That comic really reminds me of trying to degoogle and FOSSify my computer as a complete novice. Multiple, extremely frustrating times, I’ve wanted to install something but I genuinely have not been able to understand the installation instructions. I also don’t know enough to know what the right search terms are to find out what I’m meant to do.

I’m still trying but it’s fucking demoralising.

This is the first comment about switching to Linux that makes me feel positively about the idea

While I don’t necessarily agree in this case, you did remind me of something Justice Kirby (an Australia Hugh Court (our highest court) Judge) wrote in his dissent in Carr v Western Australia.^1

“He was a smart alec for whom it is hard to feel much sympathy. But the police were public officials bound to comply with the law. We should uphold the appellant’s rights because doing so is an obligation that is precious for everyone. It is cases like this that test this Court. It is no real test to afford the protection of the law to the clearly innocent, the powerful and the acclaimed.”

^1 232 CLR 138, 188 [170].

Wait, you have to pay to use your phone as a hotspot?!

Particularly an issue when you’re googling an obscure software issue, you just get spammed with the same copy/paste “troubleshooting” steps. Which usually boil down to “reinstall this completely unrelated driver”.

Just reading this caused a small spike of ice cold fury within my soul

I remember on reddit once someone from the US complaining about people assuming their bar had EFTPOS machines/pay wave saying “You wouldn’t go to the grocery store without your wallet?!”

And me, in Australia just being like…but… I do? I almost never take my wallet with me to the grocery store…

(Although, because my student public transport card is the only thing I can’t put on my phone, going out for drinks is one of the few times I’m almost guaranteed to have my wallet) (also because I want to have backups if something goes wrong while I’m inebriated)

I needed to see this, just in general, today