this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2025
754 points (98.2% liked)

Technology

63133 readers
3478 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] dukeofdummies@lemmy.world 1 points 15 minutes ago

I for one cheer and root for my flip phone friends.

I'd never do it, but we have one at work and he's singlehandedly causing so much grief at work. Because none of the engineers wanna use a security app for login. They want a fob.

IT refuses to pay for fobs and wants us to use an app, but they also don't want to pay for a phone for anyone in engineering just to use the security app because it opens a floodgate of people with company phones.

It's just wonderful to watch this fight from the sidelines sipping tea.

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 28 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

everyone wants to force you to use apps instead of websites, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of apps are just websites..in a app wrapper, because normal websites and normal browsers have inbuilt protections for you.

Apps don't.

Idiots install apps, give them the 400,000 permissions they ask for, then go on their merry way..ignorant to the fact that they just installed a data vacuum on their phone thats siphoning everything off of it to be used and sold and resold for marketing purposes.. Even the phone itself its not safe, cause its sitting there, listening to your conversations, even when not on a call, to more "Accurately" spam you with bullshit.

[–] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 67 points 4 hours ago (6 children)

Phone apps are nothing more than modern toolbars. And in case you forgot or missed this phase of the internet...

[–] terminhell@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 45 minutes ago (1 children)
[–] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 1 points 25 minutes ago

No argument there, especially with Bonzi Buddy lol

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 2 points 25 minutes ago (1 children)

I missed that phase because I was using Netscape.

[–] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 2 points 23 minutes ago

Then you didn't miss it. You glossed over it, like a boss

[–] AstralPath@lemmy.ca 17 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Click to win a FREE LOBSTER Dinner 🦀🦞🦐

Man I miss this era of the internet. It truly felt like a new frontier.

I clicked, but all I got was a dancing stripper and something called Conficker.

[–] 486@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago

Yeah, Bonzi Buddy!

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Then you could agree with any barely computer-savvy person that such things should be killed with fire.

Now a lot of very competent person will try to persuade you how you are a luddite and wrong, except 5-10 years ago they'd also promise some bright tech future in addition to that, and now you're just wrong because they can exist in that environment and like it, and you can't.

[–] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

you can't.

Can, but refuse. Big distinction for me. I've lived through these arguments once already, and have watched their computers keel over and die several time from the viruses these toolbars often bring, and I will now watch as their phones do the same.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

"2020 search"

Bruh someone's grandma needs help, we need to fix this computer, it looks like it's about to get stuck on zombo.com.

[–] Cool_Name@lemm.ee 3 points 1 hour ago

I am still using a flip phone. My new goal is to make it to 2027 marking two decades of rejecting the smartphone era. Each time I consider compromising something gets even more awful about smartphones and I double down on saying no.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 39 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

As I've been making an effort to replace apps with the browser version of the service. It's so abundantly clear that companies don't want you using their website.

Even if they don't outright cripple functionality, they'll hound you endlessly to install the app.

It's infuriating to say the least.

[–] finder585@lemmy.world 9 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Even if they don’t outright cripple functionality, they’ll hound you endlessly to install the app.

Still don't understand the logic of doing that.

It's like saying,

"Our website is nigh unusable, please install our app instead. We pinky promise our app works".

[–] Wrrzag@lemmy.ml 12 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

It's because you have control over your browser, but they control their app and all its trackers, ads, etc

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Yep. They want you to use apps, cause all the permissions you give the app makes it much easier for them to harvest all your data for marketing and selling purposes.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 hour ago

That's exactly it. Easy to block ads and trackers on a website, but more difficult or impossible on some apps.

One of the banking apps won't show the total balance of the account unless I'm using the app. How ridiculous.

[–] dirthawker0@lemmy.world 8 points 3 hours ago (4 children)

I'm in California where we have a grocery chain, Safeway. They've had a loyalty card for decades, which works great, gets you good deals, can be scanned by the checkout clerk or at self checkout. It also racks up points which can be used for discounts.

About 2 years ago I started seeing signs in the store offering even greater savings through the app. There will sometimes be 2 signs side by side for the loyalty card vs the app. The app is always a better deal.

So I downloaded the app and learned

  • the app cannot scan your membership at self checkout, you have to be checked out by a clerk
  • the app's membership number is different from your loyalty card number and the two cannot be merged.
  • because of that your points can't be transferred to the app

It's the dumbest thing ever. Why not just offer the better savings to the loyalty card? Isn't that the whole point behind loyalty? I literally shop at Safeway less often now.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 37 minutes ago

Food Lion (East coast, not sure if they're national) has a fairly good loyalty program. Your loyalty card number on the physical card or in the app are the same, you can load coupons to it so they're applied at checkout if they're relevant, you can use their ordinary website if you don't have/want to use a smart phone app...it's non-cancerous.

[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 hours ago

"It’s the dumbest thing ever. Why not just offer the better savings to the loyalty card?"

it's not a flaw. it's a feature.

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 9 points 2 hours ago

Loyalty cards werent a great thing either.

They werent to reward your loyalty, they were to tie your purchase history to an individual, So that information can be used and sold for marketing purposes.

It was basically the prototype for the invasive, information stealing apps we have today.

[–] whoisearth@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

My GF laughs because I have no loyalty cards or apps and I laugh that she has one for everything.

Loyalty rewards are bullshit.

[–] limelight79@lemm.ee 2 points 1 hour ago

In the US, if you don't have the loyalty card, you're paying more for groceries. For the stores we use, any sale prices are contingent upon using the loyalty card. This can add up to $5-$10 per order.

[–] mtchristo@lemm.ee 9 points 3 hours ago

Early 2000 wants its internet back

[–] qyron@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 hour ago

I'm shocked.

Right off the top of my head, I can mention an entire finacial institution that only exists through an app. No website, no physical locations, no nothing. It's one app and that is it.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 4 hours ago

YES full support! I have and am sending this from my smartphone but I'll stop going to your store before I download your stupid fucking app for a free mcflurry or whatever the fuck pisspoor excuse you have for installing malware on my devices.

[–] answersplease77@lemmy.world 21 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

they make older phones become useless after ditching their support

[–] Stegget@lemmy.world 6 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

My S21 is on the verge of losing regular security updates, and I hate it. The battery is fine, the camera is more than adequate, I do not want to upgrade.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 35 minutes ago

I have an S10e in service, it's perfectly fine.

I saw whoever has the Nokia name now is selling smart phones designed to be end user disassembled and repairable, but they're really mum about how long their software support is.

[–] limelight79@lemm.ee 2 points 1 hour ago

Mine decided to randomly start rebooting about a year ago. :( Tried everything I could think of to get it to work normally, but nothing helped. I couldn't rely on it, so I had to replace it. Like you, I hadn't planned to replace it any time soon.

load more comments
view more: next ›