Linux Mint

[zip accident]

There's nothing wrong with Windows 7.

[tufty]

There's nothing wrong with Windows 7.

Of course not.

https://www.cvedetails.com/version-list ... ows-7.html

[grue]

Fucking Windows.

I retain the pre-installed copy of Windows that came with this laptop because, you know, I've paid for it and I might have need for Windows at some point. It's on its own nVME drive, so I can always pop it out and replace it, if I need more disk space.

Booted into it, just out of curiosity, and then when I rebooted, it came up with Windows again. No GRUB menu.

So, apparently, UEFI lets an OS change the boot order and it puts Windows back to the top as the first boot device. Yeah, fuck off. I switched it back.

But that's supremely annoying, as I was barely 5 minutes in Windows 11 and it changed my boot order. And it was actually not so easy to change it back, as tapping Del and F11 and F2 and so forth didn't bring up the UEFI - maybe I'm just getting the key wrong, because it doesn't really say, other than F12 is boot options (but that's the temporary boot order, while I wanted to fix the boot order permanently) - so I had to go into Windows, then do the "startup options" thing, choose "troubleshoot" and then the "UEFI firmware" bollocks. There's an extra reboot from Windows in there somewhere as well.

I really don't like how Microsoft has taken control of the boot process. Sure, we still - for now - have the option to turn SecureBoot off and we have - for now - Microsoft issuing digital signatures for a Linux "shim", so it can work with SecureBoot just fine. But, you know, it's Microsoft - not an independent third party - who issues those digital signatures. It's Microsoft mandating SecureBoot and TPM for booting Windows 11.

And now I discover that Windows can even change the boot order to put itself back at the top. Very much like how, after every Windows update, they try to re-assert Edge as your default browser. Windows apparently also re-asserts that it's first in the boot order as well - and doesn't even ask you or even warn you it's done this.

(Which is actually terrible security. They've opened up the means to programmatically change the boot order. Some "rootkit" can now silently force itself first in the boot order to take complete control of the machine, where previously it could only be done manually in the BIOS / UEFI by a user. They're actually opening up new vulnerabilities to the boot process, because now OSes can programmatically change it.)

Hopefully, one day, RISC-V becomes properly price and performance competitive with ARM and x86 - in fact, as it can't be locked down in a proprietary way, it'll create a competitive market of chip manufacturers trying to outdo each other, as with "IBM PC compatibles" before it that eventually outgrew IBM themselves - so that there's an open alternative that can't ever be "walled gardened".

Learnt my lesson. Do not boot Windows. Even out of "curiosity".

There is the thing that, after a Windows Update, Windows will overwrite the GRUB bootloader with its own bootloader. And it won't ask you about it. But I thought I was safe from this, as I've got Linux and Windows on different nVME drives, with GRUB safely on the Linux drive - so putting the Linux drive first in the boot order gets me GRUB and I can select OSes from there. At least for now, Windows doesn't fuck up the boot sector of other drives, so GRUB is safe (stress on "for now"). But they can still fuck it up, by re-arranging the boot order without permission.

I'm seriously considering popping the Windows drive out and sticking in a blank 2TB nVME I've got, so I can't boot into Windows. I haven't bothered because I'm still a long way from filling up my 2TB Linux drive to need another drive. But I could do the old "/home" on a different drive trick or maybe just RAID the Linux drive for redundancy.

Two weeks ago I completely removed Windows from this PC. I hadn't logged in ages so I formated the SSD and made it the default Timeshift storage.
It is really amazing what an experience it is when you feel in control of your machine. :-)

[Ratsoap]

Gnome

That's your problem. I mostly like GNOME and have used it a lot over the years, but binned it as it has memory leaks that are inexcusable.
Ubuntu is not as spectacular as it used to be either.

As for Teams, is using it in your browser an option? That's what I used to do.

I've recently updated the machine to use Kubuntu, which uses KDE Plasma as a desktop, and it's night and day different. I've not had a single crash or memory leak, and all the dumb UI stuff has gone away. Having a much nicer time now.

[KlaxonCow]

Two weeks ago I completely removed Windows from this PC. I hadn't logged in ages so I formated the SSD and made it the default Timeshift storage.
It is really amazing what an experience it is when you feel in control of your machine. :-)

I have previously dropped Windows completely like that and reclaimed disk space.

But, like, I needed a gaming laptop - not specifically for gaming, as I tend to play the kind of 2D indie games that could happily run on a potato, but more to have a good GPU for Blender and coding and things - and if you want such a beast then you end up with pre-installed Windows, like it or not. There are laptops where they offer an "OS choice", but these tend to be at the budget end without a discrete GPU.

So, you know, as it came with a nVME that had Windows on it, I just kept it around and installed a second nVME for Linux stuff.

That said, I'm thinking that my next PC is going to be a desktop again. It's cheaper and more configurable and stuff, and the idea of getting a laptop - that I can take it with me to places - never really happens in reality. Indeed, if I'm, say, visiting my brother for Christmas, I take the Steam Deck now, not my laptop. So I've got a laptop, but I use it almost always like a desktop that I don't know why I'm paying more for a compromised experience, on the off-chance that I might need to take it somewhere, which never actually happens.

And if I'm building a new PC then, yeah, I'm not paying for Windows. I switched full-time to Linux around 2013 - as I remember that I had Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and when 14.04 came around, that's when I ran the installer and said "use the entire disk" wiping out Windows that, indeed, I'd never even looked at for the past 6 months or so - and if work didn't make me use Windows 11 (it's a locked down work laptop and I have no choice in the matter) or I could have bought this laptop with the OS of my choice, I'd never have seen Windows since.

Ubuntu

I am still on Ubuntu. But just barely. I think I'm going to jump distros to Mint or something, rather than go to Ubuntu 26.04.

The problem is that Canonical are really pushing their "snap" package manager. More and more stuff is only being bundled as a "snap" package.

And the problem with "snap", frankly, is not the underlying concept of it. Basically, what Canonical are trying to do with "snap" is not just their own version of "flatpak" - so everything you need to run it is bundled together inside the "snap" - but it's also trying to be "docker" at the same time. So every app is also sandboxed and needs "permissions".

In fairness, that can be made to work because that's basically what Android does. Every single app on Android lives inside its own sandbox. So it's not like the concept itself is terrible.

But the real problem is that they're pushing "snaps" while they're still working on it, so you're being pushed onto a buggy unfinished product, basically.

"Snaps" take forever to initially load. Every "snap" has its own file system - as I say, they're trying to make it like "docker" and fully sandboxes, so every single app has its own virtual file system, separate from everything else. Which is a pain in the arse if you're trying to list your block devices, as the list is cluttered and polluted with all these virtual "snap" file systems - they're always there, even when you're not running the apps themselves.

And they're so obsessed with the "sandbox" thing that it breaks integration. Yes, Android does sandboxing but Android apps don't work together in the same way. Whereas, for example, I've got an SVG file in the file explorer (Nautilus on Ubuntu) and I right-click "open with..." to use Inkscape to edit it. And it doesn't work. Probably because I'm supposed to grant it some special permission to accept files from a different file system or something or another - that the "sandboxing" is getting in the way and it's refusing, for security, to allow a file from the real file system to cross over into the sandbox.

But, whatever, it doesn't fucking work. Note that you can start Inkscape and then "open..." and find the file, but that's terrible. Why would I do that, when I have the file right there in front of me in the file explorer? I should be able to right-click, "open with Inkscape" and it works.

I'm not actually opposed to the concept of "snap" packages. Basically, it's a "flatpak" but aspirations to be a "docker container" at the same time. With the ultimate goal being that it works like Android, where every app lives in its own sandbox. And I can imagine, in a million years' time at the current rate of development, they'll even finally fix it all, so that it integrates properly and "open with..." works, and you don't keep running into problems with the sandbox getting in your way of doing basic shit. And, once a mature product, it might not actually take 7 years for apps to initially load, as it currently does.

The objection is that they're pushing everyone to use "snap" and more and more core packages are only available as "snaps"... while it's still a buggy "work in progress" that's riddled with problems. You're basically being pushed to "beta test" their buggy shit before it's really ready for prime time. And that's the real objection - if they'd gone away and developed "snap" and then they only start making all the apps "snap" packages, once it's done and mature and works, it'd be fine.

And then the real objection is that this is yet another episode of Canonical having some mad idea and pursuing it "at all costs", and then wasting all their time on this shit, rather than making the distro better in the simple and obvious incremental ways they should be.

They've done this repeatedly. They decided that they weren't going to go with Wayland, and started creating their own display server, Mir, instead. Which never got anywhere and they gave up, going with Wayland on the latest LTS anyway. So that was several years of wasted development on a thing that never actually arrived, and the Ubuntu desktop itself got no love and improvement, while they were pissing around doing this other thing.

They also had an idea to make Ubuntu a mobile OS, as well as a desktop. Moving towards an "Ubuntu phone". Again, lots of development effort spent on this, but then it didn't really go anywhere, got abandoned and then they're back to the desktop again... but having wasted years doing nothing useful for the desktop in the meantime.

Canonical keep having mad ideas, wasting years of development failing to make it happen and then give up. They seem to be more confident with "snaps" but they could, honestly, after years and years of forcing us to use their buggy unfinished crap, decide that, ah, flatpaks and docker containers are okay, after all, and give up on it. They've done it before.

So, really, it's not that Ubuntu doesn't work. It's mostly just fine. But I grow tired of Canonical pissing about with this shit for years and years and years, then give up and abandon stuff anyway. So they've wasted all that time and done nothing useful to make the desktop better. Ubuntu has been "stagnant" for a while because they've been wasting all their time elsewhere.

So, yeah, I might well jump ship rather than go to Ubuntu 26.04 - which will, no doubt, force even more "snaps" down your throat that still don't really work properly - simply because I'm tired of Canonical's shit now. They're turning into the Linux equivalent of Microsoft. Forcing you to do shit their way, and then not finishing the thing they're making you use (e.g. Microsoft has had both "settings" and "control panel" at the same time since Windows 8 - more and more is shifting to "settings", sure, but the move is not finished and you're just supposed to put up with this half-done work, like it's your problem).

[illlogickill]

Has anyone played with Commodore OS 3.0?https://youtu.be/auFPFiSC6OE?si=0Nn1rAK2OUsYweQf

[KlaxonCow]

Has anyone played with Commodore OS 3.0?https://youtu.be/auFPFiSC6OE?si=0Nn1rAK2OUsYweQf

[SuperMappy]

My son, a high-functioning autistic adult, was court-ordered to move into a group home away from my ex so that he could learn life skills and gain independence (I can't recall the exact wording). I told him I'd be happy to provide him with a PC for his room at the home.

As it turns out, this was a great opportunity to repurpose one of my many PCs that aren't compatible with Windows 11. He has a Windows 11 machine here with me, but I don’t trust Microsoft — and unfortunately, he tends to agree to everything during updates without reading. I’ve asked him to let me know before responding to any prompts, but he often loses patience and just clicks through. Later, I’ll discover a charge for Microsoft 365 on my card, and I have to go to their website to request a refund.

Thankfully, the games he enjoys — like Left 4 Dead and Portal — are all Source engine-based and run well on Linux. I set him up with a good-quality PC and installed Linux Mint on it. I explained that he’d still be able to do everything he does in Windows: play Steam games, listen to music, watch videos, etc. He seemed a little apprehensive at first, but we’ll see how he adjusts.

[noodles]

I just installed Linux Mint on my old laptop (11 years old Lenovo 13) because obviously Win11 bloatware slowed down everything to a crawl.
Refusing to chuck out working hardware just like that, I decided to have a look at a popular distro called Mint.
Well, I am impressed, everything just works, and it went smoothly and without the slightest hiccup.

The machine in question runs like it suddenly got a x2 hardware boost as compared to Windows even though it's only got 4GB of ram.
If they could just make the CLI evolve in the direction of a more intuitive user-friendly Powershell-like, this really would have a chance
at being an alternative for most people.

As it is, I'm amazed at how much better this has become compared to the last time I tried Ubuntu.
Even Apple seem to be tempting me now with their low price entry-level laptop Neo. I would have tried it too,
but now I just don't need it. And one bonus is that if the laptop gets stolen, it's no great loss anyway as regards market value.

If you haven't tried Linux in a while, you should really look into it, because things have changed. The whole user experience
is far better with well-thought out menus to help you adapt into the way things are done on the Linux side of things.

[grue]

I just installed Linux Mint on my old laptop (11 years old Lenovo 13) because obviously Win11 bloatware slowed down everything to a crawl.
Refusing to chuck out working hardware just like that, I decided to have a look at a popular distro called Mint.
Well, I am impressed, everything just works, and it went smoothly and without the slightest hiccup.

The machine in question runs like it suddenly got a x2 hardware boost as compared to Windows even though it's only got 4GB of ram.
If they could just make the CLI evolve in the direction of a more intuitive user-friendly Powershell-like, this really would have a chance
at being an alternative for most people.

As it is, I'm amazed at how much better this has become compared to the last time I tried Ubuntu.
Even Apple seem to be tempting me now with their low price entry-level laptop Neo. I would have tried it too,
but now I just don't need it. And one bonus is that if the laptop gets stolen, it's no great loss anyway as regards market value.

If you haven't tried Linux in a while, you should really look into it, because things have changed. The whole user experience
is far better with well-thought out menus to help you adapt into the way things are done on the Linux side of things.

It has been my main driver since last April and it keeps impressing me with how smooth and easy the whole experience is. I've customized it somewhat and it now acts as any OS should, being there without you noticing it.

Be sure to set two snapshots in Timeshift, one monthly and one weekly, so you'll be always safe if something breaks. It still hasn't happened to me but I keep two snapshots at all times anyway.

[KlaxonCow]

I'm getting a new laptop, as the old one's getting a bit flaky.

And I think it's time to jump ship from Ubuntu. I started with Ubuntu back around 2012 - and, back then, it was the distro of choice.

But Canonical have been repeatedly pissing around with ideas that they then abandoned. They wanted to make their own display server, Mir, instead of going with Wayland like everyone else. Years wasted on that and they gave up. Part of the reason they wanted to do that was to move towards "Ubuntu Phone", with apps that scaled across form factors. And that's gone by the wayside - well, I think, as it is open source, there still some people messing about with the code, but it's not a serious project anymore.

Then Canonical came up with "snap" packages. In theory, it's not at all a bad idea. It's kind of a combination of flatpaks - a package that bundles everything you need to avoid "DLL Hell" - and Docker containers, as snaps run inside their own sandbox.

In principle, why not? That is, in fact, exactly what Android does. On Android, every single app runs in its own little sandbox and every app has its own unique user - designed, from the ground up, to be a rock solid "never the twain shall meet" system. Because, like, it's a phone. It's going to be sitting in your pocket - and possibly never rebooted for years, if not for its entire lifetime. Google ain't dumb, and they very deliberately designed Android to be a tank.

So, sure, Canonical is creating these "snaps" and then, ultimately, if everything's a snap, then you've shifted desktop Linux to an Android-like "sandbox everything" system.

What I object to - why I'm fleeing Ubuntu and its snaps - is that Canonical have been increasingly pushing snaps. The repositories increasingly not carrying the ".deb" versions of packages, but that you can only get Chromium, Thunderbird and other crucial apps through snaps. And the tech was just not ready.

Snaps notoriously take forever to first load, as I guess it's preparing all the sandbox stuff. A really annoying feature is that, as part of that sandboxing, every snap gets its own virtual file system all to itself. But the problem is that these all exist, even when you're not running any of them. If you're trying to do stuff with your disks then your "lsblk" (list block device) output is full of "snap" file system shit.

And while I'm sure they'll eventually sort out the system integration, the snaps I've tried have too much buggy bullshit. The classic being that I've got an SVG file in the file explorer, so right-click and "open with Inkscape" to do some editing. Except, no, Inkscape is a snap and its sandbox protection shite doesn't like files from the real file system being past over to its virtual file system. Other snap apps have shown annoying behaviour like showing the virtual file system by default when you choose "save", so you've got to navigate to your real "/home" folder to save it in a sensible place.

There's just lots of this integration hiccups - and sometimes they fix these with newer versions of the packages, but they just as often break something that previously worked - and, like, sorry. But do your own beta testing and come back with snaps once they're a working mature technology.

The problem with Ubuntu is Canonical. They've got their own "vision" and they're going to make you follow it, like it or not. And it's still a work in progress, so it's buggy as hell sometimes but, hey, you're beta testing it for them. Except you never actually signed up to do that.

So I'm jumping off Ubuntu. I was originally thinking Linux Mint. It's still Debian / Ubuntu based - so I know the package manager and the locations it prefers to place its config files already - but deliberately snap-less and using its own DE, because Mint forked off Ubuntu exactly to be "Ubuntu, but without Canonical's bad decisions".

But then I'm seeing that KDE is getting a lot of love from Valve and others, thanks to the Steam Deck and handhelds - HDR, variable refresh rate, G-sync / free-sync - and my new laptop will be able to take advantage of these things, as it comes with a nice display. So I'm tempted to go KDE, even though I'm perfectly happy in GNOME right now.

So I'm looking for distro suggestions. Kubuntu can provide KDE, but it's snap-based. Mint is Ubuntu-based but without the snaps - but it has its own DE, that ain't KDE.

AI's telling me I should go with Fedora KDE. Or I could go Arch-based with Bazzite or Cachy, but I do appreciate "stable" with LTSes - which these rolling releases don't do - and I'm not primarily doing gaming to need these "gaming OSes".

The new laptop should be here in about a week, so time to ponder my options.

[tufty]

FreeBSD

[KlaxonCow]

FreeBSD

Whilst I'm a natural contrarian, I'm not that bad.

[zip accident]

FreeBSD

Whilst I'm a natural contrarian, I'm not that bad.

Is Multics currently runable?

[tufty]

FreeBSD

Whilst I'm a natural contrarian, I'm not that bad.

I am. I'm worse, in fact. As a non gamer, I would actually argue it's significantly better than the majority of Linux distributions out there. It's also much more stable as a platform (in terms of system churn, not necessarily in terms of crashiness - that said it doesn't crash for me at all, and you can pretty much say the same for most Linuxes and even OSX). If I cared about gaming, I'd have a SteamOS or whatever install on an external drive and boot to it when needed, keeping it well away from everything I actually need to do work.

I'm gearing up to say goodbye to OSX, and there's *almost* nothing holding me back. So much so that I'm alternating between OSX and FreeBSD.

There's no systemd on the BSDs. There's an awful lot of resistance to the stupid age verification bullshit, too.