Also, I should mention that I am annoyed at some of Apple’s changes to iOS, so I am looking for a new non-Google, non-Apple phone. If you know of one, I’m all ears. I’d like a new non-Apple computer too, but I have yet to find any hardware that is anywhere near as good.
Oh, and I hate DRM. I don’t buy videos from Apple (or anyone online), and I use Plex, so I’m not in the ecosystem there. I only buy DRM-free MP3s, so I’m not in the ecosystem there. I run my own servers for IMAP, CalDAV, and CardDAV, so I’m not in the ecosystem there. (But, to be fair, I am not the typical Apple user.)
And, I prefer older cars too. I dread the idea of a new computerized car. The newest one I own today is a 2013 Ford F150. My washer & dryer are from 1996 and I have personally repaired both several times and will continue to repair them until parts are unavailable.
Some will say Dell, but I really have no insight into the build quality of Dell and Lenovo anymore. I went through a lot of Thinkpad’s before Lenovo took over. Have been a bit lost since then, finding that of the most powerful laptops that also have great build quality to be gaming laptops. This is why I purchased an Alienware 14 in 2013 and STILL to this day, it runs Linux without issue with two SSD’s in RAID 0.
As far as smartphone I will stick with iPhone until the first fully fledged high end phone integrates AI to a point where it is a big of a time saver and mind blowing assistant as it has been for me though the web browser.
Yesterday I was chatting with someone and telling them imaging the game Zelda but making use of AI / Chatbots so that every player will no doubt have a completely unique RPG experience. AI ise in gaming will be amazing to watch in the next 2 to 5 years.
Edit: A bit off-topic but yes on the cars and trucks. End of an Era, we have to hold on to the good ole’ ones. This Youtube vid I found spot on!
The most secure is a standard baseline install of Windows with updates and the CIS scripts run on the os, if you are truly worried about security, that will leave you with 3 medium security vulnerabilities and 2 low, 2 of which are TLS issues, and running nartac only removes 1, and the other is an RPC issue which is an inherent windows issue only resolved by mitigation, but when running a scan you allow the scanner access to everything, so it can only be hidden for 3 months at a time, and ms don’t seem to be intending on fixing it any time soon as the vulnerability has been around for awhile now DCE/RPC and MSRPC service enumeration. It allows unauthenticated os and hardware disclosure. But if some one is able to read that, you have bigger issues to worry about.
But you then have to live with super nanny mode and opening any program results in an admin pop up. The above is as tested this week, so pretty certain it should be pretty accurate.
I’m keenly interested about details and your experiences with WSL. How it handles your Kali install (I assume) especially. I’m also especially interested in how well the linux (WSL) file system plays with the Windows file system. Around 5 years ago or so, I made a serious WSL effort, and left extremely disappointed: the basic file system access was there, but permission quirks made it impossible (for me) to get work done.
A while back Ben posted some great comments on his PiKVM setup and it’s performance running a remote linux machine. I was so excited I purchased one, but I got sidetracked, and I can’t tell you how it worked out. You might check out Ben’s comments from a half year ago or so.
Windows 11 was the straw that broke my back during my employment at Microsoft. When my Microsoft work computer auto booted to windows 11, I informed my manager that I was on my way out. I spent decades (seems like) using windows 10 (forced to because of app availability). There’s a lot of online experience available to troubleshoot Windows 10. With windows 11 came issues I didn’t know how to handle, and Microsoft doesn’t support its products internally.
Update: I was able to install Kali + Gnome with all of i3WM shortcuts.
For example: super + 1 - (up to 9) takes me instantly to the selected workspace super + tab - toggles between the most 2 recent workspaces super + t launches terminal app workspace #3 super + f - launches file manager (nautilus) in workspace #5 super - shows the overview screen, and then I can use the mouse wheel or left or right arrow keys to move between workspaces visually. double-tapping the super key - opens the applications list where I can use the keyboard (super and arrow keys) or the mouse to launch apps.
– AND a load of others I used with i3wm that I will continue to use with whatever WM or in this case DE that will support these time-saving shortcuts.
I tried first with Xfce4 + i3 first but with the PC specs, it was really a waste, with Gnome everything is still insanely fast, I’ve turned everything I can think of on, including a loaded-up blur my shell.
I will be using this for a month or 2 and then update the article.
I like the current setup because it does not take a ton of time to custom configure. Also, really prefer being on a rolling release, the latest Gnome 44 is a major improvment over the previous which I’ve also been happy with on my laptop.
I havn’t loaded it up with many of my apps yet. I usually wait to do that until certain I won’t wipe and fresh install, which would be #5. Kinda OCD i know.
It’s ironic that now both Windows and Kali Linux are being used with i3wm keyboard shortcuts heavily integrated. i3 (and similar workflow-centric WMs) is the real winner so far.
You mean the theme for the text editor? This was the default setup for Kali + Gnome 44. I didn’t change the text editor theme and still using the default gnome text editor package.
I’ll edit this comment and add a screenshot of the settings page later today. Gnome 44 + Kali, has such a lovely default overall. They extensions installed and configured by default are really great choices.
Thank for answering @hydn.
I am referring to the top bar, and I would like to know how did you make it transparent while still displaying (apps) text, without any icons
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and recommendations. I understand that you have some concerns and suggestions regarding operating systems, specifically Windows and Linux distributions like Debian. Each operating system has its own strengths and considerations, and it ultimately depends on individual needs and preferences when choosing an operating system for specific use cases. Users should consider factors such as stability, compatibility, software availability, hardware requirements, and personal preferences when making their decision.
However, I do have dual boot now with Kali Linux as well. Enjoying both. Keyboard shortcuts are all the same, so it does not matter if I log in to Windows or Kali Linux.
Not really. I would say a little more windows the last week. But I’m gonna reboot and switch because when I came to my office this morning the PC was not in sleep mode, so all the fans were on the entire night.
This problem happens on and off with my Windows install. Of course, did all the power manage settings and tons of other settings changes, even reinstalled Windows. Then had Windows IT guru who has worked with Microsoft before, work on it remotely, he’s at a loss also why its random. I’m suspecting that it’s to do with the AMD drivers or software. Who knows.
But that is usually the difference for me between Windows vs Linux. I have been able to fix 99% of Linux issues no matter the severity, and for that 1% I always know exactly what’s wrong and maybe have to wait for a patch or feature. Able to follow or report a bug.
That’s quite recognisable for me. I may have slightly more problems with Linux, but at least usually they can be solved or a patch is underway. With Windows, it seems slightly random sometimes why things do or do not work.
You might check out Ben’s comments from a half year ago or so.
How was the Kali install? Any tricks needed? I vaguely recall WSL assuming Ubuntu.
