It's annoying when the default target for a makefile doesn't build the project. it breaks the social contract of `configure && make`.

Question for the linguistics folks in the fediverse (boosting for visibility appreciated):

Is the use of closed compound words in informal English on the rise compared to a hyphen or just two separate words? E.g. "I got some bloodwork done" vs "I got some blood work done?"

I *feel* like it is and I find myself leaning towards using them more.

#linguistics #english #ordinary_language #grammar #language_evolution

Just paid my pre-order for a batch 3 @jolla Linux phone. I'll be in the UK in October, so I'm shipping it to a friend and hoping the timing works out :)

Really ready to get away from all the forced spyware.

I refuse to compile any C++ project which depends on Boost. Any time I even consider it and go to install some libboost* dependency, it pulls in half the universe and I ctrl-c before deleting the project source.

Apparently recruiters have upped the aggression to cold calls in the middle of the work day. I ignored it as I didn't recognize the number, then received a follow up email, where rather than saying they have a position I "may be a fit for," (I'm not even passively looking now, FWIW), but they wanted to see if I might know anyone they could "network with."

So they cold called me in the middle of the work day to see if I could do a basic part of their job for them.

I really don't like the increasingly common single-factor passwordless authentication apps and websites have been doing.

Hello @stefano! Could I possibly get a bsd.cafe Matrix account?

The GitHub issues for the copyfail PoC script are fun, including this one, aptly titled "Golf Harder": https://github.com/theori-io/copy-fail-CVE-2026-31431/pull/5

#copyfail #codegolf

I've come to really dislike things that do fuzzy matching even with "quoted" search terms. (Looking at you, Gmail.) It can be a useful tool, but to force it everywhere is very frustrating.

"Your opinion matters to us" is one of most condescending things I hear these days. We all know it's not, so stop pretending.

Is there a mnemonic for remembering the difference in behavior between `$@` and `$*` in shell scripts? It's never been a construct I've used frequently enough to just memorize through repetition.

#unix #shell #scripting

Are folks retreating from the LLM hellscape of the web to Gopher or Gemini protocols?

I'd really like to hear from folks about what's going on in the "small web" these days. Where to look for info, is one protocol gaining/losing tracking, or have they attracted userbases with different interests?

Any fedi-like communities on these protocols?

Boosts for visibility are appreciated, but there's no pressure to do so.

#smallweb #gopher #geminiprotocol

I published a paper from a first-person perspective about how features on #Mastodon leave enormous loopholes for harassing behavior (OA, 🔗 ⬇️ )

I came over here in the Nov22 wave & never left, but I no longer invite people to join without giving (loud) fair warning about drawbacks. I can't in good faith recommend Mdon to anyone who's more likely to be on the receiving end of harassing behavior

We have proof of concept, but the stakes are *urgent* to improve!

https://openjournals.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/JoCI/article/view/6644

#Commodon

Is there any way at all to get Gmail to do strict string matching in search? Using quotes around, say, two search terms, will still match either word, in any order or part of the message, any capitalization. It's very frustrating.

@mozilla, naming the setting for sponsored search terms "Support Firefox" is just so gross and uncalled for. I'll be migrated off soon so this will hopefully cease to be an issue, but it just adds to the frustration with the direction Mozilla is moving in.

Of course I'm also migrating off Thunderbird. I foolishly bought in to to the privacy statements in the past. Never again.

I've been out of the loop for a couple of years on Linux phones. I'm poking around on blogs and Mastodon posts, but I figured I'd just ask:

Whats currently (as of January 2026) the most functional, stable, boring phone + OS combination?

Edit: I have been so thrilled with the conversations! Thank you all for sharing projects, experiences, knowledge, and links! I'm also following a lot of new folks :) This post is at 400+ boosts, so no need to continue boosting :)

#linuxmobile #linuxphone

Apparently I have a package called `assimp` installed

> "Your order from Tilted Windmill Press has been delivered"

Looks like my hard copy of @mwl's "Networking for Systems Administrators, 2nd Edition" has arrived! Can't want to check it out when I get home!

#networking #sysadmin #mwl

This sounds horrifying: https://www.hpcwire.com/2025/11/19/new-world-order-coming-with-new-doe-supercomputers/

Apparently Oracle will be operating the next big DOE systems. I don't have words...

#hpc #doe #oracle #insanity

It's fun to legitimately type `man strip` on a work computer :)

#unix