I have a reasonably large multiboard deployment that looks really good. I’ve been working on it for about 3 months now, printing tiles, then snaps, then bolts, then accessories. I’ve designed and remixed many of them, and posted publicly to help others. But today, trying to figure out how to redo my filament organization with broomsticks and multiboard triangular tiles and brackets, i got really frustrated once i realized i had to print 45 individual parts to make three brackets. This is, in part, me venting, and in part a review of someone who’s commited to seeing the entire home-office/maker space be transformed, and has been truly using Multiboard for a reasonable amount of time now.
I've spent 15kg of filament so far. I'm not too worried about that - i'd never get a pegboard/skadis for less than that anyways. What i am worried about is the time spent. If this were a normal project, you'd basically do it in a day, maybe. But not this.
I hope these items get addressed and/or mitigated. I am (we all are) an early adopter of the system, and I still love MB and want the system to thrive, but as of right now, it's more of the Ikea effect - you love it because you helped build it. But other systems have clarity where this one doesn't, so here's my list of pet peeves/grievances/frustrations:

1. Documentation isn’t atrocious - it’s non-existent.
   1. You go to a Parts library that doesn’t explain the parts, has no measurements, and doesn’t explain usage.
   2. There’s no “ use-case” based documentation, so you see pictures of people hanging their filaments but nobody explains what parts you’ll need and how to assemble.
   3. Some parts are simply “there”, with no explanation… what’s a rail for? Who knows.
   4. Website says parts are “updated”, but some were updated last week, others 4 months ago. Who knows what “version” of a part you have.
   5. Website -> thangs navigation is horrible. I can see why Thangs considers Multiboard a massive keyword… you click 400 affiliate links every time you design a project.
2. The system is very complex.
   1. There’s dozens of variations of each part. At first you think the system is super flexible. THen you realize it’s the opposite. Parts aren’t flexible; they’re specialized. You need the right one for each thing.
   2. There’s no decision if it’s a bin system or if it’s a mount system. Are they both? Are they neither?
   3. The system isn’t fully baked - parts get updated and redesigned. Sometimes it’s backward compatible.
   4. There’s no slowing down - it will get MORE complex, not less. The designers are proud that MORE parts are being designed and released… and since there are so many, there isn’t time to fix documentation or focus on use-cases.
   5. The same system shouldn't need 4 thread types with dozens of variations of each bolt for each thread. You won’t end up using them, and you’ll be frustrated a lot.
3. I won’t go too much into the financial model - I’m in agreement that a subscription model is silly, but the world has gone to that. I’m currently paying, but honestly, i got nothing from the payment other than knowing I supported the developer. There’s no part i use that i couldn’t use without paying, except the stacks, but even those can be generated freely now.
4. It takes too long to get something done.
   1. I agree with whoever mentioned that the first couple of months you’re lost. You will only know more about what you need after trying a lot. Trying is slow, because...
   2. Parts are sophisticated and therefore print slowly. A 9x9 tile takes 4hrs to print on my X1C, and I used 40 of them.
   3. Also add in the ones you’ll print incorrectly - even the tiles have variations of core, side, corner, sizes, stacks. You will waste time and filament.
   4. After the tiles, the snaps, the other side of the snaps. Then, after hundreds of hours, you’ll be able to actually use it for something. (I thought of doing a little bit, hanging some stuff, doing a little bit more, hanging more stuff - but if you’re still trying to find hte right accessories it’s more efficient to just let the printer run through the stacks while you try to figure out the rest).
5. This isn’t Gridfinity.
   1. My approach to Gridfinity was that I’d start printing bins, and if I ended up needing a different one I’d just print a new one and repurpose the old one.
   2. This won’t happen - since parts are specific, that incorrect bracket is trash.
   3. You’ll end up having bags or bins of bolts of different sizes, threads, lengths, head types, and variations. Dozens and dozens of types.
6. Would it do it again? Maybe.
   1. If I were to do it again now that I know what I’m getting into, experience would help me design my full system before starting to print anything.
   2. If i had to learn all over, i would not. The learning curve, the hours spent, the mistakes, the 15kg of Filament… not worth my time and money.

The more i use this the more i think Pegboards are good enough for 99.5% of everything i do/have. The Skadis it replaced was just fine, and i don’t think i gained anything from doing it, except the cool factor of me having printed the whole thing myself.
Am I wrong? Should i be takign a different approach? Do i have incorrect expectations of the system? Please - i'd love to hear more and adjust both expectations and/or my usage of the system.

Link for all the chapters available here: Engines of Arachnea on Royal Road
“That’s strange,” Exar said a minute later, “I’m not picking up any of the satellite constellations. If it was just one of them knocked out, I’d put it down to a scheduled maintenance. But all of em? Fishy, that’s what it is.”
“I don’t understand,” Rene’s spirits plummeted at the news. He should have known it wouldn’t be so easy.
“Me neither, chief. But take it easy!” Exar assured him, “There’s an easy fix for that. Just hike me up someplace with better reception. Any place where we can get above all these damn trees is good.”
“I’m afraid that’s not exactly an option, noble Exar.”
Rene briefly summarized the situation, filling in the details whenever Exar interrupted him with a question, which was not often.
“Got it,” Exar said after listening attentively, “In short, you’ve got a tribe of devolved humanoids on your tail, also infected by the same parasitoids as our young miss over here. Comms are down, and our closest exfil point is at least thirty-nine klicks due southeast, where our friends, ‘the Fleet’, will be waiting for you.”
“How did you measure the distance so precisely?” Rene asked.
“The T.O.R.U. you were piloting is currently in power cycling mode, but it’s still sending out its mayday message for the repair crews. Judging by the fact that it ejected us via safety pod, the unit must’ve suffered potentially catastrophic damage to its subsystems. Not to worry, though. My inbuilt Geiger counter just gave the all-clear, so there was no meltdown in the reactor core.”
“The most pressing issue is that you have less than 72 hours’ worth of fungicidal doses left, and nothing with which to defend yourself but the monomachete from your kit. In addition, this young lady—”
“Zildiz,” Rene supplied him.
“My bad—Zildiz. I like it, very exotic. Zildiz belongs to a culture which behaves aggressively towards Exodus Industries development projects here on the ground. That everything?” Exar briskly concluded.
Rene nodded. Exar then immediately began outlining a plan of action. Their first priority was to gain altitude and establish communication with ‘Exodus Industries’, an entity which Rene assumed was the ancestor-gods’ equivalent to Fleet Command.
Exar would then signal for help using the spinning bowl (which it referred to as an ‘allcomm antenna’) and an interstellar shuttle would be sent to transport them to the one of the moons.
The moons! Rene was giddy at the prospect of becoming the first man to have returned to mankind’s celestial origin. He tried not to get his hopes too high, however, knowing life’s avowed fondness for ruining every dream a man ever had.
Failing that, Exar would use the high vantage point to triangulate their position using nearby geographic landmarks. Once they had their bearings, it would be a simple matter of hiking over to the nearest hardened base and knocking on the airlock doors.
“I must say, you’re taking all this bad news remarkably in stride, wise Exar,” he told the beeping sphere.
“Oh, puh-leeze! This ain’t my first rodeo, pardner. We E.X.A.R. units have dealt with far worse in our time.”
“Really? Worse than Arachnea?”
“Oh, is that what the kids are calling this place these days? Sure is catchier than 65 Syngman Bb, lemme tell ya. But yeah, this here is nuthin.”
Exar chuckled, a child amused by the backwardness of his senile grandparents.
“Alien plague strains from the thawed-out heart of an asteroid. Cosmophage armadas unleashed by rogue A.I. Not to mention all those privateer raids on the fringes of Pact space. We’ve dealt with them all, helped people survive through the worst the galaxy can throw at them. And with 95% success rate, too, if I may add,” Exar said somewhat immodestly, “Anywho, that’s enough of me jawing. Let’s go mobile, chief.”
“What, right now?”
“The mist’s our best shot, bo-sing. Natural concealment. No telling how long it’ll last.”
Before they left, Rene had Exar explain the functions of all the tools in the kit. The sphere confirmed what Rene had suspected: the slate fed on the radiance of the suns. Exar called it a ‘solar cell panel’. In turn, the pronged cords attached to the solar cell could transfer energy to artefact he wanted to use.
He connected the panel to the mysterious gauntlet with the underslung pipe, which Exar informed him was a ‘laser designator’, a tool meant for guiding in airdropped supplies or flying machines.
“It also doubles as a heat source. Just up the wattage on that sucker with the slide wheel on the edge of the hand. See it?”
Rene put on the gauntlet and activated it by means of a green switch under the thumb. A tight needle of red light shone from the tube, and Rene understood that it was basically like the electrochemical torches that miners used. When he adjusted the slide wheel the needle of light narrowed and grew brighter. Where it touched the granite walls of the burrow there, sour-smelling wisps of smoke rose.
Hot enough to scorch stone? He would have to be careful where he pointed this.
“Go easy on it, though,” Exar advised him, “That kinda power output will drain the juice in a jiffy.”
“The juice?” Rene repeated stupidly.
Exar made it clear to him that the artefacts could store ‘the juice’ from the panel. Moreover, the panel could be mounted on the front or the back of the jumpsuit by means of the same backpack rigging that held the breathing apparatus, allowing the user to collect the juice and charge up to two devices (Exar included) even while on the move. Even the bulky survival kit could be could be fastened to his loadout with a set of clasps at the bottom of the pack which Rene hadn’t noticed.
“As for me, I can hitch a ride on your backpack as well,” Exar told him brightly. And indeed, there was a spherical indentation above the breathing apparatus where Exar could fasten himself in with his stubby spike legs.
Rene whistled appreciatively at the compact nature of the jumpsuit’s design; the entire survival kit was so cleverly put together, a testament to the ancestor-gods’ practical mindset.
He secured his gear, choosing to split the juices between Exar and the gauntlet, and got ready to leave. Rene crouched at the hatch of the burrow like a man in a trench waiting for the shrill whistle that would propel him up and over into the desolate no-man’s land.
Then he noticed Zildiz still huddled in place, not even daring to look at him or the talking sphere. Rene had originally been grateful that Exar’s appearance had shut her up, but this state of catatonic shock of hers worried him.
“Coming?” he asked her.
“I’m not going anywhere with that…that thing!” she stated categorically.
“Was it something I said?” Exar sounded hurt.
“The simulacrum said it would cut me out of my exomorph. That would kill me, Fleet-man.”
“Madame, I got no intention of hurting you!” Exar protested, “But the fact is, you’re sick. The parasite’s attached to so many of the organs in your body, that I fear that it’s totally coopted their functions. Our people have the technology to reverse all that.”
“I will not heed the promises of a slaved intelligence!” she snapped.
Their argument was interrupted by a chorus of hair-raising screams from the jungle beyond. Even in those guttural, inhuman voices there was no mistaking the notes of grief and rage.
“They’ve found Kryptus,” Rene surmised, “Just like you said they would.”
“I take it the natives are restless,” Exar tittered nervously, “Tailo, methinks we gotta go.”
Rene saw Zildiz hesitate, weighing the balance of her fears and forming an internal consensus. He made a move to tip the scales in his favor, and spoke to her from the heart:
“Zildiz. I swear to you that as long as it is within my power to protect you, I will not allow you to come to harm. You are a prisoner of penultimate importance to the Fleet. I’d sooner die than fail in my mission to get you back to civilization. If you doubt my intentions, consider the fact that nobody in their right minds would’ve tried so hard to keep you alive, not unless they have very good reasons to do so.”
“I am not like the Leapers or your people, the Gallivants. I am a soldier of the Fleet, and my priority is the continuation of my species—our species,” he added firmly, “Now, I can’t begin to imagine what horrors and depravities your kind have suffered these past few centuries, or what the Vitalus has taught you to believe. But in my mind, we are all one people under the same god. If that god is the Vitalus, then it is clear that he hates us. Why else would he, in all his supposed omnipotence, condemn us to live in this unending state of warfare and ignorance? Why does he forbid the full use of the human intellect, the sole source of our comfort and security in an uncaring universe? Why must he despise us so?”
“I don’t know the answers to those questions. But I do know this: I do not hate you, Zildiz of the Gallivants. In fact, I would very much like to help you. Will you let me do that?”
Rene stood up and lifted the hatch, turning to offer her a hand.
“Besides! If you come with me, we can go ask the gods in person.”
This is certainly new, Zildiz thought, unsure of what to make of Rene’s offer. His suggestion of a pan-kindred alliance bound together by their shared ancestry was ridiculous, of course. She knew enough of the mathematical models and the general principles of nature to know that such an undertaking was doomed by definition. And yet here was an opportunity unlike any other.
Rene meant to take her to one of the last remaining holdfasts of the Betrayers. Who would have thought that those ancient demons were still clinging on to life, lurking in some nameless abyss, waiting for their chance to wreak one final act of vengeance upon an unsuspecting Arachnea.
And here she was, uniquely placed to destroy them all in one fell stroke. Once she was nestled in that abode of evil, a single transmission from her magnetosynaptic organ to the Vitalus was all it would take to bring Its righteous fury down upon them.
The rewards would be immense. At the very least they would make her a Matriarch. Her gilt helix would live on forever in the generations to come, her legacy enshrined in the undying architecture of the genome. Her children would never go hungry or cold for the rest of their lives. She and her brood could have their pick of exomorph grafts.
Infrared eyes for night stalking, hypo thorax stabilizer tendons for prolonged flight, extra waste ducts, subdermal heat signature regulators, biochemical afterburners to add thrust, not to mention a whole slew of offensive weaponry—nothing would be off the table!
All she had to do was take Rene’s hand.
She did. The Fleet-man lifted her up out of the burrow, trying not to look too surprised at her acceptance.
A very naïve race, she decided. He caught her calculating gaze and must have mistaken it for the beginnings of friendship, for he said:
“Glad to have you aboard, Zildiz. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”
Link for all the chapters available here: Engines of Arachnea on Royal Road

What does it take to get a great game to become a success in 2024? We have had a look into the latest charts, analytics and surveys to extract some insights to help decipher how to turn a game into a hit.

Finding your players: who’s in your squad?

The gaming population keeps increasing year by year¹, comprising people from all ages and regions, but how are most players discovering new games? Well, the answer is multifaceted, but luckily we found a survey, published this month, May 2024², to inform us — and yes, this one included non-binary people, a segment of the population you don’t want to ignore in your research! At the top spot, we find YouTube; the most popular and trusted platform to discover games, followed by TikTok. Both are known for their short and long-form video content, as we predicted would be more relevant than ever this year.
But don’t underestimate the power of traditional methods either, as word-of-mouth recommendations, online ads, TV, and in-store and online promotions still play a huge part in the discoverability of games, specifically by helping generate trustworthiness, a key feature of successful marketing. Meanwhile, community hubs like Twitch, Reddit and Discord also have a very crucial role in product sustainability and longevity, as another recent survey³ indicated by stating that approximately 67% of gamers think video games help to build communities and many have established new friendships and even relationships through gaming. Could your game do that too? If you’re new to Reddit or Discord, take a look at our article here for some tips on getting started.
That being said, there’s no need to pick just one platform, as statistics show that people actually use 4 to 5 sources to discover new games. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach. Today's gamers are a diverse bunch, and understanding their habits is crucial. The key takeaway? A successful marketing strategy should use a multi-platform approach, carefully tailored to your audience.

Internationalisation done well: customising your build

So, we've looked at who your audience is, now it's the turn of localisation. Counting on experts to help you enter a new market and establish trust through a different cultural lens is a strategy that today's top games follow.
Looking at the global charts for 2023⁴ and at the top-selling games from April in the EU⁵, it becomes apparent that localisation is a common thread. Let’s look more specifically at France: almost every single one of the top 20 best-selling console games of 2023⁶ has been localised to French, as well as a number of other languages, including Arabic, as is the case with Assassin's Creed Mirage. This particular title makes a very interesting case study of localisation and culturalisation becoming powerful marketing tools themselves, as well as being key to the game’s experience.
Assassin's Creed Mirage was released with an Arabic dub that wasn't just for show. Praised for its authenticity, the accurate localisation, realistic voice acting and cultural details transported players directly into the bustling streets of 9th-century Baghdad. The localisation team meticulously recreated the cultural atmosphere. From the way the characters addressed each other to the background conversations, everything felt authentic. This commitment to culturalisation not only resonated deeply with Arabic-speaking gamers, but also garnered respect from players worldwide, earning positive reviews and strong engagement for Mirage (as seen in this TikTok example). Consequently, the dedication to localisation and culturalisation not only enhanced the game but also acted as a powerful marketing tool in itself to promote sales.
Talking about TikTok, recent studies also reveal that the most popular games on the platform have been localised into several languages⁷. As a social media platform that prides itself on its international communities, it’s only to be expected this would be the case. In fact, they recently announced that bilingual ads in Spanish and English are even more effective in promoting content on their platform in the US than English-only ads! And, on top of that, they increased consumers’ perception of brands’ trustworthiness⁸.
So what can we learn from looking at a recent unexpected rising star? And yes, we are talking about Helldivers 2! With very little pre-launch marketing, the game quickly became a massive hit throughout Europe⁹ and other regions¹⁰, and it seems to be managing to keep its popularity thanks to its very well-crafted and unique tone of voice. The game's distinct communication style, a blend of dark humour and military jargon, is a key part of its charm. From the hilariously over-the-top mission briefings to the satire-packed and irony-tinted community announcements, their propaganda-inspired marketing, perfectly localised into several languages, keeps players engaged globally.

The final boss: putting it all together

By understanding which platforms your audiences use, their motivations and demographics, and by prioritising localisation to enter different markets, you can significantly increase a game's chances of becoming a global phenomenon. Remember, sometimes it’s the little things, like changing the way you approach new markets, that make a big difference. If you need a partner to help you on your journey, get in touch with us here and our team at Tiny Lagoon will be thrilled to join you.
Sources:
¹ https://indd.adobe.com/view/8892459e-f0f4-4cfd-bf47-f5da5728a5b5?allowFullscreen=true
² https://www.biggamesmachine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BGM-Game-discovery-survey-2024.pdf
³ https://www.aevi.org.es/web/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/POP_Version_09-10-spread.pdf
⁴ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/gamesindustrybiz-presents-the-year-in-number-2023
⁵ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/fallout-4-jumps-to-no1-across-europe-following-tv-show-launch
⁶ https://www.sell.fsites/default/files/essentiel-jeu-video/ejv_mars_2024_3.pdf
⁷ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/gamesindustrybiz-presents-the-year-in-number-2023
⁸ https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/blog/bilingual-ads-spanish-hispanic-audience
⁹ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/european-game-sales-strong-in-february-thanks-to-helldivers-2-european-monthly-charts
¹⁰ https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/helldivers-2-is-estimated-to-have-sold-8-million-copies-so-far-

So.. i've been with my boyfriend for little over 2 years. It is the first time im in a long term relationship..For the most part, I've enjoyed it a lot. It was really magical at times. But there were breaches of loyalty and respect from my boyfriend constantly the first year. Not exactly cheating physically (from what i can prove), but a lot of emotional cheating. Although I do have evidence of him possibly cheating physically as well, but what do I know. It affected me so badly. It still affects me horribly. At the time, I ignored a lot of it (idiot), because I just didnt want it to end. Eventually I confessed to him about how its hurting me, all of it, we talked through it, cried through it, threw stuff over it, and he seemed to understand, apologize and adjust his behavior. But I've always wondered why someone who looks to be an absolute angel, madly in love with me, would do it at the first place (most naive sentence you've read, maybe ever huh)
Well this brought up horrendous trust issues in me, no matter how much we've discussed these problems. It just didnt bring enough clarity, and left me confused, and feeling pathetic. So I decided to start a conquest, with a goal to understand who am I really in a relationship with. I had suspicions (it was ungodly clear) that my boyfriend's friend group are the biggest, most pathetic manchild, self-reflection lacking assholes. They've made a few mildly misogynistic remarks in front of me, but I, as always, brushed it off. But its that type of people you just feel would say the most heinous stuff if you weren't there.
They have this whatsapp groupchat, with 3 more friends. This groupchat, I knew for a long while, would break my heart if I ever peaked into it. So I internally concluded looking into it is way past the line 2 years ago. But I, unfortunately, given the circumstances, broke my own promise (which I am ashamed about, although I personally wouldn't care, I truly think going through someone's stuff is shitty). And what I saw was beyond repulsive, as expected. Talking about women as nothing but sexual objects - suggesting my boyfriend shouldnt fuck european bitches, but find a latina that would squat on his face, he would finally experience a real woman, he would cook for her all day every day if he had a chick like that (my bf is known for being a good cook), i beat that pussy up this and that, cityboy shiiiii, i hate when chicks dont know we in an open relationship (talking about their long term girlfriends which are all sweet girls), my boyfriend suggesting he wants a "big tiddy goth chick" (which is like, the opposite of what I am), talking about their exes and my boyfriends exes like they are absolute dirt, my boyfriend saying that "denying him fucking models would be culturally insensitive since he is French", and that "post nut clarity makes him want to be a monk" (which broke my heart the most, as our sex frequency did lessen, especially from his side. I asked him about it, was upset about it, he told me he just feels like shit cause he gained weight, because of work, whatever whatever, and of course told me im not initiating as well, but who wants to initiate on someone who doesnt show any sexual desire) (edit: I must note that most of these guys are in their early 30s, not 16)
Well yesterday, I told him that I did this, what I saw, I packed my things and left to my parents house to be alone for a couple of days, and to decide what to do next. He barely told me anything, he told me he's not in the mood for this, that he cannot believe im leaving for some banter with the boys, that he is disappointed i treat his stuff like its a public library, but that he still loves me. yuck...
Barely texted me since I left, only that he is sorry that it had to come to this, that there was a better way to deal with this, and that he hopes we will talk soon, and that he loves me.
So... I understand this is perhaps a take it or leave it situation. How can I ever come to terms this is how my boyfriend talks about me? A lot of people told me to break up and run, but its way more nuanced than that, and also I believe in commitment with its dark and ugly sides, and believe in trying everything in my power to make it work before leaving. What can I do here

I am hoping that as a Palestinian myself, this is a space where I can be real, as the world has repeatedly denied for people like me to do just so we can make the Israelis comfortable. It would be absurd to deny a Jew a right to feel anger and hatred towards the Nazis, no?
Say what you want about how I feel about this. I don’t think I am alone in feeling this way about them. I’d even go as far as to say that I think anyone who feels this way is actually normal and in touch with reality. Not everybody deserves empathy and sympathy. I don’t think it’s evil to think this way. I think such things need to be earned, not given. The Israelis have done nothing to deserve them. Their country has done nothing to deserve them.
Giving empathy and sympathy to those who simply don’t deserve them is not cute or healthy. It doesn’t make us elevated individuals or whatever delusional nonsense they want us to believe. It makes us permissive and soft on stances we should be firm on. It makes us blur the lines on where we should stand. In this case where Palestine has been going through a gradual ethnic cleansing and genocide since the 1940s that is as clear as day, we don’t get to pussyfoot and act so confused. Either we are against the premeditated rape, murder, land theft, colonialism and imperialism, or we’re totally fine with it.
That being said, it is clear where I stand. I hate Israel and its people, not because they’re Jewish but because they have shown themselves to be a fundamentally rotten and evil society. I understand that it’s “not all Israelis” who condone this. I also understand that those who do condone and encourage what’s happening to the Palestinians are not a fringe minority, but a mainstream majority.
Many of them believe that they’re “God’s chosen people” and that they are entitled to commit the most atrocious evils in the most narcissistic, entitled, audacious fashion. Many of them believe that the destruction in Gaza is not enough. The average Israeli “civilian” acts like a psycho in the West Bank with the backing of the IOF. Most notable of all, they invaded Rafah right after Holocaust Memorial Day, of which the purpose of such day is to proclaim “Never Again” just to commit “Again” the day after. They even got their children joining in the destruction of humanitarian aid and spewing out some of the most atrocious rhetoric at hate mobs.
The Israelis not only invoke hatred within me, but also a deep, bottomless, inconsolable disappointment. Everything about them induces a visceral reaction of disgust whenever I see them and their wretched flag. It is honestly insane to me that a population can be so overwhelmingly vile and that we share a planet with them. I begin to understand why many Jews nowadays denounce and divorce themselves from Israel and its people, because it truly is a terrible time to even be remotely associated with such an embarrassment.
These “Israelis” shouldn’t have been granted a country. We shouldn’t have been forced to live side-by-side with them after what they have shown themselves to be, nor should the Jewish people all across the world feel obligated to pledge allegiance to such toxic waste.
Their country is nothing but an extension of western colonialism and imperialism that thrives off of the rape, murder, and theft of innocent Palestinians. It’s an aggressive, malignant cancer plaguing the Middle East that needs to be taken out for the sake of humanity and all that is good. We have no reason to be fine with them living with us if this is what their existence requires. They never were intent on living peacefully and it was understood since day one that to establish such country required terrorism. It was understood that their country’s founding must be done at our expense.
Those people had the nerve and audacity to come into Palestine as refugees post-Holocaust, pleading to not have their hopes destroyed. Now they claim so proudly that they’ve turned a barren desert into a thriving country, and that either we were primitive sand-dwellers who made no use of the land or we simply didn’t exist as a people. They say they beautified our land when anyone with a functioning pair of eyes can see that they’ve turned it into a dystopian nightmare with all these bleak walls, checkpoints, and settlements, inhabited by some of the ugliest people with the ugliest hearts.
They have the nerve to paint themselves as permanent victims and make it look like their ugliest crimes are simply trauma responses to the Holocaust, like the Holocaust somehow justifies what they’re doing. I’m so sick and tired of hearing about the Holocaust and the awful mental gymnastics it takes to justify the unjustifiable. I honestly just don’t want to hear about it anymore because they’ve made it a horrendously boring excuse rather than a historical reminder to bear.
I’m also sick and tired of the painfully obvious enablement of their psychotic behaviours, especially by the Western world. We’re told the encampments on university campuses make Jewish people uncomfortable, despite the fact that there are many Jews at the forefront of protests nowadays. If they are so uncomfortable by such sights on university campuses, they can look the other way like they do with genocide committed in their name.
I feel no sorrow for the Israeli people. I am honestly apathetic to the suffering they endured on October 7. Many of us saw this coming because we knew they had it coming. The international community has failed spectacularly in bringing about justice and Israel has received nothing more than a slap on the wrist when they deserve far worse for their unapologetically blatant barbarism. It is precisely the same international community that allowed for this cursed partition plan to even become a reality, which created this breeding ground for Jewish Zionist European depravity.
I don’t feel sorry for a people who didn’t care when Gaza was being bombed, when humanitarian aid is proudly being blocked and destroyed, when the West Bank is being brutally occupied by their own people with the backing of their own government. They did not care when they planned the creation of their wretched ethno-state. They did not care about the suffering they would inflict and the lives they would ruin.
It brings me joy to see them in such a terrible position nowadays. Internally, they are scrambling and fighting amongst themselves. Externally, the world is waking up and seeing the Israelis for what they really are. They see Zionism for what it really is. They do not deserve to live comfortably with us or with themselves knowing the evils they support and refuse to condemn.
Now that they’re all crying and throwing a tantrum about the rise of “anti-Semitism”, the lives they lost on October 7, the Iranian attack on Israel, they expect our tears? What do they want us to do? Do they want us to condemn the attack and coddle them like they didn’t just engineer the most inhumane conditions against us? Do they want us to feel bad for them? Do they want us to weep for their loved ones, who likely were soldiers who took part in house raids, harassments at checkpoints, kidnappings, bombings, and rapes?
The Israelis are delusional to believe they deserve any drop of sympathy. The only thing they deserve is to be hated, shunned, and shamed, for nothing they have done allows for them to be loved and embraced. May the consequences of their actions finally catch up to them and eat them alive.
I hope that the next time we claim “Never Again” that we honour it, like they have obviously failed to do so.

This post felt rambly but they're just some cool ideas, I didn't care for its' structure
Underwhelming Major Cooldowns
A few long cooldown spells still feel very underwhelming to press. Trueshot, Beastial Wrath, Berserk, Icy Veins, Recklessness, Avatar and the likes. Comparatively, think of Havoc DH Metamorphosis and how much it does by pressing one button. It's a really long leap with customized distance and landing spot, a very strong stun, an incredible animation, visual character transformation, modifies your abilities AND provides rotational changes. And I felt that the hero talent trees would be a great way to fix this issue, or at least try to fix that.
For example: Icy veins would now have a long cast, and would throw three Glacial Spikes at 50% (or 75% or some other percentage, insert a fair % here) effectiveness on use as a baseline. With the Frostfire hero talent tree, Icy Veins would now throw 3 pyroblasts at X% effectiveness on top of that. Fun, strong, useful, more dynamic, balanced and extremely appealing visually.
A similar approach could be taken with Trueshot and other underwhelming CDs. Just as a another comparison for context, Arcane Mage used to have Arcane Power, and extremelly undewhelming "press this for 35% more damage" button. It was then transformed into Arcane Surge, a long-cast very hard hitting ability that changes your rotation even more than AP did, and now even has a lot more interactions with talents and Mana, your main resource as arcane mage. It was very well received by the mage community and, personally, I now like a lot more playing the spec just because of that. Ascendance for shamans received somewhat of a similar treatment.
My main point is: Major cooldowns should do more and feel more amazing when you press them.
On the recent topic of remaking some hero talent trees, here are some ideas
What if Trickster Rogue would have Tricks of the Trade as its' main functionality, and it could work kind of like a soft support spec, buffing party members and mainly your Tricks target. So for example, Tricks would now give a massive buff (either damage, HP, survivability or some or all) to your Tricks target, on top of doubling its' threat effectiveness (or some percentage).
Your major cooldowns could be then amplified, either receiving all the bonus you've given with Tricks upon activation aswell as spreading your tricks buffs to more party members.
What if Rider of the Apocalypse Unholy DK would have the mounted combat while army of the dead is up, not only in open world. Makes a lot of sense thematically and gameplay wise. DKs need mobility, they're a wheelchair class, this would make it much more fun, engaging and fair to DKs.
Edit: alright I kept cooking, here's a few more examples on the CD changes
Berserk could apply a rake, a thrash, a fully stacked rip AND a fully stacked ferocious bite to your target, on top of what it already does regarding rotational changes, resource management and ability priority.
Celestial Allignment could cast a wrath, a starfire, a starsurge and a fullmoon on your target.
Tree of Life could cast a Tranquility at 1/4 the duration on use.
Avenging Wrath/wings could cast a wake of ashes, a final reckoning and that hammer strike that substitutes templar's verdict and becomes the main spender that I forgot the name.
Elementals could do a lot more for Ele shaman. It's their main spec thematic but currently it does not feel like that at all. Elementals could have a cast time to summon, could be visually bigger, deal a lot more damage, do a massive ability when they're summoned, and last a little shorter. Fire makes lava burst have NO CD AND NO CAST TIME during its' duration. Same for storm ele and lightning spells. Earth ele could make your earth spells deal a little less damage, but have no cost and no cd.

Wade held Jasmine in his arms as he flew a low height down the long road to another section of the staryard, Tina on his back and Nathan and F right behind them in the air. Together, the five glided across the base grounds, taking care as to not irritate the aerial security during their search for the meeting room. Being outside for the flight, the group considered it a blessing that Wade's 'enhanced cooling unit' allowed his body to tolerate the breaching sun in the still cloudy sky, which, according to F, was dangerous to drones like her due to the inefficient cooling she and disassembly drones like her suffered from. Given F's physical fault, she had to fly under shady areas in order to safely traverse the base at day.
Originally, Wade and his friends had planned to walk to the meeting zone, but after running into a trooper experiencing a health mishap, the group did what they could to help the distressed officer. By the time he was brought to the medical ward by other soldiers, Wade found that him and his team would be at least a few minutes late if they kept on their way with their walk.
Deciding to speed things up, Wade, understanding the concern for performing such an effort, opted to carry the Fowleys around the base to the meeting area. Reluctantly, F decided to come along, carrying Nathan in a similar manner that Wade was carrying Jasmine. Taking notice of the time on his HUD, which read, "9:47 AM", Wade scouted for the building he and his friends were directed to. "8072" He said to himself, the number being for the building that would house the imminent meeting.
"They said it was down here, right?" Wade asked aloud to Tina before stopping himself in mid-air, the girl holding onto him tightly as he tried to speak over the growing sound of a retrofit Apache flying overhead.
Looking about, Tina nodded as she spotted the target building. "Yes, I believe that's the one over there!" Pointing past his head, Wade followed her finger to a large building ahead at his right. The structure was moderately tall, only about two stories high, with several soldiers and officers going in and out of the building. Wade smiled as he noticed the target number, as well as the big, bold words describing the building's designation. "8072, Briefing Center B"
"Good eye, honey. Hang on!" Continuing his low glide, Wade zoomed towards the building's entrance before stopping just meters above the ground, his two friends close behind as they slowed down as well. The troopers around them initially looked startled by the sudden arrival of Wade and his group, but quickly regained their composure as Wade hovered still above them.
"At ease! Just visitors." One of the soldiers declared as they identified the newcomers, who touched down before Wade let Jasmine down to her feet, Tina hopping onto the ground along with her.
Putting his hands up, Wade apologized for his swift surprise. "Sorry for the scare, we got delayed for a meeting we're invited to."
The soldier gave an understanding nod as he replied to the former worker drone sternly. "I can see that, just be a bit more careful next time, Mr. Carter. You gave the boys here quite a scare."
Wade returned the gesture in embarrassment as F put a hand to his back, chuckling at his efforts as Tina questioned the officer. "Is Mrs. J in there? She's the one who called for us."
The guard gave his reply as Wade and Tina pulled out their IDs for clearance. "Yes she is, Miss. The meeting's set to begin in under ten minutes." Checking the two drones' IDs, Jasmine and the others pulled out theirs as well, the watchman motioning another trooper over to verify the group. Once the guard finished checking the five's cards, he nodded in approval as the watchman spoke once more. "You're clear to enter."
"Thank you Sir, again, sorry about that spook back there." Wade replied with a smile as the trooper gave one of his own, the disassembly drone and his allies making their way towards the office door before stopping upon the call of a voice.
"Hey, Felice!" Wade turned to find the origin of the voice, F doing the same as the two quickly spotted a quartet of soldiers walking excitedly towards F. The disassembly drone glanced to her friends with a smile before turning back to the approaching entourage.
Wade examined the four troops as they got closer: Two human men, one woman, and a male worker drone. One of the male soldiers had short, blonde hair, and a small scar to the right side of their face. The second man bore a tan skin tone and had black hair, with blue strips that went down slightly in a mullet style. The woman bore a set of long, dark green hair, with the hair going down and over her left shoulder. As for the worker drone, he wore the standard green soldier helmet, single eye visor and all. He had no hair on him from what Wade could tell, and bore a pair of whiteish purple eyes on his visor.
As F walked over to the soldiers, the same one that called to her spoke again. "Felicity, I didn't expect to see you around here today! Where you been?"
The girl soldier interrupted his initial chatter. "Hang on Carlos, do you even know if she remembers us?"
"Aye, don't she have one o' them memory locks, or sumthin?" The drone added in a heavy Scottish accent.
F waved her hand as she replied to the group. "Easy, everyone. Thankfully I still got my memories, courtesy of my technician back at Central." Lowering her hand, F let down her usual persona as she gave a wide smirk to the soldiers, clearly pleased to see them. "Good to see you guys around here."
The soldiers gave light cheers to F as they all embraced her, the group having a surprise reunion as Wade and the others watched in surprise. These must've been F's old colleagues from when she was in the service, Wade thought. Quite the coincidence for them to be here at this base of all places.
Not bothering with the convenience of the matter, Wade shook the thought off as he and his friends watched F and her old friends breaking the hug, Tina wrapping an arm around her boyfriend as the second male human spoke to her in what the two discerned as Spanish. "Ay, who your new friends, F?"
"Oh, these guys?" F replied in the same language, quietly startling Wade and the others as they had never heard her speak like that until now. Glancing over to Wade, F motioned him and the others to come over. "Everyone, these are some friends I made in the past few days. Wade, Nathan, Tina, and Jasmine." She pointed her hand to the four as she said each of their names. "I met the boys here during my time on Ceres. Jasmine and Tina here are sisters."
The four soldiers gave various forms of excitement, ranging from hearty laughs to low woops and even a whistle from one of the guys. As F stood next to her old teammates, they each introduced themselves to Wade and his friends. The blonde soldier went first. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all, name's Carlos, Lieutenant Marksman."
"I'm Private Alvaros, good with close-range and stealth operations." Said the tan soldier with a salute.
"Sergeant Lucia Vasquez, usually the one who leads this bunch around these days." The female warrior stated with a humorous smirk.
"And Corporal Duncan Wallace, at your service!" The soldier drone stated proudly as he saluted to the bunch in front of him, who gave warm smiles as Wade shook his hand.
"Quite honored to meet you all, seems you have quite the history with F." The former worker drone said as Carlos patted F on her back.
"Oh, we do! She's the one who took charge when we didn't! Did you all hear of the Pasting of Nola VI?" Jasmine and Tina gave nods of affirmation while Wade, not as familiar with such history, held his hand up in a questioning manner.
"I think, wasn't that the battle where the Navy just barely held the outpost in that system? From the Stryker Clan?" Wade asked as Carlos nodded approvingly to him.
"That's right, and if Felice weren't there, WE would've been the ones getting pasted!" Carlos' statement brought victorious cheers and "oorahs" from the group, F letting a blush loose as she chuckled at her team's praise of her efforts.
"Well, that's not wrong." Although she didn't want to break off from her friends and discuss the past few years since they'd last met, F remembered the briefing. Clearing her throat, she continued. "And as much as I'd like to chat about the good times, I've been called to a meeting here, as have Wade and his crew."
The soldier group gave understanding looks to F as Lucia spoke up. "Thought so, Carl here was real eager to see you, though."
"Maybe we can talk after the meeting?" Nathan proposed as the soldiers collectively nodded in agreement, F readying a smartcomm attachment before turning to face her friends again.
"We're probably getting low on time, you all go in, I'll catch up in a sec." Wade nodded in acknowledgement before taking Tina's hand, the lover drones continuing towards the briefing center as Jasmine and Nathan followed behind them.
Passing through the door, the four guests observed a short hallway, which seemed to split into two paths as they came closer to the other end. Looking to a sign on the wall above, they saw arrows pointing to two separate areas, "Primary Briefing Room; Main Lobby + Secondary & Tertiary" Going to the right, they entered the moderately active lobby, several officers walking and standing about in mass chatter. Walking over to the desk up against the wall to their left, Wade and his group waved a hand to the occupying attendant.
"Welcome, what do you need?" The desk attendant asked as Tina raised a finger to reply.
"We're here for a meeting, Mrs. J called us here."
The attendant nodded in understanding before directing an arm towards the other end of the room, where a single door stood. "She should be in the second briefing room down that way."
"Thank you." Tina replied warmly before she and Wade began walking towards the door, their friends behind them as they proceeded into the room.
The room beyond the door was quite sizable, a large circular table occupying the middle with several chairs surrounding it. The walls went up a few meters, with four whiteish blue lights illuminating the room. On the wall opposite to Wade and Tina were three monitor screens, all of which showed the USN in bright blue. In several of the seats were faces both familiar and unfamiliar, several men and women in varying styles of uniforms conversing about quietly or taking notice of the recent visitors. Standing up near the monitors were three people: A decorated officer whom Tina identified as a ship captain, and the so-called operatives, Tessa, albeit as a hologram, and J.
Walking slowly into the room, Wade gave a low wave of his hand as he tried to hide his nervousness. Noticing his shyness in front of the officers, Tina held his hand and rubbed his arm comfortingly while returning a pleasant smile to the staff in the room.
"Ah, Wade, Tina. Glad to see you all here." J stated with a smile as she scanned the group, raising a digital eyebrow as she noticed one missing guest. "Or, most of you, I see. Did F run off somewhere?"
Wade shook his head as he replied to his fellow disassembly drone. "Oh, no. She just ran into some old friends, she should be back-"
"Right now." F finished aloud as she entered the room, seemingly having heard Wade speaking about her absence. The warrior drone fast walked to Wade's team, taking a seat near them as they prepared to do the same. "Not too late, are we?"
"Not at all." The standing officer answered as the group took their seats, Wade and Tina sitting next to each other as they got comfortable. The captain examined the lot for a moment, glancing to J as he asked about them. "So, these are the ones you helped rescue from the Mojave?"
"Yes Captain, and they helped us out greatly in turn. This is Wade Carter, one of the captured drones whom became a disassembly drone before we could mount the rescue. The luckiest one, if you ask me." Motioning her arm over the others, she continued. "And there's his girlfriend, Mrs. Tina Fowley, and her sister Jasmine." Smirking to F and Nathan, she finished her friends' introductions. "And these two are Serial Designation F and Mr. Nathan, whom I've heard were once under your ranks."
The military captain gave a welcoming smile to the five as they returned the gesture, eyeing F and Nathan specifically before speaking to them. "Indeed they were, we still have records on their contributions to the colonies." Eyeing F, he continued. "Though, in Mrs. F's case, I won't blame her if she doesn't remember us. We've been very well aware of JCJenson's 'memory suppression' protocols when it comes to their DDs."
F laid back in her seat with a smug look as she replied to her former superior. "Well, my friend on the station's a good tech gal. She's... waived that hindrance from me."
"I see, that means your still with us, am I right, Mrs. Lee?" Unlike her friends next to her, F was not startled by her original name being said aloud, rather smiling proudly as she saluted to the captain. "Good to see you again."
"Pleased to be here, Sir." F replied as she lowered her arm, glancing to her companions next to her as J spoke up.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Captain Preston Mitchell, commander of the USNV Vickers down at the stardock."
Wade gave a respectful salute to Preston as he spoke first. "It's an honor to meet you, Sir."
"Thank you, Mr. Carter. I've heard about your efforts from J, you did an admirable job back there, son." Wade failed to hide an embarrassed blush from the compliment, but it quickly faded as a beep sounded from a small device on the table. It was swiftly silenced by the captain as he tapped a button on the small, pyramid shaped timer, then facing Wade's group before continuing. "Though, as much as we could use some small talk, it'll have to wait till later."
"Indeed, we're running late at this point." Said another officer, a highly decorated member of the base with dark skin, dark grey hair and a thin beard. He immediately won the attention of everyone in the room as he spoke up. "I'm General Hugh Hood, overseer of this base. I'm certain you know some of the reasons you're here with us, correct?"
Wade nodded as he spoke to Hood. "Yeah, it's cause of those rogue agents from the JCJenson corporation." Glancing to J, the corporate drone nodded in affirmation before speaking herself.
"Tessa and I spent the last hours of yesterday evening clearing up the matter with General Hood, along with several other officials stationed here." She stopped as the middle monitor behind her flashed with a banner at the top, reading, "INCOMING TRANSMISSION", and in place of the USN emblem was a textless version of the JCJenson logo. Below the profile image was another two lines of text. "N. Jenson (Company Exec); Comms Source: Yottrite IV"
"And also told our boss about what happened here too, he wanted to give his say on this ordeal." Looking to the general, J asked him, "May I put him on?"
Hood only gave a nod of approval to the corporate drone before she picked up a remote on the table and tapped a button, accepting the call as the picture shifted to show a middle-aged man in a pristine-looking business suit on the screen.
Wade and Tina glanced to each other before J introduced their guest on the screen. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the CEO of JCJenson: Mr. Noor Jenson."
Jenson gave a pleased nod to his subordinate as he spoke to J. "Thank you for the pleasantries, J. I see we are ready to discuss our plans on dealing with this 'recall' disaster I've bore witness to on the news this morning?"
J nodded as she replied to her boss. "Indeed, I've explained to General Hood here about our efforts yesterday, and, as of recent, we've just received a message from a source we believe to be close to the company."
Mr. Jenson looked down to J attentively as he spoke to her. "Well, that's quite intriguing news, J. Do you have this message available for us to view?" J and Hood both nodded in affirmation, but didn't get an immediate reply as Jenson gazed to Wade and his friends. "...And I presume these are some of the drones rescued from one of the factories?"
Again, J nodded to her superior before explaining her colleagues. "Yes Mr. Jenson, the two drones at the front in particular were among those taken by the Administrator and their subordinates." Pointing an arm to Wade and Tina, she introduced the drone couple. "The disassembly drone here is Mr. Wade Carter, a brother to his-technically speaking-owner, the late Ron Carter. The latter helped us recover Wade during an initial raid inside the Nevada facility." When bringing up Ron, J gave an apologetic look to Wade as to show she did not mean to be offending on him and his brother's relationship. "And this is his romantic partner, Mrs. Tina Fowley. I heard she and her sister Jasmine are pilots."
Jenson looked over the two drones as his obedient employee described them to him, quietly sighing as Wade and Tina returned the gaze with nervous smiles. Once J finished, Jenson spoke to Wade. "I... would say it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Carter. But, given recent events, I don't hold fault to you for feeling frustrated at me for my... former subordinate's actions."
Wade shook his head lightly, taking Jenson's light apology with a faint smile as he replied to the CEO. "Actually, I don't. The only person I have such feelings put towards is," He hesitated for a moment, his anger at Dr. Halloway returning for a short moment before he eased himself. "..That bastard Halloway."
"The feeling's mutual, Mr. Carter. Dr. Halloway has been trying my patience for years now, especially with you and your fellow disassembly drones." Looking to J, then F, he returned his gaze to Wade before questioning him on his new body. "I don't know if J has told you of this, but if there's one truth my company has admittedly not held up to for a while, it's our quality. Recently, some of my research staff here made blueprints for an upgraded variant of the disassembly drone design. It's intended to fix several faults we expected to be nonexistent previously, most notably that atrocious cooling unit."
As a schematic pulled up on the left monitor, everyone glanced to the improved design before F spoke up about it. "If I may ask, Mr. Jenson, how big of an improvement is this new cooling unit supposed to be?"
"Good question, F. Frankly, it's supposed to do away with the issue entirely. Saves us from sacrificing enormous supplies of oil for the poorly built unit in the previous iterations. We even tested it with a repaired drone just a few days ago, and it worked flawlessly." Then, glancing to Wade again, he questioned the former worker drone on his new form. "Speaking of, how does your enhanced body feel, Mr. Carter? I'm certain it feels better to not have to-"
"Actually, Mr. Jenson," Wade interrupted, pulling out one of his canteens as he answered the CEO on his upgrades. "I guess Halloway changed up the blueprints, cause unfortunately this new cooling unit didn't cure the overheating problem. I... kinda learned that the hard way." Wade glanced to Tina apologetically, still feeling bad from her seeing him eat the corpse of the dead murder drone back at the factory.
The corporate CEO grimaced in frustration as he took in Wade's statement, already intolerant of the head researcher's actions as he replied. "...I was worried about that, Edgar always likes to run things his own way, making excuses for that 'Administrator' he watches over." Taking an agitated breath, he continued on with his spew on the two culprits of yesterday's events. "It was only because of all the very impressive creations and enhancements she and her research team provided that I tolerated them for so long, but this..." Sitting up straight in front of the camera, Jenson finished sternly. "J said the Administrator... Cyn, I believe? She was apparently something worse than we presumed originally, and I'm very inclined to believe so after yesterday."
"As well as the program tied to the Administrator, the AbsoluteSolver." J clarified before receiving an agreeing nod from Mr. Jenson, standing corrected on his placing of blame.
Raising a hand, Nathan asked about the supposed plans. "Yeah, about this "Solver Project", what do we plan to do about that?"
"Good question, Nate." Tessa replied as she crossed her arms before looking to Jenson and beginning her explanation. "Initially, we were going to investigate the other factories spread across Earth in order to get some more info on the Administrator before things get worse. But, just this morning, it seems someone else saved us the trouble." Just as Tessa neared the end of her sentence, J held up the remote again, tapping a few buttons before the left monitor shifted to show a slightly grainy video onscreen.
The video only showed a single being, a worker drone, dressed in a chrome suit and bearing a set of yellow eyes. Behind them was what appeared to be a vacant room, a few shelves holding many books within them standing still in the back. The drone's visage indicated they were filled with immense anxiety, terrified of being caught as they spoke quietly to the camera.
"I can only hope someone gets this in time, they're gonna be on me once they find out the transmitter screens are down!" Turning the camera, he showed what appeared to be a large factory room, several more of the mysterious conveyor belts like at the factory slotted next to each other. It was hard to discern every detail due to not only the window reflection, but also the dark lighting in the inactive conveyor room. Filming the room beyond, the drone continued. "Dr. Halloway's a madman, he's got more of those stolen drones being brought here and he's going to be overseeing it in the afternoon tomorrow! I've seen what happened back in Nevada, I can't take this any longer! I'm at coordinates ##.######, -###.###### Please, send someo-"
The suspicious, partially scrambled transmission immediately cut off to static, leaving Wade, Tina, and their friends with confused expressions as Tessa spoke up. "Yeah, that caught me by surprise too."
"So, that guy says they got more drones being sent 'there', but... where is there, exactly?" Jasmine asked with immense curiosity.
"I was hoping you'd ask that, Mrs. Fowley." The technician replied as she glanced to J, who tapped a few more buttons on the remote before speaking over her boss-friend.
"While the transmission itself isn't much to work off of, our friends from Comms over here managed to intercept the signal earlier, and even better, discern where it originated from." As J started her explanation, the screen shifted once more to show a large city, with one skyscraper highlighted in red as it was zoomed towards on the screen. "That scrambled audio wasn't a simple glitch, it was intentionally done so as to hide key information for us to uncover. Upon cleaning up the message, we managed to recover a set of coordinates, which direct to this structure here, in San Francisco."
Wade and his friends stared at the building in shock, examining the tall structure as it stood over the shorter buildings in the city. Tina broke the silence in her gaze. "So, this is another factory? It looks... terribly different from the one we got out of."
"Not exactly, Mrs. Fowley." Mr. Jenson answered, Tina and the others looking to him as he continued. "THAT is the Administrator's main laboratory, its location was kept on the down low so other authorities and terrorist groups wouldn't find out what the buildings true purpose was." Sighing, Jenson completed his reply. "But, with this recent mistake of Halloway's, that place has lost all purpose for us at the company."
Wade raised a hand to speak. "So, we're going to pounce on that place? Get Halloway before he runs off again?"
"Exactly." General Hood replied as he looked up to Mr. Jenson. "This whole 'recovery/recruitment' effort has gotten out of hand all across Sol. We've gotten countless reports of people being killed because of this, be it the brutal robberies here in Nevada or the bloodbath on Ceres. Even if Mr. Jenson refuses to cooperate, this has become a dire matter for us now. One way or another, this insanity will be stopped with due haste."
The CEO nodded in acknowledgement before explaining his own plans for the mission. "Speaking of cooperation, upon seeing what was happening at Earth, I ordered a detachment of our corporate starships in orbit at the time to depart for Sol in order to help with investigating the situation. They're not warships, but they are well-armed. I'll dispatch them to your authority upon concluding this call." Glancing to Wade and his team for a moment, Jenson continued. "As for the mission, I may not have much of a say, but let it be known that you have my blessing to do whatever it takes to end this madness. I don't care what you do with Halloway or any of his lackeys, or what happens to that facility down there... I want that program shut down."
"Thank you for the extra hands, Mr. Jenson. We'll make sure this Administrator is dealt with." Hood replied gratefully as Wade sat firm in his seat, Tina and the others following suite.
"General?" The former worker drone said aloud, catching Hood's attention before he made his request. "I know I'm not a soldier, but I want to help with dealing with Halloway and his grunts. After what he did, after losing my brother, I can't rest until I see that man stopped."
Tina raised a finger as well. "As do I, Wade could use a hand with those people, and given how we did during our escape run out of that place, I think the two of us make quite the duo." She glanced to Wade with a smirk as she referenced their combat prowess when flying together.
Nathan and F stood up before the latter gave her own request. "Sir, I wish to take part in this mission as well. I can also recommend Wade for you too, as I fought alongside him during the factory raid."
"Wouldn't mind giving a hand myself! And I'm sure my pal Kurtis would love to help, he's here at the base too!" Nathan added with a confident smirk, the group's determination encouraging Jasmine to stand up as well.
"I'd like to help too." She stated simply, a smile on her face as the general and his companions observed the five guests.
Admittedly, Hood knew it would be a bit absurd to allow these people to take part in an operation which would certainly involve bloodshed, especially considering most of them merely had civilian status at the moment. But, upon careful evaluation of the five, their desire to see this problem dealt with, and the fact that some of them had experience on the field...
He paused his train of thought as Captain Mitchell spoke to him. "General? I read up on the Fowleys' files when we recovered Mrs. Jasmine here, they provided service in their early careers." He smirked to the pilot sisters as he finished adding his say. "And to be frank, we need more people like them here. The records we have of them showed them to be damn fine pilots."
Tina blushed at the praise from Mitchell as she spoke to the general. "That is true, we uh... did get discharged for our... 'fancy maneuvering'."
"Sir?" Jasmine said, the general's attention on her as she added to the conversation. "Even if our flying is a bit out of protocol, Tina saved a lot of people on that starjet a few days back. I can promise you, she's an excellent woman to have at the wheel."
Glancing to Wade again, Hood took in his face, one of begging desperation as he spoke once more. "Please, Sir. My brother, the troops he brought from the Coalition, Halloway's gotten them all killed cause of this. I want to do this. I HAVE to do this, at least for them."
The good general took a deep, quiet breath, considering his decision once more before finally revealing it to Wade and his friends. "Mr. Carter, Fowleys? I'm probably making myself a fool for saying this, but you're permitted to assist us in this mission."
The drone couple contained their gratefulness in the form of ecstatic grins as Wade replied to the general. "Thanks, General. We won't let you down."
"And Mrs. Lee?" Hood said as he glanced to F, who returned the gesture as he told her, "You're technically under Mr. Jenson's authority, whatever his answer is, it's mine as well."
Bringing her yellow-orange eyes to her CEO, F awaited Mr. Jenson's answer. "F, yes? I heard Mr. Hood call you by a different name just now, I assume you have some experience with the army?"
The warrior drone nodded as she explained herself. "I once inherited the name of Felicity Lee, Mr. Jenson. I served under the USN Defense Forces before joining the DD Division." Then, glancing to the military staff near her, she finished with, "I had hoped to provide my enhancements to the Force one day."
Jenson gave a hint of a proud smile as he finally gave his decision. "Well, it seems you'll finally get that chance. From now on, even after this mission on Earth is over with, you're hereby dispatched to serve under the USN."
F admittedly couldn't hide her excited smirk as she flung a salute to her now former boss. "Thank you Sir!"
Looking up to Jenson, General Hood asked the CEO, "Mr. Jenson, how long until your ships can reach Earth?"
Jenson glanced down at his communication console as he answered the military leader. "At max speed, their Ion drives should be able to bring them into orbit in as little as one to two days. I believe there should be some ships within the system that could help as well."
"Signal them when you can, Mr. Jenson. We could use all the help we can get from them." The CEO nodded to Hood as he stood firmly to the viewer, the general turning to face Wade and his colleagues. "And Mr. Carter? We'll be mobilizing our forces immediately after this meeting concludes. It'll be a minute, but I want you to gather whatever items and belongings you'll need for this operation. Be ready to head to the flight pads in no more than three hours."
"Understood Sir!" Wade said with a salute, Tina, Jasmine and Nathan giving their own as Jasmine raised a finger.
"What about the area around the lab? That place looks like it's in the middle of the city."
J raised a finger as she told Jasmine and the others about their resolution of the civilian obstacle. "Shortly after reporting our findings on the transmission, Hood told us that they were sending in some teams to clear out the civilian population within several miles of the facility. Once we get there, it should be of no concern."
Jasmine sighed in relief as Tina spoke up. "So the people should be safe from any sort of danger?"
"Correct, Mrs. Tina." Preston answered before continuing. "Given the resistance Halloway and his men showed during the Coalition's raid, they most certainly won't hold back there."
"One more thing, Sir." Nathan asked. "The Coalition's going to help us out with this too, right?"
"You can count on it, Mr. Nathan." The Vickers' captain replied as he looked to J, then to Jenson as he spoke further. "I met the leader of the Coalition's detachment working with us when I was introduced to J and Mrs. Elliott here, they intend to see this conflict finished. I highly doubt they're willing to sit back and let us do this by ourselves."
"And their help will be much appreciated." Hood added, everyone's attention returned to him as he looked to Tessa, curious eyes scanning her holographic form. "And Mrs. Elliott, if I may. Do you mind heading down here to assist us in our investigations later on?"
"Funny you say that, General. I'm almost done with my own snooping around on the JCJ up in orbit, Cyn has some small departments of hers aboard, and I thought I'd gather some more intel before coming down." Glancing to Mr. Jenson, she saw him giving an understanding nod before returning her gaze to the military staff. "I should be down there by the evening, judging by where you're located."
"Do what you must, Mrs. Elliott. We could use whatever you find." Hood replied firmly as he turned once more to the JCJenson CEO. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Jenson. We will get to the bottom of this."
"It's my pleasure, General." Glancing to J and Tessa, he spoke to them once more. "J? Contact me when you've finished with Halloway and his Administrator."
"It'll be done, Mr. Jenson." The obedient servant answered before saluting firmly, receiving a final nod from her boss before he ended the transmission.
With their off-world guest out of the way, Hood looked to Wade and his friends, J, Tessa and Captain Mitchells sharing the gaze with them as the general spoke to them in finality. "Well, you know what comes next everyone. You're all dismissed for now. And remember, landing zone by 1300."
"We'll be there Sir." Wade said with a nod as he and his friends stood up, pushing in their chairs before making their way out to the door.
As they neared it, Wade stopped for a moment as they heard Hood call to one of his friends. "And F?" The soldier drone looked to the general as he continued. "Before we depart, would you mind changing your uniform? I believe it could help with identifying you from the other disassembly drones more easily." Glancing to J, then back to F, he finished with, "I recall hearing about the most formidable drones having clones prepared, yes?"
"Correct, Sir. I'll stop by the nearest barracks while I can." F replied before turning back to the door with her colleagues, Wade opening the door for them all as they passed through. After them, Wade passed through himself, shutting the door to the meeting room as he returned to the lobby.
Walking about together, F spoke to Wade and the others. "Well, that went smoothly. I'll be heading down to the barracks, then head over to your place to help out."
"Actually," Wade replied, raising a finger up as he asked his fellow murder drone, "You think you could bring your friends over? We could get to know each other while we're getting ready."
F glanced to Nathan with a smile before returning her eyes to Wade. "I could see about that. You're gonna like them, I can promise you that."
Taking Tina's hand, Wade walked with his girlfriend alongside Jasmine and the others, nearing the hallway they came through as they prepared for the walk back to the apartment.

So I've been playing wow for 15 years, and in the last 5 years enjoyed mount farming between release cycles of content. I have 760 mounts, so I am still missing a lot of mounts, but I've been doing my part and invested many hours into different farms.
MoP is the only expansion I have all the mounts from. My biggest nemesis throughout all the mounts I farmed was Huolon from Timeless Isle, where I managed to reach 467 attempts in 5 months before getting this mount. It was rough, but I was stoked when it finally dropped.
I've never really felt those hours wasted before, even though it took a lot of hours... because in probability theory this will happen for some mounts, while others will drop in 1st attempts, so it is what it is because there is no other way to farm it - right?
Well, not anymore. As most of you probably know, MoP Remix introduces something never seen before regarding mounts. Mounts that have for a decade only been achievable through doing the intended grind, can now be bought for an easily farmable currency. What I (and many others) invested hours/days/weeks/months farming, is now nothing but a currency sink.
I do not mind the huge amount of new mounts/recolors, because at least for me it is a reason and motivation to play and farm in the new game mode. Yet, I can't help but feel that all the mounts I have from MoP are completely devalued and basically worthless now. Anyone with a few hours of spare time to farm bronze can pick these up during the summer.
Finally, and the actual point of all this - this also makes me feel a bit weird about continuing to farm the remaining mounts I need from old expansions. I only need a couple from each of the pre legion expansions, so why should I spend hours in e.g. Dragon Soul trying to pick up my last mount from Deathwing, when I can potentially just wait for the new Remix and jump in early, abuse some currency farm, and get it for 60mins of farming?
Idk, am I just being a diva about it, or how do you feel? Especially seeing some of my friends who don't care about mounts pick up the entire expansion's worth of rare drops for farming a couple of hours of frogs triggered me a bit.

So, let's start by accepting that all rings are not created equal. Each ring is a ring, but each ring has its own circumstances that determine how they are remembered down the line. What contributes into that? Generally, it seems the most considered factors are narrative and path, narrative being the behind-the-scenes story context that gives this ring meaning to fans of the players and teams, and path being the strictly basketball elements like the opponents played and actual performance. Let's look at the recent rings going back 20 years. Disclaimer, I just started watching basketball in 2010, so I've probably missed bits of context from the 2000s ones.
I scored them out of 5 based on narrative and path, added the totals, and broke ties with my own subjective, sometimes biased opinion.

• (20th) 2018 Warriors. You won't find many non-Warriors/KD fans who respect this ring and 2017's for obvious reasons. Path-wise, they played good but not particularly great opponents besides Houston, and you can put an asterisk or two on that series if you want, though those Rockets were still a great team who would have won it all otherwise. 1/5 narrative, 3/5 path, 4/10 total.
• (19th) 2021 Bucks. A strong narrative for Giannis and the Bucks. Giannis dropped 50 to bring Milwaukee their first ring in 50 years and redeem himself for choking. The ring is unfortunately remembered along with a weird COVID season that meant half-full arenas for most of the season and some of the playoffs, as well as injuries (which will fall under the path criteria). This is the injuring. No one will remember this run without remembering KD's foot, which leads to further memories of Harden and Kyrie's injuries. Giannis does get kudos for powering through injury himself. 3.5/5 narrative, 2/5 path, 5.5/10 total.
• (18th) 2017 Warriors. This ring is funny. Narrative-wise, it's one of the weakest ever: KD ran to a 73-win team because he couldn't win by himself. On the court, though, this was the most dominant team in NBA history. You can knock them for not having to play a healthy Kawhi, but they still worked an elite Cavs team that would probably have won it all otherwise. 1/5 narrative, 4.5/5 path, 5.5/10 total.
• (17th) 2007 Spurs. Another legacy-building ring for Duncan and especially Parker, who was the first European to win Finals MVP. The Spurs also established themselves as the team with the 4th most championships ever. The hip-checking incident could have swung their 2nd round series against Phoenix though, and otherwise the run was a bit of a cakewalk. 4/5 narrative, 2/5 path, 6/10 total.
• (16th) 2023 Nuggets. Solid narrative, with Jokic leading Denver to their first ever ring and Jamal Murray showing his importance. A franchise winning their first ring gives plenty of automatic narrative points. The path points are where they fall short due to playing in a relatively weak West lacking other contenders and facing an 8th seed in the Finals. 4/5 narrative, 2/5 path, 6/10 total.
• (15th) 2020 Lakers. I don't think many still had LeBron lower than #2 all-time before this ring, but after it, I really hope no one does. He made history in winning a Finals MVP with a 3rd team. You can diminish it with the "needed AD" argument but two stars isn't a superteam. And of course COVID. The bubble did impact everyone the same, but it plays a big part in how the ring was remembered. The path itself was nothing special, but the Lakers took care of business, losing only 5 games the whole playoffs. 3/5 narrative, 3.5/5 path, 6.5/10 total.
• (14th) 2015 Warriors. A new superstar comes on stage, bringing GS their first title in 40 years. The three-point revolution has begun. Iguodala winning FMVP is still questionable. Path-wise, obviously the Cavs weren't healthy, and you can argue they would have won if they were considering how LeBron was playing. Otherwise, the Warriors made their way through a Western Conference gauntlet. I think Curry is the only player to have beaten all other 1st Team All-NBA players in one playoff run. 3.5/5 narrative, 3/5 path, 6.5/10 total.
• (13th) 2006 Heat. Miami's first ring ever and Shaq's first without Kobe. Memory of this one is somewhat marred by dubious officiating, but that may be my flair talking. That aside, beating two 60-win teams is very impressive. Off the top of my head, the only other team to accomplish that feat in recent memory is the 2009 Magic. 3/5 narrative, 4/5 path, 7/10 total.
• (12th) 2022 Warriors. Curry wins another without KD and captures his first Finals MVP, winning with a team that didn't really have any other star-level options compared to when they won their previous rings. Klay came back after 2 years out, and the Warriors weathered multiple injuries to have a strong regular season. The path was pretty unremarkable. They played injured Nuggets, but in the first round and they'd been injured the whole year. 4/5 narrative, 3/5 path, 7/10 total.
• (11th) 2008 Celtics. This ring began the modern superteam era and reignited the dormant Celtics/Lakers rivalry. KG, Pierce, and Allen won their first rings and denied Kobe a chance at 4. Dominant as they were in the regular season though, they probably should not have been taken to 7 in the first two rounds. 4/5 narrative, 3/5 path, 7/10 total.
• (10th) 2013 Heat. Ring #2 for Bron, capping a dominant individual season and establishing the Heat as a dynasty threat. You can say Ray Allen, but this is discussing how valuable the rings are to the teams, not players, so that doesn't factor into the path. I would weigh it positively into narrative due to giving us one of the most legendary shots of all time. The Heat also gave the Spurs their first Finals loss ever. Path-wise, the first two rounds were a cakewalk but the Heat took care of business, the Pacers were a strong team that went on to be the 1st seed next year, and the Spurs were still elite. 4/5 narrative, 3.5/5 path, 7.5/10 total.
• (9th) 2019 Raptors. First ring for the Raptors? Kawhi reminding the league who he is? Ending the Warriors dynasty? Buzzer-beater in Game 7? Amazing narrative. Path-wise, the fact that they faced the Warriors without KD and then Klay hurts them a lot. They still won, but the fact that you can make a very strong case that they wouldn't have without the injuries is a knock on what is otherwise a strong path. 5/5 narrative, 3/5 path, 8/10 total.
• (8th) 2005 Spurs. If Duncan wasn't already the greatest PF ever before this ring, he certainly was after it. This ring marks his 3rd, along with 3 FMVPs and 2 MVPs. A strong legacy-building ring. Great path as well, especially handling the reigning MVP and 1st seed in 5 games and defeating the defending champions. 4/5 narrative, 4/5 path, 8/10 total.
• (7th) 2010 Lakers. Same narrative as 2009 below, bolstering Kobe's case as a great in his own right without his name attached to Shaq's. The West was particularly strong this year, with the 8th seed Thunder having 50 wins. You could put an asterisk on the Finals due to Perkins' injury, but it was still a strong path otherwise. This was the first NBA Finals I watched. 4/5 narrative, 4/5 path, 8/10 total.
• (6th) 2009 Lakers. Kobe's first without Shaq, tying them in ring count and showing that Kobe didn't need Shaq to win. They made it through a strong Western Conference and beat an almost 60-win Magic team in 5. They did get fortunate in avoiding Boston due to injury, but that was well before the Finals. 4/5 narrative, 4/5 path, 8/10 total.
• (5th) 2012 Heat. LeBron wins his first-ever ring, with that legendary performance against Boston coming in the middle. Clean ring with a clean path: Melo's Knicks, solid Pacers squad, big 3 Boston's last stand, and big 3 OKC's last run before Harden leaves. 4/5 narrative, 4.5/5 path, 8.5/10 total.
• (4th) 2014 Spurs. A revenge tour. The Spurs denied LeBron a threepeat and gave Duncan a 5th ring, tying him with Kobe, and cemented Kawhi as an emerging superstar. This team is fondly remembered as one of the best pure basketball teams and for good reason. They played very strong opponents and handled them without too much trouble. 4/5 narrative, 5/5 path, 9/10 total.
• (3rd) 2016 Cavaliers. LeBron brings one to Cleveland for the first time ever and wins away from Miami, cementing him as #2 all-time in many people's eyes. And of course, he beat a 73-win team in an amazing 3-1 comeback with some of the clutchest plays ever by him and Kyrie. The Draymond suspension was iffy though as you can argue this directly swung the series. The East was also a cakewalk. 5/5 narrative, 4/5 path, 9/10 total.
• (2nd) 2004 Pistons. The Pistons remain one of the most unique champions in that they lacked a true superstar. They are remembered for exemplifying the low-scoring high-defense era of the 2000s and also ending the Kobe-Shaq era. Along the way, they beat the two-time defending conference champions in the Nets, a very strong Pacers team, and of course those Lakers. A very strong ring. 5/5 narrative, 4.5/5 path, 9.5/10 total.
• (1st) 2011 Mavericks. Perhaps the best narrative ever: Dirk overcomes the choker label and leads the Mavs to their first ring ever against a superteam thought unbeatable by many, casually ending the Lakers' run as two-time champions on the way. They played a gauntlet of difficult opponents on the way, dispatching 9 HOF players and 2 HOF coaches with relative ease. 5/5 narrative, 5/5 path, 10/10 total.

How do you think the 2024 ring will be remembered depending on who wins? The Timberwolves in particular have a chance to win a very strong ring. They would have beaten the Suns, Nuggets, Mavs, and most likely the Celtics. Gobert and KAT would throw off the playoff underperformer labels for good and Ant would emerge as one of this generation's greats. If the Mavs win, their ring would be a little weaker due to playing injured Kawhi and not having to go through the defending champs, but it would rebuild Kyrie's legacy, vindicate Cuban for tanking, establish Jason Kidd as a championship head coach, and of course give Luka a ring. If the Celtics win, they would have played relatively weak opponents for the first three rounds but could win some path points with a strong Finals showing; Tatum's perception could increase or decrease depending on how the Finals go, with his personal legacy points surely to be deducted if Brown wins Finals MVP. If the Pacers win, a strong showing against the Celtics and whoever they play in the Finals could erase the asterisks from the first two rounds. If the Pacers won while facing healthy Milwaukee and NY, it would be a crazy strong ring.

Welcome to hamiumSMP!

At hamiumSMP we aim to provide you an excellent experience and therefore an excellent time. But without players, it's going to be incredibly boring. That's where you come in!

Why hamiumSMP?

• It's new, fresh and fast. We use paid hosting and we also host two proxies in Asia and North America. European players, Asian players and North American players therefore can play in the same server with little lag!-
• We're near vanilla. The only changes to gameplay on our server is some Vanilla Tweaks datapacks and a few plugins for trees, vein mining, sitting on players or stairs etc... We also have /home, /sethome and /tpa on request of previous players of hamiumSMP.
• Our staff is incredibly helpful. We are a group of staff with much experience. If you come across an issue, expect that issue to be resolved within an incredibly short period of time. Our staff also makes punishments fairly and we disallow our staff to make punishments based on their view of that person.
• Our server is very well setup. We have an anti-cheat, proper moderation plugins, LuckPerms for permisson management, spark so we can monitor our servers performance when the server is lagging and MiniMOTD for a beautiful MOTD for our very beautiful community server.
• We allow mods such as Xaero's Minimap or JorneyMap, and we also have Dynmap installed. We also have Simple Voice Chat support on our server which we highly recommend you install as most of our server uses Simple Voice Chat, even if they don't necessarily speak. Though it's optional. ## Sounds cool. How do I join? Before you do, keep in mind we're opening on the 25th this week (Saturday). There are a few ways you can join. The first and the best and the greatest way is to join our Discord server below. https://discord.gg/tPKhcQAwxE (If it's expired, go to our website: hamium.xyz) But we do understand people may not want to necessarily join the Discord server. For those people, we allow you to just join the server directly: mc.hamium.xyz - Europe asia.hamium.xyz - Asia na.hamium.xyz - North America/USA/Canada

By participating in this discussion, you acknowledge that all feedback is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license. https://opensource.org/license/apache-2-0
We are currently prototyping a few new projects, one of which is a new filesystem layout. We're interested in community feedback. We're specifically seeking constructive positive feedback and suggestions while temporarily setting aside compatibility concerns with existing open-source software.
Maybe this is a project you're also passionate about. Let's work together to compile the information needed to make this work. That way, we can all benefit from having the knowledge to organize our filesystem layouts based on our own preferences.

Notice

Please note that we're aware of some potential issues with the /system
directory, particularly its read-only nature. Your insights will help us address these challenges.

Goals

Our aim is to improve security, maintainability, and user experience through a more organized filesystem. Additionally, we intend to document the implementation of alternative filesystem layouts, enabling others to create and experiment with their own designs.

Introduction

In this proposed directory structure, several traditional Linux directories are redefined and organized to enhance clarity, security, and manageability. Here’s a detailed explanation:
This restructured directory layout introduces several enhancements over the traditional Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS). By isolating the core system files in a read-only `/system` partition, we significantly improve system stability and security. This separation ensures that essential system files remain untouched and safe from accidental or malicious modifications. Additionally, the use of `/apps` as the new directory for global application installations mirrors the purpose of the traditional `/usr` directory, but with a clearer distinction between system files and user-installed applications.
Moreover, sandboxing applications within `/Applications` and `/apps` provides an extra layer of security, preventing applications from interfering with each other or the core system. This method of organizing applications enhances maintainability and simplifies the management of software dependencies.
By placing mount points and media management under `/mnt`, the system organization is further clarified, distinguishing between internal and external resources. This, along with dedicated directories for user data (`/home`), network services (`/net`).
Overall, this directory structure improves security, maintainability, and clarity, making it a robust alternative to the traditional FHS layout.

Stateless Design Principle for /system

The `/system` directory follows the stateless design principle, which is fundamental in modern, secure operating systems. Here's how it works:

• Read-Only Core: The core system files in `/system` are stored on a read-only partition. This ensures that critical system files are immutable during normal operation, preventing unauthorized or accidental changes.
• Atomic Updates: Updates to the system are handled atomically. When a new system version is installed, it is placed in a separate, reserved partition. Upon a successful installation, the system is directed to boot from this new partition. This strategy minimizes downtime and ensures that updates do not disrupt the running system. If an update fails, the system can easily revert to the previous stable version.
• Separation of Concerns: By isolating system files from user data and applications, the stateless design makes the system more modular. It is easier to manage, back up, and restore. User data and applications can be preserved even if the system needs to be reset or reinstalled.
• Simplified Management: System administration is simplified as the read-only nature of `/system` reduces the risk of misconfiguration or corruption. Changes to the system are controlled and predictable, improving overall reliability.

Filesystem Tagging

Filesystem tagging is a method of adding metadata, or "tags," to files and directories within a filesystem. These tags provide additional context and information beyond the basic file attributes like name, size, and modification date. Here's a brief overview of how filesystem tagging can enhance your filesystem:

• Enhanced Metadata: Tags can provide additional context to files and directories beyond their names and locations. For example, you can tag files with keywords related to their content, purpose, or status.
• Improved Search and Filtering: Tags allow for more efficient searching and filtering of files and directories. Users and system administrators can quickly locate files based on their tags, even if they are spread across different directories.
• Simplified Management and Automation: Tags can help automate system management tasks. Scripts and system tools can use tags to apply updates, perform backups, or enforce policies more selectively and effectively.
• Security and Access Control: Tags can be used to enhance security by defining access controls and policies based on file tags. This can add an extra layer of security, especially in a system with a read-only core.

Tagging a file

setfattr -n user.tag -v "security-critical" /apps/application1

Viewing tags

getfattr -n user.tag /apps/application1

Searching for files with a specific tag (example using a script)

find /apps -type f -exec getfattr -n user.tag {} + grep -B1 "security-critical"

Explanation of Directory Structure

/ -- apps # Global directory for application installation -- system # Core Linux System (on its own partition) -- bin # System binaries -- boot # Boot loader files -- lib # Essential shared libraries and kernel modules -- etc # System-wide configuration files -- include # Header files for C and C++ -- sbin # System binaries for administration tasks -- lib64 # 64-bit shared libraries -- var # Variable data files -- log # Log files -- spool # Spool directories for tasks like mail and printing -- cache # Cache data -- lib # Variable state information -- tmp # Temporary files (linked to /temp) -- run # Run-time variable data -- dev # Device files -- proc # Virtual filesystem providing process and kernel -- sysfs # Virtual filesystem providing system and hardware -- mnt # Mount points -- home # User directories -- username # Specific user directory -- Applications # Local directory for application installation -- Documents # Stores user documents -- Desktop # User desktop files -- Downloads # User downloads -- Music # User music files -- Pictures # User pictures -- Videos # User videos -- net # Network services (e.g., web servers) 

Linux Distributions that Employ Some of These Concepts

• Fedora Silverblue
• Fedora CoreOS
• NixOS
• openSUSE MicroOS
• Clear Linux
• Ubuntu Core
• Endless OS

Conclusion

The proposed directory structure introduces a clear, logical separation of system files, user data, and applications, enhancing security, maintainability, and clarity. By leveraging a stateless design principle for the `/system` directory, it ensures system stability and reliability, making it a robust and modern alternative to the traditional Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard.