Firefox continues Manifest V2 support as Chrome disables MV2 ad-blockers “Mozilla has renewed its promise to continue supporting Manifest V2 extensions alongside Manifest V3, giving users the freedom to use the extensions they want in their browser. Despite the intentions, Manifest V3 places restrictions on certain types of add-ons, like ad-blockers, that can render them less effective. As Manifest V3 enforcement is rolling out, extensions not compatible with it are being disabled from people's browsers, depriving users of the choice of functionality over risk.” I moved back to Firefox about a month ago, not due to the Manifest V3 roll out, but rather because the mouse right-click was broken on Brave browser (it kept triggering the menu actions when I released the mouse button). I can say that everything I need to do, works just fine on Firefox. It also has a very rich selection of extensions to choose from. Firefox actually had vertical tabs before Chrome did, which an extension implemented very well. Firefox, not being Chrome at all, is also a positive factor for many. See

BleepingComputer

Firefox continues Manifest V2 support as Chrome disables MV2 ad-blockers

Mozilla has renewed its promise to continue supporting Manifest V2 extensions alongside Manifest V3, giving users the freedom to use the extensions...

#technology #browsers

I monitor my home network by self-hosting ntopng - here’s how “If you’re into the server ecosystem, you may already have a couple of monitoring tools set up on your home lab. While Uptime Kuma and Prometheus + Grafana configurations have their perks, you’ll require something more advanced like ntopng to keep tabs on the network resources of your local server. Since ntopng can seem intimidating for newcomers, here’s a detailed guide on how you can deploy and use this neat utility to monitor every aspect of your home network.” Docker is of course not the only way to run this service. Mine actually installs as plugin on my OPNsense firewall appliance. Either ways, it is a really useful tool and some quite basic alerts can also be set to just warn you when any device is granted DHCP connectivity outside a range you have specified, e.g. unknown guest devices. It is especially useful for drilling down into what traffic flows from which interfaces or VLANs, who the top talkers are, what sites are being most visited, and I do like the GeoIP map showing where connections are being made to/from. It has also helped me identify which applications on a device were trying to access a specific port on my server's old IP address. This is otherwise difficult to do with basic port scanners that don't do packet inspection. See

XDA

I monitor my home network by self-hosting ntopng - here’s how

From analyzing your traffic to snooping on malicious devices connected to your network, ntopng can do it all!

#technology #networks #opensource

Clicks keyboard comes to Android to give your Galaxy, Pixel, or Moto that BlackBerry look “Remember Clicks? The iPhone keyboard accessory that can help you relive the early 2000s Blackberry charm? Yep, the slab-like case that gives you access to a physical QWERTY keyboard on your latest iOS device. Upon the accessory's initial launch, it was only available for the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, it soon expanded to the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and the iPhone 16 series. Now, a little over a year later, Clicks has its sights set on the Android market.” It looks like it will be coming out for the Motorola Razr (2024), Motorola Razr+ (2024), Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and the Samsung Galaxy S25. I suppose a challenge with Android for physical devices, whether camera lenses, lights, keyboards, etc is that there is no “standard Android size/shape”. But still, for many this might be quite welcome (or have today's users all got over losing their physical keyboards?). Initially, I was a bit frustrated when I had glitches or stutters with early on-screen keyboards, where the physical keyboards always just worked. But I have to say that was a long time ago. Today's on-screen keyboards are pretty smooth and fast, and of course will also apart their layout, theming, and lots more. That said, these Clicks keyboards do add a quite funky and quirky splash of colour to the phones, and look like they will also be quite good protectors for the phones themselves. See

Android Police

Clicks keyboard comes to Android to give your Galaxy, Pixel, or Moto that BlackBerry look

Remember Clicks? It's back, in Android form!

#technology #keyboards

9 hidden features in VLC you might not know about “If you're one of the millions who already know that VLC is one of the best media players around, maybe you also know a few of the hidden things on this list. But if you've never experienced one of the best open-source media players to replace Windows Media Player in your daily routine, you're in for a treat.” VLC is an amazing app with its cross-platform support, multilingual UI, and many features packed into it. I knew about the streaming option as I've used it to view my Wi-Fi cams before, but oddly enough, I always wondered about why there is no scrubbing options on the UI. Well, this article below put that wonder to rest — it's actually quite simple to scrub back and forth. I'd also never used the subtitle downloading before. See

XDA

9 hidden features in VLC you might not know about

Why use any other video player?

#technology #VLC

5 ways ZFS is superior to Btrfs for storing data “ZFS and Better File System (Btrfs) are two popular modern file systems. Both are designed with advanced storage features and offer snapshot capabilities, data integrity protection, and highly efficient storage management. However, ZFS has been the more reliable option for both personal and enterprise-level usage.” I found this interesting as I did try a switch to Btrfs myself a while ago, but seem to remember I had speed issues as well as an inflated storage requirement. I liked the concept though. It is something I want to revisit in the future again, but I'll probably give ZFS a more serious consideration then. Right now I'm back on EXT4 with daily mirrored backups to two separate locations, and a selected cloud backup of critical data. See

XDA

5 ways ZFS is superior to Btrfs for storing data

ZFS vs Btrfs? Check how ZFS is better in handling and storing your data than Btrfs

#technology #filesystems

What is a Home lab, and why tech enthusiasts should build one “With the ever-changing tech landscape, having hands-on experience is more valuable than ever. While textbooks, YouTube videos, and online courses provide a solid foundation, nothing beats the practical knowledge gained from working with real systems. That’s where the power of the home lab comes into play. It’s a dedicated space where you experiment with various software and hardware, including desktops, networking gear, and Chromebooks.” A home tech lab is not something that just appears overnight. It grows over quite a time. There is also no set way to do it, but the core of it is usually some form of self-hosting some services, whether on a humble Raspberry Pi, a mini-PC as a server, or a NAS. You start out with one thing, and you keep adding to it, and then upgrading parts as your lab grows. Apart from skills development, saving money by hosting at home, you also end up with lots of flexibility with what you do. Bear in mind though if you grant access to the outside world, you do introduce some risks if you have not got your firewall, reverse proxy, and other basic security set up properly (but that is part of the learning too). I just recently moved all my devices onto their own grouped VLANs. This improves their security as well as reducing lots of broadcasts across my network, but this was quite a bit more complex to do. If you think that any form of home lab is just unnecessary, think for a moment that if you are adding no-name Wi-Fi cameras, Wi-Fi switches, audio speakers, etc to your home network, that you do want to really separate those types of devices from your actual computers and phones and the network. See

Android Police

What is a Home lab, and why tech enthusiasts should build one

The secret weapon for tech careers

as well as this one about VLANs at

XDA

3 reasons you should you be using VLANs on your home network

Virtual LANs are excellent for creating the perfect network.

#technology #selfhosting #homelabs

I did notice with previous version that my phone's HEIC photos were not sharing. I coukd manually post them to Nostr, BlueSky and Mastodon tho. Hope this is fixed as my phones camera defaults to HEIC.

Wox is the open source Alfred alternative Windows users need to boost their productivity “Windows search is slow, frustrating, resource-intensive, and prone to burying the file you actually need under irrelevant results. With a built-in Bing search engine, it’s undoubtedly a common pain point for Windows users. And that's even before mentioning the full-screen takeover that disrupts your focus. Overall, it’s nowhere close to app launchers like Alfred, Raycast, and even Spotlight Search on Mac.” Many 3rd party alternatives are often more flexible than Windows' own built in tools. Wox has a plugin store to also extend its functionality a lot further. The biggest challenge for many is to overcome the muscle memory. You need to remember you have a tool like this, otherwise it falls into disuse. I'm frequently amazed at how much stuff I've installed, and completely forgotten about! See

XDA

Wox is the Alfred alternative Windows users need to boost their productivity

Wox will help you search, launch, and automate everything on Windows

#technology #opensource #productivity

6 reasons Darktable is better than Adobe Lightroom for hobbyist photo editors “This open-source photo editor offers professional-grade features without the subscription cost, making it an excellent option for everyday photographers who want to enhance their images without breaking the bank.” Darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer. A virtual light table and darkroom for photographers. It manages your digital negatives in a database, lets you view them through a zoomable light table and enables you to develop raw images and enhance them. As it costs nothing, you really can't go wrong with trying it out. I also use digiKam a lot for my photo editing and organising. See

XDA

6 reasons Darktable is better than Adobe Lightroom for hobbyist photo editors

Why pay for Lightroom when Darktable does more?

#technology #opensource #photography

You can turn an old phone into a Stream Deck for your PC: here's how Macro Deck is an open source software to use your Android smartphone, tablet or almost any touch screen device with an internet browser as a simple macro pad or even as a powerful automation solution for streaming, gaming, content creation and more. This is just the companion app, so will you also need the Macro Deck application on your (Windows) PC. Another option similar to this, though, could be to use BitFocus Companion configured with a virtual Stream Deck. BitFocus has the application that will run on Linux, Windows or macOS, and similarly can be controlled by any remote device on the network with a browser. It may be more flexible than the Macro Deck solution as it is cross-platform. See

XDA

You can turn an old phone into a Stream Deck for your PC: here

You no longer need to give Elgato your money

#technology #opensource #streamdeck

#caturday

WikiTok is a Web App Is TikTok for Reading Wikipedia “WikiTok, which, as its name alludes to, is a web interface that combines TikTok and Wikipedia. Unlike traditional video-sharing platforms, WikiTok offers users a refreshing respite from the relentless algorithms that dominate our digital landscape. The web app delivers an article at random, with an engaging image filling the display. If something interests you, you can tap “Read More,” and then the full Wikipedia article will pop up in another window. If it doesn't catch your fancy, you scroll up, and another article will randomly appear.” I was just listening to a podcast today where a mother was talking about how her daughter telling her their school was taking away phones during the school day, and the daughter thought it was a good thing as “the kids addicted to TikTok are anyway unhappy” and this may give them a chance to recalibrate. WikiTok has no algorithm that is tailored to a person's interests. The articles are random, but at least it is real knowledge of a general nature, and without the addictive pull. It is a similar format in which it is presented, but without the algorithm, it also means that it will present articles of a broader interest. This option is web based, so you need to bookmark the link in the linked article below, or save it to the home screen to open using the browser similarly to an app. See

Lifehacker

This Web App Is TikTok for Reading Wikipedia

Make screentime a little more mindful with this algorithm-free web-based interface

#technology #WikiTok #TikTok #Wikipedia

Apple hearing aid feature now available in South Africa “South Africa’s hearing aid market might be in for a big shake-up: Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid functionality is now available in South Africa. Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 were set apart from other Bluetooth earbuds in the market when US regulators last September approved their use as hearing aids, opening up a potentially lucrative new market for the California-based technology giant.” Yes, with hearing aids costing from R10k to R100k, even Apple AirPods will seem very cheap by comparison. The point of this functionality though is not just about amplifying sound (many ear buds can do that), but it is about assessing hearing loss and compensating properly for it. It is amazing this has taken so long to get to market if I think about own long we've had super cheap reading glasses available in discount pharmacy stores. For many, they just want “good enough” to use. See

TechCentral

Apple hearing aid feature now available in South Africa

South Africa’s hearing aid market might be in for a big shake-up.

#technology #southafrica #hearing #airpods

The New OnePlus Watch 3 Lasts 5 Days In Smart Mode “One of the standout features of the OnePlus Watch 3 is its long battery life, which lasts 16 days in power saver mode and 5 days in smart mode. A quick 10-minute charge gives owners a full day of use, so an hour's charge will likely reset the 16-day (or 5-day) countdown. The 120-hour battery life in smart mode lets you keep Bluetooth and Wi-Fi running, send messages and make calls, use the screen, and track exercises.” I don't generally judge a watch by its standby or power save modes, as it often only tells the time and does a few other basics. But 5 days of normal use, and a 10-minute charge giving a day of use, is pretty good (OK my Pebble Watch did last longer). It is good to see they upped the battery capacity a bit too. For me, battery life is more important than a phone or watch being 1 mm thinner. The battery chemistry has also changed, so clearly battery life was a prime consideration for this design. To top it all, this watch actually runs Wear OS. Why I say that, is that the Wear OS watches have mostly had dismal battery life compared to the tweaked OS's from Huawei and others. This watch will be on my short list to compare when I next need to replace my smartwatch. See

How-To Geek

The New OnePlus Watch 3 Lasts Weeks Without a Charge

While running in the lower-power mode, anyway.

#technology #smartwatch

5 networking tools to safeguard your home lab from the inside out “If you’re new to the hobby, securing your home lab is paramount to ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of your systems and data. It’s easy to inadvertently expose your entire system to online threats, especially when you’re new to running self-hosted systems. Implementing robust networking tools can safeguard your environment from potential threats, both internal and external. Here are five essential networking tools to fortify your home lab from the inside out.” Certainly some good suggestions here in the linked article. There are however also some excellent alternatives to consider too: * pfSense vs OPNsense * VLANs are excellent but note you'll need VLAN aware switches and wireless access points * OpenVPN vs WireGuard * Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home I'd also add a Watch Your LAN type app to this list. See

XDA

5 networking tools to safeguard your home lab from the inside out

Building a home lab? These five tools will set you in the right direction towards building a secure and strong home server.

#technology #homelab #networking

I Spend More Time Watching Games Than Playing Them (and I'm Not Alone) “A recent study suggests that gamers spend, on average, around 7.5 hours playing compared to 8.5 hours watching games. With so many great games around, why do these gamers spend more time watching than playing? As someone who finds himself watching games more than playing them, I can say there are several reasons.” This is certainly true for me. Although I do play some games, it takes a bit of time to organise the steering wheel etc, to update the game, and then to get back into where I was with it. It is quite fun to watch others playing, see what they do, and you can end the session at any time you want to (and even continue watching tomorrow). On a funnier note, I used to watch one or two specific players many years ago. I went to look them up, and they are still playing the exact same games, except they look quite a bit older now. ;-) It does show there is quite a market for this, and quite a few YouTubers make their living off playing games the whole day (was it not our parents back in the 1980s and 1990s who said you can't play games the whole day, and better get out and get a job). That didn't age well! See

How-To Geek

I Spend More Time Watching Games Than Playing Them (and I

Let them suffer through the boss fights—I’ll be here with popcorn.

#technology #gaming

Say goodbye to parking tickets in South Africa Once you've used a parking app at a shopping mall for parking, you'll never look back. No queues to pay, no carrying cash, it keeps record of what you paid where, it is quicker to enter and exit a mall, no struggling with a machine that does not accept your note or coin, no more losing your ticket and having to pay a penalty. Although the article covers the Admyt app, I'm also using the Parket app for a new mall in Cape Town that has cashless parking only. I think the Admyt app does charge a small charge for the usage, but at one mall where I get a free 90 minutes of parking from PnP, I still use the Admyt app to scan the QR code in store, and my parking is free. When I was visiting the same mall last weekend, I was amazed to still see so many people paying for their parking. There are signs all over the mall advertising the service, and any new user gets R20 free credit. When I went to park at Newlands Forest not too long ago, I saw the parking “guard” has a QR code to accept payments by SnapScan. He says he gets paid more by SnapScan users than he receives as cash, and there is less risk of him having cash stolen from him. The article at https://mybroadband.co.za/news/motoring/581651-say-goodbye-to-parking-tickets.html explains more about Admyt works. #technology #cashless #SouthAfrica

OpenBoard is a free and open source cross-platform interactive whiteboard for schools and universities OpenBoard is a free and open-source interactive whiteboard software compatible with any projector and pointing device. Currently, OpenBoard is maintained by the Education Department (DIP) of the canton of Geneva, in Switzerland. The University of Lausanne, who developped the original Uniboard software in 2003 has joined the effort by means of a logistical and financial contribution. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux (including a Flatpak). See

OpenBoard, the best interactive whiteboard for schools and universities

OpenBoard is an open source cross-platform interactive whiteboard application. OpenBoard is intended for use primarily in schools and universities,...

#technology #education #opensource #whiteboard

5 quirky self-hosted services to manage your relationships, adventures, and more I’ve been a part of the self-hosting ecosystem for a long time, and let me tell you, it’s filled to the brim with all sorts of fun and interesting projects. On the practical side of things, you’ve got the e-book management platform Calibre Web, budgeting powerhouse Firefly III, PKM system TriliumNext Notes, and a host of other utilities. For security experts, there’s the network traffic probe ntopng and self-hosted firewall OPNsense. But here’s a list of the most quirky (but still fairly useful) services you can host on your workstation. There is something for trekkers, tourists, and travellers; a Customer Relationship Management tool; a private, self-hosted browser; a genealogy tree; a habit tracker and changer; and a few other ideas too. The great thing with self-hosting a service is that it remains private. I'm busy implementing OPNsense firewall myself right now at home. See

XDA

5 quirky self-hosted services to manage your relationships, adventures, and more

Looking for outlandish apps you can host on your home lab? We've got you covered!

#technology #selfhosting #privacy #opensource

10 of the best plug-ins for your OpenMediaVault NAS On its own, OpenMediaVault is a decent OS if you want to build a NAS out of a low-spec device. After all, it has the holy trifecta of a simple UI, lightweight nature, and compatibility with ARM systems. However, hidden under that beginner-friendly exterior is a highly customizable operating system that can be outfitted with powerful plug-ins to extend the functionality of your NAS. The linked article covers a few interesting plugins you can use to extend the functionality of your OMV NAS. I'm still using OMV myself after many years, as it does what it needs to do quite well. See

XDA

10 of the best plug-ins for your OpenMediaVault NAS

Turn your OMV NAS into a behemoth of a storage server with these incredible plug-ins

#technology #OMV #NAS