As software gets integrated into everything, the phenomenon of vendor lock-in and the resulting loss of agency and sovereignty pops up in some unexpected places, like the defense industry.

Already in the 1980s some visionaries and crackpots saw that software had the potential to be as much a tool for subjugation, suppression and control as it had the promise to liberate and empower.

The vendor lock-in from Microsoft Windows was legendary and to this day they dominate desktop software, despite completely free and open source alternatives being available since the mid 90s.

John Deere made headlines a few years back due to their tractors no longer being repairable by 3rd parties.

Now software based vendor lock-in has come to defense systems and nation states are learning that they're wholly dependent on the manufacturers and their host nation (e.g. the USA).

The F-35 jet is a prime example. Its software is controlled by Lockheed Martin and the US government. Buyers can’t access or alter the source code, and must rely on the manufacturer for updates or repairs.

For allied states, this means operational independence is limited. Even if jets can technically fly without upgrades, strategic autonomy depends on ongoing access to software, patches, and maintenance handled by teams from the supplier’s country.

Software control in arms can translate into political leverage: suppliers can threaten to cut support over diplomatic disputes.

The result is a reduction in nation state sovereignty and an increased dependence on a foreign power.As software gets integrated into everything, the phenomenon of vendor lock-in and the resulting loss of agency and sovereignty pops up in some unexpected places, like the defense industry.

Already in the 1980s some visionaries and crackpots saw that software had the potential to be as much a tool for subjugation, suppression and control as it had the promise to liberate and empower.

The vendor lock-in from Microsoft Windows was legendary and to this day they dominate desktop software, despite completely free and open source alternatives being available since the mid 90s.

John Deere made headlines a few years back due to their tractors no longer being repairable by 3rd parties.

Now software based vendor lock-in has come to defense systems and nation states are learning that they're wholly dependent on the manufacturers and their host nation (e.g. the USA).

The F-35 jet is a prime example. Its software is controlled by Lockheed Martin and the US government. Buyers can’t access or alter the source code, and must rely on the manufacturer for updates or repairs.

For allied states, this means operational independence is limited. Even if jets can technically fly without upgrades, strategic autonomy depends on ongoing access to software, patches, and maintenance handled by teams from the supplier’s country.

Software control in arms can translate into political leverage: suppliers can threaten to cut support over diplomatic disputes.

The result is a reduction in nation state sovereignty and an increased dependence on a foreign power.

It's the "All in podcast", not sure which episode tho, maybe the most recent one

The legal profession

I've replaced Webpack with RSPack in Converse #XMPP client.

RSPack is a webpack-compatible replacement written in Rust.

Build times have dropped from 20 seconds to around 7 seconds.

https://rspack.rs/

You can try Converse, which I'm working on. There's a Desktop version:

https://github.com/conversejs/converse-desktop/releases/

Here's the main repo:

https://github.com/conversejs/converse.js

Cool! I'm always happy to hear from people who are using it.

One of my favorite things in Converse #XMPP development is seeing the translations coming in. Since we do zero analytics or tracking, I don't have much insight into user adoption. I see translations as somewhat of an indicator.

Recently someone added Mongolian translations and it's currently 15% translated.

Interestingly, Ukrainian and Russian are two of the most active languages, and both have 100% translation coverage.

XMPP/Jabber has a long history of popularity in Russia, and XMPP is a NATO adopted standard for instant messaging communications. Chances are, XMPP is being used on the battlefield. But I tend to believe Converse adoption is civilian, not military.

There's no Farsi (Iranian) translation, and the Hebrew one sits at 52%

I remember hearing that all the way down here in South Africa

Seeing Jordan Peterson becoming a joke and a hack saddens me.

I used to love listening to his early appearances on Rogan, I read two of his books and listened to his Youtube talks. A lot of what he said resonated with me as truth.

I remember some years back, before Covid, he mentioned leaving the limelight, saying that he didn't want to become a parody of himself.

How prescient and ironic.

This is vandalism and makes the world uglier. Not a fan of people defacing public amenities like this water fountain with scribbles, even if it's for a "good cause".

nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzq5xeflpdskqvdq4swxj59793uvdzqzc9pzatjk3nhmcg2h0js8trqqsr5znug65498kdd3eq5qs8w4q0dd65f4vp6gcylzkw6r2t9yxpfdsyxrttn

is-even-ai: Check if a number is even using the power of ✨AI✨.

https://www.npmjs.com/package/is-even-ai

The hacker news comments are pretty funny:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44036438

Friday afternoon Sundowner

I've written a blog post about the Converse 11 release, detailing some of the most exciting features and updates:

https://opkode.com/blog/2025-05-21-converse-11/

HN Discussion:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44052474

#XMPP #Converse

🎉 Exciting news! Converse 11.0.0 is finally here! 🚀

This is a major update which brings many new features and enhancements to make XMPP webchat better and more powerful than ever.

Here are some highlights:

🔒 Private Messages in Group Chats: Finally, you can DM users inside groupchats

🛠️ TypeScript Support: Same great taste, but now with type definitions.

📜 Virtualized Chat History: Say goodbye to performance issues, messages load efficiently as you scroll.

🎨 Bootstrap 5 and new themes: The UI has been updated and improved

🌍 Right-to-Left Language Support: In languages like Arabic, Uyghur and Hebrew the UI will now render from left to right.

📚 PEP Bookmarks: Experience the ultimate luxury of seamless bookmarking, enhancing compatibility with other XMPP clients.

Check the release notes here: https://github.com/conversejs/converse.js/releases/tag/v11.0.0

Try out Converse 11 at https://chat.conversejs.org or download the desktop app from https://github.com/conversejs/converse-desktop/releases/tag/v11.0.0

#Converse #XMPP #WebChat #OpenSource

Getting ready for the livestream of Trump meeting South African president Ramaphosa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLkZv3gzO0

Will be interesting. As a white Afrikaner South African, I can say that there is definitely no white genocide, but that doesn't mean everything is peachy. There are legitimate concerns around race-based legislation and anti-white discrimination.

Nostr is fascinating, I noticed that Bitcoin is near all time highs, logged on to check the chatter around it, and couldn't find a single note on the price.

Is everyone here living on the Bitcoin standard already and have you all transcended beyond thinking about at the fiat price?

Like like the mating displays of large birds, like peacocks

Something very animalistic about it.

nostr:nevent1qqs8um9f5060kgsu6rdr8z46h7pvzv4plzdz633r2lscjyvc5m9p9ncpzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgtczyz98r82zy692jf0kky4uhe4kghmweqh0ue82eyw6ly6lmnx0ru872qcyqqqqqqgqcga5c

Currently South Africa, but I lived in Germany for 10 years and there it was similar with regards to weight.

Many factors involved I'm sure, not trying to diss the US.

I'm 42 and all my female friends around the same age still look great.

Guessing this is an American thing.

I live in the wine region in South Africa, and before that I lived in wine region in the south of Germany.

Organic wine farming/making isn't very big here, so that might be a reason. The wines also have sulphites (which AFAIK happens naturally but they also add sulphites?).

In any case, I enjoy your content and I actually like wine. My comment was literally a day after a terrible wine headache.

I used to prefer red, but now I more and more go with white because of this.

What's your motivation for doing so? Two coffees a day isn't excessive.

I was expecting this kind of response. I live in a wine region, have lived in and visited other wine regions in other countries, know my wines fairly well and don't skimp when I purchase wine.

So no, it's not just because of "cheap" wine.

Half a bottle of red wine gives me a worse headache than drinking a whole bottle of whiskey (with water).

You can just do things

I'm updating the Converse promotional website and adding a link my Nostr account for social media 💪

I'm going to link to my profile page at https://npub.world. Thanks to whoever made that site!

Sending this post to try out Nostr Terminal. I like the retro Matrix design.

https://enterthenostr.com

I had a friend, who on a glorious day like today would joke, "just another shitty in Africa" ☀️

Video I took at Adopting Bitcoin, Cape Town, earlier this year showcasing a Bitcoin lightning ATM that's been https://video.nostr.build/9d702f11857cecb5f36ec593ab92bf16019eefc764b6d01bc4a945f2dd9c366d.mp4 developed. 15c USD was being spent here.