The "Post-PC" era (smartphones)

[Basilisk-Dev]

Off-topic:

Someone on another forum said something along the lines better to keep old machines running for as long as possible. Mine has no SecureBoot, no UEFI, no Intel Management Engine, no AMD Platform Security Processor, no TPM.

If those are things you care about, then sure go for it. That's why LibreBoot only supported really old hardware for a long time. There is other hardware without this type of spyware such as the Raptor Talos workstation but it's absurdly expensive and the company's customer service is terrible.

My strategy was to switch from western hardware with western backdoors to Chinese hardware with Chinese backdoors

[frostknight]

If those are things you care about, then sure go for it. That's why LibreBoot only supported really old hardware for a long time. There is other hardware without this type of spyware such as the Raptor Talos workstation but it's absurdly expensive and the company's customer service is terrible.

My strategy was to switch from western hardware with western backdoors to Chinese hardware with Chinese backdoors

My strategy has many layers:
libreboot + intel me disabled device (in my case T480/T480s)
ath9k wifi card so no *SOFTWARE* blobs needed
deblobbed linux
firejailing web applications
and on my web browser having a bunch of good security addons on such as ublock origin libre or ematrix.

[andyprough]

Someone on another forum said something along the lines better to keep old machines running for as long as possible. Mine has no SecureBoot, no UEFI, no Intel Management Engine, no AMD Platform Security Processor, no TPM.

Well, since hardware is basically unaffordable at this point, if you can even get your hands on it at all, we are probably most of us looking at a longer hardware refresh cycle now. So yeah, better find a way to keep the old stuff running.

[UCyborg]

I know for me at least, it's done for if motherboard or CPU goes. Though TBH, I'm not as paranoid as some people around these parts.

I also read that latest GPUs tend to require UEFI to work at all. So PCI Express backward compatibility doesn't help.

[UCyborg]

Also the petrol station app suddenly wanted my phone number last time I went to petrol station (so mail was enough for all those years, not anymore). And when I entered it, the circle just spun and didn't go anywhere. So couldn't initiate payment through the app.

I realized they already have my number from before when they wanted certain personal data along to go along with adding payment card. I snooped at their logs and it's even written there.

Yesterday I snapped QR code of fuel dispenser and got the same error as before. The only thing that's changed, my number wasn't there before on the account's data, which I added manually over a week ago. They must have it at two places...

Then later at home, I played with the app a bit, and if I choose to enter the number of fuel dispenser rather than snapping its QR code, then the usual dialog to confirm the location and payment card opens and when I try to proceed, I get the confirmation prompt to confirm payment with fingerprint.

I didn't go all the way for obvious reasons, but that dialog with phone number apparently only opens after snapping QR code.

Don't know if I should write them or will they figure it out. The last issue that cropped up with app update that pulls dependency on external web browser was fixed with another update.

[Mæstro]

An often neglected demerit of smartphones is their sanitary hazard. Lots of people bring their smartphones into the lavatory. Bacteria deposited there while toileting are happy to resume their places after washing hands if one handles one’s mobile afterwards. The same holds if one takes out one’s mobile aboard public transport, washes one’s hands on coming home and then scrolls mindlessly on the couch. Wiping down electronics to clean them properly is an involved, careful process. I highly doubt anybody bothers to do that with the object he handles most often.

[Basilisk-Dev]

I also read that latest GPUs tend to require UEFI to work at all. So PCI Express backward compatibility doesn't help.

Off-topic:
I don't know about the newest 2026 GPUs, but I have used an RTX 2080 which is fairly recent on a system without UEFI and it worked.

[Moonchild]

Wiping down electronics to clean them properly is an involved, careful process. I highly doubt anybody bothers to do that with the object he handles most often.

Let me just say that this is easy if you keep a stock of glasses wipes handy. They are made for the kind of materials phones are constructed off (so perfectly safe), and the alcohol they are soaked with will perform the antiseptic task.

[UCyborg]

My old smartphone tended to accumulate some dirt behind cover, that may have been happening a bit more after I broke it and used tape to hold it in place. Ports can get gunked up, although some other seem to have bigger problem with that than I have.

Computer mouse and keyboard, these still hold a record for me in dirt accumulation. Couple of months ago, coworker replaced a switch in my mouse that's gone bad. The amount of dirt inside was shocking to say at least.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEg6CL-s6SA&t=137s

Off-topic:
GPUs with UEFI requirement, it could be more recent phenomenon.

[ownedbywuigi]

Shouldn’t this be split into another topic? Seems like it got WAAAY out of hand lol

[Moonchild]

Shouldn’t this be split into another topic? Seems like it got WAAAY out of hand lol

I don't see why? Mobile hygiene is a part of the post-PC era, after all

[Mæstro]

It is happy to hear others have solved the problem of how to clean something which is not waterproof quickly. Maybe I just see only dirty examples in my daily life.