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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 17th, 2023

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  • I got started with RSS using a TUI program on unix, whose name I forget. But then Google came out with Reader (and Listen for podcasts). When they lost interest and dropped them, I exported my OPML and switched to apps I could find on f-droid. Now I back up my OPML scrupulously and am currently happy with Feeder and Antennapod; Google taught me I didn’t want to depend on someone else’s server for something like this; it’s too important. If ever I find I want some feature that requires a server, I’ll self-host something (Nextcloud?), but I seem to be well enough served by purely local clients.






  • bet@lemm.eetoAndroid@lemdro.idDo you run a Custom ROM?
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    1 year ago

    I run LineageOS on my Nexus 6, to get ongoing security updates. I also keep one other sacrificial phone running stock android with bootloader locked, so no more security updates, but I don’t run anything on it but my banking app, since it’s too insecure.



  • since podcasts are I think just RSS feeds of audio files (mp3 for those I’ve checked) the ads aren’t in any way marked in the stream. The only thing I’ve found is adjusting the skip buttons in antennapod so that skip fwd does 10 seconds, and back does 5; that seems to let me avoid listening to most of the ad; tap fwd until it’s back in material, then back once.

    But I listen to a lot less podcasts; if I want hands- and eyes-free material I’m more likely to use TTS in my (text) RSS feed reader of choice, currently Feeder.


  • I don’t do Windows, but I happily sync directories between my Android phones and my Linux PCs (especially a cloud server I lease) with rsync over ssh within Termux.

    If you can set up an rsync server on Windows that should work. Besides actually implementing robust and efficient sync, rsync is also smart about platform differences.

    For the specific case of Windows to Android, I’ve heard of people scripting up tools to shove all the contents of a directory over adb push.




  • If what you want is the recorded performance of someone reading a book, then yeah, librivox for legal audiobooks, and other commentors have other amswers that are on-topic. But DRM-free ebooks — text things, like epubs — can be read aloud by good ereader apps. I like Moon+ Reader Pro from Google Play, and Cool Reader from f-droid. For me, the emotionless robotic reading of TTS engines is more like a hands- and eyes-free way to enjoy the author’s words as written; I find listening to someone performing an audio reading of the book a different experience.

    Before ebook reader apps learned about TTS I used to take my txt ebooks, feed them through flite (Festival Lite), then convert the resulting audio to ogg vorbis and load them on an iRiver PMP to play during long drives.



  • I’m in a similar situation. My Pixel3 is the only phone I have that can install a banking app, but my Nexus 6 still gets monthly security updates via LineageOS. Since Google wants me to repla e phones every few years, when one of these dies, I’m getting an A14 5G. On a cost per year of running everything including apps that block custom ROMs, Pixels are far too pricey. I think they envy Apple their pricing, but don’t do support.

    And as long as I’ll have to get a phone, I want newer radios.


  • after Google shut down Reader, I took my OPML (list of subscriptions), and switched to a FOSS local RSS reader; import my OPML and carry on. I’ve switched software occasionally; right now I’m happy with Feeder (from f-droid).

    Getting my news is something I care about too much to entrust to someone’s server; I’m happy with it purely local.