sylver_dragon
@sylver_dragon@lemmy.world
- Comment on Linux help and actual pros and cons 1 day ago:
I made the jump about a year ago at this point and have been happy with the choice. That said, there is a learning curve and everything isn’t sunshine and roses. I’d still rate it as fully worth it.
I think I need to pick a “distro”, right? Based on the above, which distro may work best for me?
Yes, though this is less of a “gotcha” than it might seem. Different distros will have advantages and disadvantages for different things. However, most distros are going to do most things at a reasonable level. It sounds like you are prioritizing ease of use and gaming; so, you may want to go for one of the more gaming focused distros such as PopOS or SteamOS. But, I would echo what @redlemace said, “take a live-distro, put it on an USB stick and boot from that. Yes, it’s sometimes slow/sluggish but it works and you can get an impression of the distro”. I ran my chosen distro from a USB stick for a bit over a month before committing.
what am I most likely to NOT be able to do, if anything?
Very little. However, you will need to relearn how to do some things. And you’ll probably have to get comfortable with using the terminal for some stuff. This can be a bit jarring for someone who grew up with Windows, as there are some things which just don’t have a GUI to configure. And some applications will need to be replaced. For example, you’re probably not going to be able to use Microsoft Office, but Libre Office is a good replacement. Photoshop will get replaces with Gimp, and so on.
Lastly, there are some games which just don’t work on Linux. A lot of that is around Anti-cheat software. For example, I wasn’t able to join my work team in playing Call of Duty 6. The EA Anti-Cheat is a complete “fuck you” to Linux users. So, check out ProtonDB for games you care about. Most games run just fine; but, there is the odd hole. Anymore, I’m more surprised that a game doesn’t work on Linux than when it does.
I have heard modding in particular can be challenging with Linux.
I’ve not run into this; however, I don’t use any of the mod managers (e.g. Vortex) and so I’m used to moving files around manually. I’ve also not run Skyrim on my Linux setup, and that does seem to require a bit of work to get going. So, this may be an issue, depending on the game. This is yet another reason to give the whole “install on a USB stick” recommendation a go. Spin up Linux, give modding Skyrim a shot. If it’s too heavy a lift, then maybe don’t do it. As much as I think Linux has been a good idea, it may not be right for everyone.
Are there some smaller indy games that don’t have Linux support (thinking back to the early mac days)?
Funny enough, I find the smaller indie stuff usually has better Linux support, but YMMV. For example, my son introduced me to Dome Keeper. It’s a small game, but it just worked and is one of my favorite casual games. Though again, checking ProtonDB is a good thing to do.
I would rate my computer technical ability at like… A 4/10. I haven’t done anything too crazy but can Google most issues and willing to learn. Is this realistically enough to get me up and running with Linux?
I’d think so. There’s lots of good info out there now to help you get up and running. Though this links back to the question about distros. If you don’t want to have to get super technical, pick a distro which is more aimed towards “just working”. And again, the USB “try before you buy” idea is really, really useful.
if the final answer here involves running a windows partition, is it possible to safely still use a windows 10 partition, even after the end of support?
Depending on how you plan to use it, the risk may be reasonable enough. For example, let’s say you have one or two games which just don’t run on Linux and you keep a Windows 10 partition around to run those games. You boot to Windows, play those games and then jump back to Linux for your normal computer use (web browsing, email, etc.). Then ya, that’s probably fine. The real risks start to show up when you use Windows for stuff which exposes it to the internet. If you are downloading and running random applications on it, you’re gonna have a bad time. Over time, even basic web browsing may start to be a risk, as vulnerabilities could be found which allow a malicious web page to run code. You also want to be sure you don’t have the device completely exposed to the internet (this is bad, even with an up to date Windows). Though, most home routers already prevent this; so, this is unlikely to be an issue. Just don’t hook your Windows 10 partition up to public WiFi (e.g. coffee shop, library or conference).
Just having the partition isn’t a risk. So long as Windows isn’t running, it isn’t available for attackers to attack. It’s just data on a disk. It’s only when it’s running and exposed to attackers that it becomes a problem. And you can control that and manage the risk.
anything else I might run into that I’m not expecting? Words of encouragement?
Be patient with it and it can be a worthwhile change. Also, don’t be afraid to come back and ask questions. There’s lot of folks here who can help you along. Getting away from Windows feels good and it’s great to actually own your system, rather than renting it from Microsoft. Best of luck.
- Submitted 3 weeks ago to selfhosting@slrpnk.net | 12 comments
- Comment on The Holy Ghost told him he could reach more people here than at churches 3 weeks ago:
So, he finally took Andrew Llyod Webber’s advice from Jesus Christ Superstar and popped into the age of mass communication.
- Comment on Your all-time favorite game? Let's discuss the best options! 5 weeks ago:
I was introduced to it when it was still Hero’s Quest (and EGA)
This is the version I always play. There’s something just “right” about the EGA graphics and text parser. A clicky interface will never replicate:
Hut of brown, now sit down - Comment on Your all-time favorite game? Let's discuss the best options! 5 weeks ago:
There’s probably a lot of nostalgia in the choice, but my all time favorite game is Quest for Glory: So You Want to be a Hero. The game was just the right mix of fantasy, adventure and humor for a young me, and I still go back an play it about once a year. A close second is Valheim. It’s kinda my “cozy game”. I find building and exploring relaxing, and there’s enough fighting to keep the game from getting boring.
- Comment on Do people really believe politicians are salesmen? 1 month ago:
If you were to draw a Venn Diagram of the skill sets of salespeople and politicians, it wouldn’t quite be a circle, but I suspect it’d be pretty close. Politicians exist to convince you that they are going to represent your interests in whatever level of government they are running for. Once there, they need to negotiate for their policy positions with the other elected representatives. The main difference is that the currency of politicians is votes, instead of money.
Sure, some of them might actually believe the bullshit coming out of their mouths. But, even then, they have to convince others to vote for them and then vote with them. That requires skills like negotiation, and persuasion, much the same as sales. Though, politicians probably have a greater emphasis on public speaking.
- Submitted 1 month ago to 3dprinting@lemmy.world | 7 comments
- Comment on Is 17 and almost 20 wrong? 1 month ago:
17 and 19 is a two-year gap, that’s totally fine.
Might want to check the laws in your local jurisdiction. In the US, in some States this may be OK under Romeo and Juliet Laws (check your local laws if the whole “kill yourself from a misunderstanding” bit of the story is required). But, some States do not have such laws. No idea if/how this applies in other countries.
- Comment on The one change that worked: I set my phone to ‘do not disturb’ three years ago – and have never looked back 2 months ago:
At least on Android (I’d assume iOS does it as well), you can set Do Not Disturb (DND) to turn on and off automatically, based on the time. You can also designate certain contacts to be allowed to bypass DND, so the phone will ring normally. I setup DND a long time ago, because I don’t want to be bothered by random shit while I am trying to sleep. However, my job is such that I might reasonably be called at 03:00 and need to roll my arse out of bed and start working. So, the number they call from is set to bypass DND. My elderly mother and brother are both similarly set to bypass. It all works out quite well and if some random marketer figures out my number and calls in the middle of the night, I don’t get woken up to talk about my car’s warranty.
- Comment on Networking Oddity 2 months ago:
It makes little sense why it works on an offsite WiFi, but not mobile data.
I’d agree with unbuckled above, it’s a DNS issue. If your mobile device is capable, use nslookup or dig to see what responses you are getting in different scenarios. It’s possible that your VPN software is leaking DNS queries out to the mobile data provider’s DNS servers while you are on mobile data and only using the correct DNS settings when you are on wifi. Possibly look for split tunnel settings in the VPN software, as this can create this type of situation.
You can also confirm this from the pihole side. Connect to the VPN via mobile data and browse to some website you don’t use often, but is not your own internal stuff. Then open the query log on your pihole and see if that domain shows up. I’d put money on that query not showing in the pihole query log.
- Comment on Tis the season 4 months ago:
- Comment on Which is better: F-Zero or Super Mario Kart (SNES)? 5 months ago:
It just depends on which type of racing game you are in the mood for. Mario Kart is well, Mario Kart. F-Zero always felt more like the older, arcade style racer in the vein of Out Run.
- Comment on D-Link refuses to patch a security flaw on over 60,000 NAS devices — the company instead recommends replacing legacy NAS with newer models 5 months ago:
Any vendor is going to reach a point where they no longer are willing to support older devices. So you have three choices:
- Run with the vulnerability. This is incredibly stupid and I’d hope no one did this.
- Replace the OS on any such device with something open source. Probably the best option for those who already own such a device.
- Never buy a proprietary device in the first place. Unless you really, really need something the propriety device offers, a beige box running some flavor of 'nix is probably a better long term solution.
Ok, I guess there is a fourth option. Learn to enjoy that vendor bending you over every few years. This is what many businesses do and it can make sense. You just need to have lots of money.
- Comment on Microsoft has a big Windows 10 problem, and only one year to solve it 5 months ago:
Ya, in fairness to MS, Windows XP was a good release (post SP1, like most “good” MS releases). But, the fact is that MS is going to push the latest version, regardless of how ready it is for use. MS was hot for folks to switch to Windows ME. And holy fuck was that a terrible OS. MS also did everything short of bribery to get folks to switch to Vista (anyone remember Windows Mojave?). The “upgrade, or else” mantra has always been their way. Not that I blame them too much, it does need to happen. It just sucks when the reason for the new OS is more intrusive ads and user tracking.
- Comment on Microsoft has a big Windows 10 problem, and only one year to solve it 5 months ago:
Many years ago, I attended a Windows XP launch event. The Microsoft presenter had the perfect line to describe how MS views this:
“Why should you upgrade to Windows XP? Because we’re going to stop supporting Windows 98!”This was said completely unironically and with the expectation that people would just do what MS wanted them to do. That attitude hasn’t changed in the years since. Win 10 is going to be left behind. You will either upgrade or be vulnerable. Also, MS doesn’t care about the home users, they care about the businesses and the money to be had. And businesses will upgrade. They will invariably wait to the last minute and then scramble to get it done. But, whether because they actually give a shit about security or they have to comply with security frameworks (SOX, HIPAA, etc.), they will upgrade. Sure, they will insist on GPOs to disable 90% of the Ads and tracking shit, but they will upgrade.
- Comment on Clogged nozzle? 6 months ago:
As far as the rest of it, it seems to be happening with every filament I slice in Prusa slicer.
This just reminded me of an issue I was facing recently. I also use Prusa Slicer and was having a hell of a time with my prints. It turned out to be the “Arc Fitting” setting.
In Print Settings - Advanced - Slicing look for the *Arc Fitting setting. When I had it set to “Enabled: G2/3IJ” it just completely borked my prints. Just weird problems all over the place. As soon as I set that to “Disabled”, it cleaned up my prints considerably. Not sure exactly what I’m giving up there, but I do know I’m getting much better prints. - Comment on Clogged nozzle? 6 months ago:
If you haven’t yet, try a cold pull and see if that helps. I personally just do a cold pull every time I change filaments. Maybe it helps, maybe it’s overkill, but I rarely have issues around clogs.
Other things to think about:
- Does this happen with other filaments? Maybe your current filament is wet and needs drying. Maybe you just got a bad batch.
- Does slowing down the print speed for infill make a difference? Perhaps this filament is just flowing differently and you need to change the printing temperature, flow rate, or just slow down.
- How old is your nozzle? They do wear out and a worn out nozzle can manifest as all kinds of wonky problems.
- Comment on Reddit is making sitewide protests basically impossible 6 months ago:
writes Nestler. “We want to hear from you when you think Reddit is making decisions that are not in your communities’ best interests. But if a protest crosses the line into harming redditors and Reddit, we’ll step in.”
Translation: We don’t really give a shit what you think. Now shut up and generate that content for us to sell to AI companies.