Just archive it and take up farming.

What makes you think that?

It’s funny you getting downvoted for quoting the linked article :/

Just started running Arch + KDE on a Kingston Traveller to experiment with setup. Installed from live usb iso and then ran archinstall to the same device.

Runs nicely on my dell xps laptop and my desktop with 3 monitors connected to an Nvidia 1070Ti.

Always. https://xkcd.com/378/

I’ve been using AWS R53 for this for ages and it works well. Not specifically recommending AWS but using dynamic updates rather than a DDNS service (or running your own name server which I’ve also done).

It’s a great analysis, and I don’t disagree with anything you said (mostly because you’re better informed than I am). But you nailed it with “Why would I need this? I don’t know yet.” It should all be driven by need—the fact their are more options is great, but doesn’t mean they should be used just because they’re there… For many hobbyists, ease of access and speed to get started is the main driver, and for those cases, pre-built boards are the answer.

I remember talking to a car manufacturer in the early 2000s who said it would be relatively easy to make cars to a custom length / load space. But they tend to make specific models because if you give people too much choice, they get paralysed and don’t choose anything.

I suspect it’s not quite that simple but the principle seems sound.

It’s a big of a problem.

To be fair, to get where I am now would not require nothing—it would be a good few hours at least installing and configuring replacement software, all of which is doable, and I’d be exactly where I am now.

I had a look at KDE Plasma a short while ago, and I’m sure it could do everything AWM does, but I’m not certain, and don’t know how to configure it so, hence more time to replicate what I have that’s working fine. I use XYPlorer which is a great file manager, so I also don’t have to put up with the default one.

And KDE might not be the best choice either—so more time and experimentation to find the right distro, DM, WM, and so on. I have already put those many hours into getting things they way I want so I can be productive. Until something forces my hand, I will stick with what I have.

But the next time I have to reinstall the OS, that would be a good motivator to move (I haven’t had to do anything significant like that since bolting Windows 10 down several years ago).

I’m in a similar boat—would love a compelling reason to move to Linux but just don’t feel it yet. Many of the things other commenters dislike about windows I don’t experience. I’d consider myself fairly competent at tinkering with windows, so I have a completely local login, don’t see any ads, and it doesn’t install updates until I tell it too (I scripted manually installing the Defender definition updates every day though). I use Actualtools AWM for fine grained control over desktop and window features which I’d need to find the equivalent of in a Linux desktop—doable I’m sure, but it feels like a lot of effort to be exactly where I am right now.

So I’ll keep looking for the opportunity to move, install Kubuntu on an old laptop, and in the meantime just get on with work.

Use stringly-typed everything

Instructions unclear. Now 1+2=12.

This is the way.

I love Base Data System Management too.