Published on: by Neil Brown
Computing can be so noisy these days
No, I don’t want to sign up to your newsletter.
No, I don’t want to create an account to read your site. (Well, I will for paid subscriptions, I guess.)
No, I’m not going to create an account on your system to use my computer, or configure a router. I have a local account on the machine, and that’s just fine.
No, I don’t want your app. You have a website. And yes, if you pretend that I can only do something via your app because I’m on a mobile browser, of course I’ll switch to desktop mode.
No, I’m not installing your “app” to configure this hardware. It is a sodding kettle. I’ll press the button when I want hot water.
No, your tracking will not make my experience better. What would make my “experience” better is if you had not interrupted my “experience” in the first place with your weasel-y worded, bad faith compliance, annoyance of an overlay which probably does nothing anyway.
No, I am not going to “consent or pay”.
No, I don’t want to hear from your sponsor.
No, I don’t want to use your Discord “server”. That’s not documentation.
No, I don’t want to see “promoted” content. Just show me stuff in chronological order.
No, that’s not a “newsletter”, that’s marketing.
No, I don’t want your newsletter anyway.
No, I don’t want adverts. (Although, personally, I can absolutely live with FOSS developers including occasional prompts for support. So I’ve got double standards. Oh well.)
No, I am not going to disable my ad blocker.
No, I am not going to verify my identity or age.
No, I don’t want your chatbot. If I can’t find what I want on your website, you’ve screwed up.
No, I don’t care what “Dave (48), Alabama” had to say about this. (Thanks, “Shut Up” comments blocker extension!)
No, I am not giving you free labour to determine if that blurry image contains a car.
No, I don’t want the upsell.
No, I don’t want your survey.
No, I don’t want a reminder that there’s something left in a basket. I know. I put it there.
No, I don’t want to rate your product, let alone your choice of courier. You took my money, now sod off and leave me alone.
Computing can be so noisy these days, but it need not be so.
If you make Free software which I can install via apt or F-Droid and just use, thank you.
If you make a full-text RSS feed available for your site, thank you.
If you make your site a pleasure to read in a text-only browser, thank you.