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Keep Android Open from f-droid.org
1975 by LorenDB 1d ago | | |

Article: 37 min

This article is a summary of updates in the F-Droid app store for the week of February 20th, 2026. It includes information about changes to core F-Droid features, new apps added, updated apps, and removed apps. The main focus is on the banner reminder campaign aimed at raising awareness about Google's plans to become a gatekeeper for Android devices.

Google's plans to lock-down Android are still in progress.
Banners and warnings have been added to remind users of the situation.
F-Droid Basic has undergone several updates including new features like CSV export, install history, mirror chooser setting, and more.
Various apps have received updates with bug fixes, improvements, and new features.

Discussion (685): 2 hr 58 min

The comment thread discusses concerns over Google's decision to heavily restrict sideloading on Android devices, negatively impacting independent AOSP distributions and limiting user freedom in choosing software for personal devices. The community expresses frustration with Google's monopolistic tendencies and the lack of true user control over their mobile computing ecosystem.

Google's decision on sideloading restrictions is baffling and negatively impacts independent AOSP distributions.
There should be more freedom in choosing software for personal devices.

Software Development App Store Updates

Trump's global tariffs struck down by US Supreme Court from bbc.com
1485 by blackguardx 1d ago | | |

Article: 10 min

The US Supreme Court has ruled against President Donald Trump's global tariffs imposed in April 2018, stating that Congress, not the president, holds the power to impose such tariffs. The court held that nothing in the Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 delegated sweeping tariff powers to Trump.

This ruling could lead to increased international trade relations as countries may reconsider their trade policies in response to the US stance on tariffs. It also reinforces the role of Congress in legislative matters, potentially influencing future presidential actions.

President Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to justify his tariff imposition.
The ruling affects tariffs imposed on nearly every country in the world, except those implemented under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act for national-security concerns.

Quality:
The article provides a clear and concise summary of the Supreme Court's decision, including key points and implications.

Discussion (1244): 4 hr 38 min

The comment thread discusses the potential abuse of presidential power in relation to fluctuating tariffs, their impact on businesses, economic stability, and constitutional concerns. There is a debate over whether the president's actions were unconstitutional and how they affect various sectors like manufacturing and small businesses. The conversation also touches on the need for constitutional changes to regain global trust.

The power of the president was potentially abused in this case.
Flip-flopping policy is detrimental to businesses and economic stability.
Tariffs are a good strategy for boosting US manufacturing.
The economy is not as strong as it appears.
Constitutional changes are necessary for the US to regain trust globally.

Counterarguments:

The tariffs could be a small part of that strategy but they should be targeted, not broad, and enacted by congress so businesses have the kind of decades-long stability required to invest in factories that take years to pay off.
Tariffs could be a good strategy for boosting US manufacturing if they are targeted, not broad.

Politics International Affairs, Law

Facebook is cooked from pilk.website
1430 by npilk 1d ago | | |

Article: 6 min

The article discusses the significant changes in Facebook's content feed over the years, focusing on the shift towards AI-generated content and explicit imagery that seems to cater more to a younger audience.

Content feed dominated by AI-generated images and explicit content
Shift towards a younger demographic in terms of content preferences

Quality:
The article presents a personal opinion on the evolution of Facebook's content feed, with some subjective analysis and anecdotal evidence.

Discussion (793): 3 hr 34 min

Commenters express dissatisfaction with Facebook's declining user experience, characterized by AI-generated content and spam in feeds, leading many users to migrate towards alternative platforms like TikTok and Instagram. However, some still find value in Facebook groups for communities and discussions.

Facebook is declining in popularity among younger generations, with TikTok and Instagram gaining more traction.
Facebook's feed is filled with AI-generated content and spam.

Counterarguments:

Facebook Marketplace has become a successful alternative to Craigslist for local transactions.
Groups and Marketplace seem to be the main genuine uses in many non-US countries.

Social Media Facebook

I found a vulnerability. they found a lawyer from dixken.de
845 by toomuchtodo 1d ago | | |

Article: 29 min

A diving instructor discovers a severe security vulnerability in the member portal of a major diving insurer and responsibly discloses it, only to face legal threats from the company's law firm rather than constructive feedback or remediation efforts.

Legal threats against security researchers can discourage responsible disclosure and harm public trust in organizations' commitment to data protection.

Incrementing numeric user IDs and static default passwords for accounts
Exposure of sensitive personal data including minors' information
30-day embargo period before disclosure

Quality:
The article presents a clear, factual account of the incident without sensationalizing it.

Discussion (395): 1 hr 58 min

The comment thread discusses the issue of security best practices not being followed within companies, leading to potential vulnerabilities. The main concern raised is the disconnect between these practices and how companies actually operate, resulting in issues that are not addressed responsibly or ethically. Legal threats made by companies in response to security disclosures are seen as inappropriate and counterproductive. There is a recurring theme of the lack of accountability within companies regarding cybersecurity issues, with opinions on the balance between protecting company reputation and addressing these issues responsibly.

Companies often fail to address security concerns responsibly or ethically.

Counterarguments:

The potential impact on the author's career due to disclosing the security issue.

Security Cybersecurity, Privacy

The path to ubiquitous AI (17k tokens/sec) from taalas.com
811 by sidnarsipur 1d ago | | |

Article: 12 min

The article discusses Taalas, a company that specializes in transforming AI models into custom silicon for faster, cheaper, and lower power consumption. The platform aims to address the high latency and astronomical cost issues associated with AI deployment by focusing on total specialization, merging storage and computation, and radical simplification of hardware design.

Taalas developed a platform that transforms any AI model into custom silicon, resulting in models that are an order of magnitude faster, cheaper, and lower power than software-based implementations.
The company's core principles include total specialization for extreme efficiency, merging storage and computation to eliminate artificial boundaries, and radical simplification to reduce system costs.
Taalas' first product is a hard-wired Llama 3.1 8B model, achieving 17K tokens/sec per user with nearly 10X faster performance than the current state of the art while costing 20X less and consuming 10X less power.
The article also mentions upcoming models, including a mid-sized reasoning LLM and a frontier LLM using Taalas' second-generation silicon platform (HC2).
Taalas emphasizes its focus on substance, craft, and rigor rather than spectacle or scale, aiming to disrupt the AI industry with step-function gains in performance, power efficiency, and cost.
The company's first product was brought to market by a team of 24 members and $30M spent out of over $200M raised, demonstrating that precise goals and disciplined focus can achieve what brute force cannot.

Discussion (438): 1 hr 51 min

The comment thread discusses the potential of specialized hardware for accelerating language model inference, with particular emphasis on speed and cost-effectiveness. There is a consensus that such technology could be beneficial for niche applications like robotics or IOT devices, but concerns are raised about the rapid obsolescence of models and the environmental impact of proprietary hardware designs. The thread also touches on the potential for integrating this technology into existing ecosystems and the trade-offs between speed, cost, and model accuracy.

The technology offers impressive speed and efficiency for certain applications
There is potential for niche use cases where specialized hardware can be beneficial

Counterarguments:

Models may become outdated quickly due to rapid advancements in AI technology
Limited context handling capacity for larger models
Concerns about the sustainability of proprietary hardware designs

AI Advanced Materials, Hardware

Ggml.ai joins Hugging Face to ensure the long-term progress of Local AI from github.com/ggml-org
810 by lairv 1d ago | | |

Article: 21 min

ggml.ai, the team behind llama.cpp, has joined Hugging Face to ensure the long-term progress of Local AI. This partnership aims to support and scale ggml's open-source projects, including improvements in user experience and integration with the transformers library.

This partnership could lead to more accessible and efficient local AI solutions, potentially democratizing the use of AI technology.

ggml.ai and Hugging Face partnership to support the ggml / llama.cpp community
Focus on scaling, improving user experience, and integration with transformers library
Maintaining open-source nature and community-driven approach

Discussion (214): 41 min

The comment thread discusses various aspects related to AI, focusing on the integration of ggml with Hugging Face and its implications for local AI development. Opinions vary regarding the sustainability of Hugging Face's business model and the potential impact of ggml's tools on the ecosystem. There is a general agreement that local AI has a future despite challenges such as limited storage options.

Hugging Face's business model supports the open-source community
The ggml integration might lead to ecosystem consolidation

Counterarguments:

Large models and limited storage options might hinder the growth of local AI

AI AI Development, Open Source, Collaboration

I tried building my startup entirely on European infrastructure from coinerella.com
720 by willy__ 1d ago | | |

Article: 9 min

The article discusses the challenges of building a startup on European infrastructure instead of using American cloud services like AWS. The author shares their experience with various European providers and the benefits they found in terms of data sovereignty, GDPR compliance, and avoiding dependency on US-based hyperscalers.

The author chose to build their startup on European infrastructure for reasons including data sovereignty, GDPR simplicity, and avoiding dependency on US-based hyperscalers.
They used a combination of providers such as Hetzner, Scaleway, Bunny.net, Nebius, Hanko, Gitea, Plausible, Twenty CRM, Infisical, Bugsink, Tutanota, and UptimeRobot to create their stack.
Self-hosting services like Rancher for Kubernetes management was mentioned as a way to maintain control over data and avoid provider-specific issues.

Quality:
The article provides a balanced view of the challenges and benefits of using European cloud infrastructure, with clear examples and insights.

Discussion (368): 1 hr 23 min

The discussion revolves around the benefits and challenges of using European services over American ones, particularly focusing on topics like data sovereignty, self-hosting, and the lack of awareness about European alternatives. Opinions are mixed, with some advocating for European platforms due to concerns over privacy and geopolitical issues.

Scaleway is a good choice for EU-based services.
There's a lack of awareness about European alternatives to American platforms.

Counterarguments:

Price would be a bit more bearable if their reserved instance discounts were more generous.

Cloud Computing European Cloud Providers, Infrastructure

I found a useful Git one liner buried in leaked CIA developer docs from spencer.wtf
685 by spencerldixon 1d ago | | |

Article: 3 min

An article discussing a useful Git command found in leaked CIA developer documentation, which helps users clean up their local git repositories by deleting stale branches.

This command can help developers maintain cleaner and more organized repositories, potentially improving productivity and code management practices.

Lists merged branches with `git branch --merged`
Filters out current branch and master with `grep -v`
Deletes remaining branches one at a time with `xargs -n 1 git branch -d`
Updates command for modern project structures using `origin/main`

Discussion (239): 47 min

The discussion revolves around the use of TUIs (Terminal User Interfaces) and AI-generated tools in software development, focusing on their efficiency, personalization, and trustworthiness. The community shows a mix of positive sentiment towards TUIs for productivity gains and negative sentiment regarding resource consumption by AI tool generation. There is also an emphasis on sharing knowledge and tips among developers while addressing concerns about the reliability of AI-generated code in critical applications.

TUIs can be highly personalized and efficient for certain tasks
Using AI for personal tool generation might not always be the most resource-efficient approach

Counterarguments:

Criticism regarding the potential waste of resources when using AI for tool generation
Concerns over trust in AI-generated code, especially in critical applications like Git operations

Software Development Git

Turn Dependabot off from words.filippo.io
614 by todsacerdoti 1d ago | | |

Article: 20 min

The article argues against using Dependabot for managing security alerts and suggests replacing it with scheduled GitHub Actions running govulncheck and the test suite against latest dependencies.

Reducing alert fatigue could lead to more effective security practices, potentially improving the overall security posture of software projects.

Dependabot is considered a 'noise machine' that discourages more useful work.
govulncheck and running tests against latest dependencies are recommended as alternatives.
The article provides case studies to illustrate the inefficiency of Dependabot alerts.

Quality:
The article presents a clear argument with supporting evidence and avoids sensationalism.

Discussion (179): 39 min

The comment thread discusses various dependency management tools and their effectiveness in identifying vulnerabilities, with a focus on Dependabot, govulncheck, RenovateBot, and CodeQL. The community acknowledges the benefits of these tools but also highlights issues such as alert fatigue, false positives, and the need for context-specific threat modeling. There is a debate around whether DoS vulnerabilities should be considered security concerns and the role of automation in managing dependency vulnerabilities.

Dependabot can be noisy with false positives
govulncheck provides better alerts by tracing actual code paths
RenovateBot offers more flexibility and support for various ecosystems

Counterarguments:

Dependabot can be noisy with false positives
RenovateBot might not suit everyone's needs

Software Development DevOps, Security

Wikipedia deprecates Archive.today, starts removing archive links from arstechnica.com
573 by nobody9999 1d ago | | |

Discussion (347): 1 hr 3 min

The comment thread discusses concerns over archive.today's credibility due to allegations of DDoS attacks, content tampering, and ethical issues related to bypassing paywalls. The community largely agrees that Wikipedia made the right decision in removing links to the site, citing its impact on credibility and trustworthiness. There is a debate around alternative archival services and self-hosted solutions as potential replacements.

archive.today's actions have damaged its credibility as a reliable archival site.

Counterarguments:

archive.today provides a valuable service for accessing paywalled content.
Wikipedia's decision could limit access to important information.