It's kinda messed up that I call my blog "The Codex of the Celeron Knights", even though I don't have an article about getting the most out of old/low-end laptops.

@alexia's article https://cyrneko.eu/things-ive-learned-having-a-shitty-laptop_5hy1kwhvql.html is pretty extensive,

but it would also be good to have something about the efficacy of using lightweight OSes (i.e Antix, Puppy Linux, Tiny Core Linux) vs just configuring a more generalist OS (including NetBSD or even Windows) to consume less resources.

For reference: my main computer is a Thinkpad T430 with a dual-core i5, 8GB of RAM and the internal display replaced with a 1440p panel.
I'd try Antix on here, but its moderate sibling MX Linux works just fine (all I've really done is disable XFCE's compositor to maximise performance).

(I don't really plan on switching to a smaller/slower laptop, unless it turns into a tablet or has a 4:3 display.)
_ _ _ _

previously pinned posts:
Ode to Noah Izumi - https://fe.disroot.org/notice/B3kS7d2BeERz3WC5Wi

First draft of my article "tech we needed yesterday" - https://fe.disroot.org/@moses_izumi/posts/B7V7GooT253kBUnNdw

@linmob
what advantages does the mobile Linux scene currently have over Android if I wish to use the phone horizontally?

currently don't have a Linux phone, but I plan on adding a keyboard and pen when I've set one up.

(dad has a hoard of Samsung Galaxy's from the last 15 years, but I don't count on even getting a decent Halium experience from these)

In the wake of that recent AI Doom huckster, a shoutout to an actual whistleblower: @ashleygjovik
https://www.ashleygjovik.com/ashleys-apple-story.html
https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2021/12/apple-poisoned-me-physically-mentally-spiritually/

thanks to @hipsterelectron for bringing her up

@hipsterelectron
Write man pages with Noah Izumi in mind (city maps make her head spin)

https://circumstances.run/@hipsterelectron/116474177960455663

@elly
regarding your guide at
https://floppy.cd-rom.net/elly:coreboot:unenrolling-chromebooks

is it possible to unenroll a Chromebook using just the Suzy-Q cable, or do you need a dedicated SPI flasher to dump and rewrite the BIOS chip?
(I happen to have both, but it would be nice if I only needed the former)

@atax1a's greatest post of the year
(so far)

RE: https://infosec.exchange/@atax1a/117219602000415857

#askfedi
- typed "sudo apt update YT-DLP" to update my YT-DLP to the Debian Multimedia version (Invidious doesn't work right now and I accidentially installed an obsolete version from the stock Debian repositories)

- APT proceeded to update the entire system, and wasted a bunch of time compiling a driver for some Realtek wifi chipset I don't have: with no obvious way to abort the process (closing the terminal window doesn't do anything)

- can't find the package to remove it, since the "apt search rtl" just gives me a list of completely unrelated packages (even when I put rtl in quotes) and the Synaptic Package Manager frontend can't start when a APT process is still running

Which package managers/distros should I switch to if I don't want to worry about this ever again?

the Realtek module may have come pre-installed with MX Linux (a distro I otherwise quite like), but I should still be able to abort the process.

so much for #foss being the paragon of user consent I guess...

#askfedi
Anyone had luck running lesser-known operating systems (i.e #HaikuOS or #9front ) on Chromebooks?
I brought home a HP Chromebook 14 G5 (codename SNAPPY) from ewaste, and I'd like to see what's possible before it ends up being another Linux or Windows 10 system.

specs are:
- Celeron N3350
- 4GB of RAM
- don't care about the eMMC storage, since I'm okay with using a flush-fit USB drive

I've already installed the MrChromebox UEFI, and I'm especially curious about shoehorning CSMwrap and a MS-DOS/FreeDOS boot floppy into the firmware.

#chrultrabook

Just published my first draft for an article about my thoughts on Ed Zitron:
https://moses-izumi.neocities.org/Zitron_RC1

tldr: his podcasts are good, his newsletter is alright, his free articles are repetitive mush

I like the ending well enough, but part of me still sees him as a bit neglectful for not touching upon the ideological motives behind the LLM mania.

Will probably add it to the homepage after another set of revisions: even if I'd rather write about something else (probably a DIY project).

shoutout to @tante , for writing the article that I mentioned to make my point:
https://tante.cc/2026/04/21/ai-as-a-fascist-artifact/

(maybe @kimcrawley can chime in too)

#noai

My personal collection of web bookmarks is now public:
https://moses-izumi.neocities.org/bookmarks.txt

See it as a long (over 600 lines), mediocrely tagged journal of interesting articles and projects I've found on the internet.
* might touch up and expand the descriptions as I go

shoutouts to @davidgerard @fun @rose @enron @soatok @manawyrm @rl_dane @kissane @rysiek @zen @FrChazzz @tante @robot @hikari

I drew Mr. Mobilek's benevolent elder brother.

I'm too young to have interacted with the Nokia N900 or other Keyboard Phones in person (and never got one after the fact): but have always viewed the iPhone design as pretty inadequate for any tasks more involved than browsing websites or taking pictures.

#mobilek #phonebadbookgood

cc @prahou

Various tech things I think the world needed yesterday (so to speak):

[recently expanded into a bigger article (WIP): https://moses-izumi.neocities.org/TechWeNeededYesterday ]

- Handheld keyboard with built-in USB-C dock (USB-A, full size HDMI/DP, SD card slot): to hopefully make modern smartphones viable as laptop substitutes

- Desktop environments that include "view source code" and "open in disassembler"-buttons on every application window and launcher icon
(surprised that #Gentoo or #guix haven't already tried this: considering that their package managers are already built around compiling software from source.)
(Would probably be most practical on systems where every application is written in interpreted languages.)

- Terminal with a context menu where you can find and paste every available command or application, featuring icons and descriptions for all of them
(basically anything that would make command line tools more discoverable)

- clone of Itch[dot]io that only serves FOSS videogames
(I also think it'd be neat if more FOSS games shipped level editors)

- Loss32, @hikari's effort to turn Wine into the primary GUI of a Linux system.
(most of the convenience features and configuration knobs that Wine launchers like Q4Wine or Lutris offer would be more useful if they were implemented as part of a desktop environment: and using a spruced-up version of WineDesktop to that end is a reasonable approach)

(I have mixed feelings about the Windows software ecosystem and the website's "Win32 is the stable Linux ABI"-rhetoric: but being able to use it on a non-Microsoft platform with minimal hassle is pretty important step towards dissolving their chokehold on personal computing)

(All things considered I'm kinda shocked that this hasn't already been attempted by some rogue #LibreOffice, SteamOS or #Qubes contributor.)

- Gentoo-style package manager for Windows and MacOS: to promote the advantages of building software from source even in the darkest corners of the proprietary world
(i dunno this one probably already exists)

- Phone that uses a 2.5 inch SATA SSD as it's primary form of storage
(if it had a particularily good camera, certain types of indie filmmakers would probably have a field day with it)

#FOSS

this sign but with Links2 instead of Internet Explorer
(can't get pwned by malignant Javascript if there's no Javascript engine to begin with)

RE: https://social.linux.pizza/@theodric/116589564527841097

Are there any practical reasons to use notoriously heavy, accuracy-centric emulators (i.e the BSNES/Ares family) these days: or have more modest options (i.e Snes9x, mGBA) already backported all the improvements?

Could be interesting for game development, if nothing else.

I use the latter genre of emulators, because my main PC is currently a dual-core laptop from 2012, and have never ran into any gamebreaking bugs.

cc @nicole @endrift

I'm not a programmer: but ever since I started dabbling in ZDoom modding I've staunchly believed that every computer user should have at least know the basics of scripting and software development.

- desktop OS:es ought to ship with development tools and a sourcecode-centric package manager/"app store"
- window managers and program launchers ought to include "view source code" and "open in disassembler"-buttons on every application window and icon (respectively) *
- FOSS videogames ought to ship with level editors
- would be neat if terminals had a rightclick menu where you can find and paste every available command (plus brief descriptions of each) **

* basically what Inspect Element does on web pages but for local applications
** may be kludgey in practice, but it still serves the purpose of making things more visible.
** not necessarily mouse controlled but you get the idea

#FOSS

would be sick if @mntmn started preloading Antix (downsized non-systemd Debian) as a response to vendors preloading Omarchy (tryhard amateurish Arch respin)

[Antix doesn't do ARM images yet but that should be easy enough to rectify]

RE: https://post.lurk.org/@emenel/116517272057997355

peak microfiction
(I dunno I'm not employed)

RE: https://xantronix.social/@xan/116517616637235983

@prahou
@screwlisp
A potent new form of #unix_surrealism has just dropped.

RE: https://booping.synth.download/notes/alss1q7rl93001ar

As of today (27 April 2026), I vow to only re-post stuff that I've replied to.
I don't wish to have a profile dominated by reruns, but I still see the value in boosting the work of others.

I'm also refraining from quoteposting, out of respect for my friends @rl_dane and @hikari: as that feature doesn't seem to exist on GoToSocial servers.

It would be neat if @davidrevoy and @prahou drew a collaborative work.

(just the two of them playfully roasting each other's preferred software and hardware)

#unix_surrealism