Forced updates, reboots, integrations, etc. My 80 year old relatives can use it and you know what it works great when they type into the “computer question box”. Click start menu and type. It brings up their files, folders, apps, answers to web questions, etc. That makes sense to someone who doesn’t understand a computer. It’s not pandering to the IT folk, it’s pandering to Karen.

If you’re IT folk, you can just spend a little more money on the proper license and all that goes away. Or you spend some time hacking the registry and get it for free usually.

The only BSODs I have had in the last decade are graphics driver related usually when pushing beta drivers hard. My Linux OS’s have had way more stability issues with less interaction.

It 100% is in a desktop environment used by users.

In an embedded locked system not in space, it’s the same.

No. It really isn’t.

Windows with the proper license and configuration is more stable, more productive, and that configuration takes less than an hour once for the life of the machine.

In 2024 if you’re still bashing Windows for BSODs, stability, updates, etc, you’re doing it wrong. You can bash all day long for privacy violations and corporate greed but both of those are fixed with the proper version like Windows Enterprise. Costs more, but you are less of the product.

Welcome to the land of dual sim, my requirement since 2003. It’s incredibly useful even if only professionally.

Up until earlier this year this was easy. Any sandboxing app like MultipleApps would load WhatsApp and then you’d have a clean break if you chose. But Zuck decided to block all non original instances, giving a warning for about 6 months that it wasn’t supported and bad and lies about stealing your data, then just logged out and that was the end.

Now very few sandboxes work and in my experience it’s only the root level ones that come with your device. From there you can block contacts or permissions for WhatsApp.

But I think you’ve got it backwards as you’ll be the one with the mixed contacts. Your work colleagues won’t have your personal number and your personal colleagues won’t have your work number. And if they did, it would message two separate WhatsApp instances. They wouldn’t see your other contacts, it’s not like Outlook.

And in that case a free Google voice number on WhatsApp’s second account in the same app, would work just fine for you. That’s how I have 4 WhatsApp on my 1 device. 2 physical sims always on, plus google voice, and an esim. Each WhatsApp instance with a second account switch and then the second WhatsApp in my phone’s sandbox.

I don’t disagree but don’t let perfection get in the way of good enough. SMS and standard email etc are all unencrypted. WhatsApp is encrypted end to end. You may not trust meta, or like them. But that’s millions time better than SMS or email.

Getting your parents on WhatsApp is a huge awesome step. Getting them to telegram or Signal or whatever else is a minor step comparatively.

I’m currently in a former USSR country on holiday and everything is WhatsApp and Telegram. Delivery drivers to government services.

Japan is still on floppy disks attached to carrier pigeons.

China is WhatsApp for every non Chinese even with the ban. Wechat for everything else but you need a Chinese mobile.

Korea surprisingly is using WhatsApp more than even prepandemic. Almost all my Korean friends are now WhatsApp versus like 1 just 5 years ago. Telegram is also popping up there.

But point taken. A few bubbles of differences but WhatsApp really does rule supreme.

Pretty much the entire world, except the US and Canada, is WhatsApp based. Every job chat, every message you send, it’s all WhatsApp. Heck to pay for parking or to get immigration visa services from the government, it’s mostly WhatsApp. And yes you can send stickers.

Sometimes Lemmy loses perspective that the way 300ish million people do something is not that relevant to the other 7500 million.

The issue is good luck getting a pay as you go number without identity verification.

You have to pay by credit card and if you don’t, you’ll be forced to make an online account with verification.

The first USB stick I bought, I saved up for and it was over $1/MB. It still works to this day but is so ridiculously slow and capacity limited there’s no reason to.

4TB in a little stamp is amazing.

This already happens. No idea why this is news now.

Utility companies for basically every place in the US give the police the names, addresses, and utility history of all of their top residential users. You have no privacy and no way to stop the pigs from warrantless spying on you.

My choices are generally not popular with an American audience. There’s a lot of propaganda in the world, everyone does it, but the US is the best at it so it can be very difficult to see things outside those borders.

I live all over the world, still do. But I spent over 20 years in the US primarily. I lived in low crime, affluent areas. But the low crime is still absurdly high crime, but is normalized. I won’t share all my story but being victimized for my possessions was annoying, but not the end of the world. That’s what insurance is for. My breaking point was the second time I was almost murdered by the police for being the wrong colour in my own neighbourhood. I’m talking guns pointed at me for no reason and lots more I don’t discuss.

My primary residence is now in the Middle East. Almost immediately, most people make a confused face and the first questions are usually “why” followed by “aren’t you worried about…” and then a laundry list of manufactured issues that don’t actually exist, or exist equally where they live.

The bottom line is that my front door is unlocked and stays unlocked. When I go the park, beach, mall, restaurant, wherever I can reserve a spot by dropping my wallet or cell phone and walking away without worry. I have all the modern conveniences of the USA and more. I use an app on my phone and a fuel truck comes to me to fill up my car. Leave your keys on the windshield like everyone else and they will fill you up as you’re elsewhere. Use the app and get laundry services washed, dried, and folded with pickup from your house and drop off with tip for the cost of a cup of coffee. No tipping culture of 50%, a dollar or two is plenty. I can buy a meal in a restaurant that feeds 4 people for about $5 with apps, entrees, dessert, and tip. I can also buy a stupid gold steak for $2000. The choice is mine.

Public transport works. Food from every part of the world is minutes away. A woman can walk by themselves at 3am with no fear.

I’m currently on a holiday to a different country a few hours away. My door is still unlocked.

When I talk to Americans that have made the move they almost all say the same thing. It takes a few weeks for the constant fear and guard to start to drop. It takes about 2 years before you start to live without that burden.

Every time I am in the US it is just worse and worse. Crime, political discourse, and just general everyday anger between people in every interaction. Walking down a sidewalk or road rage or unfriendly staff, just general anger. When you’re around it constantly, you never really notice it. You only notice the extreme outbursts. But when you go somewhere that’s finally peaceful, you then become aware of the constant noise and the huge outbursts.

Only other thing I’ll mention as this is way too long already, is that the excuse of “I can’t just pack up and move” is just an easy excuse. You absolutely can. It isn’t easy. It can be isolating if you’re going by yourself. But you can. One of my grandparents fled from war with nothing but a single suitcase for 3 children and the 2 adults. Lost everything they had to get a better life and start fresh. Another grandparent immigrated with a whole ship worth of crap. My parents immigrated yet again with moving trucks. I immigrated by air and a couple suitcases filled with everything in the world I hold important.

It takes more money and privilege to immigrate with your possessions. But that’s a luxury upgrade. It isn’t a requirement.

In uncivilized countries like the USA I’ve had many things stolen from my porch, from my car, even an entire car.

I now choose to spend most of my time where I can leave my valuables unwatched in public and my house door unlocked. Living in fear and around crime, adds so much stress, anxiety, and general angst to your everyday life. Life is too short to live in a terrible place

Dude, Dubai is more progressive than most of the USA or UK. Don’t believe the media.

I live all over the world, but also have residency there as a registered atheist. Nicest people you’ll ever meet.

It’s 90% expats. And a huge Indian population. If you want to live like in India, you can. If you want to live like in the UK, you can. You have freedom of choice far superior to any other country in the world.