WashedOver

I’ve been a user since Dos 5.0 and Windows 3.0.

Today I mostly use Linux Mint on my dual boot laptops and need to convert my main PC over to dual boot Mint next. I rarely boot into windows at home and if it wasn’t for proprietary software at work running only on Windows I would have been done sooner.

I was mostly able to go from XP to 7 and avoided Vista and 8 altogether. Windows 10 was sort of ok with the ability to go back to a Windows 7 control panel when needed but it always felt half baked and unfinished to me.

I’ve just not been interested in 11 at all and the tidbits I’m hearing about Co-pilot reminds me of not only Clipit but the forcing of IE/ Edge constantly on user’s especially after every larger update but to mention resetting the default PDF reader to edge. In a work environment of 20 plus shop PC’s I was managing for low tech skill employees it was a pain in the ass chasing down the changes that were not made on my behalf.

What will be the Co-pilot’s flavor of this new round of BS from Microsoft? The forcing of a cloud account is another headache I don’t want to deal with either.

I will say Mint just mostly does what I need for my web browsing and general productivity needs without the constant game of trying to keep it the way I want it versus what MS wants for me with every update.

I’m at the stage of get off my lawn and screaming at a cloud in the sky next. That cloud is MS these days when adding in the annoyances of their Android keyboard *Swiftkey injecting Co-pilot and Bing into my searches. I’ve not played in Office 365 for a bit now but I can only imagine it’s just as bad now.

I’ve been becoming irritated lately with search in other apps being taken over by their flavor of AI. I use the Microsoft Swift keyboard on my phone and it’s now trying to inject their AI search results over my Google searches in Firefox and the results take me to Bing.

Then today I was watching a video on Instagram and the screen went off. I lost of the video as the app refreshed when I turned on the screen again. I tried to search for it but now IG search has been turned into a Meta AI search. It offers AI answers instead of the videos I was looking and it seems like it’s the only option.

WTF are they messing up search across the platforms? Get off my lawn!

I feel like an outsider on these debates. I totally agree we should be able to own forever.

In my case I find there is so much new TV and movies I rarely go back to re-watch shows or movies so owning them isn’t on my radar. It’s a challenge just to watch a whole series I find.

I’m wondering how often do people beyond kids re-watch movies and TV shows? Kids seem to be able to rewatch the same movies several times a day…

Most here will recommend Linux Mint and it’s what I use now after trying many different versions over the years. There’s a simplicity to Mint that just works especially well for those just surfing and doing office tasks. I’ve given away old work laptops with just mint installed as most people just need a web browser and it works great for that.

MS office can be used in your web browser or you can switch to Libre Office which should open most of your office files.

If you have a old laptop or computer I recommend trying to install Mint there first to try it out. It’s pretty easy to start out there first before trying dual boot. You might be surprised at how quick your older laptop works with Mint in the process.

I use dual boot on my machines but most of the use these days is to get to a web browser so I find I rarely boot into windows now.

You will find Firefox is the default web browser but you can add Chrome to Mint if that’s your browser of choice.

Many will say what about the privacy issues with Chrome but many still use it. I’ve switched back to Firefox myself and I like it better for my Android phone.

Good luck on your journey!

I recall at one point Windows 10 was going to be the last version of the OS and they would just maintain that. I’m wondering if they said that to get the last of the Windows 7 and XP users to finally move to 10?

This seems to be the model I’ve witnessed with many apps over the years. Free at first to get traction and users, then ads, then pay one time fee to get rid of ads, then subscription to keep using the app.

Then there are those that wouldn’t even pay a single fee and get upset at the thought as everything should be free.

The part that is upsetting is the contributions the early community made is monetized when they were they there for the benefit of the community.

I do see there are costs to maintaining and updating these apps so I can understand a need to keep revenue flowing for these future costs. The one time payment is a hell of a deal for years with updates to accommodate the revisions needed for each system update let alone functionality improvements.

In the old days we would buy software for our PC and that was it. There wasn’t really any updates or further support for newer versions of Windows. The software would become very insecure or just stop functioning altogether with enough changes to windows.

It’s hard to find the right balance. I know I only want to pay once, or heck never, but I want these upgrades and updates too.

deleted by creator

I wonder if they were taking notes from John Deere and the automotive industry or will it be the reverse here soon?

Just imagine all these vehicles that could be bricked for not going back to the stealerships for outrageous prices on parts and incompetent service.

Also the vehicles that could be disabled for not paying for device protection plan that allows your vehicle to operate safely. It would be a shame if your vehicle stopped working on your way to work or the hospital.

I suspect Tesla, BMW, and John Deere are the closest to this reality.

I sure hope the government doesn’t help with another great cash for clunkers national program to get rid of more cars too old for these measures. Sure is a great way to drive new car sales though…

How often do they yell “fake news” over there when it’s something they don’t want to accept?

Same here, but after reading those losing access to digital purchases as the rights for the properties change vendors, for those that want to truly own the thing, they can no matter where they live.

Not sure if Disney+ has this issue but I sometimes leave my Netflix tablet in airplane mode when going to another country. If the show is not available in that country when connected to the internet it will not allow play back of the shows I’ve downloaded.

Paramount+ is even worse in Canada. It was a hot mess on trying to find where show were early on. It’s not a full app like the US version. It runs as a add on tier inside the Prime app.

Then at my Firecube home page it offers to install the full Paramount, and the Paramount+ app then after the install it says the content is not available in my country. Clicking on any of the Paramount show links takes me to a app that won’t load the content due to country issues. I need to manually go into the Prime app to find the Paramount shows.

There a few other apps like this too and some I can’t even remove but it sure will notify the crap out of me about the updates for them.

I have Mint on all my older Lenovo T and X series laptops. They run like champs except for the audio. It’s never loud enough. It’s fine though with a Bluetooth headset or external speaker. I wonder how yours are with extremal keyboard and mouse? Mine is ok but my Logitech Keys lights keep cycling through the lights

I’m only left wondering how far of a window should we consider this economic window? A quarter, a year, a decade, a lifetime? How does one factor in all the costs of using a particular style of energy?

Often I see people say look at the cost of making a car battery while ignoring the elimination of many parts of ICE vehicles like the tranny, cooling systems, over the various chemicals like oils and fluids that require constant change for ICE servicing. But hey other types of energy are required to make make car batteries including ICE vehicles in the mines . I say fair, tell me what are the WHOLE costs of using other energy sources, on society, on the environment, and the length of time frame.

Most of our forefathers thought faster horses were the only way to go despite the piles of horse shit and dead horse carcasses they were waiting to dry out so they could be removed, filled many city streets. Some city houses had entrances high up to separate the entrance from these things that filed their streets much like a generations earlier had building designs that sheltered the inhabitants of the city below from those emptying their chamber pots into the streets each morning.

Now I love my ICE vehicles and don’t see myself owning a electric vehicle anytime soon so I do understand the want of keeping my horses around, and my overhangs on buildings to protect me from piss and shit being thrown into the street below, but I also can acknowledge in the long term the world I have figured out for myself is not something that is going to last as the world continues to evolve/devolve around us.

Despite these foreign things to us today, they cried think of the economics and the job losses as Ford was providing new technology and freedom to the masses. Think of the economics of whole horse related industries that were mothballed and in many ways replaced as road infrastructure was required for these new fangled ICE vehicles.

How does one measure the economics of this change? By the quarter its terrible, especially to the individual that needs to shell out for a car, and all the new things it requires over the established upkeep of horses. Think of people unemployed by the lack of horses. Hey we really don’t need to leave our farms that often do we?

By the year it’s not looking great initially either unless you are Ford or a oil outfit. Then by the decades things look a lot different on the whole. Perhaps these cars were a good thing for everyone overall?

At this stage the environment is paying a cost we don’t even understand yet. Even if we do, who cares as it is plentiful in the new world and it seemed like it would never end much like the wood supplies to build the great wooden ships that previous empires use to run the world with. So who cares if yet another Valley or field is ruined? There’s plenty more where that came from! And for many years that was the case.

What are the economic costs to deal with clearcut valleys, tailing ponds, manufacturing waste, abandoned mines, and various other wastes? Often the problem of governments and the taxpayers to deal with long after the initial profits have been taken in those quarters, years and decades. After a lifetime overall is not wonderful but fuck them, I got mine!

So which the economic scale are we thinking?

I recall seeing a show on Bill Gates a few years back and his drive to get modem nuclear going. It seems many of the current plants around the world are based on old designs from the 50s and 60s.

Newer and modern designs are much safer but it was going to take a tremendous amount of effort to get past the nuclear is bad mindset.

There’s no way to easily educate the masses on a complicated scientific subject and elected officials aren’t going to stay around for long pushing that kind of tech, they might as well push solar, wind, and tidal power as they would have better chances at staying in office.

I do recall trying out Chatroulette when it first came out but it was a lot of mushroom caps I wasn’t interested in seeing so I didn’t stick around long.

Back before that when I was dating some of that included the personal section of Craigslist. Unfortunately there was some horrible attacks of sex trade workers that used the personals down in the US and then the US government came together to “protect” people by holding the websites liable.

In the process the personal section of CL which included dating and penpals was closed. Many people met their spouses and had long term relationships and friendships as a result of CL that they wouldn’t have had in real life. I think it some ways that dating section was much better than the juiced up dating sites that have followed since. They are more about driving revenue than true connections.

I’m not sure if they solved the sex trade problem, but I don’t think they have won the war on drugs either. Much like the gun lobbying crowd say innocent gun owners shouldn’t be affected I would think in the same way users of internet services shouldn’t be either.

But life isn’t so black and white and many of us are unable to get beyond this stage of adolescence…

I recall a time when Windows 10 was going to be the last release of windows. It’s was just going to be updated forever. I’m glad that they have returned to the usual every second or so release is going to be a unfinished half baked turd until we can really get things right in the following release.

RIP Bob, ME, Vista, 8/8.1, and hopefully sooner than later 11…

I have to say Tim Hortons has slipped. I’ve been in better versions of Tim’s in New York state where they are a little more like a mini cafeteria than the high traffic flow models the Canadian ones have become. At some point McDonald’s Canada took over coffee supply from Tim’s. Not sure who they are but Tim’s new coffee is not my cup of tea

Not sure why the down votes but yes exploding hot water from a microwave is not a good time.

I generally don’t use a microwave but a sauce pan on the stove or a electric kettle is the safer way to boil water. There are other things one can do to make microwaved water safer though…

https://www.thekitchn.com/fact-or-fiction-exploding-wate-109388

My last couple of electric kettles had various levels for coffee, black tea, herbal tea and then the roaring boil of the 212 of your freedom units. I suspect the roaring is due to all of the freedom.

I’m surprised the coffee setting is so low compared to the teas.

I’ve never really paid attention to how longto leave a tea bag in. Usually it’s stayed in the whole time while drinking it. Recently I’ve started to read the boxes the tea comes in and Earl Grey is like 3 minutes depending on the brand and herbal is 5-10.

As for number 5 I’ve read back when China was becoming more common place it was almost a caste level nod if you put your milk in first or last.

Early cheaper China would crack or break from hot water/tea being poured directly into the cup first. Placing the milk in first helped cover up this flaw by cooling down the tea.

Pouring your hot tea directly into your cups without the milk first was a subtle flex of your superior China quality. I do miss some of this nuance in a world that’s seems to be on full blast most of the time.