Desktop Linux for Everyone
Scott Nesbitt on switching to elementary OS. You can see his 2014 set-up here.
Scott’s post talks about elementary’s own apps, which I’m not sure I knew about. It looks like Quilter, the elementary Markdown editor, is even in the Fedora repositories.
I love that elementary encourages users to pay for apps and I think it’s nice that the price points are reasonable, but also suggested.
Making the Switch to elementary OS | Open Source Musings
For years, Linux users have been accustomed to purchasing hardware and having to install their operating system of choice–often struggling to get everything working properly. Although Linux hardware support has come a very long way (I rarely have issues installing Linux on modern hardware), for the average user, installing an operating system is well beyond their pay grade and knowledge–especially when issues with wireless chips come into play. With Lenovo, that ends. Linux users can purchase hardware without having to install an operating system and knowing that everything will work out of the box, which is guaranteed by the Linux Certification that Lenovo is attaching to the hardware.
That guarantee is a big jump ahead for Linux, and one that wouldn’t have happened without Lenovo putting its support behind the open source platform.
I’m not sure I agree. I think the average user can install Linux; they just don’t have any interest in it. So I think that same average user probably won’t go for pre-installed Linux, either. It’s just not on their radar.
Which is fine. Linux is always there for the interested user. It doesn’t depend upon the grace of hardware manufacturers, although it’s nice to see Lenovo taking an interest.
Linux desktop: The one moment in 2020 that is key to its success | TechRepublic
This is another youtube-dl takedown post, this one explaining how youtube-dl is an essential tool for people with inconsistent bandwidth and/or Internet access.
Luckily, youtube-dl’s GitHub repository is back online!
Origins of the youtube-dl project | Geek Blight
I miss Pidgin! I’m glad it’s still around. I wish more people used any of the old chat services (I know IRC is still going strong, but I always found it tough to use with Pidgin).
November 2020, “Community Choice” Project of the Month – Pidgin IM | SourceForge Community Blog
Yes! I have considered this!
Have you considered buying used hardware? | Christian Ştefănescu
I use a desktop and I love it. It’s more comfortable to use and easier to upgrade than a laptop. And it was way cheaper than one, too. There are obvious limitations, like you can’t walk around with it, but I highly recommend them.
I am Seriously Considering Going Back to Desktop Computers | Miscellaneous Stuff
Wow. The youtube-dl repositories got pulled down. Many people aren’t happy. Interestingly, you can still download it. And it’s still in the Ubuntu repositories.
On the youtube-dl DMCA Takedown | Codeberg News
Yikes! And just when I had gotten used to telling people printing on Linux isn’t that big a deal…
CUPS Printing System Open-Source Development Has Seemingly Dried Up | Phoronix
Jack Wallen, whom you might remember from here, really loves/loved it!
I never realized Unity let you search through an application’s individual menu options.
I don’t really miss Unity, but I’m glad it’s there for people who do.
Ubuntu Unity brings back one of the most efficient desktops ever created | TechRepublic
A great example of how incentivizing the wrong behavior will lead to negative outcomes. In this case, DigitalOcean is rewarding pull requests, rather than meaningful contributions, as determined by maintainers. I don’t necessarily have a solution, but the problem seems to be unintentionally hurting some open source projects.
DigitalOcean’s Hacktoberfest is Hurting Open Source | Hidden Variables
