grue
@grue@lemmy.world
- Comment on Home server 2 days ago:
Neat, an Intel GPU.
- Comment on 3 days ago:
I just put OpenWRT on a (at this point quite old) TP-Link non-DIY home router. The only thing wrong with it is that it isn’t a rack-mountable rectangle, which offends my perfectionism.
- Comment on How can self-hosted software make money without hurting the ecosystem? 1 week ago:
I would almost suggest some kind of system where you could set aside a certain amount of money, and it would donate automatically to all your installed packages, with some kind of weighting system I suppose.
Welp, now you know what Free Software project you should start!
- Comment on Any selfhosted service to keep track of private tracker ? 1 week ago:
If we recommend you a tracker tracker, soon enough you’ll just be back asking for a tracker tracker tracker. When does it end?!
- Comment on 2 weeks ago:
Get a … mini. Install Debian with KDE or Mint.
I already did that. My mom freaked out because it got kinda hot once and started whining about how she should’ve stuck with a Mac. So now if I want her to stay on Linux it has to be a mini PC that comes with it from the manufacturer, and AFAIK the Steam Machine is the only such thing that exists.
I fucking know it’s irrational!
- Comment on 2 weeks ago:
The Mac Mini m4 is no longer available where I am, the new Mac Mini m6 is slightly more expensive than the Steam Machine.
Interesting. In the US, the Mac Mini is $899 for the cheapest model, while the Steam Machine is $1049. It’s another $400 for 24GB unified RAM/512GB SSD to match the Steam Machine’s specs, but the Mac Mini’s low end starts lower.
The mini PC brands still matter even with linux, because I want hardware reliability and drivers support.
Ah, that’s a different kind of “trust” than I thought. I thought you meant factory-installed malware because they’re mostly no-name Chinese brands or something like that.
I have some experience with that, as I’m running Linux on four mini PCs of three different brands (a “Minisforum,” a “Bosgame,” and two “Nimo”). The Nimos have been fine (but I don’t recommend the Amazon seller I got them from because he screwed me out of some RAM). I had a problem installing Debian on the Minisforum, but it works fine with Kubuntu.
The Bosgame is the most relevant: I got it for my parents and installed (I think) Kubuntu on it, but it seems to have some kind of driver problem with the power management because it doesn’t wake from sleep properly. It also got hot enough to scare my mom, although I’m not sure how reliable her complaint is because what she thinks is too hot might still be within the normal operating range, for all I know. (It’s at their house, so I don’t have easy access to diagnose it myself.)
Anyway, even though it’s massive overkill for their “hardly computer-literate Boomer” use-case, I’m replacing that Bosgame with a Steam Machine solely because it’s the only mini PC I know of with first-party Linux support!
(Sigh) At least the grandkids might get some actual gaming use out of it when they visit…
- Comment on 2 weeks ago:
He did say he didn’t want a large PC. My gaming computer is damn near as small as it gets – see size comparison pic below – but (a) even that’s over twice the size of a Gabe Cube, and (b) the ITX motherboard SFX PSU do add some amount to the cost, along with the case itself. (I would’ve mentioned the mandatory AIO cooler my particular case requires, but it turns out those are surprisingly cheap these days.)
Image (Note the Steam Machine measures 156 × 152 × 162.4 mm. About the same width as my A4-H2O, but only 2/3 as tall and 1/2 as deep.)
- Comment on 2 weeks ago:
- I’ve considered getting a Mac Mini, but the new one is too expensive.
The cheapest Steam Machine is more expensive than the cheapest Mac Mini (although a Mac Mini with comparable RAM and storage is more expensive).
- I don’t trust most mini PC brands
I’m not sure how much that matters if you’d be running Linux on it anyway.
Sorry, that’s all the argument I got. I myself just bought a Steam Machine with even less good reason, so…
- Comment on Ikea created a mod for Skyrim. Kallax Storageborn! 5 weeks ago:
It’s shelving, not luggage.
- Comment on GOG expand their Preservation Program with more games and now 3D scans of box art too 5 weeks ago:
3D in the sense of applying 2D scans to the surface of a rectangular prism, or 3D in the sense of handling things like bump-mapped embossing or strangely-shaped boxes?
- Comment on Comcast turns your Xfinity WiFi into a home motion detector 1 month ago:
Yeah, I found that one. Still, I’d prefer it to be built into my WAPs instead of having to use separate hardware, even if I do have extra ESP32s sitting around.
I mean, maybe if I could just tack it on as an extra function on some other device I was already going to be using an ESP32 in, but (especially in microcontroller-land as opposed to full preemptively-multitasking PC land) that sounds like maybe more complexity than I want to deal with.
- Comment on Comcast turns your Xfinity WiFi into a home motion detector 1 month ago:
I, for one, am looking forward to a plugin to do this with OpenWRT and Home Assistant for my own purposes.
- Comment on In a first, US will allow some private firms to carry out cyberattacks 2 months ago:
Reminds me of the thread two days ago about the regime issuing letters of marque.
I also found this relevant thread from a year ago while searching for the other one.
Trump’s cronies really want to go all-in on the mercantilism, don’t they?
- Comment on You Know About Flock Cameras, Meet Nema Nodes: They Turn Streetlights Into A Surveillance Network 2 months ago:
A “NEMA node” is a standard power outlet.
This article is bait designed to trick surveillance opponents into destroying their own credibility by complaining about innocuous stuff instead of problems that matter. It’s on par with an article fearmongering about “dihydrogen monoxide,” except worse because it’s not satire.
- Comment on Steam Machine is currently selling an estimated 12k–15k units per week, based on its strong position on Steam's Global Top Sellers chart. 2 months ago:
According to the Gamers Nexus (I think) video I saw, they’re sourcing whatever RAM they can find, so some units ship with 1x16GB and others ship with 2X8GB and it’s just random luck which you’ll get.
- Comment on CD Player for the Steam Machine 2 months ago:
Wait, the gabecube isn’t exactly a cube? Well that’s just mildly annoying for no good reason!
- Comment on Should you DeGoogle your smartphone? 3 months ago:
As the owner of both a Pixel 8 running Graphene and a Pinephone, you really aren’t missing anything.
- Comment on Using a webcam, the Steam Controller can now seek out it's charger by vibrating across the desk 3 months ago:
Look, if you just want something that vibrates there are a lot of easier ways to achieve that.
- Comment on Steam machine prices are live 3 months ago:
I’m not sure anybody really cares about the streaming codec as long as it works with good quality.
But fair enough: I agree it would be nice to have a “Steam Link 2” that could do 4K60 (or better) and (as pointed out in a Machine review video I just watched) support HDMI CEC.
- Comment on Valve Steam Machine Review - Gamers Nexus 3 months ago:
Depends how many memory channels the CPU supports. On a small consumer CPU, no benefit, but start getting up into bigger chips like Threadripper or especially Epyc and some of them support even more than four channels.
- Comment on Steam machine prices are live 3 months ago:
What they should have done is made a new Steam Link with more capable hardware for cheap. That would have sold like hotcakes.
The Steam Link was pretty much a dumb terminal for VNC. In what way does it need to have “more capable hardware?”
- Comment on Valve Steam Machine Review - Gamers Nexus 3 months ago:
Apparently, some units will ship with 1x16GB RAM and some will ship with 2x8GB RAM. I understand their decision to scrounge both types of memory to be able to ship more units, but I wish they’d let customers express express a preference.
- Comment on The Steam Frame Will Have An Enthusiast Kit With A Hot-Swappable Battery 3 months ago:
Sounds like a worthwhile tradeoff for something you’re strapping to your face and therefore want to be as light as possible.
- Comment on Got my Steam Controller guys! Ain't she a beaut 🤩 4 months ago:
- It’s a full controller, no “only one joystick” like the 2015 model.
This is 16-bit controller slander.
- Comment on Got my Steam Controller guys! Ain't she a beaut 🤩 4 months ago:
I also have a pair of underused Steam Controllers, and a Steam Link to go with them. Turns out I just don’t care about gaming on my TV.
- Comment on Alleged Steam Machine specs according to Chris Mizo 4 months ago:
So, there’s a pretty big leap going from Strix Point (mid tier) to Strix Halo (high-end)
Holy shit, no kidding! I guess maybe that’s the reason Valve didn’t go that way: they wanted to put their product right in the middle of that graphics gap. Also, even that first one apparently has 12 CPU cores, so the whole balance between CPU and GPU performance is just off.
Still though, if we’re talking custom, it would’ve been cool if Valve could’ve had them build something equivalent to a “Ryzen AI 7” or “Ryzen AI 5”, but still with Radeon 8050S or 8060S graphics.
- Comment on Alleged Steam Machine specs according to Chris Mizo 4 months ago:
larger chip, lower yields
Oh right, I forgot about that part.
Not sure what kind of area one could expect for the CPU alone (without the integrated GPU) for this kind of process
I guess you could look up specs for a desktop Ryzen CPU that doesn’t have integrated graphics. Not sure which is the right one to pick, but I checked a few AM5 chips and they were all about 71 mm^2^ @ either 5 or 4 nm.
BTW, what actually is “Strix Halo” anyway? I’m confused about whether it’s what they’re calling all the latest-generation APUs, or just the high-end ones, or Asus co-branding, or what.
Are there not any lesser APUs (with smaller die size and higher yields) that aren’t “Strix Halo” but still have a similar architecture and decent gaming performance?
- Comment on Alleged Steam Machine specs according to Chris Mizo 4 months ago:
Unified still requires a significant amount of chip area per die
Even compared to having two entirely separate memory controllers, one for the CPU and one for the GPU?
- Comment on Alleged Steam Machine specs according to Chris Mizo 4 months ago:
They say it’s a custom design, so surely they could’ve custom-designed it to be unified rather than discrete if they wanted. I guess maybe they were trying to make sure it would only be bought by gamers by deliberately making it less versatile for AI?
- Comment on Alleged Steam Machine specs according to Chris Mizo 4 months ago:
Anybody else mildly surprised it isn’t based on an APU with unified memory, like a cheaper/slower Framework Desktop?
