This has been my experience. I used Fedora for a while years ago, but rpm was already second fiddle to deb. Plus, I was already selling into my “old man distro” so I kept ending up with some Ubuntu version.

I did recently Manjaro and Linux Mint, but ended up with Ubuntu again, although this time Kubuntu, Ubuntu with KDE!

No shade from me though for going with Red Hat.

100% agree. You’re not selling the hardware anymore, leave it in an unlocked state. Same with games.

Yep, can confirm. I used Xubuntu primarily for years, and never had an account on the official XFCE forums or Git, because why would I? I’m just a user, the software is very stable, and stuff tended to just work.

Just started using Thunderbird again a couple of months ago. Like it! I never really stopped liking it, just stopped using it because all the webmail interfaces and “appification”.

Was just trying to get K-9 Mail working on my phone again (after years of using umpteen different apps) and it’s not as smooth as I remember.

I stopped distro hopping around a decade ago, and just use default Ubuntu LTS releases. No shade from me.

I’m not going to pretend that Ubuntu is the coolest, hippest, trendiest distro around, but it’s good enough, stake enough, and gosh darn it I’m just used to it.

I’m with you.

I sort of petered out distro-hoping 10-ish years ago, I’ve just used boring old Ubuntu LTS ever since. All the Unity/Gnome/KDE, Snap/Flatpak and systemd stuff I’ve successfully ignored.

I have no doubt that there are “better” distros out there, but Ubuntu works.

#1, whatever is default. The main advantage of the terminal is that it’s just a terminal, fundamentally the same terminal since the dawn of computing.

Having said that, I do sometimes install a non-default terminal. I haven’t seen any of them mentioned:

cool-retro-term It looks like an OG CRT! What other terminal emulator has this killer feature?

Byobu Technically a front end for tmux, but it gives some useful status info and multiple windows.

Hmm, maybe I can use it for the Compose key instead or Right Alt…

Ubuntu was the distribution that had me switch from dual-booting with Windows as default to dual-booting with Linux as default.

I also remember ordering an actual Ubuntu disc, with the extra donation to fund the mailing for free program.

Now years later after lots of distro-hopping I just run Ubuntu LTS, and stay on the very boring LTS branch.

It kind of makes sense. First I’ve ever heard about Ubuntu Christian Edition as well, but it seems to mostly be set up with filtering in mind, with the DNS tools and such. Add in productivity software aimed at preaching I guess, and you have a “safe” OS for kids and the laptop hooked up to the projector at a church.

SATAN’s popularity diminished after the 1990s.

Wikipedia quote of the day.

It wouldn’t be terrible, as long as it’s based on an open source foundation. Although that depends on the specific open source license. As long as the engine can be forked, the worst of IE6 should be avoidable.

But yes, with Opera moving to Blink, you’ve got really only two-ish browser engines. KHTML/WebKit/Blink and Gecko. WebKit/Blink are Open Source, but I think mostly BSD, so Apple/Google could migrate to a proprietary license easily.

Gecko is MPL, which IIRC is somewhat Copyleft like the GPL, just a bit less stringent.

With the Apple/Google impasse with WebKit/Blink, I think we should be able to avoid an IE6 situation, but I would feel better with a stronger Copyleft license.

As much as I love Firefox, I think Firefox has less browser share than it did back in the IE6 days.

My local library uses some sort of Linux for the card catalogue. I don’t use the general purpose library computers, but I think they are some flavour of Linux as well.

My impression was that they were probably sold as a low maintenance plug-and-play solution.

My local library is part of a larger library system, so I’m pretty sure the librarians won’t know anything about them, that any computer maintenance is handled by somebody dispatched from the head branch. I’ll still try and have a look here in a bit.

I mostly agree with you, but Google seems to be doing it’s classic Google thing, and Chrome is being enshittified now. Still, Chromebooks showed how little most people really need a computer.

Currently, the computer I use most is… my Steam Deck. With desktop mode, it’s 95% of the full Linux experience, and I bet if I got my parents set up with a docked Steam Deck, they’d be fine. Granted, that’s not the point of the Steam Deck, but it does show how the Chromebook example could be generalized.

Heck, even on my laptop and desktop, I’ve been stuck on Ubuntu LTS releases for about ten years, simply because I can’t be bothered to distro-hop anymore, and it’s solid. I guess ironically, I’ve ended up sticking with Linux because it’s less bother than even Windows. Honestly, my wife’s laptop on Windows gives the most headaches in the household now.

Virtualization is the key. Multiple VMs, installing, uninstalling, reinstalling.

I’d agree. In theory, there are many legitimate reasons to “sell” FOSS software. If I was putting it on a DVD, labelling, and mailing FOSS software my time and materials certainly deserve to be rewarded. Likewise, listing it on closed store like the MS store but keeping it updated from sources might make it easier for people embedded in the MS ecosystem to keep up to date.

I would expect legitimate repackagers/redistributors to be open that the software itself is freely available though. Besides I fear the well is poisoned by hustlers trying to sell something free for cheap to make a quick buck.

Or a renewal step. If it’s not worth renewing, let it into the public domain.

This is why It’s A Wonderful Life became a Christmas classic. Because it was in the pubic domain, it was used as late night filler.

The MPAA and RIAA miss the point. If It’s A Wonderful Life was still copyrighted, it wouldn’t have become a classic.

It’s like the concept of Abandonware. If video games had a large copyright clearing house like the MPAA or RIAA, Abandonware wouldn’t work, but abandoned media will disappear. Heck, non-abandoned media also disappears because profits don’t reward preservation.

As a primary Linux user, this might be the easiest answer. If there is specific software needed for work, then your work computer should serve that purpose.

Still, if I was freelancing and it’s my computer, I certainly would look at dual-booting or just having more than one computer (could even use a KVM switch to use the same keyboard, monitors and mouse). Also if I’m using software professionally, I would also have a professional interest in open source alternatives.

Still, this is all optional and extra. Just running Adobe is the baseline.

a God speed! Thanks for the edits.:wq

Makes sense. The problems I’ve typically run into on Windows is always driver related. Since manufacturers are responsible for drivers, your are dependent on good, up to date drivers.

I’ll 100% agree, that (depending on distro) Linux can be much easier to install… if there are good open source drivers for all your hardware.

I haven’t tried Windows 11, because why, but even when everything has to to date and good manufacturer supplied drivers, there is a step in the Windows install where you have to visit every component manufacturer’s individualn website to get the latest drivers, and then install them all one at a time.

Flip side though, I remember poor drivers for Broadcom WiFi adapters under Linux, and that was a nightmare.