Nice, can’t even explain why you disagree. Thanks for proving my point.

Every freedom. You’re giving the government a green light to do whatever they want to you. Two pure examples of this is China and Russia. How do you think tyrannical regimes come along? By taking away your ability to defend yourself. This has been shown in history multiple times.

Okay, so what’s your idea? You’re going to give up your freedoms for some temporary safety?

How is it not both? Passive government surviellence can lead to targeted attacks.

Open source is not enough. It needs to be entirely free software. I recommend buying a Libreboot laptop from before 2009, they can fully disable/remove the IME and have a 100% free BIOS firmware (anything supported device with a Core Duo processor basically).

I mean, sure, but to be honest, I think most people just browse the web. They open Google Chrome, and that’s basically all they know. Some don’t even know what OS they’re using. I would say that’s at least 40% of computer users. I think they’re just unaware that there are other options, like the ones I listed above. Honestly, it’s not their fault; Libreboot and GNU/Linux aren’t mainstream yet. I really don’t see why you would need a powerful machine unless you’re a gamer or work in computer graphics, etc.

You’re not wrong, but for those who don’t use their machines to make money in these fields, think about the freedom you’ve lost. Consider all the things that make you who you are, being entirely known by someone you never consented to give information to. I just think it’s sad that most people don’t care, but I do, and I will keep fighting for it.

I gave up gaming, I stopped wasting time and started getting more done. It really just gives me the freedom to do other things. When people say “user freedom,” it’s not just about the software; it’s about having control over one’s life.

There is a sort of hidden beauty in free software. It might seem boring, but that’s kind of the point! Go outside, read books, enjoy life, and live in the moment. I encourage everyone to do the same.

I would go on eBay and buy a Libreboot machine from 2009 and prior (X200, T500, etc.) These systems have 100% no blobs in the firmware and can have the IME fully disabled. I use these as my daily and I’m fine.

Have people started to use Godot more?

It’s pretty messed up that schools enforce those things onto kids. Chromebooks, while cheap, invade the hell out of your privacy and are extremely restrictive. We should be teaching kids GNU/Linux, not ChromeOS… I honestly feel sorry for the future of free software. Students aren’t taught ethics, freedom, or privacy at ALL. I was in school, (graduated two years ago), and it seemed that every teacher adapted the “you don’t have privacy” motto. Absolutely terrible. Buy the kids a Dell Latitude E6400 and put Libreboot/Trisquel with KDE on it. Let them live and help each other out with issues. It would be super heart warming to see schools adapt something like this instead.

(I understand the convenience issues, but we should start adapting, its crazy that Gen Z barely know anything about computers)