I did exactly that for my mom. Totally non-technical, but she was beginning to absolutely hate all the invasive noise and crap from Windows. All she wanted was to write free of distraction.

So we backed up her files, set up Cinnamon, installed LibreOffice, and imported her files. I set the system up to be offline, since it’s her no-distractions computer, showed her the basics of using it, and basically haven’t heard a peep about it since.

Linux just works, without the bullshit.

Nah. It’s not almost like that. Nope. It’s exactly that.

This is weaponized incompetence and stupidity.

Excellent breakdown. Well done!

And on top of all that, the article is specifically about Microsoft urging people to get rid of old hardware, which I take to mean NOT current-gen, bleeding-edge gaming hardware. So my suggestion was about not being forced to upgrade your hardware to keep having a usable computer.

Translation: “Install Linux.”

The answer is always going to be, “Because you’re running the incredibly bloated Windows operating system.”

That’s the thing I’ve been most worried about. The media have largely capitulated out of (justifiable) fear of reprisal and violence. The fear is legit, but we depend on the media to speak truth to power especially when democracy is on the line.

This is why I no longer believe this will end without violence.

Literally have the opposite experience. Fought with my old Brother printer constantly. My Epson Ecotank is rock-solid.

Why is this weirdo so obsessed with the letter X?

I’m shocked! Shocked! Well, not that shocked.

Headline in six months: Salesforce Hires Software Engineers After Realizing Middle Managers Don’t Know How To Turn AI-Generated Code Into Actual Applications

Being a software engineer is a hell of a lot more than just the actual act of writing code.

Not many, but plenty use various corporate applications that are Windows-only.

It’s some kind of locked-down version of GlobalProtect that’s integrated with a TPM module to prevent machines that aren’t running our corporate image on corporate-approved laptops from being able to connect.

There’s probably some kind of workaround, but I’m lazy and it’s easier just to power up the Windows machine now and then.

I only ever use Windows on my work computer, and only when I need access to a resource that requires our Windows-only VPN.

But seriously, “just use linux” is worthless advice. Lots of people use Windows for specific applications that don’t exist in the Linux ecosystem. For example, there are no Linux applications that come close to AutoCAD, and it simply doesn’t work on Linux.

Better advice would be to get new (or newer used) hardware if possible, if you absolutely need to use Windows, since this workaround will inevitably be “corrected” by Microsoft. Then you can do whatever you like with the old hardware, such as install and learn Linux at your own pace.

If DAW means Digital Audio Workstation, have you tried Ardour?

I’m more worried about the weird white bump on her right cheek, and the short left arm on the blurry person standing in the background boat.

Do you have the fwupdmgr app? On Lenovo laptops, I think you can just use sudo fwupdmgr update.

The best thing about this is that it’s also on the x-axis.

That’s a lot more clever than actually building this grotesque idea.

Headline and all content clearly generated by AI, and entirely lacking in substance.

You run Arch and move on.

(Am I doing this right?)