Comments by "TJ Marx" (@tjmarx) on "TechAltar" channel.

  1. 6:54 "People say they want FREE open source software, but outside a very small niche, no many are willing to donate to make that happen". If I have to donate to make it happen, then I'm paying for the software. If I have donate on an ongoing basis I have a software subscription. Neither of these situations is FREE sofrware. People want FREE software. That is, they take something and give NOTHING back. It's unrealistic, so the real conversation needs to be about how unrealistic free software is and how all software worth using needs to be paid for in some way.
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  2. I actually really like the way Windows 10 is designed. If you notice, the apps intended for regular users have the new design to them. The other stuff intended for power users and IT personnel has that familiar feel to it that makes doing things all that much faster and easier. I'm not interested in the new "settings" app for example, so I'm happy to dig in to grab the control panel from the legacy folder because it is far more powerful and I know where everything is. Similarly, I don't need a fluent design version of the remote desktop interface, keeping it legacy makes things easier. On the other hand, everyday apps do have the new fluent design and look great because of it. It's that best of both worlds mix and I for one would like to commend Microsoft for getting this right. Sure, where back arrows are is inconsistent but that really isn't a huge deal.
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  3. There is nothing legitimate about the US claim of Huawei network security. The entire 5G spec has serious security holes on it's own irrespective of the manufacturer and no one has ever been able to demonstrate any one of the US claims regarding Huawei products being used to spy. Indeed Huawei has gone so far as to offer complete transparency of their processes to nations such as the UK, Ireland and Germany in addition to signing safe guard agreements with these countries that put them in control and remove any risk Huawei tech could be used to spy or kill switch. The entire thing is the US government imploding on itself as they struggle to come to terms with not actually having the global power they convinced themselves they had. China do not need US trade, period. It's a tiny portion of their annual trade that can be made up elsewhere. In contrast without Chinese trade the US is up a creek without a paddle. That's why China can play games with the US like pretending they're willing to sign US terms then screaming psych and walking away laughing like they did in the last week of April. Funny stuff, but the US action should chill any foreign national currently residing in or considering visiting the USA because it demonstrates the US no longer cares about the rule of law and only about getting their own way at any cost.
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  4. @xpforevergaming8609  If any users, whether all or only a faction of them, are "donating" money to the project, then they are paying for it. That is, if the developer(s) are supplementing their income through the projec (even if just to cover the costs of the project itself) then the software is paid for. That income stream does not need to come in the form of direct monetary contributions from users. If you monetise the users of the software, be it through ads, default behaviours, or anything else, the software is still paid for and you've just disrespected your users by turning them into the product being sold. There is no material or tangible difference between the business model of Google and Mozilla at this point. Truly free software would be software no one donates any money towards and it is build entirely off the backs of the developer(s). Where a dev has another income stream from a day job or a different paid product and they spend their free time building the free project. There are certainly some limited examples of this in BSD and Linux, and the veracrypt, however most software claiming to be free simply is not. If they have a business model at all, it isn't a free piece of software.
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  5. You also missed why Huawei was targeted, it isn't their network equipment. The head of Huawei is a close personal friend of Xi Jinping. This has nothing to do with security threats and everything to do with going after the friends of someone you're trying to pressure into a decision.
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  6. Don't be naive. Facebook benefits by inviting hand picked large companies and charities onto the table and it isn't about "sharing responsibility". Let's look at who is in the association Both major ride sharing vendors, Uber and Lyft. The most popular, market leading music streaming service Spotify who own more than 1/3 of the market. Farfetch, the most popular online retailer in hollywood (ie. where all the influencers shop). eBay and it's South American counterpart MercadoLibre, between them holding more than 80% of the auction market in the Americas. Booking holdings who run Booking.com, Priceline.com, Agoda.com, Kayak.com, Cheapflights, Rentalcars.com, Momondo, and OpenTable which is very important to have on board. Women's World Bank, Mercy Corps and Kiva, all of which are financial based non-profit 501(c) organisations, involved in the transaction &/or lending of money to the most vulnerable. Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, Stripe and PayU which between them hold more than 90% of payment processing globally. Vodafone and iliad, two of the largest mobile telephony providers on the planet. Coinbase, Anchorage, BisonTrails & XAPO, huge names in the crypto world that add legitimacy to the whole project and Thrival Capital, Rabbit Capital, Union Square Ventures, Creative Destruction Lab, & Andreessen Horowitz who between them represent the majority investment in the tech industry. These companies weren't by accident. They allow for utter blanket marketing. Want to ride share? "Why not use Libra to pay?" Want to listen to music? "Why not use Libra to pay?" Want to buy something in an online auction? "Why not use Libra to pay?" Want to pay in store using your existing Visa or Mastercard, or accept payments using Paypal or Stripe? "Did you know it's way more secure for you using Libra?" Want to travel for business, rent a car and book a holiday? "Why not use Libra to pay and keep your money safe by using Libra on your trip?" Vulnerable person getting a microloan from the 3 gigantic non-profits? "Did you know we only transfer in Libra now?". Need investment in your new tech start-up? "Sure, we'll give you the capital, btw you have to accept Libra". Want the latest new smartphone? "Did you know you can say $X / month on your plan if you pay in Libra?" But it's more than just that, having these other organisations on board gives this plan legitimacy. The 4 crypto exchanges give it legitimacy to the crypto world, the 5 traditional payment processors give it regulatory legitimacy to government. The 5 investment houses give it legitimacy to the investment community. This is a disaster waiting to happen and should unequivocally not be allowed to proceed (but it will be).
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