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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerMy worry bin is empty since switching to Linux Mint. Apologies, I couldn’t resist.
On a serious note regarding the thread topic, I think Microsoft has truly gone to the dark side with the whole “Windows as a service” and simply act like Darth Vader: “I am altering the deal, pray I don’t alter it any further.”. So you never know what to expect from them as they can and will probably change anything at anytime without respect for the end user or even IT departments. I still get to experience it and see it first hand at work with Windows 10 and Office 365. Despite best efforts by the IT department to control some things, they are still ultimately at the mercy of Microsoft. But that’s the game one must play now if you need/want to continue to use their software/systems.
2 users thanked author for this post.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerI only use static IP addresses and hardwired connections for two computers (and any virtual machines running on them via VirtualBox) and a NAS (Network attached storage) device. So DHCP is disabled in the router and the Wi-Fi radios are turned off (via a push button on the back of the router) as both are not needed and in order to simplify what is running on the router and to better secure the network. For the computers (physical host or virtual) they use a mapped network drive to the NAS via its IP address.
I’ve found using static IP addresses provide a much more reliable and stable network connection as there is no waiting to obtain (or renew) a dynamic IP from the router if using DHCP.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerI did not find any mention of Firefox being included on their website (only Chrome). But it appears that’s because back in June 2022 they dropped Firefox and switched to include Chrome as the default web browser instead.
Per: https://news.itsfoss.com/linux-lite-6-0-release/
“With Ubuntu moving its Firefox version to a snap app, Linux Lite has completely ditched Firefox for Google Chrome. While I can’t say I’m a fan of this change, it does make sense, especially for a distro targeting Windows users. While you are free to install anything you like, Chrome is a popular option for most users.”
I also could not find any info on whether they disable Ubuntu’s included telemetry (like Mint does). So between that and including Chrome makes me question the privacy aspect of their distro.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerInteresting, I had not heard of Linux Lite before. It looks to be a lot like Linux Mint Xfce (their “lite” version). Both are based on Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support) series.
Only thing of concern about Linux Lite is they include Chrome which I consider spyware. Ungoogled Chromium would be much better for privacy or Firefox (which is included with Mint). But it’s understandable as they are trying to appeal to Windows users many of which use Google Chrome.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerI like to operate by the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid). So I manually backup my data and create drive images so I know exactly what has been done and when and that it was successful. Also I do not use any type of cloud storage as I don’t trust someone else’s computer. Instead I keep everything local and within my direct control via a NAS (Network Attached Storage) which has two drives that mirror data (RAID or redundant array of independent disks). So if one drive were to fail the data is still on the other drive. Also critical data is backed up to removable media and stored in a fire safe.
Part of the process to keep it simple is also always highly minimizing the amount of data used/needed in order to keep the overall size small and easy to backup (ex. 500 MB or less). So no data hording allowed. I also only keep two drive images as I’ve found little use or need to restore from anything older.
Originally I setup reminders in Thunderbird to keep myself on schedule. But I rarely use them anymore as I often remember before a reminder triggers. I like the whole setup and operating this way as it has helped keep my mind/brain active which I’ve found more and more useful as I get older. Use it or lose it as the saying goes.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerMarch 31, 2023 at 10:02 am in reply to: Ubuntu Cinnamon becomes an official flavor, making Linux Mint obsolete #2548040You get some telemetry and a proprietary software repository (Snap store) with Ubuntu. So you can be closer to how Microsoft operates.
Both of these are examples of some things that have been removed by the Linux Mint developers (since Mint is based on Ubuntu) in order to keep things open and provide the user with a system they can completely control and trust.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerMarch 29, 2023 at 6:02 am in reply to: Ubuntu Cinnamon becomes an official flavor, making Linux Mint obsolete #2547630Making Linux Mint obsolete? Lol What non-sense and a click-bait headline and article from beta news. But it gets them some web traffic. While Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, there is a lot more to it than just the Cinnamon interface!
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerPer this blog post from founder and lead developer of Linux Mint Clem Lefebvre:
https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4030
“We can’t measure anything with precision because there’s nothing in your computer which sends data to us and we don’t configure Linux Mint in a way that even allows us to count how many users we have. In other words, there is nothing in Linux Mint that is common to all users and that we could rely on to establish statistics.”
7 users thanked author for this post.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerMarch 27, 2023 at 8:34 am in reply to: Microsoft setting the ball for Windows 12 as it begins adding Cloud PC #2546972Haha, good point. Saw it a few years ago when I first starting using Windows 10 on a newly acquired desktop PC. Did NOT like the feeling that the system was serving Microsoft’s wants/needs over my own with the whole “Windows as a service”. So promptly wiped the system and installed Windows 8.1 (with Classic/Open Shell). Now that support has ended for 8.1 I’ve moved on to Linux Mint, a system that still respects the end user/administrator with full control over everything.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerMarch 27, 2023 at 6:50 am in reply to: Microsoft setting the ball for Windows 12 as it begins adding Cloud PC #2546929I’m not as optimistic and could see Microsoft pulling a Vader: “I am altering the deal, pray I don’t alter it any further.”!
They have been doing a lot of things over the past number of years that should be getting them in hot water (like what happened with the anti-trust IE stuff a long time ago). But no-one seems to want to hold them accountable anymore. Sadly the same can be said for big tech in general.
2 users thanked author for this post.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerMarch 26, 2023 at 3:03 pm in reply to: Microsoft setting the ball for Windows 12 as it begins adding Cloud PC #2546771I agree a recent drive image of your system is invaluable. However it does not help prevent Microsoft from being able to push an unexpected update or make changes to your computer and possibly bork it unless other measures are used to prevent it. Same with calling frequent drive images a “hardened system” as they do not stop malware from getting on to a system and compromising it unless you have taken other preventative measures. Otherwise it’s all just a game of whack-a-mole: unexpected update or malware borks system > restore drive image > system borked again > restore drive image…..
2 users thanked author for this post.
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Mothy
AskWoody Lounger185. Surprise! Your computer system may update without notice or warning, Create an image backup to counter any surprise update.
Not if you run Linux Mint where you still have complete control over the updating system.
But always an excellent point to create image backups regardless of what OS is in use.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerMarch 25, 2023 at 2:07 pm in reply to: Microsoft setting the ball for Windows 12 as it begins adding Cloud PC #2546556You have admitted that you strip out what you do not want in your Windows 11 (and 10) systems. So in doing that you are also in effect running a “niche” version of Windows. That is not something you will be able to do with a “cloud” version of Windows 12 thus limiting your options and locking you more into Microsoft’s control. That is the opposite of what Linux provides and I believe why it was brought up in the thread. Granted Linux suffers from too much choice, but it’s always better to have options than to be locked into what a monopoly like Microsoft will allow.
1 user thanked author for this post.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerThat’s understandable considering your line of work and the support of this website which is predominantly about Windows. I also still know how to run the Windows platform more than any other having been in the IT industry for almost 25 years now primarily supporting Microsoft systems. However I have not directly supported or worked on them in some time, instead I’m more of just a user of them (Windows 10 and Office 365) now at work where I still get to experience all the typical pain points which has only re-enforced my decision to drop Windows completely on my personal systems and instead use Linux Mint where I still have easy built-in control over the OS and feel it respects my wishes (like Windows 8.1 that I migrated from) instead of Microsoft’s.
As to Mint I’ve found it very intuitive and easy to configure and use out of the box as it’s been designed to be very similar to Windows. But even so, the underlying OS is very different than Windows and does take effort and some time to adapt and learn how best to use the system (I’ve found a ton of useful information just via Internet searches). But I have enjoyed learning something new and pushing myself out of the comfort zone of using Windows for so long. Ultimately it’s been a very liberating feeling to no longer have to deal with Microsoft’s constant attempts of control or having to jump through hoops to avoid it. So I have no regrets in dropping Windows on my personal systems. In fact I wish that I had done it much sooner!
1 user thanked author for this post.
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Mothy
AskWoody LoungerI would go a step further from what others have said and add that unless you have a specific need to use Windows I would go full Linux Mint. I did that almost 3 months ago now and it’s great to no longer have to worry about what I refer to as “Microsoft’s clown show”. In the odd event you do need Windows for something there is always the option to run a virtual machine via VirtualBox.
1 user thanked author for this post.
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