lemm.ee

0 points

2 months ago

I’d say they are objectively better, because are independent, free & open source apps, instead of relying on patching Google’s proprietary software.

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redfellow@sopuli.xyz

22 points

2 months ago

They aren’t better IF you enjoy most of YouTubes features. Usability is key, and messing around with Revanced manager twice a year has been worth it easily.

Being OS doesn’t suddenly make worse UX better.

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𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖘@infosec.pub

7 points

2 months ago

I appreciate your viewpoint, as it’s a part of what makes the software development community so great. I don’t necessarily agree with it, personally, since they all rely on proprietary backend (YouTube), but I truly do appreciate it.

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2 points

2 months ago

I just don’t want any proprietary software on my devices (for many reasons, most importantly privacy and user freedom). I can use a VPN to privately connect to the YouTube backend, but things get much harder when the proprietary spyware is actually on my device.

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𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖘@infosec.pub

5 points

2 months ago

I don’t disagree with this point. Calling them objectively better however, is not covering the whole story imo. They are objectively better if your goal is to deproprietarize (not a real word) as much as possible. But if your goal is to just block ads as seamlessly as possible while still keeping all other features in YouTube, then those FOSS apps drop to subjectively better.

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2 points

2 months ago

Well yeah, I agree. FOSS apps do lack features like logging in (to a Google account), the recommendation algorithm, etc. On the other hand, ReVanced is not exactly easy to install for new users. Both approaches are valid and get the job done (blocking annoying ads). I appreciate the calm and pleasant conversation.

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𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖘@infosec.pub

3 points

2 months ago

I agree completely. It’s actually why I went with NewPipe as a recommendation to family and friends. After a few months using it, I really didn’t miss the original YouTube app, and it has become, when combined with the ease of installation, my go-to recommendation for Android users who want to block ads and be able to play audio in the background with the screen off. All of these solutions have the potential to temporarily break as google (needlessly, imo) fights them. The FOSS solutions fix is to apply the update, where as revanced is to re-revance the YouTube app (not so simple).

And as for your calm and pleasant comment, I try to always be : ) we’re (mostly) all here to have a conversation (at least, I treat everyone as though they are, until they show me otherwise lol). So, thank you : )

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5 points

2 months ago

Which one of those do I pick if I actually want to be logged in and have Youtube keep track of my watch history, automatically synchronized between devices?

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3 points

2 months ago

If you want to use YouTube for that, it seems like ReVanced is your only option. But you can also create an account on a Piped instance, and have your playlists synced. LibreTube is the only app that supports this.

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redfellow@sopuli.xyz

1 point

2 months ago

Revanced with MicroG. I use YouTube 50/50 on mobile and Shield (SmartTube) and if my watch history, subscriptions etc. didn’t work, I wouldn’t be using it.

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