Decentralized Technology & Currency

[hugh]

I’ve used Ubuntu off and on for years, but I never felt that it was usable as a primary operating system.

However, I recently had to change out one of my computers and I looked at the alternatives again. People on YouTube seemed to like Linux Mint, so I decided to give it a try.

I bought a cheap Dell laptop as an experiment and I’ve been running it alongside my MacBook Pro. After using it for a couple of weeks, I’m really impressed. Linux has come a long way and I feel that it’s finally a legit alternative to Windows and macOS.

There are a couple of Windows programs that I still need, but I found QEMU, a free virtual machine that will run Windows. It runs really well on Linux Mint and Windows can now be used without activation. So that keeps Windows in a sandbox and I only fire it up when I need it.

macOS has been great, but I feel that the “walled garden” model is reaching the end of its usefulness. In the beginning, it was excellent because one company built everything, so everything was compatible. But now they are going too far with it, with the soldered on RAM/SSD, no Android compatibility, “authorized” replacement parts, etc. Not to mention Apple’s desire to scan all my pictures.

Obviously, Windows should be avoided like the plague, with Copilot taking snapshots of your screen every 5 seconds and Windows 10/11 logging keystrokes.

So if you’re looking for an alternative, I would highly recommend Linux Mint. Give it a try on a cheap secondary laptop. There is a bit of a learning curve, but I feel that it’s finally at a point where it can be used as a daily driver. There are also a ton of free open source programs that work well.

The only situation where it might not work for someone is if you need pro level, feature film video editing or other super specific software. But even then, there do appear to be workarounds. There is also still a bit of command line that needs to be done, but that can be learned.

If you have experience with Linux, I’d love to hear about it. Also feel free to share open source programs that can replace all the proprietary software that’s going to a subscription model.

Discussion

[Eliza]

Thank you Hugh! Today, I realized it is time for a clean air-gapped machine. Community building using a wiki writing feature (replacement for google docs) incorporating public domain archived books (my hackathon group started coding this a few years back at an mit media labs event along the lines of digital marginalia.) I am now officially allergic to technology…so if anyone digs into this post – I’m pretty sure i could trade you free room and board in exchange for tinkering with tech at one of the homesteads in MA.

[hugh]

You’re welcome, I hear ya on being allergic to technology. I’m paring back as much as possible.

[Mike]

Good to hear Mint has gotten better. My Ubuntu machine refuses to connect to any wifi now and I’ve tried for weeks to get it fixed. Going to wipe and try Mint again!!

[hugh]

Yeah, I couldn’t get any updates from the Snap Store on Ubuntu, most would fail. Flathub has been solid so far.

[Shawnna]

I had Mint loaded along with Windows a couple years ago. I just need to use Mint more. I’m glad to hear you’ve seen improvements. I use word, excel, document scanning and pic saving.

[hugh]

Cool. It’s surprisingly usable now. LibreOffice is pretty decent for Word/SS stuff.

[Shawnna]

Thank you for that suggestion!!

[Cory]

Heck yes, been using Ubuntu exclusively since Win10 came out. Love it with the exception of a couple small complaints that aren’t worth mentioning.

[hugh]

Awesome!

[Author]

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