I had browseros do a bunch of data validation for me in my Dolibarr ERP system. It cross checked my new master data against our old ERP, flagging bad links and filling in missing data. I could have done it much quicker overall with the api and some scripting, but it was easy to just write a two line prompt telling it where the data is and how to manage disagreements. Then I just watched it run on a second monitor for a few hours while I worked other projects.
I used a local Ollama model and though it was kind of amazing that it worked. I couldn't turn a typical user lose with something like this yet, but I think I see the vision. I image a lot of automation could happen this way in the future. I put less effort into the prompt than I would have needed to spend teaching someone from the office pool to accomplish the same goal, and got a good enough result.
In practice I have found that I can accomplish the same results in a stricter, more accurate, and faster way just using codex on the command line with some scripting and API access, but that's not going to work for a lot of people and putting it in the browser is pretty convenient... The MCP server that's built in can also become a bit of an API for the entire web if you're careful in how you use it, which opens up possibilities for things that don't have real APIs.
Sadly, I don't think that that's true. I've been shocked by the lack of understanding there in groups of technical people who should know better. It's even worse in groups of non technical people. I'm afraid this is an ongoing battle, and every time ideas like this come up from government it's going to be an effort to inform the public.
You're right that businesses might roll fees into the base price, but that’s the point: transparency. When all costs are upfront, customers can more easily compare prices between competitors. Hidden fees make price comparisons difficult and misleading.
Take airlines, for example—if one shows a $200 ticket and another shows $180 but sneaks in $30 of fees later, the second one appears cheaper. By requiring prices to reflect the full cost upfront, businesses compete on the actual price rather than deceptive practices. This won’t magically lower costs, but it will force clarity and reward companies offering genuine value.
Consumers should have a clear picture of what they’re paying, not a surprise at checkout. Isn’t that just fair competition?
If you view a Chromebook as a Android tablet with a keyboard, then we already know what it's like.
Software wise they've done a good job. It isn't some have hearted effort. For example, they've gone to the trouble of ensuring Debian GUI packages you "apt-get install" appear in the Chrome Launcher. The only downside is the Debian container is very isolated compared to solutions like termux, so tricks like port forwarding over ssh and rsync'ing your photos don't work so well. While the isolation is annoying, I'd take security provided by the app isolation model of ChromeOS / Android over what Linux Desktop's provide as a reasonable tradeoff.
But Linux Desktop apps need substantial hardware - at least 8GB of RAM, a CPU with at least I3/N100 single threaded performance. Developer tasks like vscode and kernel compiles require even more. Commonly available Chromebooks don't have that. The situation for phones is worse.
Maybe one day we will get to the point that I can replace my laptop with a phone that plugs into a Thunderbolt port, but that day is not today.
I run it on Linux everyday with Steam on Proton. It is my go to game on steamdeck and my Fedora desktop.
By default steam wants to download the old old old Linux version that doesn't allow online play, but if you enable proton it will download the Windows version and run fine. I am pretty sure it doesn't have a real anti-cheat included.
Right, many or most don't have credit card terminals. You plug in, load an app, find you station, select a port number, tell it to start and hope it works. It doesn't sound that bad, but the chargers janky, the apps are janky and it takes a long time often with multiple attempts.
It is janky as hell, but it sounds like EV owners are making their lives more difficult in just slightly different ways from how you're making your life more difficult :)
I really can't believe how the idea of giving random companies access to electronics, which is what installing an app means, ever got normalised, even among techies. I guess people also do give out tons of personal details just because some form asks them. It goes against any and all security advice even regular people are now given. I guess it's true: the brosephs ook over...
So having an electric car requires an smartphone, one on which you can install random software, where you want to install random software, and have internet (cause I suppose there's no WiFi at those bornes) and you have a CC (also not true for many).
I don't disagree with your principles; I was definitely on your side of the issue ~25 years ago and I suppose I still am, intellectually. I never changed my mind, it just wasn't important enough to me to put the substantial effort into. (which is, I suppose, what "they" are counting on). More power to you for investing the effort rather than just taking the path of least resistance.
Many things and services now 'require' an app, but I never do and in practice that doesn't seem much of an issue. It's just sad to hear it won't be possible to sidestep if I ever do own (or rent) an electric car, which ofc I fully expect. I already caved by having a phone with Google Play services enabled for a few banking apps. But I figure I can have some trust in them, since they are my bank.
A friend of mine has a card with which he can charge at certain places, but definitely not all (so he has some anxiety over that, in new places you never can be sure it actually works). Is such a card an option at those places that 'require' and app?
And what's even the reason for this? Those unmanned fossil fuel stations debit your card with some largish amount before you can take fuel. Why would things need to be more complex than that when charging electrons?
I'm not advocating for banning M&As, but I think that could be addressed by only allowing acquisitions under specific bankruptcy conditions.
Again, though, I'm not advocating for that position. I'd hate to spend part of my life building a business and not be able to cash out when the time comes for me to retire.
Is it possible for private companies to pay dividends? Let's say you retire and you own a portion of a small but thriving company. Could that company potentially provide you with dividends as a form of income?
Yes, a private company can pay dividends. Or you could loan it the money to buy out your shares and collect interest as it pays back the loan. Or a mixture of the two, with a thousand little variations on terms. I believe I ran into an employee-owned company once that had gone through some version of the loan scenario.
Possible, yes, and frequently used I’m sure, but entangles the retirees financial future with the business’s future — the retiree loses if the new owners make bad decisions, overleverage, and end up defaulting / bankrupting themselves. I don’t think it’s reasonable to force all businesspeople to retain this risk after disposing of the business concern.
Gnome-Web if you're on linux and it is fine. It is a little light on features, but it does the basics. Falkon is another for the QT/KDE crowd. There are several forks of chrome and firefox, if that's your thing.
I'm trying to ungoogle and switched to Vivaldi without enough research. Its a really nice browser and I really like the community around it (like their Mastodon service), but I basically jumped from one corporation's browser to another.
I watched one of the developers YouTube video and he said it should run on consumer hardware. He said it's not going to ever run on something like a raspberry pi, but it should run pretty well on an "average Joe PC "
I used a local Ollama model and though it was kind of amazing that it worked. I couldn't turn a typical user lose with something like this yet, but I think I see the vision. I image a lot of automation could happen this way in the future. I put less effort into the prompt than I would have needed to spend teaching someone from the office pool to accomplish the same goal, and got a good enough result.
In practice I have found that I can accomplish the same results in a stricter, more accurate, and faster way just using codex on the command line with some scripting and API access, but that's not going to work for a lot of people and putting it in the browser is pretty convenient... The MCP server that's built in can also become a bit of an API for the entire web if you're careful in how you use it, which opens up possibilities for things that don't have real APIs.