Computer Issues Thread

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

Let's have a tread for all general computer tech issues, whether they be Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Arduino, whatever.

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

I would switch from Windows 10 to Linux if only the Linux experience would STOP SUCKING.  I've weaned myself off of all Microsoft products, including cloud products, and only use Windows itself with various 3rd party apps.  It should be a no-brainer to switch.  Recently I set up an external HD with Ubuntu MATE and was able to get my preferred email, browser, and entertainment stuff set up.  But Linux support for anything but the most generic hardware is often a problem.  I have an external DisplayLink USB monitor that I use with my laptop and the driver support is poor and buggy.  Ubuntu MATE ships with Veracrypt from the Ubuntu repositories, but they still have an outdated version.  The current version of Veracrypt came out back in October, but there is no way for me to install it.  I tried installing it directly but it didn't take, and I'm not interested in becoming enough of a Linux geek to figure it out.  If I tried to get advice about this on a Linux forum some moron would tell me to download the sources for everything, compile everything locally, then sudo this and sudo that until it was just perfect.

 

Linux sucks.

 

I thought that the various distros that were based on Ubuntu had the best repositories of easily installable stuff and the best driver support, but is that true?  Should I try something else?

[Dan]

I would switch from Windows 10 to Linux if only the Linux experience would STOP SUCKING.  I've weaned myself off of all Microsoft products, including cloud products, and only use Windows itself with various 3rd party apps.  It should be a no-brainer to switch.  Recently I set up an external HD with Ubuntu MATE and was able to get my preferred email, browser, and entertainment stuff set up.  But Linux support for anything but the most generic hardware is often a problem.  I have an external DisplayLink USB monitor that I use with my laptop and the driver support is poor and buggy.  Ubuntu MATE ships with Veracrypt from the Ubuntu repositories, but they still have an outdated version.  The current version of Veracrypt came out back in October, but there is no way for me to install it.  I tried installing it directly but it didn't take, and I'm not interested in becoming enough of a Linux geek to figure it out.  If I tried to get advice about this on a Linux forum some moron would tell me to download the sources for everything, compile everything locally, then sudo this and sudo that until it was just perfect.

 

Linux sucks.

 

I thought that the various distros that were based on Ubuntu had the best repositories of easily installable stuff and the best driver support, but is that true?  Should I try something else?

 

Ha! If I could answer that question, I would be in a different (better-paid) line of work. You're way ahead of me -- I was just getting to the point of "So, Win10 is the devil, is that right?" 

[st_lupo]

I would switch from Windows 10 to Linux if only the Linux experience would STOP SUCKING.  I've weaned myself off of all Microsoft products, including cloud products, and only use Windows itself with various 3rd party apps.  It should be a no-brainer to switch.  Recently I set up an external HD with Ubuntu MATE and was able to get my preferred email, browser, and entertainment stuff set up.  But Linux support for anything but the most generic hardware is often a problem.  I have an external DisplayLink USB monitor that I use with my laptop and the driver support is poor and buggy.  Ubuntu MATE ships with Veracrypt from the Ubuntu repositories, but they still have an outdated version.  The current version of Veracrypt came out back in October, but there is no way for me to install it.  I tried installing it directly but it didn't take, and I'm not interested in becoming enough of a Linux geek to figure it out.  If I tried to get advice about this on a Linux forum some moron would tell me to download the sources for everything, compile everything locally, then sudo this and sudo that until it was just perfect.

 

Linux sucks.

 

I thought that the various distros that were based on Ubuntu had the best repositories of easily installable stuff and the best driver support, but is that true?  Should I try something else?

Different strokes for different folks.  There is no one OS or platform to rule them all (and in the darkness bind them).  Regardless of what the different camps would have you think.  

 

When it comes to 3rd party apps, consumer apps, games and driver compatibility, sure Windows is great (mostly), and Windows is my primary desktop operating system at home (mainly due to power management).  But when it comes to my day job and hard number crunching, it is Linux (and FOSS) all the way, there is no way to beat the customizability, scalability, and price-performance of Linux, when it suits.

 

When it comes to embedded... Arduino is really cool and amazing at it's price-point ($1 for the mircrocontroller that controls a multi-copter?!?), but I think the Raspberry Pi Zero and the C.H.I.P. platform is going to see a bigger share of the micro-controller market at the 5$ and $10 price-points respectively.  Full Linux machine, pick your favorite programming language, whats not to love?  

 

In the end it's the right tool for the right job, and I like the jingle of having a pretty big toolbox.  

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

I've given up on my annual experiment on switching to Linux.  Too many things don't work for me.  Windows 10 is still working quite well, but the controversy about the user telemetry (spying) continues.  Hopefully this might lead to some transparency about what is really going on in the background since some people are quitting Windows for Mac OS and Linux because of the perceived intrusiveness.  I might have to switch to Macs myself, but I will table the issue for another year.