DEV Community: Michael Walsh

A Pet Project: Zodiacl

Michael Walsh — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:04:59 +0000

It’s been awhile since I typed some words around here. Right around the World Cup was the last time, from what I can see. I really didn’t want to like the World Cup, but there’s something about watching it I family that makes it about more than just a game. But I digress - this post has nothing to do with football (fortunately).

This is about a pet project I’ve been kicking around for some time, and finally got around to fleshing it out and making it live.
A Chinese and Western Zodiac calculator.

I’m not a hard-core zodiac horoscope person. I just find the topic interesting. From time to time people would say, “Hey what sign am I?”.

I’d spin up the ol’ internet and look for a good Chinese Zodiac calculator (Western Zodiac is much simpler to calculate). But the calculators were usually either deeply embedded in larger sites that were not dedicated to the topic, or ugly as hell and ridden with ads (and who knows what else).

I really wished to just find a nice-to-look-at calculator that worked.

And one day I realized - hey, I could just make one. I make nice looking websites. I can code enough to set up a Chinese Zodiac calculator that can accurately calculate lunar cycles and your Chinese zodiac animal, without blindly saying, “Oh, you were born in 2026? You’re a horse, of course!” (Which would only be true if you were born on February 17th of 2026 or later).

You know, a simple tool that does one thing, and one thing well - show you your sign! (So you can stop asking people in bars…)
Zodiacl is Born

If you want to know more about the technical side of the new site, you can check it out in my portfolio.

So I was probably about halfway through coding the project when the name dawned on me. Unless a client or project needs otherwise, I code and publish for an English- and Spanish-speaking audience. I deeply favor names that work in both languages; the closer to a perfect cognate (word spelled exactly the same in both languages and with the same meaning) the better. I found that the word zodiacal fits this nicely - same meaning in both languages, spelled exactly the same, and common enough a word.

Dropping the last vowel (which was trendy for branding at one point; I truly don’t strive to be trendy, hip or cool), left me with: zodiacl.

Taking advantage of my geographic location, which allows me to pick up .cl domains, I went ahead and got zodia.cl. Yay to me!
The Calculator Tool

The website actually consists of two separate calculators, which can be selected from the main page: a Chinese Zodiac calculator, and a Western Zodiac calculator. Choosing either one will present you with a brief introduction and a space to enter your birthdate. Pressing the submit button will return, depending on the calculator you selected, your Chinese zodiac animal and element, or your Western zodiac sign (and corresponding element). A really brief description of their personality will appear, and clicking the button below will take you to a new page with your animal/sign and element (shown graphically as the color of the background) and a longer description about your animal/sign and element.

It is a silly and fun project that I wanted to code to see if I could, and maybe for my personal reference and use down the road. It’s free to use, in case anyone is interested!

Zodiacl Calculator Site

American’t

Michael Walsh — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:39:00 +0000

In Favor Of The Status Quo:
- Globally Understood
- Media & Culture
- Context Already Understood
Why It's a Bad Idea:
- Continental Identity
- Find Your Own Name, Thanks
- U.S. (Ego) Centrism
- We've Already Been Schooled
In Closing

What is American? Who is American? What does that even mean? In just a few short words, I will completely do a disservice to a complex yet silly conversation.

If you are born and raised in America, and rarely - if ever - leave the states, then you likely associate the word “American” with “U.S.”. Truth is, for better or worse, much of the world does the same.

An Argentine is an argentina(o)
A Bolivian is a boliviana(o)
A Chilean is a chilena(o)

Etc, etc., but for some reason a United State citizen gets to be - americana(o).

The common U.S. citizen is completely oblivious to this difference. Living outside of the U.S., however, and especially if you live in other parts of America, the difference will come up.

The debate / argument either for or against using “americana(o)” to refer to a U.S. citizen is pretty detailed:

In Favor Of The Status Quo:

Globally Understood

Most of the Americas, and world, undstands that internationally “American” almost always refers to someone from the United States, especially in English-language contexts.

Media & Culture

Hollywood. Thanks. Well, since U.S. media, film, music, and news is everywhere (seemingly), many are accustomed to hearing “American” used exclusively for U.S. citizens.

Context Already Understood

In most real-world conversations, if someone says “an American,” it is generally understood to mean a U.S. citizen, not a Canadian, Mexican, or Chilean.

I would add that in the examples above, the argument is basically “we all get it, so just accept it”. That would be easy to accept from a U.S. (or lazy) point of view, but there’s also some good reasoning against it:

Why It's a Bad Idea:

Continental Identity

In Chilean (and other) Spanish, América refers to the whole continent. Many people in the Americas grow up learning that they themselves are also “Americans” in a geographic sense. This is particular important

Find Your Own Name, Thanks

The term estadounidense (from the United States) is considered more accurate and neutral in Chile. (Yes, they [United States] don’t have a nice smooth word to refer to themselves; why is that the rest of the world’s problem, eh?)

U.S. (Ego) Centrism

Many in the Americas (outside of the U.S.) see “American” as reinforcing the idea that the United States dominates the identity of the entire continent. (The behavior of its leaders and citizens abroad do absolutely nothing to dispel this belief). Flags do not represent a language for the same reason as a regional distinction can not be applied to just one nation.

We've Already Been Schooled

School in the Americas frequently teach America as a single continent (not “the Americas”), which reinforces the idea that “American” should not belong to only one country.

In Closing

So, there you have it, for and against. This might all be irrelevant, however, when you consider that the name “America” came from an Italian fellow. And let’s not forget that “America” was also “discovered” by an Italian.

And their hearts (and cine) were conquered by yet another Italian. Stallion.

My Baguette Is Not For Touching

Michael Walsh — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 16:40:00 +0000

In a fantasy land, I am a carefree and fluid person. But in the real world, I possess a neurotic level > 0.

There are some things that drive me absolutely crazy. And one of those are people who decide to touch all over fresh bread with their bare hands, rather than using tongs, gloves, etc.

I also blame every stupid business that puts this bread in arms reach of the general public. Really, just keep it behind the counter please.

You maybe know how this works:

Hand hovers near like the Death Star.
Hand grabs the bread.
Hand gives it a good squeeze.
Hand rejects it and puts it back in the basket.

Right said bread is rejected for whatever dumb reason: It’s too soft, it’s too hard, it has too much flour on it. I don’t like how it looked at me.

And this bread violator comes in all shapes: the sweaty bloke that is on his way back from work at a gym or construction yard. The ancient lady with the purple hair that you swear can’t be a year past 200. Or the person with allergies/cold who just wiped their nose with the back of their hand.

C’mon, HOW can you touch fresh food after doing that? I’ll have my fresh bread without a side of your DNA, thank you very much.

So here are the simple ground rules for buying bread on the same planet that I live:

If your hand touches the bread: you buy the bread.
If you need to squeeze, tap or “test” the bread: you buy the bread.
If you leave visible dents in the bread: you buy the bread and you live with your choices.

Otherwise, use the tongs like a well-adjusted member of society. Or perhaps leave this planet. Keepin your options open.

Touch your own bread on your own time. My baguette is not for touching.

Tool Obsession

Michael Walsh — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:22:41 +0000

Some are prone to miss the forest for the trees. Others miss the trees for focusing on the forest.

The allergic like me will totally avoid any sort of forest and trees in the springtime.

Anyone who knows me will agree - I can definitely overfocus on the small details. Obsess, they will sometimes say. Sometimes innocently. Sometimes accusingly.

So what? :)

One of my latest hyperfocus victims are email providers. Which are secure. Which are encrypted. Which ones track you and which are easier with government information petitions than the gal that hangs out on the street corner.

It’s true, I spent a good long time looking over and over….and over….and over all the email options available because I needed to find one. But once I found one, I just kind of got hooked. Follow them on Reddit. Check the release notes. Track for possible updates every other day. Or every day.

It’s a lot. And I know I’m prone to it. Surely I am the only human being on planet earth. That does that.

It’s a tough habit to break. And to some degree, it’s not really bad at all. But it’s important to remind myself not to lose focus on what the email program is for:

To send and receive, to receive and to send. Emails.

So this is a message from me to myself (and I) - make sure to actually USE the email program you have.

And in more general terms: It’s cool to drool over every small detail of your new toy (be it that shiny Apple product, new car, new pet / kid / significant other / email program) but don’t lose the reason and purpose for that thing (or person) in your life.

As short as it is. Life.

Email & Encryption

Michael Walsh — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:19:00 +0000

Encryption is a hot tech buzzword in 2025. But what is it, why is it important for your email, and what do the top players offer over those email companies that serve "everyone"?

Whaaaaaaaat ....Is Encryption?
Which End Is End-To-End?
What About Gmail?
Why Proton / Tuta Then?

Whaaaaaaaat ....Is Encryption?

Imagine you want to send a secret note to your friend. With Gmail or Outlook, you usually hand the note to Google or Microsoft first. They put it in an envelope, deliver it, but they keep a copy of the key so they can still peek inside if they want. They say they’re just “helping” — for spam detection or smart features — but the point is, they control the lock.

(or, if you prefer, imagine you have nowhere to undress, and the other person in the room promises to not peek.... but then peeks, just to make sure you are healthy under the clothes you're wearing)

Proton Mail and Tuta Mail work differently. Here’s the metaphor:

Locking the Safe on Your Side:

When you write a message, your phone or computer puts it into a safe right on the device you are using. Before it ever leaves your hands, the safe is locked shut.
Sending the Safe, Not the Note:

Proton or Tuta’s servers only store or deliver that locked safe. They never see the note inside. To them, it just looks like a jumble of random letters and numbers — total nonsense.
Only Your Friend Has the Key:

The person you’re writing to has the matching key. When they open their Proton or Tuta account, their device unlocks the safe and shows the real message.

Which End Is End-To-End?

Ok, so now that is clear, right? But there's different types of encryption. Maybe you've even overheard people talking about end-to-end encryption at the local coffee shop or supermarket, right? :)

This is what people mean by end-to-end encryption (E2EE):

The lock (encryption) happens on your device.
The safe travels locked through the internet.
Only the right recipient’s device can unlock it.

Proton calls this a zero-access design :

“All messages in Proton Mail are encrypted on the client side using open source cryptographic libraries before they reach our servers. We do not have access to your messages.” (Proton Docs)

Tuta says more or less the same:

“All data is encrypted directly on your device before being transferred to our servers. We have no access to your private keys.” (Tuta Blog)

What About Gmail?

For most people, Gmail works differently:

Default Gmail: Google controls the keys. While they say they stopped scanning email content for ads in 2017, Gmail still scans messages automatically for “smart features” like spam filtering, reminders, and autocomplete - "Trust me, my eyes are closed"
To Be Fair News (September 2025): Some Google Workspace users now have access to client-side encryption. This means those accounts can send and receive messages that are encrypted on the device before reaching Google’s servers (Google Workspace Updates)
Limits: Client-side encryption in Gmail is not available to free Gmail users. Most people on Gmail still rely on Google holding the keys.

Why Proton / Tuta Then?

It's all really confusing and technical (even to someone who is immersed in tech). Many on the internet will argue their last breath away to convince you why their favorite company is the best, or why this is not important at all (if you are reading Reddit, you've been warned).

Bottom line to understand is this:

Proton and Tuta : End-to-end encryption is standard for everyone — even free users. The companies literally do not have your keys, so they cannot read your messages. Free as in beer. You can sign up for one (or both) and kick the tires around.
Gmail : Encryption is mostly server-side. Only a limited group of Workspace accounts can use client-side encryption, while billions of free Gmail users still depend on Google’s systems having access.

So if we go back to the metaphor:

Gmail: Like giving your diary to a friend (or stranger) who promises not to peek… but still holds the master key.
Proton and Tuta: Like writing in an unbreakable diary where only you and your friend have the key. Even the company storing the diary can’t open it.

This is how Proton and Tuta are different: they made privacy the default, not a premium extra. And fair disclosure: I use Proton. I would recommend either of them to be honest. And if you can't decide, consider this:

Are you coming from Google's ecosystem and like all the different services they offer? Go Proton

Are you a Linux user looking mainly for email? Go Tuta

Just looking for email? Either works

WordPress: Still My Favorite Static Site Generator

Michael Walsh — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 20:41:19 +0000

Just getting started in the dev.to community. Not quite sure what to write, so sharing an article I wrote, then updated, over the years about how to use Wordpress as an offline static website generator.

There are better, faster and easier SSGs out there; this one might be best for those who are already into Wordpress.

https://www.elmikewalsh.com/wordpress-2024-static-website-generator/

Get Your Language Outta My Face

Michael Walsh — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 00:18:35 +0000

Location ≠ Language
Signal The Switch

Arriving at a website to see your language displayed automatically may be a plus for some, but can be a pain in the ass for others.

Imagine this: You speak Portuguese, live in Brazil, and visit a website (such as Microsoft, for example). You load the website and - boom - there is the content, in all its Portuguese-y glory. That worked out well for you, right?

Imagine this: You speak Portuguese and English. You live in Brazil but you are an expatriate and you prefer to read online content in English. Actually, you don’t really speak or read Portuguese, so reading in English is not a preference, but rather, a need. But, since Microsoft is detecting your browser’s language, your location and/or system settings, you must want Portuguese, right? There is simply NO other logical explanation. So you load up Microsoft’s website, and - boom - there’s a jumbled mess of text that makes no sense to you.

_ “Ok, no worries” you tell yourself. I’ll just hit the language selector, and we’re off. _

Sure, no problem…. If the language selector is easy to find, and where you expect it.

(At the time of this writing, the language selector is in SMALL text in the BOTTOM LEFT section of the website. And it displays the CURRENT page’s language. So if you don’t see / don’t know that “Português” means “Hey, click here to change your language?, you’re screwed).

And what if - what if - you are in a location whose language doesn’t even use your ALPHABET?!? You are so screwed.

And - wait for it - my favorite part. Some websites, poorly programmed, will “redetect” your location once you change your language and click on a link, and send you BACK to the incorrect language.

Isn’t it great that in an attempt to help you out, they are really forcing upon you what they think you want?

A number of years back I wrote about how flags are not synonymous with language, and should be avoided in language selectors. Many sites still have not gotten the message, but I am seeing it less and less. However, it is worth mentioning in 2025 that location, browser or device settings are also not synonymous with my desired (or only) language.

Location ≠ Language

As mentioned above, just because the visitor to a website is in a specific location doesn’t mean they prefer (or can use) the predominant language there. Some countries have multiple languages, so targeting their location becomes a language crap shoot.

While it’s understandable on the one hand that large multinational companies have thousands (or millions) of visitors and automatically serving a language could be helpful, these same companies have the size and resources available to come up with much better solutions.

And, in the case of the Microsoft example above (and, to be fair, many other sites), you should never, ever, ever force your visitors to search for the language selector.

We’ve seen in the example at the start of this long rant, but consider the following as well:

Someone is using a VPN (Proton VPN is decent and has a free option — yes, I use it; not sponsored), but they aren’t actually in Brazil, and they can’t speak or read a word of Portuguese.
A person lives in Brazil and browses a local Portuguese website. When it's time to make a purchase they prefer to use their work credit card, which charges in USD and not reales..
A traveler visiting Brazil for a few days signs in, but is stuck with sites that assume Portuguese fluency — which they totally don’t have.

Because the web developer, in their infinite wisdom and analysis of user statistics in your country… decided that their multi-lingual website should just save you the time and frustration of looking for the language you want. So it redirects you to English, since you live in Canada. However, you live in Quebec, and you speak French. And the stupid website keeps redirecting you to English. Great user experience, right? You can have whatever you like, as long as you choose this one.

I said it here. Another fascinating article. Go and read it. :)

Signal The Switch

Ok, so you’ve seen the error of your way (or not) and would like to at least make language switching easy to find and use. Where should it be displayed?

For most (Western world, at least) websites, a visitor will look for (and hope to find) a language selection flotation device at the top of the website, as Vitaly Friedman mentions in his article Designing a Perfect Language Selector UX (English). Top right, top left. But the top. Please. If you simply must put it in the footer, add it as an ADDITIONAL helper, not the only one.

And please, please, please - do not use flags. Flags will call attention to the language selector, that is true. However, if the flag (for political or historical reasons) conjures up bad/awful/terrible memories, it is the equivalent of “Hey, look over here, look over here ….. ok, now that I have your attention….. fuck you!”

There are many ways to go about it, but at least on this simple website, where there are only two languages, it is easy to find. Right there in the navigation. Simple nav, simple location.

If the language selector on a website is so damn difficult to find or use, maybe the nav needs to be made simpler. But that’s the topic of another article. :)

Photo Used: pexels.com

How To Choose An Email Service Without Going Insane

Michael Walsh — Wed, 21 May 2025 23:47:00 +0000

It’s official - I have spent waaaaay more time (more time than a sane person would admit) investigating the best email platform for me at this moment. I am on a roll deGoogling, and have been for well over a year. Gmail was one of the first ones out. However, this left me in search of an email service I could be comfortable with. I have passed through, tested, used and left the following services (in no particular order that I can remember):

Email Providers Unnecessarily Tested

Postale.io
Proton
Tuta
Infomaniak
Purelymail
MXRoute
Fastmail
iCloud Mail
Fastmail

I have downloaded probably every email program (Canary, Spark, em, Edison, etc) from the App Store, and removed them. I previously commented on some email services; some opinions have changed. I still do not feel quite comfortable with my current service (returned to Proton). Here’s an update on what I previously commented, in the hopes that writing it out may help me actually come to some sort of definitive conclusion:

Postale.io

This is the first service I used for my very own domain name email, leaving Gmail behind. Nothing but good things to say. Great price for basic email needs & unlimited custom domains. I left mainly because I wanted more options and ideally a beautiful and free native mail app, which they don’t provide. They redesigned their website and admin portal recently but still use the ugly-as-sin Roundcube webmail. As my email solution needs to cater to family members of different tech levels, intuitive and “pretty” are important.

Proton

Had Visionary, loved it, left because of the price. Later returned; still love the service. The more I have looked into email security the more I come to realize (like many) that:

Email is not secure by nature.
Encrypted email loses some of its power the moment I send an email to a less-secure service (like Google). Everything I send (and receive) from a Gmail address, for example, can be accessed through the other person’s email. This article says it all: Google Has Most of My Email Because It Has All of Yours ( https://mako.cc/copyrighteous/google-has-most-of-my-email-because-it-has-all-of-yours ).

So the big question is - if encrypted email is only encrypted if you communicate with other encrypted addresses only, is the high price of encrypted email services worth it (at present). Like the company, love the product. Not a fan of the pricing, but mostly because we don't need most of the services. An option for multiple domain evade email plans (like Tuta) would be great, but not going to unlimited just to use 3 domain names. The Family plan is almost perfect but 6 users, yes. Only 3 domains. Really? 6 domains on Family plan at that pricing and I think it’s correct.

Tuta

I like Tuta’s approach to developing their apps and system on Linux, so all systems get the apps at the same time. The security story they’re selling is also great. Pricing is also better than Proton, if you’re just looking for email (and calendar). The app is not ugly. It is very minimalist though. I am not personally a fan that, when you change paid plans, they automatically bill you for the new plan, and then “refund” you for the old one. Reddit is full of people confused about this; take a look there if that is a concern.

Infomaniak

Ok, so you will go to their site, see what they offer, see their prices, and you will be very interested. As I was. I circled back around on this one many times, mostly because of the price. And there’s a LOT of information. Then, once the info was read, I had questions, so I emailed support. This is where it gets ugly. Two main pain points here:

I would on average wait 10 days to receive a reply
The reply I received would not address and answer completely the questions, which were clearly expressed.

They have a very strange setup where, if you want to use multiple domains for email addresses, one domain is the “main” one, and the other domains are simply “aliases”. This is super annoying when trying to set up different emails on different domains for different users. Of all the companies listed here, it is the ONLY one using this odd setup, and they can’t seem to explain it well. It’s not a “European thing” either, as many other companies there are able to explain their product well.

Purelymail

Great setup, easy, really reasonable pricing ($10/year) for unlimited space, domains, email accounts. Backend is ugly as sin, and if you are not proficient in setting up DNS records, this is not for you. You’ll also need an email app, if that’s a concern for you.

MXRoute

I hopped onboard this one for about a year, due to its low price. They offer an email app that is even customizable. But it’s based on Google’s Material Design, so if you are in Apple’s world (as I am) and like how Apple designs apps (which I generally do) then this app will be yuck.

Fastmail

Fastmail offered a Family plan, which was a reasonable price. Setup was nice and quick. I can't really think of much to say. I did not like the mobile app because of things like Notes, Calendar, Files, being there, and there is no function to remove them. So I moved on.

iCloud Mail

I really wanted to like this one. I really do. Multiple domain emails are possible, but just can’t get behind the idea that all your email addresses are really just an alias for the iCloud email address.

Fastmail

Ok, so during this entire investigation, I circled back to check on Fastmail a couple of times. In all of this, they did not have the cheapest nor most expensive service. Price was reasonable. Once I came to the conclusion that completely encrypted zero-knowledge email was not a need I had I checked back in with them. Right around this time Fastmail made a (controversial if you are on Reddit) redesign to their inbox. But in this update, they added an option to add or remove the services you want to display at the bottom of their mobile app. As stupid as it sounds, this was a deal-breaker the first time around; hated having 6 big ol icons at the bottom of the app, for 4 services I didn’t want to use. Now I can just click and hide what I don’t want.

Finally after an eternity of decision-fatigue, I pulled the trigger and we’re back at Fastmail. It’s all there, easy to set up, and fast as fast can be.

Masked Email / Aliases

I’ll just briefly add this note: Fastmail provided integration with Bitwarden and 1Password Keychains to create masked email addresses. However, during my second time with Proton, I got into Proton Pass and their way of doing alias emails more. So sticking with this one, but getting the subscription through SimpleLogin (which includes Proton Pass), rather than through Proton Pass (which includes Simple Login).

But that’s a post for another day (maybe).

Your Email - It’s Not "Swiss Safe"

Michael Walsh — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 22:56:14 +0000

If It's Swiss, It's Secure - Swiss Cheese has holes In It, and so does this idea.

I’ve recently had the pleasure (torture) of studying in-depth many, many, many free and paid email solutions, looking for the perfect solution for family, personal and work. As a bit of context, after waking up the need to leave Google for privacy concerns (my phone does not have a single Google application - yay!). I went first to Proton and stayed there for about a year, as a Visionary client (when I go in, it’s all in).

In the end, I can’t say that Proton was bad, just way more than I needed, and way more expensive than I wanted. Though I will note that exporting out of Proton, and the subsequent attempt to downgrade my account to Unlimited from Visionary, rather than canceling, was quite evil.

(when making high-tier customers press CANCEL, btw, don’t secretly downgrade me to a lesser plan and charge me. I will expose you here for the dozens of bots and half-dozen people who visit to see)

Anyways, in my search for the “perfect” email company for me, I came across a number of companies that pushed the idea that “our servers are in XYZ country (usually Switzerland) and so your data is completely safe. Laws here protect your privacy. (In one famous and extreme case, your data is stored in underground bunkers impervious to nuclear attacks. Good to know in the case all life on the planet is screwed, my email is safe).

Here’s the thing about the above argument (not the bunker) - your data is only safe if the laws protecting them in that country never change. Ever. In the case the government changes, or new laws are passed, or your country is invaded, your laws and Swiss protection don’t mean anything at all.

So, not really sure why you would push that as a sales point.

Maybe you are relying on the tradition argument - “Our country has never….” or “We would never….”

I’m not saying that the services that promote this are bad email companies. Far from it; most of them are pretty good.

For those who are attracted by the privacy laws argument, just turn on the toxic world news and count how many countries and governments are now doing things that haven’t been done before. Things that they would “never do”.

And I’m thinking about the democratically run countries.

My point (if any)?

Your information is not secure or private just because it is in a specific country or region. Privacy and security has much more to do with encryption than location.

Fuck You, Microsoft

Michael Walsh — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 20:49:00 +0000

I’m sure many people have said that before. I’m not one to rail against companies for being large, faceless, cold, and motivated only by money. I used Microsoft products and worked on Windows for over 30 years. I can’t really say I have a personal feeling about them one way or the other.

However, they recently decided to increase their Microsoft 365 prices, for Basic and Family plans. Ok, that in itself is nothing new, as companies do that from time to time, maybe even for reasonable excuses.

But the way in which it is being implemented is terrible and shows no consideration for the consumer.

This article from Tom’s Guide provides the scoop. I take exception to (many things people say/write), but particularly the following:

“Microsoft will increase the prices of Microsoft 365 Personal and Family in the U.S. by $3 per month or $30 for annual subscriptions. It's the first price hike since 365 launched, but the good news is users don't have to opt-in for the AI upgrade. ”

Read that again: “ But the good news is users don't have to opt-in for the AI upgrade. ” Ok, so the good news is that a half-baked AI implementation that no one wants is being forced upon me, and I do not have to take any action to pay more for it.

If I would rather NOT have this “feature”, then I have to jump through hoops to NOT have it. What great news! Work to not get charged for crap.

I used to not care one way or the other, but now….

Fuck you, Microsoft.

Email Services: A Rant

Michael Walsh — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 23:26:59 +0000

Proton
Fastmail
Purelymail
MXRoute
iCloud Mail

I imagine most people just fire up their trusty Gmail account, check and send mail, and call it a day. But when you think about changing to a service that doesn't openly read and spy on your email, it begins to turn into a lot of work.

My head is to the point it might actually explode. I could go into a lot of detail about each service I encountered, tried and discarded. I'm happy to say that the crusade is coming to an end. On that note, I wanted to share a bit of my findings, in the hopes that it might help other people who are looking for a good, reliable service.

Quick Context: I am not looking for a high threat-model, military-grade encrypted email. I am looking for a service that will offer general encryption from a company that won't spy on me, or charge me a fortune. Here's what I have found, and my opinions:

Proton

Had this email set up for family. Actually, I can only say good things about the service offered. The problem? Once it was decided that the offering was more than we were willing to pay, the migration began - as well as the problems:

As an organization, I could export all member email except for my own. It turns out it threw up an unknown error, and support finally said it was a really rare issue that was unlikely to be fixed. So instead of receiving an easy-to-use MBOX output, I had to export EML files and import them into the next service.
Once we canceled our plan (Visionary, no less) they confirmed cancellation, but secretly downgraded us to an Unlimited plan. Was not expecting to be charged again, and had to go in and cancel a second time. That is terrible service.

Fastmail

Purelymail

MXRoute

Checking this one out, this may be what I am looking for. I'll update this once I learn more.

iCloud Mail

I really want to like this one. I really do. I will go into detail why I can't later. For me, it has to do with multiple domain emails and really wanting a separate inbox for each one.

Ok that's my rant for now. Thanks, hope it's of help, and will update as time permits.

14 Days In No-Internet Hell

Michael Walsh — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:35:00 +0000

The “Good Old” 4G Days
Talking With Myself - Or Not (Who Are These People?)
14 Days at the End of the World
A Dear Friend Returns

Remembering the good old days when 4G was the latest “high-speed internet” and websites were designed to load quickly.

There I was, in the heart of South Central Chile, end of August, living a simple, common life of internet addiction - until the storms hit. First, the power flickered out. Then, the internet followed suit, leaving me in a dark, disconnected void.

Boom.

Welcome to No-Internet Hell, where you’re left remembering the good ol’ days of 4G when it felt like the future was at your fingertips, hoping that a drop of that will magically trickle down to you. Well, at least when we weren’t stuck on 3G...

Two weeks without a connection. And when there was a connection, it was - gasp - 3G. (Not 3 gbps fiber optic. I’m talking about the “mobile” 3G). Before the almighty internet returned to bless us with its presence, I had a lot of time to reflect—mostly on how much I missed reading articles about terrible internet speeds. Who knew those words would become my life?

The “Good Old” 4G Days

Remember when 4G was the best thing since sliced bread? We all thought it was the beginning of a new era. But here’s the kicker: most of the time, you were stuck on 3G because 4G coverage was spotty at best. Back then, even 3G felt like a miracle compared to the dreaded 0G, where your phone became an expensive paperweight. But when 4G actually worked, oh, how fast it was. Websites loaded before you could blink (we didn’t blink much, back in my day). It was quick enough that you didn’t have time to think about how much they sucked (now we just don’t think; that’s what AI is for!).

Of course, that was back when websites weren’t bogged down with gigabytes of data-hogging nonsense. Remembering this fine piece of literature, Your Internet Speed and That of Your Website’s Visitor Probably Sucks, we’ve made things worse by designing websites that only load quickly if you’ve got NASA-level bandwidth. These days, if you’re stuck on 4G - or heaven forbid, 3G - you might as well go make a sandwich while the page loads. And watch the paint on the walls dry. Wherever it needs drying.

Talking With Myself - Or Not (Who Are These People?)

After a few days without the internet, I did what any sane person would do: restarted the router. When that didn’t work (shocking, I know), I moved on to the next best thing—restarting it again. Maybe it would come back! (It didn’t.) So, left with no other option, I actually talked to the people around me. I know, terrifying. It’s not that I dislike conversation, but after so long with the internet, I completely forgot why those other people shared the same space that I did. :)

I also discovered something fascinating: card games and board games still exist. Yes, those relics from a pre-digital age. They’re not as fun as YouTube or Instagram, but at least no one has to worry about buffering. After a few rounds of carioca, I was ready to crawl back to the 4G days, even if it meant living with the constant cycle of switching to 3G mid-download.

14 Days at the End of the World

Productivity without the internet? It’s a joke. Sure, at first you think, “I’ll finally get some offline work done.” Spoiler: no, you won’t. You’ll realize how deeply you depend on Google for even the most basic tasks, like remembering how long it takes to cook rice. Remember the pre-historic days when we went to the bathroom with a book, and not a phone? (a phone doesn't serve the same dual-purpose that a good ol' paper book can in an emergency)

Even trying to remember what life was like before we were all glued to the life line that is WiFi feels like a stretch. And yet, ironically, my article on why internet speeds suck kept bouncing around my head. Turns out I had firsthand experience now of how bad a slow (or non-existent) connection really is.

A Dear Friend Returns

After an eternity (or so it seemed), the internet came back. My router lit up like a Christmas tree, and I was back online. But the victory was bittersweet. There’s no immediate rush to watch all the Netflix I missed or binge-read Medium articles. Instead, I started reflecting on how we got here—how we built a digital world so bloated with content that even 4G can feel sluggish now (or, at least, that’s what I would like you to think. In reality, it was a frantic rush to make 2 weeks of backlogged projects go away).

It’s funny, isn’t it? We used to get by with simpler, faster websites. Now we need insane speeds just to keep up with the junk we’ve crammed into them. So if you’re out there still dealing with terrible load times and sluggish sites, I feel for ya. But don’t worry - you’re not missing anything other than crap being pushed and loaded faster and faster.

Photo Used: pixabay.com

DEV Community: Michael Walsh

A Pet Project: Zodiacl

American’t

Table of Contents

In Favor Of The Status Quo:

Globally Understood

Media & Culture

Context Already Understood

Why It's a Bad Idea:

Continental Identity

Find Your Own Name, Thanks

U.S. (Ego) Centrism

We've Already Been Schooled

In Closing

My Baguette Is Not For Touching

Tool Obsession

Email & Encryption

Table of Contents

Whaaaaaaaat ....Is Encryption?

Which End Is End-To-End?

What About Gmail?

Why Proton / Tuta Then?

WordPress: Still My Favorite Static Site Generator

Get Your Language Outta My Face

Table of Contents

Location ≠ Language

Signal The Switch

How To Choose An Email Service Without Going Insane

Email Providers Unnecessarily Tested

Postale.io

Proton

Tuta

Infomaniak

Purelymail

MXRoute

Fastmail

iCloud Mail

Fastmail

Your Email - It’s Not "Swiss Safe"

If It's Swiss, It's Secure - Swiss Cheese has holes In It, and so does this idea.

Fuck You, Microsoft

Email Services: A Rant

Table of Contents

Proton

Fastmail

Purelymail

MXRoute

iCloud Mail

14 Days In No-Internet Hell

Table of Contents

The “Good Old” 4G Days

Talking With Myself - Or Not (Who Are These People?)

14 Days at the End of the World

A Dear Friend Returns