Comments for Make Tech Easier

Comment on What Is a Nit of Screen Brightness, and How Many Do You Need? by LaGringa

LaGringa — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:27:38 +0000

Wow. “Make it easier”? You have to be kidding. Cut this down to about 4-5 paragraphs and maybe make it easier.

Comment on Why a Travel Router is the Best Investment for Your Next Trip by Direktorat Pusat Teknologi Informasi

Direktorat Pusat Teknologi Informasi — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:44:45 +0000

How does a travel router help users connect multiple devices on a public Wi-Fi network with restrictions?

Comment on Are You Using Google Maps Without Gemini? You’re Missing Out by Zen Piatek

Zen Piatek — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:49:45 +0000

Sadly, this is only available on the mobile apps (for now). Google Maps on Android Auto does not have the Ask Gemini button yet, you still have to use voice commands.

Comment on Unlock Digital Markets Act Features in Windows And Get Access to Hidden Features by WPontius

WPontius — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 03:43:52 +0000

I am missing something. Taken ownership of the file and granted my admin user full permissions, but still unable to save file after modifications.

Comment on Passkeys Are Everywhere Now. Is Your Password Manager Obsolete? by dragonmouth

dragonmouth — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 19:43:57 +0000

¨Apple iCloud Keychain and Google Password Manager, win on just frictionless convenience¨
The price if convenience is privacy and security.

Comment on The Easiest Way to Manage Dotfiles Using GNU Stow by dragonmouth

dragonmouth — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:03:38 +0000

STOW is a good idea IF every app standardized on the ´.config´ name for it´s configuration file(s). But this being Linux, each app is free to use it´s own name for the configuration file(s). There are .config files, *rc files, configuration files named after the app, etc and they are scattered all over the /home directory. Do you even know the name of every app that runs on your system?

STOW is not much better than manual maint of the config files. One still has to know every app and then manually setup it up in STOW. It would be nice if STOW went through the system and found ALL the configuration files and set them up.

Comment on Are You Using Google Maps Without Gemini? You’re Missing Out by dragonmouth

dragonmouth — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:24:11 +0000

Missing out on being tracked all over the place??? No, thanks.

Comment on The Easiest Way to Manage Dotfiles Using GNU Stow by Oscar

Oscar — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:55:39 +0000

Sounds like a great tool to combine all game configurations and saves in one location too.

Linux native game saves and configurations all over the place like somewhere deep inside .config or even in the top home directory. Not to mention wine game configuration and saves stored all over the place in .wine/drive_c/users/USER/AppData/WHATEVER. If we add them all in one location, I can easily back up and restore when installing new OS, or re-creating wine. Although some game service apps detect symlinks and refuse to proceed further.

You could also combine all non-essential game directories like cache directory be combined in a separate fast storage that will not be backed up.

Very useful tool, thank you for introducing GNU stow.

Comment on I’d Happily Pay for Linux — If It Actually Ran the Software I Need by dragonmouth

dragonmouth — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:49:07 +0000

I must commend Ali for engaging in a discussion of his article. Most other tech writers/pundits have an ¨I am the ´expert´ and I know better¨ attitude and if the readers disagree, that´s just too damn bad.

Comment on I’d Happily Pay for Linux — If It Actually Ran the Software I Need by dragonmouth

dragonmouth — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:32:39 +0000

In reply to James Simmons. There is a native Linux tax program called OpenTaxSolver. I´ve been using it for the last 10 years. The user interface is not as pretty and as ¨modern¨ as TurboTax and other tax programs but it is free and it does the job. However, it can only be used to do personal taxes.

Comment on Why a Travel Router is the Best Investment for Your Next Trip by Arthur

Arthur — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:49:43 +0000

What hap[pens if you don’t have access to a Wi-Fi router to connect your travel router to?

Comment on Amazon’s Forcing Alexa Plus On Prime Members – Here’s How to Opt Out by 404 Name Not Found

404 Name Not Found — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:05:34 +0000

As of March 22nd, 2026 it appears Amazon has had too many people ask to downgrade. When you type ‘End Alexa Plus’ in the Ask Alexa box it now refuses, saying you cannot disable Alexa plus. So we went a different route. I unplugged all teh Alexa devices and let Amazon know we are no longer using their platform until they change their minds.

Comment on Amazon’s Forcing Alexa Plus On Prime Members – Here’s How to Opt Out by Dither

Dither — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:54:58 +0000

If they phase out Alexa someday, I hope Alexa+ is smart to be bilingual, it’s a big world out there with lots of dinero🤑. That’s the main reason we switched back to good old Alexa.

Comment on I’d Happily Pay for Linux — If It Actually Ran the Software I Need by Raben

Raben — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 17:08:17 +0000

Why should desktop Linux fully replicate what Windows and MacOS already do? If the need existed it would already have happened.

Comment on Wispr Flow Android Hands-On: The Best Voice-to-Text Experience Yet by Tips

Tips — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 23:42:32 +0000

Would be great if you could survey txt to speech, esp those that allow bookmarks, stop at time limits like simple apb. Thanks

Comment on Why a Travel Router is the Best Investment for Your Next Trip by Richard

Richard — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:20:13 +0000

I use a different approach.
Most flagship (and the next tier down) Android phones support wifi hotspot that works with a source (hotel) wifi.
Either of my former main drivers (Samsung Note 10+ and Redmi Note 11S) works this way.
I have resorted to carrying the Redmi without a SIM card as a travel router.
Having Android router means connecting to to the hotel wifi is a cinch!
And for travel purposes of a small family (4 people, max 10 devices), it is more than sufficient!

One reason I like a travel router is for signal strength.
It sometimes happens that the rooms we get have marginal wifi strength.
And perhaps only 1 corner of the room have a somewhat decent signal strength.
I put the Redmi at that spot and re-transmit the wifi to the rest of the room!
Saved our bacon during our 2024 Tasmania trip where the wifi was iffy in a couple of resorts.

Moreover, it can accept a travel/local SIM as mobile router!
Did that for our Turkey roadtrip!

So… Before you go and buy a travel router, test your spare phone first!

Comment on I’d Happily Pay for Linux — If It Actually Ran the Software I Need by James Simmons

James Simmons — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:20:46 +0000

In reply to Ali Arslan.

Personally, I use the Libre Office spreadsheet to calculate my taxes, then download PDFs for the tax forms I need, fill them in, print them off, and sign and mail them. This is more work than using Turbo Tax, but it costs nothing and once you have a good spreadsheet put together you can reuse it by making minor modifications each year.

There are people who need commercial software. I’ve got no quarrel with any of them, but I’m not one of them.

I do video editing, desktop publishing, application development, graphics, writing, epub creation, flight simulation, etc. entirely with open source applications.

Comment on The Myth of Linux Optimization Tools, and Why You Really Don’t Need Them At All by Col. Panek

Col. Panek — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:00:54 +0000

All things in moderation. I used bleachbit to clean up my Chromebook running Mint because it was limited in storage. I use MX Linux’s cleanup app on my desktop to get rid of stuff like wifi drivers which I don’t need (it’s wired in), and cache from a week ago.

Comment on Save 75% on a Koofr Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription (1TB) by Arthur

Arthur — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:58:49 +0000

Just Like with all other cloufd storage, what happens if you exceed the 1TB limit?

Comment on Here’s How to Stay Anonymous in the Age of Online Deanonymization LLMs by Pernicious Pete

Pernicious Pete — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:06:20 +0000

Or use Qubes, or Whonix and use Tor on the one being used. Anonymity is a PITA to have on the ‘net nowadays, what with countries like England, Italy, Canada, etc, all taking away a persons anonimty by using the BS of ‘But it’s for the dhildwen!’, meanwhile the government finally gets to probe your system lawfully.