Category: News

Apps availability still high

Posted on by Michael G

TWIF generated on Thursday, 15 Feb 2024, Week 7

Community News

@theimpulson starts the tests:

Aurora Store was updated to 4.4.1 and brings a plethora of improvements. It will be marked as suggested after a while to squash reported bugs in between. Among all the changes major ones are:

  • Support for automatically updating apps (needs a supported installer/android version to auto-install the update)
  • Automatic SHA256 & SHA1 verification for downloaded files
  • Support for updates with signing key rotation (introduced after Android 9.0+)
  • Better support for apps with shared libraries such as Chrome/Chromium and WebView
  • New automatic certificate verification for updates (resolves this issue) (future update of Aurora Store will allow turning this off for interested users)
  • Native Installer and Aurora Services have been deprecated (will be removed completely soon, users are advised to use Session Installer or any other supported one)
  • Exporting installed apps doesn’t require storage permissions anymore

@Licaon_Kter rants about XMPP clients:

Conversations is available in F-Droid, and has been uninterruptedly since May 2014. For instance it was just updated to version 2.13.1+free bringing support for P2P file transfers via WebRTC data channels (yes, the same magic used for calls, not the old proxy65 stuff), fixed interoperability issues with Bind 2.0 on ejabberd and bundled Let’s Encrypt root certificates for Android <= 7. Then again, for a day or so, those who wanted to get or update Conversations from “alternative centralized stores”, say via the new Aurora Store mentioned above or directly from Google Play, were not able to do so, as the app was gone, forcing the app developer to remove yet another feature from the app (the second or third one by now, we lost count) as to appease the faceless procedures.

In TWIF23 Week 50 we presented the results of the ‘Epic v. Google’ trial in the US, and we hope that with each Google move you get a hint to nudge your favourite FOSS developers to have their apps included in a decentralized store-like catalogue too, one that is not under an alphabet named corporation’s control. We understand that many devs like to publish on Play and get a stream of revenue that allows the app development to continue, while F-Droid (client, website) do not have a way to sell apps, they do have donation links, so you can contribute with a thank you, money for a coffee or one month of SMS to help your star app author.

In lock-step, Quicksy was updated to 2.13.1+free too, luckily this app was not removed from Google Play, although it did miss all updates since October 2023.

(NOTE: P2P file transfers via WebRTC data channels work only between apps updated to version 2.13.1. Next version is in the pipeline and will fix compatibility between multiple versions)

Spring Cleaning

Drupal Editor was archived as it was compatible with old unsupported Drupal 5 only.

Rocket.Chat’s removal was announced last week.

Newly Added Apps

7 apps were newly added
  • Broker 1961 – Very attractive board game which was created in 1961 for trading shares
  • Chooser – Finger picker app (so you know who’s first)
  • DailyLog – A quick-logging notes app with customizable shortcut buttons
  • Oblique Strategies – Over one hundred worthwhile dilemmas
  • Oshi Uploader – Upload to any Oshi instance
  • Play Deals – Find the latest app deals and discounts on paid apps and games in Google Play store
  • WG Auto Connect – Auto connect to a WireGuard tunnel (the official Wireguard app is needed)

Updated Apps

174 more apps were updated

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Apple intentionally kills web applications for EU users in iOS 17.4 onward to spite its EU users

Posted on by Michael G
With the second beta of iOS 17.4, Apple disabled much of the functionality of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) in the European Union. There was some speculation that it could be a temporary change or a bug related to some of the updates to the app ecosystem in Europe, but Apple has confirmed that PWAs were intentionally removed and won’t be returning. ↫ Juli Clover at MacRumors When users in the European Union install iOS 17.4, all functionality regarding progressive web apps will be removed from iOS. This means that when you pin a PWA on your iOS home screen, instead of it opening ‘like an application’, so without any browser chrome but with additional other odds and ends to make it feel more like a native application, it’ll just open inside the full browser instead. It’s typical Apple behaviour – vindictive and petty. Their stated reasoning – it was too hard and too much work to implement this for engines other than WebKit – is a bunch of utter nonsense, since Apple had no issues with developing like 600 new APIs and a whole bunch of new complex frameworks and administrative layers just to support their malicious DMA compliance to ensure they wouldn’t lose a single cent of protection money when a developer wants to distribute an application outside of the App Store. PWAs were the only way you could get an application-like experience on your iPhone from something not controlled, owned, and monetised by Apple, so it had to go to force developers to choose either of Apple’s new, maliciously DMA compliant monetised distribution options in the EU. Every time this company does anything, it’s just… Slimy, scummy, sleazy, and anti-user.

Артур спешит на помощь другу Мелиссе

Posted on by Michael G
Артур спешит на помощь другу Мелиссе
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Business Window Wraps

Posted on by Michael G
Perforated vinyl window wraps from Rocket Wraps TX allow businesses to advertise while still letting in natural light. These custom printed wraps are an effective and affordable way to brand storefronts, office buildings, and other commercial properties. The perforated design provides privacy while maintaining visibility from the outside. Rocket Wraps TX offers full-color printing on perforated vinyl films that are easy to install and remove without leaving residue. This innovative window wrapping solution enables companies to promote their brand while maintaining a professional appearance. Learn more at https://www.rocketwrapstx.com/perforated-window-vinyl

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Posted on by Michael G
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Drupalize.Me: PHP Attributes for Drupal Plugins

Posted on by Michael G
PHP Attributes for Drupal Plugins

As of PHP 8.1, the PHP language has native support for attributes that are compatible with Drupal’s plugin system use case. As a result, Drupal will transition from the use of annotations to PHP attributes, to supply metadata and configuration for plugins. This will require developers to learn the new PHP attributes syntax, and update their existing code to use it. For now Drupal will continue to support both annotations and attributes. But the proverbial clock is ticking.

So let’s take a look at how we got here, and what you’ll need to do to update your code for future versions of Drupal.

joe
Wed, 02/14/2024 – 19:06

Andy Wingo: family bike transportation

Posted on by Michael G

Good evening! Tonight I have a brief and unusual post, which is a product review of an electric cargo bike and its accessories for transporting kids. Let’s see if I can get this finished while I wait for my new laptop to finish installing.

So, I have three young kids (5yo, 3yo, 1yo), and I need to get them places. Before the 3rd was born I would use a bike trailer (Thule Chariot Lite single, bought when there was just one kid) and a bike seat (Thule RideAlong Lite, attached on seat-post). That was fine, though sometimes the thought of lugging their ever-increasing kilograms somewhere would give me pause. Then when the third kid arrived, hoo boy; I got a front-mount Thule Yepp Nexxt 2 Mini, to see if I could do three kids on one me-powered bike, but that was too tight to manage; not enough space to kick my leg over when getting on.

In the end we finally broke down and looked at electric cargo bikes. Of course I had looked at these over the years and always bounced off the price. Initially I had thought a front box-bike would be the thing, but then as kids grew up I realized they wouldn’t be comfortable there, and that a long-tail was probably better for the long term. But holy Christ, they are expensive. Happily, Decathlon came out with an electric longtail which is quite acceptable, and for about half the price of something equivalent from elsewhere.

Funny story: a friend got her bike stolen in the center of Geneva one day; thieves came and took all the bikes on a rack. I guess it was a battery-operated angle grinder; apparently that is the modus operandi these days. She moped a bit but then decided to buy the same bike again, from Decathlon as it happens. While she was at the store she entered a raffle. Then the cops called to say they found her bike – I know right?! Turns out some other bike that was stolen had an Apple AirTag on it, and its owner called the cops to tell them where the bike was, and all of the bikes were recovered. In the meantime my friend’s insurance had paid out for her stolen bike, so she had an extra bike. Then the local Decathlon called to tell her she won the raffle, for some kind of electric bike. When she went to pick it up, it was the electric longtail, for free. Anyway, we got to try hers before deciding to get one too.

One of my questions was, can you jam 3 kids on this thing? In terms of weight, yes: it will take 80 kilos on the back, and our kids total 45 kilos. In terms of space it’s OK, but really for the 1yo you need a bike seat, and even for the 3yo she should really be in a seat unless she’s very awake. The back rack has a frame around it, which does help keep kids on, but it’s not sufficient for a sleepy 3yo.

I was hoping to find a quite narrow kid bike seat so I could put on two seats for the young ones and then jam the oldest in somehow. I started with the Thule Yepp Nexxt 2 Maxi, but the release clamp kinda wants to be where the frame around the back rack is, so it’s not so efficient, and not easy to remove. Also the plastic guards so that kids don’t catch their legs in the back wheel aren’t needed on this particular bike, but they do prevent me from effectively accessing the otherwise well-designed panniers (c’est drôle mais ce ne sont pas des panniers, mais des saccoches).

So, with the Thule rear-mount seat I could get one bike seat for the 1yo and then jam in the 3yo and 5yo. It worked fine.

Then, annoyingly, thieves stole our electric longtail. Apparently insurance will pay out for us too—this is a relatively standard feature in France for the kind of insurance you have to have already for your place of residence—but for the last few weeks we have been without our longtail, and it is terrible. In the end we decided just to buy the same bike again: proof that it is good enough.

There are other electric longtails out there. If you can afford it, a pedal motor will be better than the hub motor on the Decathlon model. But if you are willing to accept less than the best, I think the Decathlon bike is quite good for what it is and I am looking forward to picking up the new bike tomorrow. It fits the kids, easily adjusts between different rider heights, and is a real joy to be on as a family. It lets me go places I wouldn’t think of going without the ability to just chuck everybody on the bike and zip away.

As far as bike seats go, I am going to try a new seat, to see if I can avoid the leg covers and to see if it’s more narrow. Ping me on the Mastodon if you want a follow-up. Thoughts welcome below for things that have worked for you. Until next time, happy cycling!

Updating Microsoft Secure Boot keys

Posted on by Michael G
Microsoft, in collaboration with our ecosystem partners, is preparing to roll out replacement certificates that’ll set new Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Certificate Authorities (CAs) trust anchors in Secure Boot for the future. Look out for Secure Boot database updates rolling out in phases to add trust for the new database (DB) and Key Exchange Key (KEK) certificates. This new DB update is available as an optional servicing update for all Secure Boot enabled devices from February 13, 2024. ↫ SochiOgbuanya This update will replace the Windows 8-era certificates, set to expire in 2026, with new ones.

God-Tier Developer Roadmap

Posted on by Michael G
The programming iceberg is complete roadmap to the loved, hated, historical, and weird programming languages that you should now about. It starts with easy-to-learn coding tools, then descends into the most difficult low-level and esoteric languages.

Featuring C, C++, C#, F#, HolyC, C–, Java, JavaScript, Python, Rust, Fortran, Lisp, V, Nim, Zig, APL, Ada, COBOL, Haskell, Scala, Clojure, Kotlin, Swift, Lua, PHP, Elixir, Erlang, Chef, Malbolge, lolcode, emojicode, ASM and many more!

#programming #iceberg #learntocode

Topics Covered

– History of Programming Languages
– Programming Humor Memes
– Developer Roadmap for 2022
– What are programming languages used for?
– Most popular programming languages
– Which language is best to learn to code?
– How many programming languages are there?