Swapping from Win10 on laptop
I have an old laptop that I use as a Minecraft server as well as running RPG campaigns during game night. I'm getting tired of Windows 10 and I'm looking for a good replacement. I don't have a lot of experience with Linux lately, the last time I did anything with it was maybe 10 years or so ago and I used Ubuntu, which I've read here is maybe not a good choice any longer. Stats of laptop are below. Recommendations are appreciated, thanks.
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU @ 2.70GHz 2.70 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB (15.8 GB usable)
Graphics Card NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (2 GB), Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600 (113 MB)
The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE
ProPublica has obtained the blueprint for the Trump administration’s unprecedented plan to turn over IRS records to Homeland Security in order to speed up the agency’s mass deportation efforts.
Host Your Own Bluesky PDS: A Complete Azure-Powered Guide
Host Your Own Bluesky PDS: A Complete Azure-Powered Guide
How I built and configured a Bluesky PDS in AzureChris Greenacre (Tophhie Cloud Blog)
Evaluating AI language models just got more effective and efficient
Evaluating AI language models just got more effective and efficient
Assessing the progress of new AI language models can be as challenging as training them. Stanford researchers offer a new approach.news.stanford.edu
Republicans Proceed with Bill to Increase Energy Costs and Make Americans More Vulnerable to Nuclear Threats
Republicans Proceed with Bill to Increase Energy Costs and Make Americans More Vulnerable to Nuclear Threats
During today’s Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee markup of the 2026 funding bill, House Democrats exposed how the bill increases costs for American households, undermines infrastructure investments, and weakens our nation…House Committee on Appropriations
US gov't is very afraid of BRICS and dedollarization, Trump insiders reveal. That's why he's attacking Brazil
US gov't is very afraid of BRICS and dedollarization, Trump insiders reveal. That's why he's attacking Brazil
Close Trump allies like Steve Bannon say "the president is pissed every time he looks at the BRICS dedollarization effort". The US fears the Global South challenge to the dollar's exorbitant privilegeBen Norton (Geopolitical Economy Report)
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Grok's Hate Speech Meltdown Exposes AI's Hidden Bias Crisis
Grok's Hate Speech Meltdown Exposes AI's Hidden Bias Crisis
Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot sparked controversy with antisemitic responses, revealing deeper systemic bias problems across major AI language models.GazeOn Team (GazeOn)
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Grok's Hate Speech Meltdown Exposes AI's Hidden Bias Crisis
Grok's Hate Speech Meltdown Exposes AI's Hidden Bias Crisis
Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot sparked controversy with antisemitic responses, revealing deeper systemic bias problems across major AI language models.GazeOn Team (GazeOn)
Verifica Età Social: Guida al Progetto Pilota UE in Italia - Pianeta Tecnologia
Verifica Età Social: Guida al Progetto Pilota UE in Italia - Pianeta Tecnologia
Parte in Italia il test UE per la verifica dell'età sui social. Scopri come funziona, l'impatto sulla privacy e cosa cambia per te con il nostro approfondimento.Pietro Iaria (Pianeta Tecnologia)
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AMD to resume MI308 AI chip exports to China
AMD to resume MI308 AI chip exports to China
The U.S. Commerce Department told AMD that it will resume reviewing license applications required to send its MI308 products to China.Samantha Subin (CNBC)
AMD to resume MI308 AI chip exports to China
AMD to resume MI308 AI chip exports to China
The U.S. Commerce Department told AMD that it will resume reviewing license applications required to send its MI308 products to China.Samantha Subin (CNBC)
Jeff Bezos taps former Amazon Alexa head to lead $10 billion Earth fund
Jeff Bezos taps former Amazon Alexa head to lead $10 billion Earth fund
The Bezos Earth fund has disbursed roughly $2.3 billion in grants to "preserve and protect the natural world" since launching in 2020.Annie Palmer (CNBC)
Jeff Bezos taps former Amazon Alexa head to lead $10 billion Earth fund
Jeff Bezos taps former Amazon Alexa head to lead $10 billion Earth fund
The Bezos Earth fund has disbursed roughly $2.3 billion in grants to "preserve and protect the natural world" since launching in 2020.Annie Palmer (CNBC)
Unearthed 2014 article shows Zohran Mamdani’s early advocacy for Palestinian rights
A resurfaced college article has shed light on Zohran Mamdani’s long-standing support for the Palestinian cause, years before he became a leading figure in New York politics.
Mamdani, now 33 and the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, co-authored the piece as an undergraduate at Bowdoin College, where he co-founded the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Published on January 10, 2014, in Bowdoin’s student paper, The Bowdoin Orient, Mamdani’s article strongly endorsed the American Studies Association’s (ASA) decision to join the academic boycott of 'Israeli' institutions, a move aimed at pressuring 'Israel' to end its occupation of Palestinian territories
Unearthed 2014 article shows Zohran Mamdani’s early advocacy for Palestinian rights
Zohran Mamdani with a screenshot of his college article (Credit: AFP)Roya News
[Horses] Phones Ruined Everything
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
[Horses] Phones Ruined Everything
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
One Survey by NASA’s Roman Could Unveil 100,000 Cosmic Explosions
One Survey by NASA’s Roman Could Unveil 100,000 Cosmic Explosions - NASA
Scientists predict one of the major surveys by NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope may reveal around 100,000 celestial blasts, ranging fromAshley Balzer (NASA)
Trump’s stablecoin push “will open floodgates to massive fraud,” lawmaker warns
Trump’s stablecoin push “will open floodgates to massive fraud,” lawmaker warns
Trump’s crypto bills could turn trusted big tech companies into the next FTX.Ashley Belanger (Ars Technica)
In Poland, two factories burned in two days — they blame "Russian agents"
In Poland, two factories burned in two days — they blame "Russian agents": EADaily
EADaily, July 15th, 2025. Each fire is assessed in terms of whether it could have been the result of an act of sabotage, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Semoniak said in response to large fires in the cities of Semianowice-Slensk and Minsk-Mazowiecki…EADaily
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Where counter intelligence?
No one to blame or owner f-cked up? Blame Russia 😅
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We're Not Innovating, We’re Just Forgetting Slower
We're Not Innovating, We’re Just Forgetting Slower
We’ve mistaken complexity for progress — and forgotten how things work. A 41-year-old computer still boots instantly, while today’s “smart” tech buckles.Elektormagazine
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iCloud for Linux
I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with this?
I’m working on transitioning to Linux from Mac pretty casually and I’ll still be using this iPhone til it’s dead. So I’m figuring out solutions to my current computer-usage before I switch my main machine. I’d like to maintain some interoperability between my phone and desktop computer so this has me intrigued.
Is it well-maintained? Trustworthy? Easy to use?
I have an old Thinkpad T420 I’m testing stuff on before I take the plunge but I figured I’d ask before giving it my credentials.
Edit: thanks so much for all the advice. I’m going to try a couple different ways to do it and see what I like 😀
Edit again a few weeks later: My tests on my experimental computers went so well that I took the plunge on installing Mint on my MacBook Pro (2015 I think).
I ended up using Syncthing to sync my iCloud Documents and desktop folders on my desktop Mac with what I’m now calling my Mintbook. That automatically syncs to iCloud, so I can get the important stuff on my phone easily.
Then I created a web wrapper of iCloud.com/calendar using Mint’s built-in web app creator. It works well enough; my only complaints are that I can’t copy and paste events by right-clicking like I can on the Mac app, and no notifications on Mint.
From there it’s easy enough to switch from calendar to notes, photos, FindMy, etc. so I’m happy with my iCloud “app” for my laptop usage.
I think the only things holding me back from switching my desktop now are photos syncing, and I haven’t tried DaVinci Resolve on Linux yet (I do some light video editing from time to time.) and I’ll need to buy another 5TB hard drive to transfer from my APFS formatted storage drive to a Linux-formatted drive. (I believe the transfer process will be easy once I get it thanks to SyncThing)
So, I’m a third of the way to abandoning apple on my most-used machines. Feeling pretty good about it.
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The difficult reality is many people, no matter how interested and technically skilled, aren’t going to have the time, money (yes, money, due to hardware), and energy to immediately go with fully self-hosted OSS paired with a LineageOS (or similar) phone.
For one, you have to either acquire the hardware to run a server for self-hosting or get a VPS (admittedly not a huge financial hurdle, but still effort required). Additionally, you then have to take the time to migrate from iCloud to the alternatives. There’s also the fact that it’s a moderately expensive proposition to purchase a new phone capable of running something more libre like LineageOS. Until you switch operating systems, Apple makes using at least a little bit of iCloud difficult; for instance, you’ll probably need to use Find My at least once.
These reasons largely explain why I’m still on iPhone for now. I usually don’t use iCloud for the storage, but I frequently have to use Photos, Mail, and Find My.
I certainly plan to jump ship, but being stuck for now due to personal circumstances, I can’t blame OP.
You pretty much said what I would’ve said, but probably better 😀
I have 3 Macs I want to switch to Linux, so I’m approaching this conversion piece by piece, using my thinkpads as placeholders. Figuring out new cloud software can wait until they’re all switched.
Luckily, I’m down to just an iPhone.
I used to use iPad Minis, but I was otherwise more of a Windows guy until 2022.
The only other kind of Apple thing I have is a GPU-accelerated Hackintosh running under KVM, which mostly gets used for adding non-streaming songs to my Apple Music library these days. I do plan to quit Apple Music eventually - I’ve been collecting and ripping CDs by TMBG, which is mostly what I listen to anyway.
I’m planning a similar exodus. I like my apple stuff but considering its heavy reliance on the cloud, lower level system access I can’t control, and that it’s an American company operating under a Nazi regime, I really can’t trust it anymore.
Moving to Linux isn’t so bad, but I’m really struggling with leaving iOS. Android has a lot of limitations if you try to break free from Gemini-surveilled stuff. Simple things I take for granted like tap to pay wouldn’t be practical on such a device anymore.
It kills me there’s nothing I can do software-wise to make the Samsung z fold7 an acceptable option for me. Really impressed by that device and my carrier does have some compelling promos for it, but even under this regime, I don’t trust Samsungs software.
They don't even hide their racism
Fateh was born in Washington, D.C., and is the son of immigrants from Somalia. He graduated from Falls Church High School and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from George Mason University.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_F…
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[Article] British marathon runner Fauja Singh dies in road accident aged 114
"...was hit by a car and suffered fatal injuries while trying to cross a road in his birth village Beas Pind, near Jalandhar in Punjab, [India] ..."
RIP to an inspirational person. He only started distance running at 89!
British marathon runner Fauja Singh dies in road accident aged 114
His London-based running club and charity, Sikhs In The City, said their upcoming events in Ilford, east London, will be a celebration of his life.PA News Agency (Your Local Guardian)
Why such hostility when you were asking a question about how people can live to that age and run?
There are countless things that can get in the way, but if you're lucky with your health, that's what it takes to live old and be able to run.
sorry if it came off as hostile, not my intention.
but yeah i wasn’t asking for your opinion on life advice but just if this was a legitimate article.
Meteo Italia: Instabilità in settimana, poi torna il caldo africano | Meteo POP
Meteo Italia: Instabilità in settimana, poi torna il caldo africano
Una nuova fase di instabilità interessa l’Italia tra mercoledì 16 e giovedì 17 luglio, ma il caldo tornerà protagonista nel weekend. Durante la parte centrale della settimana, l’alta pressione diRedazione RMA (METEO POP - RMA APS)
I totally missed the point when PeerTube got so good
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German court rejects Yemenis' claim over US strikes
Karlsruhe (Germany) (AFP) – Germany's highest court on Tuesday threw out a case brought by two Yemenis seeking to sue Berlin over the role of the US Ramstein airbase in a 2012 drone attack, ending a years-long legal saga.Plaintiffs Ahmed and Khalid bin Ali Jaber first brought their case to court in 2014 after losing members of their family in the strike on the village of Khashamir.
The case has since been through several German courts. But the Constitutional Court on Tuesday ultimately ruled that Berlin is not required to take action against such attacks, which were not judged to be in breach of international law.
Washington has for years launched drone strikes targeting suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, an impoverished country that has been torn by fierce fighting between its beleaguered Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed rebels.
The two Yemeni men, supported by the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), had argued that Germany was partly responsible for the attack because the strike was aided by signals relayed via the Ramstein base in western Germany.
"Without the data that flows through Ramstein, the US cannot fly its combat drones in Yemen," the group said.
The ECCHR's Andreas Schueller argued that "the German government must put an end to the use of this base -- otherwise the government is making itself complicit in the deaths of innocent civilians".
The court found that Germany "does have a general duty to protect fundamental human rights and the core norms of international humanitarian law, even in cases involving foreign countries".
However, in order for this duty to be binding, there must be "a serious risk of systematic violation of applicable international law".
"Measured against these standards, the constitutional complaint is unfounded," the court said.
The ECCHR said the ruling had "failed to send a strong signal" and meant that "instead, individual legal protection remains a theoretical possibility without practical consequences".
However, Schueller said the verdict "leaves the door open for future cases".
"Violations of international law can be subject to judicial review, even if the court imposes high hurdles. This is an important statement by the Constitutional Court in these times," he said.
According to the ECCHR, the two Yemeni men were having dinner ahead of the wedding of a male family member in 2012 when they heard the buzz of a drone and then the boom of missile attacks that claimed multiple lives.
Their case against Germany was initially thrown out, before the higher administrative court in Muenster ruled in their favour in 2019.
However, the government appealed and a higher court overturned the decision in 2020, arguing that German diplomatic efforts were enough to ensure Washington was adhering to international law.
In a statement shared by the ECCHR, the two men called the ruling "dangerous and disturbing".
"(It) suggests countries that provide assistance to the US assassination programme bear no responsibility when civilians are killed. Our hearts are broken, and our faith in international law is shaken," they said.
The German government welcomed the ruling, which it said showed that Berlin had "a wide margin of discretion in assessing whether the actions of third states comply with international law".
"According to the ruling, the government has no fundamental duty to protect foreigners abroad who are affected by military action by third states if, in the government's assessment, these attacks are within the bounds of what is permissible under international law," the defence and foreign ministries said in a statement.
Windows 11 will soon be able to describe images on your screen using AI — and it'll all be done locally
Windows 11 will soon be able to describe images on your screen using AI — and it'll all be done locally
A new "Describe Image" feature is coming soon to Click To Do, which will allow Windows 11 to use AI to describe an image that's currently on your screen.Zac Bowden (Windows Central)
An image is worth a thousand words. How is reading a text describing what is on the screen going to be better than just looking at the screen yourself, something you'll need to do to read the description anyway? Aside from accessibility for the blind, the practicality such a technology is questionable.
The motivation behind this is obviously to facilitate the collection and reporting user profiling data. Accessibility for the blind is only a side effect. Tech companies have been doing it with automated audio transcriptions for years already, now they're after what you look at on your screen.
Convert YouTube Videos to Text Instantly
Just wanted to share a tool I came across recently youtubetotranscript.net/. It lets you paste any YouTube link and get a full transcript of the video (even long ones), which is super useful for:
- Note-taking from tutorials or lectures
- Quickly skimming long videos for key info
- Searching specific parts of interviews or reviews
- Accessibility / easier reading
No login, no ads, and works surprisingly fast. Great for when you don’t have time to watch a full video or just want the text version.
Has anyone tried similar tools? Would love to hear recommendations too!
YouTube Transcript Generator – YouTube to Text Using AI
YouTube to Transcript online tool instantly converts YouTube videos into accurate, free transcripts using AI. Perfect for accessibility, note-taking, and content creation.youtubetotranscript.net
Followers-only replies are broken between pixelfed & mastodon (non-mutuals can’t see them)
i ran into a visibility issue when replying from mastodon to a pixelfed user’s followers-only post.
if a pixelfed user has a private account and makes a followers-only post, then a mastodon user (who follows them, but isn’t followed back) replies with the same followers-only visibility, the pixelfed user never sees it, even if they’re mentioned.
apparently this is because “followers-only” on mastodon only includes the sender’s own followers, not the post author or mentioned accounts. this makes cross-platform, non-mutual replies silently disappear.
anyone else think this should be addressed at the AP level? or is it something each app should patch separately (like a “followers + mentioned” visibility option)?
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO chief Mark Rutte shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on July 14, 2025. Trump said the U.S. will send more weapons to Ukraine, signaling his growing impatience as Russia ignores his demands for a ceasefire and steps up its military campaign. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump threatens Russia with ‘severe’ tariffs if no Ukraine deal reached in 50 days. “We’re gonna be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days. Tariffs that are about 100%, we call them secondary tariffs,” Donald Trump said in a joint press conference in the White House alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Patriot systems, missiles may arrive in Ukraine ‘within days,’ Trump says. When asked when certain weapons, including missiles to Patriot air defense systems, were expected to arrive in Ukraine, Trump responded by saying “a full complement with the batteries… We’re going to have some come very soon, within days.”
Germany says EU discussing ‘more than 3’ Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine. “From the EU perspective, the talks are about more than three Patriot systems for Ukraine,” a German government spokesperson said.
‘He wants to take all of it’ — Putin reportedly told Trump he’ll intensify eastern Ukraine offensive over next 2 months. Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump that Moscow intended to continue offensive operations until it secured the full administrative borders of occupied Ukrainian regions.
Russia vows to ‘firmly defend’ interests in Baltic after Estonia HIMARS test. “The Baltic region is tense due to the aggressive policies of European coastal states,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
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Ukraine contracts ‘tens of thousands’ interceptor drones. The technology is critical for Ukraine’s air defense as Russia’s aerial attacks have escalated significantly over the past few months
Zelensky announces next prime minister, launches government reshuffle. “I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the Government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky hints prime minister Shmyhal may be appointed defense minister amid government reshuffle. “Denys Shmyhal’s extensive experience will definitely be valuable in the position of Ukraine’s defense minister,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Denmark to provide European-produced satellite communication services to Ukraine’s military. “Denmark has now contributed to strengthening Ukraine’s satellite-based communications in their defense against Russia. There is a very large potential in space-based solutions that can contribute to both Ukrainian, Danish, and European defense,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.
Slovakia hints it won’t block 18th sanctions package following EU assurances. Slovakia is likely to approve the EU’s 18th sanctions package against Russia following assurances provided by the bloc to Bratislava, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on July 14.
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: Trump threatens Russia with ‘severe’ tariffs if no Ukraine deal reached in 50 days
The U.S. will impose “severe tariffs” on Russia unless it agrees to a deal on ending the war in Ukraine within 50 days, U.S. President Donald Trump said in his long-anticipated announcement on July 14.
Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Learn more
Editorial: Right now, Ukraine’s democracy risks a Russian-style backslide
While fighting a war of survival against Russia, Ukraine must not turn into its authoritarian neighbor. As Ukraine’s main independent English-language media outlet, we have a duty to acknowledge and expose this threat.
Photo: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
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Patriot missiles — what they are and why everyone wants them
The U.S.-made Patriot air defense system is one of the few in the world that defend against ballistic missiles, which Russia regularly launches against Ukraine, and which Israel and Iran traded salvos of last month.
Photo: Sam Yeh / AFP via Getty Images
Learn more
Growing pains: The lives of Ukrainian teenagers at war
Russia’s war has struck Ukrainian teens in a uniquely cruel way — already navigating the turbulence of adolescence, they also face the emotional and psychological scars the war continues to leave on them.
Photo: George Ivanchenko / The Kyiv Independent
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian drones strike Sumy, Kharkiv oblasts killing 1 person, injuring at least 21. Russian troops launched drone attacks on Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts on July 14, killing one person and injuring at least 21, local authorities reported.
Russian Mi-8 helicopter goes missing in Far East with 5 aboard. The aircraft had three crew members and two technicians on board, Russian pro-government media outlet Kommersant reported.
International response
Putin’s negotiator calls for ‘constructive dialogue’ as Trump shifts stance on Ukraine. “Constructive dialogue between Russia and the U.S. will always achieve more than the tired, destructive language of pressure,” Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, wrote.
Zelensky meets Trump’s envoy Kellogg in Kyiv. “We discussed the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote.
Belarus shoots down Russian drone, Ukraine’s HUR claims. Russian Shahed-type drones regularly breach Belarusian airspace as they fly towards Ukrainian cities during mass attacks which have escalated significantly over recent weeks.
5 EU members reportedly unhappy with new Ukraine trade deal. “They believe that a new agreement within the framework of the (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area) DCFTA could destabilize European markets,” a source present during an EU Agriculture Council meeting told European Pravda.
Opinions and insights
Beneath the problematic surface, the New York Times’ Kursk reporting reveals a deeper moral rot
In these fraught times, the New York Times has made a seemingly deliberate and very self-aware choice to paint a picture of this war without the understanding of who is in the right and who is in the wrong.
Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva / AFP via Getty Images
Learn more
5 ways the New York Times fails its readers in its most recent piece about Russia’s war
The New York Times’ recent feature detailing Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast presents a vivid, harrowing account of civilian suffering — it also twists the narrative.
Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP via Getty Images
In other news
Ukraine’s new Liut ground drone ‘destroys‘ Russian position with machine gun, HUR claims in new video. The deployment took place in Sumy Oblast, a northeastern region bordering Russia that has recently faced renewed Moscow’s attempts to advance.
Ukraine’s economic crimes bureau remains leaderless amid government interference. Ukraine’s economic crimes agency is still without a head following a controversial selection process, raising fresh concerns about the government’s commitment to anti-corruption and international obligations.
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Ukraine’s economic crimes bureau remains leaderless amid government interference
Ukraine's economic crimes agency is still without a head following a controversial selection process, raising fresh concerns about the government's commitment to anti-corruption and international obligations.Yana Prots (The Kyiv Independent)
WeTransfer updates T&Cs, allows it to use your data to train AI
WeTransfer has announced a change in its Terms & Conditions at WeTransfer, however, which formally comes into effect in August. There’s a paragraph under the heading of ‘Content’, clause 6.3, that might generate some concern among its users.You hereby grant us a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, commercializing, and improving the Service or new technologies or services, including to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process, in accordance with the Privacy & Cookie Policy. Such license includes the right to reproduce, distribute, modify, prepare derivative works based upon, broadcast, communicate to the public, publicly display, and perform Content. You will not be entitled to compensation for any use of Content by us under these Terms.
WeTransfer updates T&Cs, allows it to use your data to train AI
The WeTransfer service, used by creatives to transfer their work, is the latest to want to use your work to train AI models. More here.Simon Brew (Film Stories)
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Know_not_Scotty_does
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •What program are you using for your rpg campaigns?
Minecraft server is fairly universally supported.
ImminentOrbit
in reply to Know_not_Scotty_does • • •BananaTrifleViolin
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •All of these can be run on any Linux distro. Dropbox is probably a better choice than Google Drive as Google drive doesn't have an official Linux app (but you can get it working beyond just using it in a Web browser if its a must).
I'd go.with Linux Mint as it's well supported but any point release distro will serve your needs well. For example Fedora KDD or OpenSuSE Leap, Debian etc. I wouldn't recommend Ubuntu.
just_another_person
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •merde alors
in reply to just_another_person • • •+1 for fedora kde
I've tried dozens of distros this year. Kept arch for my personal use and fedora for shared. Fedora was the easiest to setup with everything working as they should out of the "box".
unless you use a touchscreen, don't install gnome
@ImminentOrbit@lemmy.world
BCsven
in reply to merde alors • • •Admetus
in reply to BCsven • • •BCsven
in reply to Admetus • • •poinck
in reply to just_another_person • • •Or the current Debian testing, which will become stable soon. If you have experience with a Ubuntu from 10 years ago, you might know about
aptalready. If not, the package manager is already integrated into gnome-software. Additionally you can easily enable Flathub for flatpak and install packages using gnome-software afterwards.And yes, I would avoid Ubuntu on the desktop because of snap and other weird choices for defaults.
On the server however my experiences with Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04 were not bad. But if it were my choice I would go Debian stable for servers.
If you want to do less maintenance, Fedora has good defaults and will have major updates twice a year. But, if you don't want to get custom to new things on your machine that often, Debian is my recommendation.
Only if you have too much time, try Gentoo. I've used it for more than 15 years on the desktop besides Debian on Raspberries.
Auth
in reply to just_another_person • • •just_another_person
in reply to Auth • • •It's relevant for a few reasons with regard to new users:
1) Snap is SLOW
2) Snap takes up a massive amount of space
Switching somebody with 256GB of storage to Ubuntu and pointing them to the Gonna software store to install whatever they want is just asking for confusion and problems.
What happened to all my disk space?
Why does it take 8 seconds for a browser to start?
These are new users who expect things to operate as they've known them to operate coming from Windows or MacOS. Ubuntu is just problematic to that point of view.
I've switched hundreds of desktop users in the past few years, and the above expectations and experience is what made me switch to Fedora.
Ubuntu is problematic at current.
Auth
in reply to just_another_person • • •just_another_person
in reply to Auth • • •You're not getting it...
A 125MB package like Firefox has up to 5 versions by default kept under the Snap system. Do this 10x across different packages, and suddenly you're missing a lot of storage you can't account for.
Second, SNAP IS JUST SLOW. People don't like when it takes 5-10 seconds to launch a very simple app. Let's not even get into the performance being absolutely horrendous when you need direct access to memory or GPU. It's not what people want.
Last, your problem with Nvidia drivers lies with Nvidia themselves. I run a cluster of a thousand instances which never hiccup on the Nvidia server+CUDA drivers.
Desktop is a shit show, and that's their fault. Don't blame your misunderstanding of these two things to be the fault of the distro.
Auth
in reply to just_another_person • • •Oh no 1gb of space is being used windows users totally care about that as they go from an OS that out of the box takes 100gb to one that takes 30gb. Thats pretending what you said is true because Snap doesnt store 5 versions by default it stores two. Secondly the common runtimes are shared between applications and versions so the amount of extra space when storing multiple versions is minor also distro packaging also stores multiple versions by default 3 if I recall correctly for dnf.
I think the fact that you think a win10 user cares more about an app taking a few seconds longer to open on first load than their GPU driver being unstable(from a new user perspective) is everything. Yes! the driver is nvidia's fault but its also fedora intentionally choosing to not ship it out of the box. Many other distro's do this so nvidia users dont have to go through the hassle of foss drivers and them breaking every kernel update.
Also I dont blame fedora for this, fedora doesnt target new users and as a fedora user I like that they aim to ship a fully foss system and I think they make it easy to include properitary packages if thats something you want. However its pointless to point someone to a distro where you have to then give them a bunch of extra steps to enable basic functionality when there are plenty of distros that work out of the box.
For a new user one of the ublue spins is a good choice. They get the base fedora experience with nvidia gpu's sorted out of the box and flatpak.
just_another_person
in reply to Auth • • •You apparently don't deal with actual end-users, so let me inform you...they absolutely fucking care.
You seem to keep skipping the part where SNAP IS 10X SLOWER.
Get lost with your lazy argument.
Auth
in reply to just_another_person • • •just_another_person
in reply to Auth • • •Eugenia
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •x00z
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •ImminentOrbit
in reply to x00z • • •I decided to go with Linux mint. After installing it alongside windows, it won't boot into either. If I reboot from my USB stick, it says that maybe it's too far away from the start of the drive to be detected. But I believe there is some intel /hp stuff that includes some kind of boot that might also be interfering. Does anyone have a good way forward from here?
Link from boot repair: paste.ubuntu.com/p/GJcsXfRkrj/
Ubuntu Pastebin
paste.ubuntu.comx00z
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •ImminentOrbit
in reply to x00z • • •x00z
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •Did you nuke the whole disk? Just 1 big Linux partition?
Try enabling/disabling Secure Boot.
atzanteol
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •BananaTrifleViolin
in reply to atzanteol • • •That's not entirely true. Snap is a good reason to avoid Ubuntu as you're not given the choice whether day to day apps like Firefox are a native app or snap app. You can only have snap versions. The lack of choice in having a slower less efficient version of apps forced on users without official alternatives is a good enough reason for people to recommend avoiding Ubuntu.
That is regardless of all the commercial and proprietary concerns people have.
That does not apply to Ubuntu based system like Mint where users are given choices and still benefit from other aspects of the Ubuntu ecosystem.
atzanteol
in reply to BananaTrifleViolin • • •Bluefruit
in reply to BananaTrifleViolin • • •I don't disagree that snaps aren't the best thing but Ubuntu does allow you to turn off auto updates now if you want and although it took a little extra setup, I also use the .deb version of Firefox right now. It works well. I'm running Kubuntu 24.04.
For servers especially, Ubuntu can be a really good option. I've heard some people actually like snaps for servers because the auto update so its one less this to worry about. Yea you can setup a script to do that too but its a nice to have for some folks.
All that said, its not for everyone, but for servers I think Ubuntu is a good option just for compatibility alone, not to mention the documentation, tutorials, etc.
Thats just my opinion though.
Decker108
in reply to BananaTrifleViolin • • •LeFantome
in reply to Decker108 • • •If it is FUD, can you please point out the factually inaccurate claim?
Actually, let’s just walk through the claims made.
Fact check: it does not (only Snap is provided)
Fact check: it is and it does
Fact check: they do
“Wild”
Other information:
On Ubuntu, you can get a deb package directly from Mozilla. Not a big deal but that statement made in the post is true.
non_burglar
in reply to atzanteol • • •Putting "company things" in quotes like you don't believe people when they say Ubuntu has let them down...
Ubuntu is fine for very beginners, but don't lie and say "it's fine", only to have any competent user discover
very quickly that snaps take precedence over deb, snaps will be reenabled on minor release upgrades, even if you disabled them, ubuntu's built-in NVIDIA install support has become abysmal, ubuntu has recently made the choice to fall out of step with its own supported DEs with regard to xorg support, etc.
atzanteol
in reply to non_burglar • • •That's not true. I believe them. I just don't care.
BananaTrifleViolin
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •I personally generally recommend Mint as a good starting distro. It is widely used, which means lots of support readily found online. It also has some of the benefits of Ubuntu without having the Snap forced on users. It also generally works well on a wide range of systems including lower powered systems due to its selection of desktops.
Your laptop is decent and I'd personally be running a slick desktop on that, specifically KDE. But alot of that comes down to personal preferences, and Mint isn't the best KDE desktop as it's not a main desktop for it (although it is available).
However once you get to grips with the basics of Linux I think other distros offer better more focused benefits for different user groups. There are lots of choices such as Gaming focused distros, rolling release vs point release distros, slow long term projects like Debian vs bleeding edge focused projects, immutable systems etc.
I personally use OpenSuSE Tumbleweed because it's cutting edge, but well tested prior to updates, with a good set of system tools in YaST, and decently ready for gaming and desktop use. I also like that it is European. But that may not be a good fit for your specific use case. Leap, the OpenSuSE point release distro would be better - a nice KDE desktop with a reliable release schedule and a focus on stability over cutting edge.
data1701d (He/Him)
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •What software do you use for RPG campaigns? Is it just PDFs and word processors, or do you use a an online VTT? It should mostly be fine, but I figured I should ask.
Also, what are you doing in terms of the Minecraft Server? While I think most support Linux, there could (not certainly are) be weird caveats depending on the server.
communism
in reply to data1701d (He/Him) • • •Brickfrog
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •To be fair Ubuntu is still okay especially starting out, it's one of the more polished distros with a ton of online documentation when you need to search around and figure out how to do things. And no one says you have to stay with a distro, once you're comfortable with Linux it's easy enough to check out other distros.
That aside a lot of people have been recommending Mint for new users so that's definitely one you can check out if you want to try branching out now rather than later.
PS - Nvidia has a less than stellar reputation for their Linux drivers, you may want to consider reading up on that for whichever distro you choose. I have an Nvidia GPU (old non-Quadro class) running on Debian, works fine now but I did have a few false starts getting it going properly at first.
LeFantome
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •That hardware will fly on Linux.
Given you use NVIDIA I might recommend Mint over Ubuntu.
ksigley
in reply to LeFantome • • •LeFantome
in reply to ksigley • • •LeFantome
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •I do not want to over complicate things but there is some information that may help given that you have NVIDIA hardware.
Linux is going through a technology transition in its graphics technology from something called Xorg (x11) to something called Wayland.
Mostly you do not have to worry about this. Don’t let it distract you.
Everybody will be using Wayland in a year or two but right now today, it depends on the distro and desktop environment you choose. For example, current Ubuntu will default to GNOME on Wayland. Linux Mint defaults to Cinnamon in Xorg.
Until recently, NVIDIA has been buggy with Wayland. Specifically, NVIDIA needed something called “explicit sync”. This has now been added to newer NVIDIA drivers, Wayland compositors, Mesa, etc. So things work great now if you use the latest versions of things.
Again, you may not need to know any of these details. So, why am I bring it up?
Well, if you have an “up-to-date” distro, NVIDIA will likely work well. But if any of the required components are not available or older on the distro you use, you may have problems with NVIDIA. Only “may”. It may also work fine.
To avoid problems, you can use a very up-to-date distro like EndeavourOS. Or you can use a distro that will default to Xorg for now, like Linux Mint.
If you use a distro with older software versions, like Debian, or older software drivers, like OpenSUSE, or that lacks proprietary drivers, like Fedora, NVIDIA hardware can be a pain.
The reason people recommend AMD or Intel for Linux is because none of the above really matters on that hardware. They are more likely to “just work”.
Again, I hope I did not complicate things. I offer all this just so you can make sense of things if you run into trouble. You probably will not. And in a year or so, none of this will matter anymore even on NVIDIA. On many distros, it already doesn’t.
feedtheplants
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •Bronstein_Tardigrade
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •You never see it mentioned, but PCLOS is a great Linux starter OS. It was started by Bill Reynolds, TexStar, and is tock solid. It is my go-to when installing Linux for new users because it is extremely stable, has a great community, and avoids anything bleeding edge.
www.distrowatch.com is a great place to get an overview of most Linux and BSD distros.
procapra
in reply to ImminentOrbit • • •