Debian-based custom built thing. Nothing special.

I have no such advice. I use a Linux basedd NAS myself.

What are those categories/apps?

Seems you also use a bit of freeBSD in your setup besides Linux. Still FOSS though!

Everywhere possible. For SSH sessions, logins on the Internet. PGP and chat apps. All the time.

Nothing really. You pay with your time by going to Linux but the effort is getting lower both because of me getting better but mostly the experience won’t compare with 20 yeara ago.since the non FOSS alternatives are getting more telemtry/call home functions rhe choice is an easy one.

Used to use Windows 98 SE. First introduced to Mandrake Linux around 2000. Had no Internet, got the install media from a friend of my father. Barely got it working and couldn’t read English. Went back to Windows XP. Ubuntu came. Began to use it around 2008 for a few years. Back to windows briefly and then Raspberry Pi was launched. Switched to Linux permanently.

Almost went back in 2013 due to Lightroom, gaming and a few work related medical software.

Began to grasp FOSS maturely in 2014 and switched to alterbative software. When Steam launched Proton there was no turning back.

I was obsessed but it has come and gone. Now I’m a bit of a nuissance to friends sllwly switching them to alternative software. My partner gets the worst treatment. Now she uses hardware security keys, assymetric keys auth etc

You should care about Linux. The web depends upon it :)

No problem. It probably won’t be the one you end up with if you stick to Linux for a couple of years but as I said don’t distro-hop. The big jump is the one to Linux. The difference between distributions isn’t that important. Good luck!

I’d say don’t over think it. Just pick a distribution and try to stick with it. The vast choices is also a curse for newcomers. It definitely delayed my journey by years going back to Windows.

Start with something well supported, I’d pick Mint.

Get games or whatever you use the computer for the most to work OK. Nvidia don’t like Linux, pick AMD.

Be prepared to give up some old habits instead of forcing windows software on Linux. For example I had to give up Lightroom and as a photography hobbyist it was hard at first. Now I use Darktable and the switch back to Lightroom today seems equally hard.

So in short. Install a beginner friendly distro and get the most important stuff working and begin using the computer as much as possible.

What exactly do you mean by private with regards to email? What is the problem you’re trying to solve.?

Family not so much. Friends most definitely. It’s awesome but takes some trust to lend ones IP out. But having almost 10 different IP addressess to choose from really helps at times. One of them lives abroad too.

Don’t know. That’s up to them. The problem is not the tool but the unreflected trust in blocklists. The Internet is huge, if Lemmy takes off so will the number of instances. The amount of decisions needed to get a legal instance working in many countries will be insurmountable. I’d rather piggyback on someone I do trust as a rough basis. It won’t be perfectly tuned with my informed decision but the alternative is me not setting the server up. The list of defederation can be reviewed. If you’re careful about the template its not blind trust. Much in the same way as using FOSS software without understanding all components isn’t blind trust if you’re careful about the source and verify downloads. It’s not perfect but the alternative is not using the software at all.

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I use a combination of self hosted wireguard servers at family and friends. They connect together with Tailscale. One of the endpoints connect to the Internet through Mullvad. This makes it easy for every single device I own to connect to either Mullvad or any of a number of possible regular ISPs.

I’d say popos. It’s very polished and they are both developers as well as hardware people. It works very well. For servers I’d go with Ubuntu, but not for desktops.

But isn’t that what this program does? It allows you to choose an instance with admins that you trust. And those who want to review every single one manually can still do that. I’d love this tool. The ones setting up these servers aren’t stupid. They can use their judgement and use this tool if they want!

I’d suggest that you try it. It’s less advanced but nicer looking. Not sure about the condition of the adreaa data in the US.

Antennapod and Organic Maps to keep it simple. They are great for daily use.

What’s your threat model?

Signal as a gold standard for encrypted messaging is based on many factors. Ease of use, UI/UX, protocol, platform support and so on.

Even though I’m a hard core FOSS person I’m also a realist. Sticking to a common platform is worth a lot. Bridging stuff with Matrix is cool but will not take off among most people.

Signal using Google blobs is a problem but let’s face it, the UI will be presented on a Google branded Android phone or a iOS device anyhow. Sure you can use GrapheneOS and Molly or you can switch to another app altogether but heck you’ll have no other to talk to then.