mccI just this second drew the line in my head from "Microsoft is one of the companies who is convinced ChatGPT is a good thing and is telling its shareholders it's going to try to shove this brand of 'AI' into everything it can" and "Microsoft owns my phone keyboard, since they bought SwiftKey" and, uh… shit, maybe I should audition AnySoftKeyboard sooner rather than later
At almost the exact same time they rolled out this update, Microsoft deleted the public support forums. The public uservoice/feedback/feature request thing. They appear to have just removed it completely from the support site and old links to it 404. What an interesting coincidence.
Yeah LOL look at this. They removed the public forums in such an incredible hurry that if you just log into the SwiftKey website, there's still a link to the nonexistent forums at the bottom. They must have done this in an *incredible* hurry. I actually was thinking along the lines of "interesting coincidence" but now I actually believe it is not a coincidence and they really did do this just to prevent people discussing welding Bing and "AI" into the FUCKING KEYBOARD
Yeah check this out. The app itself has a "Help and Feedback" section. But there's no way to provide feedback. There's only the "Support" button which links to a static site of prewritten pages. They made the decision to remove the public feedback site, apparently to prevent feedback around "Bing" "AI" integration, they didn't even have the time to tell the people making the actual app to change the button names.
I'm not as certain about this part, but there's a weird detail on the static-support-pages site if you search for something (such as "disable Bing"). Below the search results it simply says "Still haven't found what you're looking for?". EOM. I *think* there used to be something under there like a contact or support link. The line might refer to the links underneath but it doesn't really visually make sense. Now the left-behind line looks so forlorn.
Still haven't found what you're looking for?
This one hurts, it really hurts. I think this hurts worse than Musk buying/poisoning/killing Twitter. I've mentioned this before but a keyboard feels like an extension of your body, and I've been using SwiftKey exclusively for over a decade. I wrote most of this thread in GBoard and it was actually pretty rough to adjust to.
It's bad enough corporations can buy things you like and kill them. This seriously feels like a corporation buying a part of me and taking it away.
It really is true. In the long run, open source software is the only thing that exists. ( https://mastodon.social/@mcc/109683380376727036 ) It doesn't even matter if open source software is good. Eventually you'll have to use it it because there are simply not any alternatives.
Got several people recommending to me "FlorisBoard". Do I understand correctly you cannot install this through Google Play? It's fdroid/sideload only?
Curioso 🍉 🇺🇦 (jgg)Patience. Getting used to a new keyboard takes time. You may end up preferring the new one quirks.
I would recommend you my keyboard, but since I hate the very idea of my keyboard having any kind of autocomplete, I don't think you would like it.
T0╳F01Æ
Songs for the Elderly - Foil Arms and Hog
ator robot@mcc this is hilariously tragic. as a past user of SwiftKey (sadly after the Microsoft acquisition) i am genuinely sorry.
IMPORTANT: try Yandex Keyboard. i haven't seen people suggesting this anywhere, but it is literally the only keyboard i can tolerate, and it's available through Google Play.
think of it as SwiftKey if it had been improved over the years (getting regular genuinely good updates) instead of being bought out by Microsoft.
@mcc by the way, this was not an impulsive decision. i searched through very many keyboards and gave up multiple times before finding Yandex. Google Play search is just useless at finding good apps of a certain type.
curious robot :v_enby: :v_bi: (@[email protected])
:ms_speaker_loud_volume: This is a public service announcement: MS SwiftKey is dead. Bing AI has been integrated, and Microsoft's trail of destruction is finally complete. *Search for Yandex Keyboard on Google Play.* It is the only keyboard I can recommend for Android, having searched, experimented, and given up multiple times. Many settings, high quality features, great look and themable, it is SwiftKey if instead of being bought out it was improved with regular responsible updates. #keyboard #ai #android https://mastodon.social/@mcc/110209152979696652
luna the doggie 
@mcc
I'm using AnySoftKeyboard, but getting a comfy setup with it took a lot of configuration effort and some getting used to my custom, somewhat unusual gestures.
I'm using AnySoftKeyboard, but getting a comfy setup with it took a lot of configuration effort and some getting used to my custom, somewhat unusual gestures.
Jeroen van der Ham-de Vos@mcc you can actually disable the bing button. In the SwiftKey settings there is a button to disable the "Bing Hub". Turning it off automatically enables the menu button which is a weirdly unhelpful feature.
@1sand0s This is a new feature. At the time I made the above posts there was no Bing configurability. I guess people complained.
The simple way to remove the bing button is:
- Bring up the toolbar
- Scroll to the right of the toolbar, there's a gear or a … or something
- Drag the bing button out of the toolbar into the tray below it
@mcc thanks, seems like it took them a week to make that change (and a further week for me to discover it)
@1sand0s But, here is the thing. By putting a search engine inside the keyboard, Microsoft crossed a line. By allowing a complex third party program like SwiftKey in my keyboard process space, I am assuming there will be no future security vulns, or feature changes, or TOS changes that are a threat to me. Having a whole chatbot system in the keyboard (or worse, code to load a web-based chatbot system) makes me wonder, what if that code activated by accident? Or was forced to activate by a vuln?
@1sand0s Microsoft dropped a search engine button in our keyboards. I didn't like the "TODO" app they crowbared into SwiftKey, but that doesn't connecting to the network. Connecting to the network on purpose is a significant change. What if they make a significant change, of this sort, to the TOS when I'm not paying attention, and remote Bing AI becomes part of the keyboard model (which I was already increasingly worried was being backed up by MS)?
@1sand0s Basically, even if I can turn Bing off, I can no longer trust SwiftKey! If they're adding Bing now I can't know what they will add in future. I have switched to GBoard, which is frankly not good, and I am watching FlorisBoard to see how their autocorrect turns out once it's shipping.
@mcc you are completely right. It was great to see new support for SwiftKey after a long period of silence, but this is going in completely the opposite direction indeed.
Turning off full access is possible, but then the keyboard is next to useless
Turning off full access is possible, but then the keyboard is next to useless
@1sand0s I guess maybe I could protect myself from nearly anything if I "log out" my swiftkey, but I think then I might not be able to install themes anymore. I'm not sure. Anyway, I'd *prefer* FlorisBoard if I can make it work. As you say, SwiftKey has been too dormant for too long in terms of productive feature work.
Natanael ⚠️@mcc yeah there's a bunch of apps there which don't want to publish via google play, either because of policy violation (some system wide ad blockers) or because of various other Google policies, or because they simply don't want to pay the publishing fee
@Natanael_L there's a publishing fee now?
Michael Nischt@mcc you can install it through the Google Play Store but you need to join the test group and visit the testing page first. It's just a few clicks linked here:
⁂ Fish Id Wardrobe@micha @mcc trying this now and I'm impressed. First time I‘ve ever got glide to work for me (fat fingers)!
Cleảly thẻe ảe still issues 🤪
But you shouldn't listen to me because my usual keyboard looks like this:
@fishidwardrobe @micha I don't think I want to *use* this… but I *respect* it
@mcc @fishidwardrobe haha, I didn't know of it before but was intrigued to give it a try as well. I guess the screenshot saved me the effort.
I fear convenience always wins over privacy. 🙈
I fear convenience always wins over privacy. 🙈
xrvs@fishidwardrobe @micha @mcc no, i was talking about the text you typed in your post that has diacritics instead of the letter r
@fishidwardrobe @micha @mcc yes, that is the name of the vietnamese input method it is trying to mimick (which does need improvement in fact). for english you should use appender instead
@micha Thanks so much, I didn't understand the github page at first.
It looks like the predictive text in Florisboard is still forthcoming. So I guess I'll stay in the beta and give it a serious try when the predictive text lands.
@mcc thank you too. I was just following along and discovering things on the go. =)
PunnO)))@mcc You'll be disappointed. I've tried all the FOSS android keyboards, and none of them is consistently enough better than the AOSP one to daily drive.
@ieure is aosp same as gboard ?
@mcc Not the same, but gboard might be based on it (like how Chrome is based on Chromium). AOSP keyboard is very basic, think iOS 6 style.
FOSS keyboards with swipe typing are pretty new (within the last ~1-2 years), and your options are FlorisBoard or AnySoftKeyboard. FlorisBoard is (IMO) the better of the two, but both are inferior to the features of gboard. I refuse to use gboard because I don't trust Google with my keystrokes.
@mcc FlorisBoard doesn't have word suggestions, so if it misdetects your swipe, you have to delete the word and try again. AnySoftKeyboard has suggestions, but feels a lot more sluggish and seems less accurate with swipe typing overall. Maybe some day these will be good enough, but I don't think they are today. I just gave up swipe typing when I started ripping corporate snitching software out of my life. :/
Dźwiedziu@mcc
Or OpenBoard
Or OpenBoard
✧✦Catherine✦✧@mcc florisboard's pretty good
@whitequark A few people recommended this and I downloaded it, but there doesn't appear to be a predictive text model at all right now…?
@mcc oh yeah. i don't run gapps so my bar is "aosp's default keyboard" which is really bad
@whitequark i'm trying openboard which seems to be a mild skin on AOSP keyboard and it's… pretty bad.
predictive text is in the next floris update so i'm v interested in where florisboard goes. i guess i'll tolerate gboard until then.
Deividas Paukštė@mcc @whitequark You should try out AnySoft Keyboard, I've been using it since I switched to a degoogled OS and have been really liking it.
Ivan Jarmoluk@mcc as far as I'm aware it's not on Google play. I tried it a couple months ago and it wasn't really ready for my daily use, but I believe it's widely considered the up-and-comer for open source virtual keyboards. Currently I'm still using AnySoftKeyboard but I believe it's no longer maintained, and it's definitely got some issues.
@ivan It looks like FlorisBoard is going to be added to Google Play with the next update, incidentally the one where they add predictive text. Exciting!
Oliv'@mcc I was not aware of that one, thanks. So it is available on Fdroid and it appears than you can install it from gplay:https://github.com/florisboard/florisboard
Genuine question regarding this thread topic: why using gplay more than Fdroid?
Genuine question regarding this thread topic: why using gplay more than Fdroid?
@oliv Thanks, I have the beta installed now.
I don't know how to load FDroid on my phone and I don't see a reason to learn. Even if I wanted to install floris I'm not sure why I'd install FDroid rather than just building it myself
Izzy@mcc One reason you might be interested in F-Droid is that you can be pretty sure to get what the app description says there – and not just the appraised functionality as minor addition to a load of trackers. F-Droid's policy only allows fully F/LOSS apps. And if there's something to be cautious of, it's usually clearly pointed out (via so-called "Anti-Features"). So much more transparency than on Play. You can use Aurora Store to access Play to get somehow close to that transparency.
The Evil Microwizard@mcc Never mind FlorisBoard. The current version doesn't have autocomplete! 😩
@mcc as you just wrote yourself, quote: "In the long run, open source software is the only thing that exists."
No why should you put open source inside a closed walled garden? #FDroid is the place for free (hence the "F") and open source Android apps. And the source I get my apps from (no Google account here, no Google Services on my Google-free devices). Feels (and works) quite good. For many years now 😉
Worth giving it a try 
Simon Brooke@mcc "It's frustrating because open source end-user software is of persistently lower quality than commercial"
Uhhmmmmm.... *WHAT*?
Have you ever tried using commercial software?
@simon_brooke
Some people have the blessing of not used outsourced, in-house, underfinanced enterprise software, or enterprise grade ITIL ticketing solutions.
Or even software designed perfectly, but designed to fork over your wallet.
Dag Ågren ↙︎↙︎↙︎@mcc Speaking of things in that thread, I have been using heptapod.host for a while now for mercurial hosting, and it has an actual user interface that doesn't try to bite your face off, but it does still cost money.
@WAHa_06x36 Maybe it was never reasonable to expect free source code hosting. I don't know.
@mcc Maybe. I don't know either. I just decided that I am now at a point in my life where I am rich enough to just pay to make my problems go away.
margot@mcc this really is where i’ve come down on os software bc like, the private stuff is just so wildly unreliable in comparison. even if you hate the usability or don’t care about the politics it’s still important to remember!
ThunderOwl@mcc , also, only things you have locally (like, music, videos, pics, on physical drives and double backup drives) are only ones that really are yours.
⊥ᵒᵚ Cᵸᵎᶺᵋᶫ∸ᵒᵘ ☑️@mcc feck. I've had the same keyboard, but have auto update off because knew Microsoft would fuck over sooner or later. Suggestions on replacement (don't need swype, just local autocorrect and suggestions)