Federal Farmer

Articles in the Opinion category

• Stop Writing Open Source Software

  The modern open source software movement is a giant scam.

  Indie devs should stop writing and contributing to open source software projects.

  There, I said it. I even said it on a Debian machine.

  But I typed it on SublimeText, which I paid for, and whose developer can feed himself and his family as a result.

  

  I can already feel the hate

  The alleged "free software" movement is slightly better but still not great. If you visit their website as of June 2024, you'll find that they're actually begging for money right now (lol, lmao even).

  Recently, I've been working …

• APRS vs. LoRa Meshtastic: A Real World Comparison

  A lot of prepper types are interested in emergency communications that don't use the Internet, and with good reason.

  It's totally conceivable that our fragile IP-based infrastructure may go down for an extended period of time, or worse, be inaccessible to certain individuals due to wrongthink.

  

  If either of these contingencies are inconceivable to you, this blog probably isn't your cup of tea, anyways.

  Meshtastic, a mesh network standard operating on LoRa, is a popular choice for "grid down" data comms.

  Meshtastic has a lot going for it: LoRa is an unlicensed band (915MHz in the USA) which gives it …

• Revolt Against the Modern Web

  When it comes to writing web applications, my go-to framework is usually Flask.

  JSfags like Express. PHPbros swear by Laravel. They're both wrong. You should be using Flask.

  

  On a serious note, Flask is an ideal framework if you're just getting started with web app development. Since Flask is a microframework and doesn't come with "batteries included", it forces you to make decisions about its extensibility and architecture on your own.

  Need a database? Pick one - Flask doesn't force MySQL, Postgres, or Mongo on you. Want to manage user accounts? Feel free to use session-based authentication or JWT. Building a …

• The Constitution Sucks

  On this day, 235 years ago, the United States Constitution was signed.

  

  The Constitution sucks. It's arguably the worst thing that ever happened to These United States.

  If you ask a so-called "Constitutionalist" what they like about this deficient document, they'll doubtlessly fire off some empty rhetoric about freedom of speech, religion, or the right to bear arms.

  Fine.

  I like those things, too.

  But they weren't even supposed to be in the Constitution. A group of rowdy rapscallions who didn't want a Federal government to begin with forced the Hamiltonians and ex-Royalists to adopt the Bill of Rights in …

• Back up your Substack

  A lot of deplatformed content creators have been flocking to Substack of late.

  I can see why: It's an easy-to-use blogging platform that allows for simple monetization of your content. It even comes with mailing list functionality. That's a big deal to those on the "fringe" - it's tough for wrongthinkers to make a living on the New Normal Internet.

  Bad boys and girls lose access to their Patreon, after all. The particularly naughty ones might not even be allowed on mailing list software, let alone Twitter or YouTube.

  Substack solves a lot of problems for these people.

  Because while Substack …

• NPCs Are Angry About Student Loan Forgiveness

  People are really angry about student loan forgiveness. I understand why they're angry, but I don't think they do.

  

  Debt-free college degree holders think they're angry because they worked hard to pay off their piece of magic paper while others are getting off scot-free.

  "It's not fair that Karen's degree in Feminist Social Media Marketing Theory is paid for but my degree in Early Childhood Brainwashing took me 10 years of propagandizing the youth to get out from under! I want a refund!" *angry boomer noises*

  The reality is that both degrees are worthless. All college degrees are worthless. The …

• Hello Dystopia

  Obligatory Hello World post. Welcome to my blog!

  I'm a software developer and yeoman homesteader who's come to understand that there are no political solutions to the technocratic dystopia now facing the Western world. This website is an anthology of how I'm dealing with that reality, and moreover, how I feel these two particular skillsets (homesteading and software development) are uniquely poised to navigate our current societal, spiritual, and monetary predicaments.

  Of course, they're not the only two skillsets capable of altering the trajectory of mankind's rapid descent into despotism. But they're the ones I'm most familiar with, so that's …