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[return to "Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored actors"]
1. simlev+S1[view] [source] 2026-02-02 02:18:44
>>myster+(OP)
Probably related to this: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/v869-about-taiwan/
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2. icelan+72[view] [source] 2026-02-02 02:21:13
>>simlev+S1
Yeah, Notepad++ is known for political messaging in their updates. Taiwan, Ukraine, etc.
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3. LoganD+W3[view] [source] 2026-02-02 02:39:38
>>icelan+72
I can't help but feel there must some better venue for such messaging.

When I see politics in software updates or documentation, nothing happens because I'm not looking to use the software for political activism. Maybe I tell my adblocker to remove the messaging, and carry on with my task.

I can engage with politics in a social context, when political messaging isn't interrupting something else I'm doing; that's a better place for activism, IMHO.

I almost always see activists using the argument that if I don't like the messaging then I'm part of the problem. Somehow I doubt that, given I don't mind messaging at all, where it's appropriate.

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4. ryandr+K4[view] [source] 2026-02-02 02:49:36
>>LoganD+W3
Similar comments also come up in the [now regular] "I don't want to see political articles on HN" threads, and I think the response is similar: Asking for "no politics" is itself a strong political view: One in support/service of whatever the current status quo is. Trying to set oneself apart from (or above) politics is itself political. If you're lucky enough to be one of the fortunate people on earth who are not under attack by political forces or who benefit from status quo politics, I'd encourage you to simply reflect on that good luck and try to ignore the "politics" that others are deeply affected by and care about.
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5. tjwebb+ji[view] [source] 2026-02-02 05:14:41
>>ryandr+K4
Not wanting politics crammed into every nook and cranny of daily life is not a "political" view of one kind or another, it's a preference for how I want to consume information and interact with people.

There is such a thing as being able to act and think in ways that aren't political in nature. Maybe not for you, but it absolutely is possible.

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6. anonym+7j[view] [source] 2026-02-02 05:24:26
>>tjwebb+ji
Way to completely and totally miss the point. I don't actually think you could've missed the point any harder than you did.

Politics are quite literally life-or-death for many people. War is politics. Access to healthcare is politics. Economic policy that determines whether businesses and careers succeed or fail is politics. Freedom to say what you want, believe or not believe in whatever religion you want, and be who you are without being imprisoned is politics. The people who make the most noise about politics are the people who are literally dying for as long as the rest of society ignores their plight.

If this isn't the case for you, it's because you benefit from the status quo. It is the definition of privilege to be able to "ignore politics". That means you are currently benefitting from politics. Of course you don't want to hear about politics, politics are doing just fine for you. And the comment you were asking to was asking you to reflect on that: if the biggest problem gracing you is hearing other people make noise about circumstances, the least you could do is deal with it. Your problems are trivial if that is what gets you upset. Other people are complaining about things that affect the outcome of their lives and you're complaining about... having to hear it.

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7. tjwebb+Dj[view] [source] 2026-02-02 05:29:28
>>anonym+7j
That you seem to believe politics exists to solve people's problems is probably the reason you feel it is so important. I'm sorry that you are so profoundly confused.
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8. anonym+uk[view] [source] 2026-02-02 05:41:58
>>tjwebb+Dj
Oh, you're one of those bootstrappy libertarians, I'm taking it. Everything you've ever done is by your own two merits, right? Nevermind the fact that you take society's roads and use society's technology, which are the results of politics. You drink society's water and eat society's food, which are the results of politics. You enjoy the security of not being invaded by enemy tribes nor your neighbors, which are the results of politics. "Politics" is simply a word describing how humans act in groups. Given that how we act in groups determines the entirety of our lives, there is no separating anything from politics. You seem to have taken my comment as "the government is responsible for solving people's problems", but politics are just as much about dealing with the problems it creates. When politics are going well you can ignore it; when they are going poorly they can end your life so you make a lot of noise about it to get other people to try to care. In either case, though, your life is entirely the result of political forces unless you're living in the jungle completely detached from society.
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9. tjwebb+Hk[view] [source] 2026-02-02 05:45:23
>>anonym+uk
I live in a society that feeds me and rewards me for work and does a whole host of other things for me. I am grateful for all of it. Many other people are not so well served by society. This is all true. None of that has anything to do with politics.

Politics is a game. It is played with one single objective: to make sure that the people with no political power remain fighting among themselves instead of fighting those with power. If you believe some favored political faction will solve these problems you mention, then it is you who is missing the entire point.

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10. anonym+Gl[view] [source] 2026-02-02 05:58:44
>>tjwebb+Hk
I'm taking you're from the US from the "either team" comment. That is a really elementary understanding of politics. Politics, again, is a word describing how humans behave in groups. Where are roads built? That's a political decision made by groups of humans reaching consensus. What is the budget for the local security force? That's a political decision made by groups of humans reaching consensus. How much money is going to be collected from everyone locally to pay for those roads and security? That's a political decision made by groups of humans reaching consensus. If you're even allowed to participate in the consensus process... that itself is politics! For most of recorded history, decisions were made by the consensus of clergy, nobility and royalty, who coerced the rest of society into supporting their consensus through organized violence. Are you allowed to own property? That is the result of your group reaching consensus saying you're allowed to.

> How the produce of society is distributed and how people are cared for has zero relevance to an article about hacking a text editor,

The article is political. People make noise about Taiwan because an invasion of Taiwan would kill many and oppress more, in other words because it, like all political matters, is something that determines the course of lives of millions. Even if they are not directly affected, noise about politics escalates as a mechanism for people to protect themselves. When you are at the wrong end of a group that outnumbers you trying to kill you, you will require the aid of others. But will others come to your aid if you were not willing to come to their aid? This is how the concept of a "conscience" and "empathy" evolved -- because they give an evolutionary advantage, of providing for your own survival by ensuring collective survival.

Edit: for posterity, the comment I was replying to mentioned a "belief in either team leading you to the promised land", which has been edited out.

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11. tjwebb+in[view] [source] 2026-02-02 06:14:10
>>anonym+Gl
You know what's even more important than politics? Water. That doesn't mean I need to read a prologue about water in every HN article reminding me that I require water to survive.

You seem very angry at a stranger on the internet. I think a break from thinking about everything through the lens of politics might be good for you.

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