As the tech transbian of the family, I'm trying to get my mother to regain some of the independence blindness (add an overprotective partner to the mix for maximum effect) took away from her by re-teaching her to use the computer. When she lost her sight she used JAWS or NVDA (I can't remember which one) and she even wrote a couple of books with that, but a fatal update broke compatibility with the program and neither her nor her partner knew how to deal with that situation, so she started relying on other people for computer stuff.
So, fedi people with disabilities, I'm asking for pointers on this. Accessibility software of any kind, if there are updated versions of either JAWS or NVDA that run on modern Windows (don't tell her to delve into Linux, that ain't happening in the near future. One baby step at the time.) or any alternative software to those programs, voice controls, resources for learning, anything. All info is welcome. Thanks in advance!

#blind #software #accessibility #lowvisiontech

Hey folks. I've noticed #DeltaChat hasn't got a page in #Wikipedia. Do you know sources which would prove its notability so we could create a page for it?

Boosts appreciated. If you don't know sources, someone else might.

#AskFedi #Email #IM #Messenger #chatmail #chatmailrelay #FOSS #opensource #tech #technology #software

Would you like to end the constant drumbeat of ill-informed legislative proposals that threaten to destroy end-to-end #encryption in #OpenSource #software? Are you from #Europe? Can you demonstrate your expertise? Then why not apply to join the European Commission's Expert Group for a Technology Roadmap on Encryption (E04005). Deadline is September 1st, don't be late.

ec.europa.eu/transparency/expe…

People continue to think about #AI in terms of #2010s computing, which is part of the reason everyone gets it wrong whether they're #antiAI or #tech bros.

Look, we had 8GB of #ram as the standard for a decade. The standard was set in 2014, and in 2015 #AlphaGo beat a human at #Go.

Why? Because, #hardware lags #software - in #economic terms: supply follows demand, but demand can not create its own supply.

It takes 3 years for a new chip to go through the #technological readiness levels and be released.

It takes 5 years for a new #chip architecture. E.g. the #Zen architecture was conceived in 2012, and released in 2017.

It takes 10 years for a new type of technology, like a #GPU.

Now, AlphaGo needed a lot of RAM, so how did it stagnate for a decade after doubling every two years before that?

In 2007 the #Iphone was released. #Computers were all becoming smaller, #energy #efficiency was becoming paramount, and everything was moving to the #cloud.

In 2017, most people used their computer for a few applications and a web browser. But also in 2017, companies were starting to build #technology for AI, as it was becoming increasingly important.

Five years after that, we're in the #pandemic lockdowns, and people are buying more powerful computers, we have #LLM, and companies are beginning to jack up the const of cloud services.

#Apple releases chips with large amounts of unified #memory, #ChatGPT starts to break the internet, and in 2025, GPU growth continues to outpace CPU growth, and in 2025 you have a competitor to Apple's unified memory.

The era of cloud computing and surfing the #web is dead.

The hype of multi-trillion parameter #LLMs making #AGI is a fantasy. There isn't enough power to do that, there aren't enough chips, it's already too expensive.

What _is_ coming is AI tech performing well and running locally without the cloud. AI Tech is _not_ just chatbots and #aiart. It's going to change what you can do with your #computer.

Software development methodologies compared.

#software #development #agile #waterfall #ai #developer

Da gibt es die Initiative

stifter-helfen.de/
Sie vermitteln vor allem #Software #Lizenzen an #NGO's oder gemeinnützige Vereine zu Sonderkonditionen.

Sooft ich mich dort in den letzten Jahren für einen Verein informiert hatte, begegneten mir hauptsächlich Angebote für #Microsoft-Produkte.

Nun war ich auch mal beruflich in einem gemeinnützigen Unternehmen beschäftigt, welches solche Sonderlizenzen direkt von Microsoft in Anspruch nahm. Das ging ne Weile gut, bis Microsoft die Regeln änderte...

Das ist ein Grund, weshalb ich es als Vereinsvorstand ablehne, auf solche Sonderangebote einzugehen.

Nun hat stifter-helfen grad nachgefragt, warum unser Verein denn die Dienste nicht nutzen würde. Auf der Webseite heißt es, es wären über 90.000 Organisationen in ihren Datenbanken....

Eine Frage im Antwortformular lautet:

Was müsste sich ändern, damit Stifter-helfen wieder interessant für Ihre Organisation wird?

Da habe ich folgendes eingetragen:

Gemeinwohlorientierte, datenschutzmäßig unumstrittene OpenSource Software offerieren, die der Richtlinie Public Money - Public Code entspricht.

Ich gehe davon aus, dass unser #Verein nicht der Einzige ist, bei dem nachgefragt wird 😎
publiccode.eu/de/
#PublicMoneyPublicCode #Förderung #Gemeinnützigkeit #digitaleGesellschaft #OpenSource

Public Money, Public Code

Public Money, Public Code - Eine Kampagne, damit öffentlich finanzierte Software als Freie Software veröffentlicht wird

^{publiccode.eu}

In-Process is out, featuring the latest on NVDA 2025.1, the recent NV Access strategy session, and Should you use Screen Layout? (H/T to @jscholes for your recent poll)

Check it all out here: nvaccess.org/post/in-process-1…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #ScreenReader #Blog #News #newsletter #Software #PreRelease #FOSS #OpenSource

SHIFTtalk zum Thema ShiftOS

Save the date!📆

Lange von euch gewünscht, jetzt ist es endlich so weit.
Ein ganzer SHIFTtalk der sich nur um das Thema Software bzw. ShiftOS dreht!🤩

Hier findet ihr das Fragenformular und nächste Woche den Livestream: shift.eco/shiftphone-8-status/

#shift #shifthappens #shiftphone #shifttalk #community #software #customrom

I’m So Tired

Recently I was shopping for a water gun for my son’s birthday, and to my surprise, it was hard to find a simple, sturdy one that didn’t have some kind of battery-powered feature. Not only is that one more thing to break, but I really don’t want to add yet another device to the list of things in our house that require charging. It got me thinking: nearly every purchase these days feels like a negotiation between joy and technology.

That’s not to say they’re always at odds. But finding the sweet spot is getting harder.

There was a time when the march of “smarter” items was a net positive. It made things smoother, smarter, simpler and generally more joyful or interesting to use. These days, that optimism is harder to summon. I know I sound like the aging guy yelling at clouds, but I don’t think it’s just nostalgia. The balance really does seem to have shifted over the past decade, and the trend line isn’t encouraging.

Sure, there’s still plenty to like. I can check the weather, unlock my front door, and queue up music from the same screen. But the magic wears off fast. What starts as convenience often ends in clutter. Every small problem now has an app, gadget, or subscription that fixes one issue and quietly creates three new ones.

Streaming music feels less intimate than owning a few beloved albums. Delivery apps bring cold fries, surge pricing, and mystery fees. Social media promised connection but mostly delivers outrage. Smart homes? Great until the WiFi blinks and nothing works or your fridge needs a firmware update. Even the web is a mess of pop-ups, autoplay videos, cookie banners, newsletter traps, and paywalls. Every click has a privacy cost as well.

You can never possibly watch all of the amazing entertainment that on YouTube and every streaming service out there. And yet, it’s more frustrating than ever to navigate subscription costs while fighting the algorithm that recommends more and more ragebait on YouTube. Toys for toddlers need firmware updates. Cars have become rolling iPads. Your heated seats might already be installed, but unless you pay a monthly fee, they stay cold — taunting you with unearned luxury. Most products require an account. They harvest data. They nag for upgrades. When they break, you’re not allowed to fix them. The tools don’t serve us — they serve their makers. And it’s exhausting.

Even Apple, a company I’ve long admired, feels less like a craftsman and more like a casino. Their stuff still (mostly) works great, but it no longer feels entirely yours. Most of the apps I use are rented. Let a subscription lapse and the functionality vanishes. Not all subscriptions are bad, but when everything is a subscription, it dulls the entire experience. Even products that don’t have a subscription (yet) associated with them loom over us. We’re just waiting for the shoe to drop.

I don’t know what to do about this, really. I have tried to be more intentional about my purchases in general, limiting my exposure to subscriptions, overly complicated features, and “smart” tech in general. I fully appreciate that this makes me sound like the old man I’m increasingly turning into. But my optimism around any consumer purchase has been replaced by cynicism and even a bit of dread. It makes me sad but hopeful that a turning point looms as more folks tire of the state of “smart” everything and looks for something a bit simpler.

#apps #smartHome #software #streaming #technology

Because of security vulnerabilities: LibreOffice advises against OpenOffice

The developers of LibreOffice advise against its competitor OpenOffice. The Apache software contains security vulnerabilities and is not being further developed

heise.de/en/news/Because-of-se…

#ApacheSoftwareFoundation #DocumentFoundation #IT #LibreOffice #OfficeSuite #OpenSource #OpenOffice #Software #news

Because of security vulnerabilities: LibreOffice advises against OpenOffice

^{Sven Festag (heise online)}

Happy I Love Free Software Day! 💕

Unfortunately, this year I could not join nor organize any in-person celebration, BUT of course I want to share my gratitude to the many, countless #FreeSoftware services I don’t merely use, but actually depend on.

Last year, I decided to focus only on #YunoHost, because it would have been crazy to list all the projects I use and I love.

This time, even if I will most certainly forget someone, I am challenging myself to mention all the #LibreSoftware my life is powered by.

Without further ado, THANK YOU to:

• @yunohost, for powering Nebuchadnezzar
• @fedora, for running my beloved #Framework laptop
• @frameworkcomputer, for designing and building repairable, #Linux-friendly and truly open hardware
• @gnome and @GTK, for being just gorgeous
• @calyxos (thus @LineageOS), for powering my #Fairphone5
• #Obtainium, for making me directly download apps on my phone, and @fdroidorg for distributing them
• #AuroraStore, for proxying the download of apps I am doomed to get from Google Play
• @element, for developing #Synapse, even though the new proprietary Synapse Pro is VERY PROBLEMATIC AND DISAPPOINTING
• #Fractal, for being the most beautiful and awesome #Matrix client ever
• @signalapp, for keeping me connected with the people I love
• @Mastodon, for also maintaining a feature-packed experimental fork (#GlitchSoc), that is what Pan runs
• #Tuba and #Moshidon, for being the most beautiful and awesome #Mastodon clients ever
• #Firefox, for still remaining the best possible #browser choice, despite #Mozilla’s governance messiness
• @openstreetmap, for allowing us to find the right path, both literally and metaphorically!
• @organicmaps, for being the simplest, cleanest, yet feature-rich #OSM client and navigation app
• @protonvpn, for making me browse safely from/to anywhere in the planet and @protonprivacy #ProtonMail, for hosting my email, despite the latest alarming political statements…
• @libreoffice, for allowing me to draft documents with ease, the last of which was my #CV
• #LanguageTool, for preventing me from making embarassing spelling mistakes
• @photoprism, for safely storing and indexing all my photographic memories, on Aby, and for providing stellar and friendly support too!
• #Actual, for moderating the very likely risk of ending up completely broke, since it forces me to manage my finances consciously and coherently
• @readeck, for storing and sorting ALL my varied and overwhelming inputs
• @nextcloud, for storing and synchronizing my data, for its #calendar, its #tasks, and all its awesome apps
• #Rustdesk, for preventing my friends and family members from going crazy, by allowing me to remotely connect to their devices and directly address the issues they have
• #Listmonk, for sending out my newsletter
• @eleventy, for powering all the websites I maintain, above all the virtual representation of my mind, and for being the only reason why I resist and try to continue learning #JavaScript
• @forgejo, for giving us a chance to truly control and collectively develop the sources of our software, but most importantly @Codeberg, for RESISTING, RESISTING, RESISTING, despite the hatred and attacks nazi assholes throw at them
• @musicbrainz for keeping music knowledge open and free, and @ListenBrainz for scrobbling the crazy music I listen to
• The @fsfe, for promoting this celebration and fighting the good fight!

Lastly, but most importantly, the biggest thank you goes to all the free software libraries and dependencies the above mentioned #software are made of/built with, including #C, #JavaScript, #Python, #Rust, and all community-maintained programming languages.

I am super sorry if I forgot someone!

#OpenSource #ILoveFS #SoftwareFreedom #Fairphone #Android #LineageOS #FSFE #OpenStreetMap #PhotoPrism #LibreOffice #Readeck #Eleventy #11ty #GNOME #Signal #forgejo #Codeberg #MusicBrainz #ListenBrainz #MetaBrainz

Nebuchadnezzar

Information and insights concerning the configuration and maintenance of Tommi’s server.

^{Tommi (Tommi’s mind)}

🗺️ As many people are angry with #Google & asking for alternatives to #GoogleMaps, here are some Free & #OpenSource options:

📱 App
- osmand.net/
- organicmaps.app
🌐 Web
- mapcarta.com
- openstreetmap.org

Not Open Source:
🌐&📱
en.mapy.cz
wego.here.com
mapquest.com
🌐
lokjo.com
📱
komoot.com
magicearth.com

#FCKGoogle #Alternative #Apps #App #Web #Software #News #Tech #Maps #Map #Technology #it

Mapy.cz

Nejpoužívanější mapový portál v ČR s celou řadou tématických map - základní, turistickou, cyklistickou, dopravní a plno dalších. Nabízí možnost reálného leteckého, panoramatického nebo 3D pohledu.

^Mapy.cz

Exciting news for #KMP devs! JetBrains has officially launched this new site named "Klibs.io" for finding KMP libraries. It has 1400+ libs already, including our own "KHealth" too 😉

Check it out: klibs.io/?query=khealth

#Kotlin #Multiplatform #JetBrains #KHealth #Technology #Software #Health

Bis zum Burn-out: Open-Source-Entwickler von KI-Bug-Reports genervt

Sie kommen freundlich und wohl durchdacht daher: Doch bei genauerer Prüfungen stellen Open-Source-Maintainer fest, dass immer mehr Bugreports KI-Unsinn sind.

heise.de/news/Bis-zum-Burn-out…

#KünstlicheIntelligenz #Software #news

Bis zum Burn-out: Open-Source-Entwickler von KI-Bug-Reports genervt

^{Malte Kirchner (heise online)}

#Joplin soll für blinde Menschen besser nutzbar werden.

Wer helfen möchte, hier entlang:
discourse.joplinapp.org/t/call…
@joplinapp@mastodon.social
#a11y #blind #Barrierefrei #Test #Software #OpenSource

Calling visually impaired users: help us improve accessibility!

Over the past months, we’ve been improving the accessibility of both our desktop and mobile apps, in particular to better support visually impaired users.

^{Joplin Forum}

In-Process is out, featuring the results of our braille survey, Elston Changemakers event, the 2024.4 Release Candidate, an NV Access All-Hands, and using Data Validation in Excel.

Read now at: nvaccess.org/post/in-process-2…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #ScreenReader #Blog #News #Software #FOSS #Elston #Excel

We love hearing wonderful success stories from our users. This week, we are very pleased to present to you Mykael, who is busy making it happen in Brazil!

nvaccess.org/post/mykael-makes…

Thanks Mykael! Would you like to share how you are using NVDA with us? We'd love to hear from you! Please do drop us a line at info@nvaccess.org

#NVDA #NVDAsr #ScreenReader #Accessibility #Employment #Software #FOSS #Success #GoodNews

NVDA 2024.4 Beta 4 is now available for download & testing.

Changes introduced in Beta 4:
- Fixed the visual layout of NVDA’s Braille Settings page.
- Fixed an issue causing text not related to shortcut keys to appear in the Commands Quick Reference.
- Updates to translations.

Full information and download at: nvaccess.org/post/nvda-2024-4b…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #FOSS #PreRelease #Software #Beta #ScreenReader #Accessibility

makeuseof.com/libreoffice-why-…

Some great reasons to use LibreOffice instead of Microsoft 365

- It's Free
- It Works With Microsoft Office Files
- It Has Lots of Features
- It Is Cross-Platform
- It Keeps My Information Private
- You Can Sync Files With LibreOffice if You Want To

I personally have been using it for years, I love it. This article does a great job of outlining some of the reasons why.
@libreoffice

#opensource #LibreOffice #software

Why I Use LibreOffice Instead of Microsoft 365

LibreOffice is more than just a good substitute; it’s a worthy replacement in its own right.

^{David Delony (MakeUseOf)}

Being #OpenSource has many advantages. For #NVDA has opened the way for community contributions, and has enabled #transparency, #security and #innovation beyond what might have been possible in closed software. Increasingly, governments are also mandating the use of open source. Here is an article on such a step forward in Switzerland:

"Switzerland Makes Open Source Software Mandatory For Public Sector"

news.itsfoss.com/switzerland-o…

#FOSS #NVDA #NVDAsr #Accessibility #Software #News

Switzerland Makes Open Source Software Mandatory For Public Sector

A big boost to the open-source community and an inspiration to other public sectors!

^{Sourav Rudra (It's FOSS News)}

Despite all my experience, I am sometimes tempted to give certain #software vendors a second chance.

And I was curious to see what the new #AppleMaps could do. Unfortunately, my trial only lasted a few seconds, because neither one of my operating systems nor the browser I use for my daily work are supported.

And so I can say: negative prejudices confirmed, I don't need something like this.

#Apple #Firefox #interoperability #Linux

In-Process is out! Featuring all the news on NVDA 2024.3 Beta 4, the add-on update notification feature in NVDA 2024.3, thanks to Intopia (& all our corporate sponsors) and a look at jumping between paragraphs! Check it out here: nvaccess.org/post/in-process-1…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #ScreenReader #Accessibility #ThankYou #Intopia #Navigation #Beta #Prerelease #FOSS #Software #blog

Do you ever stumble upon an old Excel file that's locked with a password and you can't remember what it is? This can be incredibly frustrating, especially if the file contains valuable data! 😩

In my latest video, I show you a surprisingly easy way to remove worksheet protection from any Excel file, even if you don't have the password! This trick is perfect for those times when you're locked out of your own information.

The best part? You don't need any fancy software to do it! Just a little bit of text editing will do the trick. 😉
Check out my full video here: youtu.be/68goS6XdoW0

#excel #howto #productivity #exceltips #microsoft #office #tutorial #tech #software #spreadsheets #YouTube #Feditips

Funding available for (individual) #FOSS #developers and projects.

#NLnet is seeking project proposals between 5.000 and 50.000 euro.

Currently open for proposals:
1️⃣ #NGItaler (electronic payment related)
2️⃣ #NGImobifree (Android related)
3️⃣ #NGIzero (very broad)

Closing: 1 June 2024

Easily submit proposal:
nlnet.nl/propose/

More info:
nlnet.nl/funding.html

FAQ:
nlnet.nl/mobifree/faq/

#MobileLinux #Linux #opensource #librem5 #pinephone #mobile #phone #software #grant #EU #mobian

The constant push and pull of users and developers to always have the latest, and sysadmins and distributions who prefer ironing out everything instead of seeing flavor-of-the-month bugs pop up left and right... It's a tale as old as time.

#linux #distributions #software

explaining pointers like you're 5, part 2

#C #Programming #Embedded #CPlusPlus #Software #Firmware

explaining pointers like you're 5

#C #Programming #Embedded #CPlusPlus #Software #Firmware

I really appreciate Thunderbird's team, and these updates are going to finally put it into the running with other modern offerings. I migrated to using it as my daily driver for email management a few years ago, and I'm glad I did, but I'm also so excited to be looking at desktop improvements and an android app.

#Thunderbird #Email #EmailClient #OpenSource #Mozilla #Android #Software

Microsoft announced their latest round of FOSS fund recipients. We're thrilled to share that @NVAccess are among this quarter's recipients. From: github.com/microsoft/foss-fund

"A project of the Microsoft Open Source Programs Office, the FOSS Fund provides up to $10,000 USD in sponsorships to open source projects as selected by Microsoft employees."

Congratulations also to The GNU Compiler Collection, Urllib3, CLAP & MSW.

#OpenSource, #FOSS #Free #Software #NVDA #ScreenReader #Accessibility #A11y

NV Access are pleased to share the release of NVDA 2024.1 Beta 13.

Changes introduced in Beta 13:
- Bug fix for interacting with some NVDA controls such as the synth selection dialog and selectable checklist items
- Updates to translations

Read the full information and download at: nvaccess.org/post/nvda-2024-1b…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #Release #Software #FOSS #Beta

We have just issued the first #release of #sshd-openpgp-auth and #ssh-openpgp-auth.

Using this server and client-side tooling it is possible to manage the #authentication of #SSH host keys with the help of an #OpenPGP certificate as trust anchor.

crates.io/crates/sshd-openpgp-…

crates.io/crates/ssh-openpgp-a…

Many thanks to @wiktor for the great collaboration and #NLnet / #NGIAssure for funding this work!

#DNS #KeyOxide #KnownHosts #OpenSSH #Rustlang #Software #WebKeyDirectory #WebOfTrust #WKD #WoT

I'm still concerned but the Python Software Foundation's post about the #EU's Cyber Resilience Act (#CRA) makes me optimistic that it could work for #FreeSoftware. I do agree with the core idea that #commercial #software companies should be held more accountable than they currently are. The key is getting it just right so that anyone can write whatever free software they feel like writing, and share it on the internet, without having to get a lawyer first.

pyfound.blogspot.com/2024/01/C…

EU’s Cyber Resilience Act Passes with Wins for Open Source

Back in April, we wrote to the community about our concerns for the future of the open source ecosystem generally and CPython and PyPI spec...

^{Python Software Foundation Blog}

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Gerald Hartig as the new Chief Technology Officer at NV Access.

Please read the full announcement by Michael Curran, NV Access founder at nvaccess.org/post/welcoming-dr…

Please join all of the NV Access team in welcoming Gerald into our community!

#NVAccess #NVDA #NVDAsr #News #Accessibility #A11y #Software