I have to admit I’m not entirely convinced these requests are coming from a compiler…

Is it possible for you to virtualize an non-networked system with your GPU passed through? That seems like the best option IMO. Next best thing would be to set up an airgapped machine just for this, but not everyone has a 2nd machine.

Personally when I was trying out local LLMs I used a virtual machine, mainly due to the known code execution vulnerability related to Tensorflow model data being saved in python’s Pickle format. I believe the recommended save method changed twice since those days though.

With the Firefox stuff I’m assuming you’ve also checked their enterprise config options too (which are admittedly difficult to find and piece together online), so not too sure what else you could do except aside from continuing to block them. Librewolf however provides documentation on how to disable the extra requests sent from their browser in their FAQ, and covers some preferences on the subsequent page linked at the bottom

Nothing concerning for me here personally. However, if you have an issue with Firefox’s ‘QoL’ features dependent on Mozilla infrastructure, you could consider Librewolf instead as an alternative.

As for the reverse lookup requests, those are targeting local multicast addresses on your internal network, except the last one which is for the Fastly CDN service

I’m rooted to…

• backup & restore my apps as I please (as well as scheduled backups to my SD card)
• BMS control to keep my battery in good health
• Automation app for automating stuff (like Tasker)
• revoking typically unrevokable permissions from system and Google apps
• To actually feel like I own my device.

If I wanted a heavily curated (and somewhat locked down) experience, I’d be in the Apple ecosystem - don’t know why Google thinks it’s a great idea to force this ideology onto practically all Android users…

Similar situation with that additional warning for sideloading apps - there’s already two warnings and Play Protect typically uninstalls these apps anyway, without the user’s consent - in one case deleting KDE Connect from users’ devices if installed with F-Droid

Uhh I definitely went off on a tangent, oops.

In my city? Really great, since people ride a fair bit here and there’s a lot of protected and off-road routes that are correctly labelled. I have my settings set to choose a slightly longer route, instead of just the fastest. If I remember correctly, there were also settings for whether on/off road directions are preferred. I’m pretty much kept on bike paths all the time

I don’t use navigation in the areas with cobblestone paths here though so can’t comment on that.

For the bike map view I’ve enabled the clock widget, speed widget, and track recorder widget, as well as a shortcut to quickly toggle it on. I set it up about 2 years ago when my bicycle computer was stolen, haven’t changed anything since.

Download it from F-Droid store instead, the Play Store option only exists for funding AFAIK

Some websites I know actually do this - usually end up getting around it by using selectors to identify elements nested in a particular order, rather than using class names. Nowhere near as reliable though

Typically free of charge for the country’s public services to get a domain if the registrar is based within the country.

There are other countries that don’t actually own their TLDs like .io, .tk, .ga, .cf etc. Mali recently forcibly reposessed their .ml domain from overseas ownership IIRC

I don’t have hands-on experience with any of the brands listed so sadly can’t give specific recommendations

Would a second-hand Google Pixel work fine for you, or do you definitely want to buy new? Mobile devices are really reliable nowadays, I doubt you’ll need to worry about a warranty (which would not cover accidental damage, like a cracked screen)

I’ve noticed most countries outside of the US and Europe (making that assumption based on inability to get a Google Pixel or a Fairphone) typically have some locally used apps preinstalled regardless; usually a social networking and mobile e-payment app. I’d expect it to be possible to remove these using ADB if you have access to a computer.

Are you buying direct from manufacturer, or via a carrier? Do note that carriers may have customized the apps installed on your device if you buy one through them. For the least preinstalled bloat, buying direct is ideal

Yepp I know - my preference leaned towards the server edition as it doesn’t include the unnecessary UWP apps installed with Win10/11, and has a much lighter footprint in comparison, resulting in less resource usage overall.

If these were Windows 7 or Windows XP days, a professional edition install would have sufficed for me tbh… but with all the Metro UI and additional telemetry in Windows editions after 8, it doesn’t seem worth the hassle.

When I need to log in and fix something now I really wouldn’t want to stare at a “please wait, we’re upgrading your apps” because some UWP update occured, or have the telemetry service gobble up idle CPU

The only self hosted NVR software I could find for my parents that has an accompanying phone app doesn’t have a Linux version: it’s Windows-only and the desktop GUI is required to set it up

I personally use Motion and Home Assistant at home, but I wouldn’t set up the same for other non-techies, IMO no point making yourself tech support where it isn’t necessary

I was curious about this too and had a little look myself, all I can find is that other companies interested in interopability are implementing MLS encryption instead of implementing the Signal protocol in their apps.

Can’t find any info on Signal’s blog about interest in adopting MLS encryption, or considering interopability with Meta apps that already use (or may use) the Signal protocol… unless I’ve missed something or been looking in the wrong place

Grammar, I’ve noticed I get much better results if I word things more directly instead of like a question

DDG queries can’t really be written the same way you’d write one in Google if you’re after effective results. It’ll take some time to get used to it, tbh I was using DDG alongside Google until I fully switched.

I would suggest using any cloud storage provider with a third party client, that automatically encrypts your files before uploading them, ensuring the cloud provider does not have any kind of access to your keys.

I personally use gocryptfs then mirror that to B2, but IIRC rclone and some other third party alternatives have built-in pre-upload encryption options that are easier to setup and use

Honestly I was in the same boat until I got a Fairphone…

And now I’m in the same boat again. Honestly cannot wait until GNU/Linux mobile devices are viable 🙏

Probably exploited labor, similar to those who have no choice but to work in scam call centers to survive.

Pretty unfortunate that things are like this IMO

That sounds like they’re using Admiral’s sh!tty brokerage and anti-adblock thing, saw one site with over 1500 partners. Most difficult one to block because of how frequently they buy domains for adblock evasion…

One of these days I’m going to just blacklist the IP ranges of their google cloud fleet

I’m not so sure about clients that are specifically focused on security and privacy, however my general FOSS mobile app suggestions would be Voyager for a polished UX, or Eternity for a more native Android experience.

Both are available on GitHub and F-Droid

Sounds a lot like a smartphone where one SoC chip does pretty much everything… CPU, cell modem, WiFi, USB host/device switching, quick charge, the whole lot 😢

For anyone running a ROM based very closely on AOSP, the ability to disable Fast Pair was sadly not built into the OS until Android 14

Before Android 14, it is possible that Google has backported this setting to your device using Play Services. It can be found under Google Settings, Devices and sharing, Devices, and “Show Notifications”

Basically I am using mull on android and librewolf on linux

You may prefer to skip Mozilla entirely and self host your own Firefox Sync: https://github.com/mozilla-services/syncstorage-rs

Otherwise, i’ve been using Firefox Sync for years and haven’t had a single issue with it.

Regarding data sharing, do note that your Firefox Account email address is shared with Troy Hunt (haveibeenpwned) via the Firefox Monitor service, so Firefox can warn you if you have suffered a data breach. Deleting your account is the only way to opt out of that. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-opt-out-firefox-monitor

I personally have no issue with it as he’s a well known security consultant - BUT the caveat being that he’s a Microsoft regional director, you couldn’t know if that data is being shared any further.