* Posts by CosmicTourist

5 publicly visible posts • joined 6 Mar 2024

Arch Linux installer now slightly less masochistic

CosmicTourist

Manjaro is the way to enjoy Arch Linux

I have been in a process for the last few years to audition all the major Linux distros to see which one I will adopt when I abandon Windows, an OS that only seems to get more bloated and kludgy by the day.

Manjaro has been a pleasure to use as my primary OS on my laptops and my primary desktop, all of which dual-boot also into Windows 11 Pro.

I also have my eye on other mainstream distros, like Ubuntu, Mint and Bodhi, running them as VM's on my primary desktop since it has 48GB of RAM. I know that MX Linux seems to be more popular, according to Distrowatch, but I can't seem to generate any love for that particular variant.

FWIW, I find Manjaro to a reliable and polished distro that is easy to install, easy to update and easy to love. I suspect it will win out as my primary OS once my divorce from Windows is complete.

National Public Data files for bankruptcy, admits 'hundreds of millions' potentially affected

CosmicTourist

Way past time for mandatory universal encryption of all personal data

All personal data stored in computer systems globally should be encrypted. Period.

Disenchanted Windows user? Pop open a fresh can of Linux Lite

CosmicTourist

Try dual boot

With almost all Linux distros, you can have the install process shrink your Windows partition and make space to install the Linux distro, altering the startup process to allow you to select at boot time whether you want to boot to Linux or boot to Windows.

This has the advantage of not disturbing your Windows content while letting you experience Linux when you want to see what it will do. The only real choice you have to make is how much of your storage you wish to devote to a Linux installation. Most Linux distros can be installed in a relatively small separate partition (eg. 20GB), but if you have the space you could opt to create a much larger Linux partition if you anticipate having sizable files you might create or save while using Linux. With so many users now storing content in the cloud, the need for local storage is not as pressing as it used to be.

Open source versus Microsoft: The new rebellion begins

CosmicTourist

Linux has some advantages over WIndows, Android and IOS

I feel that one of the best features of Linux is that there is no one mega-corporation which is trying to monetize every aspect of Linux, or trying to connect every device you own to every other device on the planet, or trying to extract your personal information from every single action you perform on your device so it can be shared or sold to anyone who wants to see it.

I have used Windows are my primary operating system for decades, and I must confess that I have become less and less satisfied with Windows with each new release. Microsoft seems to want to cram "features" in the OS that only serve to make it more complicated, bloated and vulnerable to security breaches as they open up vector after vector into and out of Windows under the banner of 24/7 global connectivity, whether you want it or not.

The phrase "digital sovereignty" makes a lot of sense to me. I have configured all my PC's to dual-boot into Linux and plan to look increasingly for ways to move out of the Windows world into the open source world. My user profile is unique to me and such a strategy would be difficult for many people, I'm sure, especially if their livelihoods depend of using applications only available on the Windows platform. But in my case, there is virtually nothing I do that cannot be done using Linux as a platform for similar applications that perform adequately if not superbly on Linux.

Year of Linux on the desktop creeps closer as market share rises a little

CosmicTourist

While I have been a user of Microsoft operating systems since the late 1970's, and an occasional user of Apple's MacOS, I find both environments to be increasingly working toward an environment where every device you own will be connected to every other device on the planet in some fashion, whether you want it or not. I can't speak for ChromeOS as I do not own any devices that use it, but I suspect that the upper muckity-mucks at Google have much the same agenda for that platform and its bastard child Android.

Basically, I do NOT want every piece of information about me and my online activities that can be stolen or gleaned from my computers, phones and tablets to be sold to anyone on Earth who wants to buy them. And I feel that is where Microsoft, Apple and Google, assisted by Meta, X, TikTok, etc. want to take us.

To me, the real advantage of Linux is that there is no mega-corporation whose masters have as their sole ambition to invade my privacy and monetize my information without my informed consent. It's as simple as that.

I have Linux dual-booting on all my PC's now, and when Windows 10 reaches end-of-life, I will delete the Windows partitions on all but one of the computers and move solely to Linux. I will retain a small Windows presence only to run any applications for which there is no acceptable Linux alternative. Right now the only app I see meeting that criterion is TurboTax desktop, but if I am convinced that preparing my taxes using the web-based version of TurboTax is acceptable, I may not even need a Windows partition at all.

We will see...