Linux

Purist, hard-line stuff like this will honestly just get you nowhere in 2023. I get where you're coming from, but it's simply not realistic. This is what browser extensions are for.

It's not as simple as you think it is. First, we use Plausible instead instead of Google Analytics, so tracking data is not being given to Google. If the choice was purely up to System76's web team, use of Google services wouldn't be required. However, you'll be hard pressed to find any online store that accepts online payments without a captcha service, because most payment processors require it. System76's payment processor also requires it, and will not allow you to substitute your own solution or bypass that requirement. Same as said here: https://lemmy.world/comment/3137069

Customer services and other web-facing frontends are also a constant target of attacks, so a captcha service is required.

They just resell Chinese laptops anyway, or used to. I opted for a Framework laptop this time.

It's likely something out of their control. I imagine their payment processor either uses it, or requires the site to use it. Mostly to combat automated fraud.

You likely won't find any site, that has online shopping, that doesn't use some sort of way to gatekeep against this behavior, unless it's crypto-based. And even then it likely still has something like that. Even if the site redirects to Paypal, you're gonna face that.

Your approach simply isn't realistic to the modern web. You can try uBlock, but blocking those connections likely will make the site ultimately not work for you.

What a nothingburger. How do you people navigate day to day life?

There's still a business, and they need to be profitable, so they're doing things a business does to stay profitable. But they've stayed very true to their philosophy.

Is the use of these APIs during the checkout process enough to make you go to a different company? What company would you go to that doesn't use any trackers?

Their focus is i think in making pop os for hardware from clevo or someone similar or themselves in case of desktops not making websites. I mean i agree that this suck because this websites represents them. I am just saying that maybe they dont even have its own web developers for the site and the company that handles their eshop probably dont offer alternative capcha method and for them to change that they need to change the conpany that handles eshop or make their own. Both are very complicated and expensive solutions i think.

Many payment providers would want websites to implement CAPTCHA for blocking spam and fraud attempts.

I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to walk to a store and pay in cash if you don't want to have any data tracking done at all. Online you'll often have to pick one or the other: data tracking, or flimsy security/data protection. The phone solution is appropriate in my humble opinion, but you're welcome to hold your own views on your principles. If you're hard set against a company tracking ANYBODY via 3rd parties to that level, then I bet you will be very hard-pressed to ever find a computer through an online marketplace from ANY company that will fit that bill perfectly and suits your other needs.

You see, even Mozilla uses reCaptcha and other Google APIs. Companies that "fight for freedom" will only do the minimal. Still, I think is worthy to send an email do System 76 with this reclamation.

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

I agree with you. Purism had this same problem at one point I believe - turns out that the Wordpress plugins that they used for their site came bundled with Google crap.

It's possible this wasn't an intentional choice by anyone at S76, but instead just spyware bundled with other components.

Both businesses should know to evaluate their dependencies for these sorts of things, but mistakes do happen. It's good that concerned community members exist to call them out, even if they have no plans to change it.

I wasn't very impressed with their customer service. They wouldn't sell me a new battery when mine died. Now I'm stuck with an otherwise perfectly good laptop that now has to be plugged in all the time.

buys another used Thinkpad on eBay

If it ain't broke...

You're worried about Google trackers on their website but you were gonna potentially buy a Lenovo Thinkpad? Lololol

I agree with your stance, and I can also acknowledge what other people are saying, about not being able to find companies anymore, that aren't willing to sell your information to multi-billion dollar targeted-ad companies. I would do what a couple other people, in this post, mentioned. Buy a used laptop/desktop, in cash, that supports coreboot. To my knowledge, anything past an i5 can't fully remove all of the IME blobs, anyways. If you want something for gaming, and don't want to support/contribute to the funneling of personal data, I would build a desktop from parts that work well with Linux, from a store like MicroCenter.

I was very disappointed in my Serval.

It never got a firmware update that it sorely needed. Maybe 1 hr battery life?

I personally think they should just focus on Pop_OS! .

I'm much happier with the laptop I ran out and grabbed from a big box store to replace the 2k+ one I bought from system 76.

You’re cutting off your nose to spite your face under the mistaken belief that voting with your dollar is effective.

Consider tracking mitigation techniques as opposed to the boycott.