I’m.. pretty sure people can like both open source and closed source things.. “manipulating” yes. I’ve been so manipulated. I’ve been so manipulated that I think there should be actual data privacy laws. They got me.
Since you began with the silly assumption that the words "a lot of you" specifically signaled you out, when I was speaking generally, I see no reason to continue.
I'm pretty sure most people who are doing this are trying, in their own way, to make a point.
It wasn't about "national security". It was about a large digital meeting place where ideas could be shared, or feelings and frustrations at their government could be seen and felt by others who felt the same. Big Brother doesn't like that, unless it is on US Corporate Approved Social Media, where they can promptly shut you down, or get their algorithm to put post with specific keywords out of the eyes of as many as possible.
So, instead of creating actual data privacy laws, as they should have, they decided to attack TikTok, because Mark Zuckerburg got in front of congress during whatever case it was that brought his lizard ass in the room (maybe the Cambridge Analytica scandal?) and said that TikTok was more dangerous than his own platform.
There you go. It was never about "national security", as there were much better ways to handle that than banning one single app.
Not once, not one single time while using the app, have I ever come across the app pushing Chinese propaganda.
I understand a lot of you, who have never even tried to give TikTok a chance mind you, don't fully understand that once YOU curate YOUR algorithm, it becomes 90% only what YOU want to see. Trust me, I used to be one of you. I thought it was the dumbest thing to get on an app to watch people do dumb things, or to dance.
I had a partner at the time who would send me TikToks, and one day they sent me something that really impressed me. It was a very well done explanation of an animal, I can't recall which right now. I was VERY impressed by his explanation of this animal I had never even heard of. So, I made one and followed this person.
I got LOADS of dumb shit thrown my way at first, but I told the algorithm I didn't want to see these videos, and then... I get 90% of videos targeted towards things I like such as: activism, home improvement tips and tricks, tech related (videos about networking, good alternatives to programs that are ran by shitty people, etc.), skits that I find funny, and others who feel the same way I feel about this world and the way it is currently running. I had always felt like I was one of very very few people who care about these things, but TikTok showed me others who felt the same. People sharing their woes, people actually raising valid points like the Hong Kong protests and even getting millions of views. There is so much more out there than I can type out.
So, while I understand your face palm moment with this person, it is quite funny to always see these arguments of "TikTok bad" when you haven't even tried to use it, and are only going off of the dumb people who use it and show/like dumb things. Dumb people post on YouTube, but no one talks about how stupid that is. God forbid an app I've never used do that too!
No hate, as like I said, I was once someone like you. There's dumb shit on every platform, even here. You could've found out that there were plenty of videos that you would enjoy if you had given it a chance.
And to those who automatically get all patriotic about data and shit, the American social medias are not only worse, but use YOUR data in worse ways than a foreign country can. Not once did TikTok ask me for my location, and only the first time upon opening the app did it request permission for the camera and mic, which I denied, and it never asked again. As far as I know, Facebook/Messenger/Snapchat/Instagram CONSTANTLY want you to give them permissions even if you denied them before.
I don't expect anyone here to care, because "TikTok bad", but it is what it is.
I'd also like to throw another good point to the ones you have provided:
The game is also about helping other players along on their journey.
Once I got to the good equipment, I laid down as much as I could to help others on their journey. I even went as far as grinding (which I legitimately hate doing) to build the roads, build the zip lines, and fixing other people's equipment that I had used.
That, to me, was one of the cooler aspects of the game!
I found it to be so immersive, that the large map size was a bonus to me. I wanted to see it all, and by god I did. I have done every single thing on that game.
I found it even more immersive by camping when it got dark out, cooking to eat, and then going to bed. When I woke in the daylight, I would sit there and have Arthur drink a cup of joe, break down the camp, and continue on with my journey to wherever.
Now I want to play it all over again for a fifth time. >:(
Same! I have been able to save money exactly three times in my life, and every time I got to those points, either my car needed repairs for something or new tires, an animal gets sick and needs my immediate attention, or even my own health is at risk.
The universe has never treated me very kindly, although it does throw me some crumbs every once in awhile.
That’s how I’ve always viewed Linux, and just knowledge in general. Thank you for being kind enough to offer. I honestly haven’t had someone come off the way you did in a very long time, both online and in real life.
I wanted to update you and let you know I was able to get the game running on openSUSE. My issue was that I was trying to get WeMod to work with the game, and had forgotten about the launch options for WeMod. So, after taking the launch options back to blank, it booted up slowly but surely, and it was fine.
I also figured out I can take the game files from my Windows SSD to use in openSUSE. Which means the mods I installed on Windows when I was playing, seamlessly pulled over to Linux. That’s pretty damn cool.
I think after work today, I might try to fiddle with Layla Launcher and see if the cheats on there will work.
You're very kind to offer at least. I only use Steam. I bought it way back before I really understood that they require you to use their stupid third party brick. The sales got me, I will admit. $20 for three great games sounded so good. :/
I tried that too, as I did have the GE option under compatibility when trying different versions. It just won't install EA's shitty app. I feel like on one of the Proton versions, it did "install" and booted up, but then just showed a black screen with nothing afterwards. I shut it down to try again because I know how finicky these things can be, and then the EA app was saying t wasn't installed. I gave up after about an hour and went back to Windows. I work way too much to be able to sit there and tinker with this crap when I get off from a 10 hour shift...
openSUSE, Mass Effect Legendary Edition does not boot on my setup, but on ProtonDB, it says gold. Just using Proton did not work for me, so I don't know what extra BS people did to get it running, but yeah. That's a recent one I've run into.
While I respect what you are saying, now was not the time for people to be spouting all of that when a literal orange idiot, who everybody knows has a rabid fan base cult that would vote for him even if he shit and pissed on them, was running. It was just stupid. If Kamala had won, then immediately on inauguration day, we could all start voicing our opinions just as loudly as those people were doing before a major election. We would've had a whole 4 years to get together to do this to drive the point home further.
But no. We were too busy trying to get people to not vote at all, or to vote third party. This is the direct result of that.
Do I think Democrats are great? No, not really, especially now. It would have been a hell of a lot better than this god damn shit though.
Oh well. Too late now.
*EDIT
To add to the void, this is one of the major reason I feel like actual progress isn't made. We have way too many people/groups vying for one thing or the other instead of banding together and tackling one major issue at a time. It's hard to get things done when every group only cares about THEIR specific issue.
I have tried to use Mastodon, and I appreciate what is is, but I just don't see the appeal. It feels like I'm trying to interact with nothing, and no one, ever seeing it. Feels like speaking to the void.
I’m.. pretty sure people can like both open source and closed source things.. “manipulating” yes. I’ve been so manipulated. I’ve been so manipulated that I think there should be actual data privacy laws. They got me.