Self-hosting allows you to have all your files on all your devices, like many have used to with the streaming services. Also, some smart TVs specifically require to connect to some server to grab movies from.
If you don’t need any of that, regular hard drive will suit you best.
I played both official and private (pirate) servers, and from all I have experienced, Firestorm offered the best private server experience. It’s actually very smooth on the newest expansions, although some of them (like Mists of Pandaria) sure need some love.
I share your concerns about dungeon finder etc., and I believe it could be fun to have some kind of private server with newest content, but also some features removed specifically to make people experience more real human connection, like in the Classic era. I wasn’t there back then in the 00’s, but even just World of Warcraft Classic and WoW Classic TBC definitely made me experience the game differently. There’s just…no rush, and more human element. I like it.
Questing element is still there, and it can be fun, but something about game’s pace makes you skip it over rather quickly. Many folks just try to level up real quick and go through dungeons to see the numbers go up - but it’s not that every player has to do so.
But, on the other end, the game just became more of everything, and a lot that has changed about it has rather changed about the player base. Nothing stops you from walking out to the Elwynn Forest with your friends and go to the Deadmines, like you always did. On the other end, nothing stops you from racing dragons, either. The content is still there, the core mechanics unaltered, and with the right people wishing exactly the same kind of playthrough you can get all of the old joys yet again.
Maybe more people started playing the game a certain (arguably killjoy) way. But you don’t have to, and the game as you know it is still there, waiting.
Raiding community seems to be extremely toxic. I feel like the level of challenge Blizzard brings with raids doesn’t resonate with casual players who just want to see the content of the expansion. If there could be levels like in dungeons, this could greatly alleviate it. Until then, the difficulty mechanic applied in raids (more players = more boss HP) will inevitably lead to conflicts once weaker players want to join the party.
Somewhat similar issues appear with Mythic dungeons, but there at least they added a gradual increase of difficulty. Imagine going for, like, Mythic +5 right after Heroic, and this is what you get when you just want to see raiding content without grinding for hundreds and thousands of hours of the absolute same dungeons over and over again.
Ohhh, I’d love some rant!
Also, I think that starting with Dragonflight, they kinda started going back on track. Didn’t play enough The War Within to make any conclusions yet, I’m a bit of a patient gamer.
There are some questionable mechanics, there are some things borrowed from other MMOs, there is a bit of uncomfortable pacing here and there, but that’s pretty much how it’s always been, and overall my impression of the new direction of the game is positive.
(Also, we’re finally back with talent trees, whew!)
I see. But sometimes, progress really makes lesser problems than there were before.
We have cheap and generally eco-friendly solar, we install plenty of wind, and now we have a much more ecological way to store the power, too.
The rich care about their profits, and if eco-friendly tech delivers that, they’ll be all-in. Some fossil kings will try to stop it, but at this point, this trend is irreversible, because others among the rich are ready to destroy them.
Yes.
Here’s the thing: sodium chloride aka table salt is extremely abundant. We are not expected to run out of it in any measurable timeframe, and the effect of sodium mining on the oceans or ecosystems at large is negligible.
Same cannot be said of lithium, which currently forms the backbone of battery tech. It is rare, and its extraction is extremely polluting. In fact, lithium is responsible for a huge chunk of renewable energy’s ecological footprint.
Switching to sodium technology is like switching from silver to sand. It’s just one thing we truly have enough of.
Wow, so this is an actual life story!
Happy for you two, and hope your wife was gentle and welcoming about your transition!
Wish granted, now creeps are out to fuck you, and you still didn’t find love.
Linux is exactly where you should go with old computers.
With a proper distribution/DE combination, you can run it on 20+ year old computers with no issue.
But overall, if your laptop runs Windows 10, it will likely run every Linux distribution easily.
If we Americans
It’s not you, it’s Big Tech. There’s no use bundling yourself with greedy billionaires, and it may actually harm you in the long run, IMO.
Combat the inner enemies in the ways you can. You are not the one.
Made me wonder if they introduced CSAM detection to fill their collection…
Yeah, not the most impressive hardware, but it is what we have
Solid option
They also try to promote a positive image of “work-life blend” in order to try and spark people’s enthusiasm for working pretty much 24/7.
As in, “work-life balance is a bad concept because it makes work look evil. Let’s put work into all aspects of life, make you live and breathe work, then you won’t think about it”
This is meant for beginners in the privacy space, and as such, it tries to minimize complications and barriers to entry.
Installing Linux is a nuclear option for most people. Of they see that, they just…won’t, and also won’t complete the rest. Make it easy.
Also, the article mentions this is not the end. Next year may come with harder things, including - yes - Linux.
May I rather also recommend that we don’t leave good folks rot in there?
They will be crushed, and can never help in the rebuilding of society
App that mimics wireless debugging device and allows you to access ADB functionality locally. Widely used to perform actions that are normally unavailable on non-rooted devices. Some apps rely on functionality provided by Shizuku - for example, Canta, which allows you to delete any app, including undeletable pre-installed ones.
True
But I don’t expect for many people to conduct complicated debug on the go.
Though the FSF audience is quite geeky indeed.
The expenses are mostly upfront though. I’ve spent like $400 on a relatively fancy NAS and two 3TB WD Red CMR drives five years ago, and since then, there was that.
Of course, depending on your use case, there could be extra expenses as well, some of them recurring: -Bigger drives -Backup storage (I already had a place I could back up to) -Domain name and DNS records (if you expose it to the public Web with a URL; you can otherwise just use a VPN tunnel to access NAS from outside the home network, which is free unless you do anything fancy) -Some kind of paid software (if you don’t enjoy the perfectly good collection of open-source apps) -Etc.
Now, for the streaming alternative: Netflix Standard: $18/mo Spotify: $12/mo Total: $30/mo, or $360/yr. Just these two services alone.
Your NAS system will pay off in a little over a year (maybe two years if you go all in with huge drives, fancy NAS configs, extra expenses here and there), and it’s smooth sailing from there.
My unit works for 5 years already with no maintenance, is still fully supported by the manufacturer, and I don’t expect to replace it in a few more years.