Replies

Thank you, rbailin, I logged into the comment section to say exactly the same thing.  If you’re truly going to compare “Apples” to oranges, the NUC (or one of the many, many knock-off equivalents) would be a better comparison.  Especially for the “cuteness factor” Brian mentions early in his article.

I am in independent support tech for Windows PCs, with the vast majority of my clients being seniors.  Yes, some do (or did) come from the Apple universe but costs have driven them to Windows PCs over the years.  Apple was just too expensive for them to get the same computing power.  For those seniors on very tight budgets every nickel counts.  I even persuaded some to successfully try Linux Mint on their old Windows 7-vintage PCs, rather than buy new Windows 10/11 PCs.  I have to say this move for them was a game changer.

Windows aficionado, Linux Mint evangelist

@ Victor Wright:

Victor, yours is the MOST succinct explanation of one’s experience using Ubuntu I have ever read!!

I, too, multi-boot. My work laptop has XP-Pro, Vista Business, and Ubuntu. I don’t have the creds as you do, but I have to work within both versions of Windows day-in and day-out. However, when at home or “off line” I LOVE Ubuntu. As you mentioned, there IS a small learning curve, mostly CLI tribal-knowledge stuff, to tweak Ubuntu with various hardware nuances. But I had to do the same thing with Windows (download this BIOS, or that driver, or that other DLL to get my graphics card or NIC to be operational in Windows).

Finally, I absolutely LAUGHED OUT LOUD when I read your bottom disclaimer!!! I’m going to plagiarize and tweak that a bit for my own use, sorry! It is AWESOME!

– – fred

Windows aficionado, Linux Mint evangelist