Add a few more posts

content/posts/bandcamp_vs_subscription_services/note.md

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+X-Date: 2021-10-27T21:06:02Z
+X-Note-Id: b4de3ac6-113b-46fe-9c50-d93bfec72ac7
+Subject: Bandcamp vs subscription streaming services
+X-Slug: bandcamp_vs_subscription_services
+
+I decided to stop using Apple Music and Spotify in favor of
+purchasing music through Bandcamp. The primary catalyst for
+this was that I was essentially locked out of my Apple Music
+subscription. The reason for being locked out is pretty silly:
+I've changed countries, and Apple refuses to let me switch
+app stores because I have a year-long subscription still active
+for one of my services. But I no longer have a credit card in
+my previous country, so I can't pay for anything.
+
+Unfortunately, chatting with Apple support didn't help and
+the only reassuring thing I've got is "we understand that it's
+not what you expected, but we can't do anything until your
+subscription expires".
+
+This should serve as a reminder that you don't own stuff that
+you rent from big tech companies. And the silly thing about
+this particular situation is that all the need for the subscription
+is artificial. We live in a day when 256 Gb SD cards are dirt
+cheap, and internet connections easily reach 100 Mbit/s. There
+is no real need for a streaming service if you can keep all
+your music library with you. Oh, I forgot: iPhones don't have
+an SD card slot. Fine, but still I'd prefer a dumb and replaceable
+syncing service like Dropbox and to actually own my library.
+
+So, starting from today I'm purchasing my music and keeping it.
+Just because I'm sick of people pulling the plug on their side
+because they didn't like the way I move around.

content/posts/companion_tools_for_tiling_window_managers/note.md

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+X-Date: 2021-11-08T23:01:32Z
+X-Note-Id: a90f2ac1-531a-4e43-a356-6e83c9f72b52
+Subject: Companion tools for tiling window managers
+X-Slug: companion_tools_for_tiling_window_managers
+
+I like tiling window managers. But sometimes I switch to Gnome
+for certain tasks. One of such cases is when I need to plug the
+laptop to TV to watch a movie. It can be hard to switch sound
+output to go through HDMI using just a pulseaudio console.
+In this case, gnome-settings works really well.
+
+It would've been great if there were a few simple
+utilities that allow to do simple everyday things. For example:
+
+- Mount external storage
+- Change sound outputs easily
+- Set external screen parameters dynamically
+
+A few things that I already use:
+
+- nm-applet (for managing wifi connections)
+- bashmount (for semi-automatic storage mounting)
+- pavucontrol (for managing pulseaudio, though I'm not completely happy with it)
+
+It's not like there are no options for other use-cases. It's just that many tools
+that I find on the internet are too heavy and overloaded with functionality.
+Some of them for example are written in Python with so many dependencies that they
+would likely fall apart if their maintaner stops updating them.
+
+Well, I guess we'll have to wait until System 76 guys fuse the traditional DE
+with tiling approaches in their new environment. I for one would applaud something
+that's lighter than Gnome but covers the basics in addition to being a good tiling WM.

content/posts/firefox_without_menu_bar/note.md

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+X-Date: 2021-10-24T11:01:54Z
+X-Note-Id: b616a092-682c-467e-8e24-61a934a3ddc0
+Subject: Firefox without menu bar and URL bar
+X-Slug: firefox_without_menu_bar
+
+Today I succeeded with removing all visual elements
+from Firefox, except the actual content. This is a
+bit like [surf](https://surf.suckless.org/), but with
+a modern web engine.
+
+As I said before, one of the things I dislike about
+modern software is that it tries to manage its own
+tabs. This creates a lot of problems for people like
+me, who want to use tiling window managers, because every
+single app has its own shortcuts to switch tabs. And if
+you'd like to find a tab by name -- you're doomed.
+
+Anyway, here's a piece of `userChrome.css`:
+
+```
+#TabsToolbar { visibility: collapse !important; }
+
+#main-window:not([customizing]) #navigator-toolbox:not(:focus-within):not(:hover) {
+  margin-top: -45px;
+}
+```

content/posts/framework_laptop_first_impressions/note.md

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+X-Date: 2021-10-24T10:48:31Z
+X-Note-Id: 8ccd94aa-f36b-4d8a-8816-f92cf3300c31
+Subject: Framework laptop - first impressions
+X-Slug: framework_laptop_first_impressions
+
+I've been using the [Framework](https://frame.work) laptop for a few weeks now,
+and would like to share first impressions. In short -- it's the best laptop I
+had in years.
+
+First, there are a few things that this device gets exactly right: screen, keyboard
+and trackpad. The screen is 3x2 which means you can get more vertical space for
+code and documentation. You may think that it's not too much of a difference compared
+to 16x9, but it's enough to compensate for browser's tab bars and search field, or
+the window decorations of your editor if you have them. The key travel is pretty
+decent and the keys are not too mushy. I even prefer this keyboard to the thinkpad's.
+
+Now, the trackpad won't compare to the one you find on a macbook, but it's in my
+opinion ahead of thinkpads and many other options I've tried. It has a glass surface
+and is large enough to use comfortably. Palm rejection is decent and I didn't have
+any issues with ghost touches registering while I'm typing on the keyboard.
+
+Other hardware issues that I was used to in other laptops, like "coil whine" where
+you hear a high-pitched buzz while the laptop is actively working, are not present.
+Time will tell if it's just coincidence or good engineering.
+
+Now let's talk about ports. The ports on this machine are configurable, and I find
+4 ports to be just right for me to cover the basic needs. Here's the modules I purchased:
+
+- USB-C for charging and connecting to external display with docking capabilities (so
+  a keyboard and mouse plugged into the display).
+- HDMI for plugging into the TV to watch movies on the big screen. I find it easier this
+  way, because otherwise I have to deal with media players on the TV itself which is
+  cumbersome.
+- USB-A port to plug regular flash drives. You know, to install the OS or to transfer files.
+- Micro SD slot to transfer pictures from my camera or drone footage.
+
+And the most interesting part that is the easiest for laptop manufacturers to screw up
+is Linux support. Many laptop manufacturers try to minimize the price of chips that go
+into the machine and so don't care about the sourcing from any other perspective. If it
+has drivers for windows -- it's enough. So you get weird bugs like sound disappearing
+completely after you plug and unplug the headphones, or inability to properly control
+fan speed or screen backlight. Best case scenario for these laptops is that you have to
+spend time to hunt down configs and custom firmwares on wikis that often go out of date
+as you update the OS.
+
+With Framework, if you get the latest Fedora build, everything works out of the box, even
+the fingerprint reader (which is the thing that almost never works on other laptops under
+Linux). I also find the default ACPI and suspend options good enough, but people report that
+enabling deep sleep on Linux works without major issues as well. This is something to be
+tested and I'll share my experience in the next posts.
+
+I don't know what has taken the industry so long to produce a perfect Linux laptop, but
+here we are in 2021. If you don't know what to buy, the Framework laptop is what I would
+wholeheartedly recommend.

content/posts/pinephone_a_promising_device/note.md

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+X-Date: 2021-10-29T23:19:41Z
+X-Note-Id: d230c576-498f-45b6-98a8-310f73d085df
+Subject: PinePhone - a very promising device
+X-Slug: pinephone_a_promising_device
+
+In addition to getting a Framework laptop, I've also got
+a [PinePhone](https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/). It's an honest
+Linux phone (not Android), that can run more or less unmodified
+apps that you can usually run on Linux.
+
+I tried running a few: Firefox browser, media player, file manager,
+simple note taking software, and a todo list. The experience so far
+was bearable. The default Manjaro distribution that was installed on
+the phone didn't perform well enough, but after switching to PostmarketOS,
+things became a lot snappier. It's not like modern phone levels of snappy
+though. More like the first android devices that appeared on the market.
+
+I find it possible to daily drive this phone, because I mostly use my
+current device to listen to music and quickly look up something on the
+internet. The only thing I'll need another device for is maps -- at the
+moment there's just nothing production ready that I'd be comfortable
+traveling with.
+
+To be clear -- I'm not using PinePhone because it's superior in any
+way from the UX point of view. It's just cool to have a hacker-friendly
+platform in your pocket.