Post by @mcc@mastodon.social

RE: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@eniko/117429413642853025

So like, Linux goes AI slop. This is a big problem for me. I can't easily stop using Linux or stop updating Linux. A plan for getting off of Linux is going to take me months or years.

Firefox goes AI slop. This is a big problem for me. I can't easily stop using or updating Firefox. A plan for getting off of Firefox is going to take me months or years.

ScummVM goes AI slop. Do you have *any idea* how easy it would be for me to never use ScummVM for the rest of my life? Geez, it's out.

2 Boosts

2 Likes

Nathan

@sharknatho@mastodon.social 3 days ago

@mcc If it helps the second point, I switched from Firefox to Waterfox over a year ago and have very minimal complaints. The web app (on Android) can be finicky with a few pop-ups to upload files, mostly. Privacy is slightly improved as per EFF's Cover Your Tracks but you have to log in to sites a bit more often. Also use on multiple Windows pc's and my Steam Deck (Linux), my Firefox account syncs all of my tabs and history.

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social 3 days ago

@sharknatho If your goal is to avoid AI-related antifeatures, Waterfox is a solution. If the goal is to avoid allowing LLM-authored code on your computer, Waterfox Librewolf Fennec etc are downstream forks of Firefox and therefore contain all the code Firefox does. If the objection is the process by which the code is developed, changing the labeling does not alter that process.

Nathan

@sharknatho@mastodon.social 3 days ago

@mcc Yes, I understand that. In order to complete the work I otherwise did using Firefox, Waterfox is a better balance of function and peace of mind. It isn't a perfect alternative but it's better than FF, and a step forward is still progress.

Martijn van Eeten

@vaneeten@mastodon.nl 6 days ago

@mcc you probably noticed how they labelled the latest anniversary ScummVM release?

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social 6 days ago

@vaneeten Oh, I'm aware

Joseph

@realitivity@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc Where can I read about your position on the role of LLMs in Software Engineering? Seems fairly extreme to me, but I am willing to learn.

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

@realitivity There is no valid use of LLMs, but it is especially important to avoid them in software engineering. Software created with the aid of LLMs should not be used. Communities which normalize the use of LLMs are not worth participating in. The phrase "artificial intelligence" is propaganda and should not be used.

That's it

Joseph

@realitivity@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc The rebels had droids just as the empire.

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

@realitivity That's not true. That literally didn't happen. It was a fiction story for children

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Kirinn B.

@mooncorebunny@social.linux.pizza last wk.

@mcc Unfortunate. At least SuperSakura for Japanese adventure games will remain AI-free while I'm BDFL. But it sure sucks that more and more of the once great free open software stack is falling.

Chair, 🐆🐆 Eating People's Faces Party

@AlgoCompSynth@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc What are the good folks at BSD up to these days with respect to AI? I've been using Unix variants since 1985 and BSD was what I used until 1992, then System V, then Tru64, and Linux since Y2K.

That said, I'm happy with Bluefin Linux despite their intense AI tool focus. I'm trying to learn enough AI engineering to build small algorithmic composition and synthesis engines, and having a Linux with the tooling already there is a leg up.

DreiradOllie

@fckusa@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc I'm currently trying LibreWolf instead of Firefox but Linux is a tough one. I'm no tech pro just a user and have no clue where to go after Linux. We live in times where it is easier to know what not to use than what to use.

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@AlgoCompSynth/117432912219734285

@fckusa @AlgoCompSynth What I'm looking at now is Redox, because it is a project I feel I can contribute to. I don't know the status of the BSDs. The three options I see are:

- Fork Linux from the last LTS before the AI policy; nobody seems to be attempting this
- A BSD; at least two BSDs are flirting with the idea of establishing themselves as anti-AI
- Something du nuovo, of wihch Redox is the best candidate

Chair, 🐆🐆 Eating People's Faces Party

@AlgoCompSynth@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc @fckusa I never heard of Redox - I should look it up. But as a Unix guy since 1985 who also used VAX/VMS and Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10/11 over the years, I could probably adapt. All I need are

- a kernel and ****SUPPORTED*** NVIDIA drivers / container hosting *
- a browser,
- a terminal emulator, and
- a compositor / window manager. GNOME is overkill for me.

* Ay, there's the rub.

Chair, 🐆🐆 Eating People's Faces Party

@AlgoCompSynth@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc Hmmm ...

"Desktop variant using less than 512 MB of RAM"

Now *that* intrigues me. One of my projects is cramming as much computer music functionality I can into a Pi Zero 2 W, which only has 512 MB. I've given up on GUIs long ago; I'm currently on Alpine delaying a more or less inevitable switch to Yocto. But if Redox will run on the Zero 2 W and has audio drivers I may just try it!

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P.McNewHold :flagPiratbyraan:

@poorpocketsmcnewhold@mamot.fr last wk.

@mcc Does that mean linux-free will disregard those commits and be an AI-free alternative? @fsf

Ozzelot :ai_free:

@ozzelot@mstdn.social last wk.

@mcc
I found scummvm through their ancient (then current) windows ce port, and that i can stick to

well, i wonder if i can still see sam and max on the 3" screen of a mda compact, but probably.

Mad Engineering

@madengineering@hachyderm.io last wk.

@mcc I suppose you could switch to NetBSD, they have a statement in their policy:

"Code generated by a large language model or similar technology, such as GitHub/Microsoft's Copilot, OpenAI's ChatGPT, or Facebook/Meta's Code Llama, is presumed to be tainted code, and must not be committed without prior written approval by core. "

That said, there will be an adjustment as you said. Months seems reasonable.

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

@madengineering I am considering several approaches.

Cheeseness

@Cheeseness@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc I hope that this being retooted by one of the SCUMM originators carries some weight with the ScummVM maintainers and community

NewsHund

@NewsHund@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc Yeah, I guess, what, BSD is my only choice now? I could go analog for most things, but banking etc. Ugh.

Misofist

@Misofist@girlcock.club last wk.

@mcc For what it's worth, switching from FF to LibreWolf was very easy. You can even keep using Firefox Sync.

LibreWolf doesn't outright remove AI slop, (as I think you're aware, given that you participated in the AI discussion on LibreWolf's codeberg 2 years ago) but it at least has all of it disabled by default.

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

@Misofist Yes, Librewolf is my plan when the current ESR expires. But this only gets me a lack of AI features. A browser developed without AI code requires something more.

Misofist

@Misofist@girlcock.club last wk.

@mcc yeah 100% agreed. I would love a browser with no AI code. The amount of work required is overwhelming though. :/

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

@Misofist i have been donating to servo every month for a while but not a lot (due to the money i have to donate to open source being not a lot)

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vaporware

@vaporware@peoplemaking.games last wk.

@mcc ive been thinking about how to avoid running slop programs. what is ur getting off slop web browser plan? i know ur trying to support redox for OS, is there something similar for browsers?

(trying to find resources on this stuff is near impossible)

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

@vaporware redox - os with no-ai policy

cosmic - redox-compatible desktop with no-ai policy

servo - redox-compatible browser with no-ai policy

there are many problems. all the above software is written in rust; rust itself is increasingly encroached on by ai code assistants (currently theoretically limited to side tooling) and is based on llvm which is slop-open. redox doesn't support gpu graphics acceleration.

my absurd plan involves a version of redox that boots directly into servo.

vaporware

@vaporware@peoplemaking.games last wk.

@mcc ahh thank you,
thank you!

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

@vaporware other software i am tracking simply because people i know are writing them—

chipass— no-ai password manager (not to be confused with keepass)

arcalibre— no ai fork of calibre

t s r o n o

@tsrono@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc i wonder at what point it becomes feasible for there to be an alternate line of internet created.

like, i know there's the darkweb or whatever, but is there a way to like, split off? humans only, human path exclusive internet spaces? i have no clue how it could possibly work, just thinking out loud.

a human is doing 1 human thing & is therefore routed to & allowed onto this pathway. the only traffic allowed in is verified human.

(this butts up against ID shit, maybe? idk? i'd hope not)

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

@tsrono yeah, ID is the problem. We are pushing for a human Internet and an anonymous Internet at the same time and the goals are working against each other

t s r o n o

@tsrono@mastodon.social last wk.

@mcc i was worried that was likely the case.

in my mind i was imagining some way to verify on the user side that the interaction was 100% human, no matter what.

i was once invited to a private subreddit, just for random interactions, nothing in particular; private & topic-less. it required an invite by others, & it required regular-ish interaction to continue. i was soon enough kicked out just because i didn't interact enough.

i wonder if something like this could happen, but broader somehow?

mcc

@mcc@mastodon.social last wk.

@tsrono i think pseudonymous peer networks based on signing keys would be very interesting.

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@joonq@social.vivaldi.net last wk.

@mcc firefox was pretty easy for me i saw the "modern AI browser announcement" and was like alright firefox is dead to me 😂