For many people, the #Linux vs #Windows vs #Mac debate is a privilege — it assumes you can choose.
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For many people, the #Linux vs #Windows vs #Mac debate is a privilege — it assumes you can choose. But working with the Computer Upcycle Project, I've seen the real choice is often Linux vs no computer at all.
~95% of donated computers are "too old" for Windows 11 or macOS. Linux installs on them anyway, adding 10+ years of life to machines #Microsoft and #Apple called trash.
This isn't Linux vs Windows. It's Linux vs e-waste.
@codemonkeymike Both of my computers are 16 years old, when Windows7 was a thing. Although they were getting a little boggy with #Ubuntu, they run the latest #Linux #Mint swiftly and flawlessly, update on their own, never have a down day.
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@codemonkeymike Both of my computers are 16 years old, when Windows7 was a thing. Although they were getting a little boggy with #Ubuntu, they run the latest #Linux #Mint swiftly and flawlessly, update on their own, never have a down day.
@josephsimons @codemonkeymike On Linux RAM matter mostly -
@josephsimons @codemonkeymike On Linux RAM matter mostly
@zer0unplanned @codemonkeymike Sure, but I didn't upgrade RAM between Ubuntu and Mint.
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@zer0unplanned @codemonkeymike Sure, but I didn't upgrade RAM between Ubuntu and Mint.
@josephsimons @codemonkeymike They are both Linux Distro's one with other specs than the other about minimal RAM and CPU requirements as Disc capacity. So I do not get your point here, is the one more requiring than the other > can you add RAM? > why you run both? -
For many people, the #Linux vs #Windows vs #Mac debate is a privilege — it assumes you can choose. But working with the Computer Upcycle Project, I've seen the real choice is often Linux vs no computer at all.
~95% of donated computers are "too old" for Windows 11 or macOS. Linux installs on them anyway, adding 10+ years of life to machines #Microsoft and #Apple called trash.
This isn't Linux vs Windows. It's Linux vs e-waste.
@codemonkeymike MintOS stay Mint OS but Ubuntu has many sub variants also minimal requirement builds.
Here's a good URL to see what fits
distrowatch.com/ -
@98Percent yes!!! This is awesome! Love to hear this Pete. Thanks! If you're curious about something like Linux mint but even more set and forget for normal people. Check out my project NixbookOS
@codemonkeymike Thanks Mike. I have already converted about 30 laptops to one flavour or another of Mint, so am pretty standardised on that, but yes, I will take a look at NixOS. That’s one of the several things I love about FOSS. You can try different things without cost and without commitment!
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@98Percent @codemonkeymike where are you based? (how) can we send donations?
@mdione @codemonkeymike Thanks for your offer Marcos! I’m in New Zealand, so a long way from you I think.
I’m just a private individual, runninga local group for Linux learners, so not really set up fly donation-receiving.
Maybe I should think about that! -
@codemonkeymike Exactly this! I have 6 old laptops converted to Linux Mint right now sitting here waiting to go to a local organisation that helps young single mums with no resources of their own.
Not only is Linux helping prevent e-waste, it's providing secure, powerful and free access to the digital world to people who otherwise would not have any (except maybe a crappy phone).@codemonkeymike To be clear, I shouldn’t have called them “young single mums”. They are young women bringing up children with no paternal support, but I don’t know their actual personal relationship circumstances.
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@98Percent @codemonkeymike Same! Half a dozen old MacBook Pros updated with Ubuntu, new SSDs, new batteries ready to get out the door for people who need them.
@oisin @codemonkeymike That’s great. So good to see perfectly useable tech being kept alive and out of the scrap pile.
There is so much absolute waste! -
@josephsimons @codemonkeymike They are both Linux Distro's one with other specs than the other about minimal RAM and CPU requirements as Disc capacity. So I do not get your point here, is the one more requiring than the other > can you add RAM? > why you run both?
@zer0unplanned @codemonkeymike Oh, just that I had been running #Ubuntu on them, but it seemed like the OS was getting finicky, started up slowly (even after a fresh install). When I put #Mint on, these problems disappeared. I know Mint uses an older Ubuntu base, but somehow the Mint developers have made it run faster and more smoothly than Ubuntu. (I have run Ubuntu also on other old machines since 2006. And I have run dual boot machines, but it isn't worth the hassle.)
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For many people, the #Linux vs #Windows vs #Mac debate is a privilege — it assumes you can choose. But working with the Computer Upcycle Project, I've seen the real choice is often Linux vs no computer at all.
~95% of donated computers are "too old" for Windows 11 or macOS. Linux installs on them anyway, adding 10+ years of life to machines #Microsoft and #Apple called trash.
This isn't Linux vs Windows. It's Linux vs e-waste.
@codemonkeymike@fosstodon.org Linux with Windows serving as a Microkernel (WSL2) > Mac running BSD.
I like Linux but it sometimes trashes itself on updates - requiring backups of all my work to prevent dataloss. Running it on Windows means I can cross-mount and it trivializes the process of running Linux, which runs kernel-less. -
@codemonkeymike Exactly this! I have 6 old laptops converted to Linux Mint right now sitting here waiting to go to a local organisation that helps young single mums with no resources of their own.
Not only is Linux helping prevent e-waste, it's providing secure, powerful and free access to the digital world to people who otherwise would not have any (except maybe a crappy phone).@98Percent @codemonkeymike well done Pete
#linux #retrocomputing -
@codemonkeymike ... unless it has a shitty wifi chip... or an unsupported sound chip... then good luck :p. It's a paperweight at that point, unless you run an ancient OS.
@Elizafox @codemonkeymike I've been installing Linux on laptops since about 1998. I do this a LOT. I've installed it on about 15 laptops in the past year, of varying age, manufacturer and price bracket. There's only things I've had trouble with are fingerprint readers, and an old Acer netbook which might have had a hardware problem. Yes, in the old days, this was a problem, but these days Linux supports old hardware far better than windows. It really isn't much of a problem any more.
Another point rarely discussed is that installing windows is SO MUCH HARDER and takes FAR longer. I can get Linux mint installed on a laptop with an old spinning rust disk in about half an hour, and from first login you have a fully functional office suite, web browser, media player, and loads of applications installable with just a few clicks. With windows, it takes hours to get to this point even when automated with ms intune.
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@lpryszcz In my opinion a battery upgrade for a Pentium III isn't not worth it (if it's not for sentimental reasons): the performance/power consumption ration, important for mobile use, of cheap Core i5 machines is a lot better (not to mention the need to use 64bit binaries).
@JigmeDatse @codemonkeymike@tg9541@mas.to @codemonkeymike@fosstodon.org @lpryszcz@genomic.social Very good point. Yes, probably couldn't put most distributions on the Pentium III. The cost of replacing the battery may be more than a low cost laptop, especially if you're willing to look at the used market. Where you may be able to get a good processor, in a solid machine. Mostly the laptop isn't in use, as I've not had a reason to need a portable machine.
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@codemonkeymike@fosstodon.org Linux with Windows serving as a Microkernel (WSL2) > Mac running BSD.
I like Linux but it sometimes trashes itself on updates - requiring backups of all my work to prevent dataloss. Running it on Windows means I can cross-mount and it trivializes the process of running Linux, which runs kernel-less.@nom weird. Windows and Mac tend to trash themselves on updates for me. Linux has easily been the most stable tech in my life. What distro were you running?
Either way. Use what works for you.
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@codemonkeymike I agree with the sentiment, but have to say I find it somewhat dismaying that the open source OS landscape is a de facto monoculture. FreeBSD and OpenBSD exist, for example, and may work in places where Linux feels awkward (or vice versa).
One can't help but feel that the dominance of Linux has closed off interesting avenues of development. That's not Linux's fault, exactly, but it is a kind of unfortunate outcome.
@cross but Linux is so diverse. It's hard for me to know what else one might want from an ecosystem.
I've still never played with bsd though
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For many people, the #Linux vs #Windows vs #Mac debate is a privilege — it assumes you can choose. But working with the Computer Upcycle Project, I've seen the real choice is often Linux vs no computer at all.
~95% of donated computers are "too old" for Windows 11 or macOS. Linux installs on them anyway, adding 10+ years of life to machines #Microsoft and #Apple called trash.
This isn't Linux vs Windows. It's Linux vs e-waste.
@codemonkeymike one of the guys at our local meetups gets donated computers and put linux on them. Then gives them away to people without computers.
Hes a good egg. -
@codemonkeymike one of the guys at our local meetups gets donated computers and put linux on them. Then gives them away to people without computers.
Hes a good egg.@michael that's a great egg. My kinda guy
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@nom weird. Windows and Mac tend to trash themselves on updates for me. Linux has easily been the most stable tech in my life. What distro were you running?
Either way. Use what works for you.
@codemonkeymike@fosstodon.org I run Ubuntu stable releases. I do run on homebuilt systems but the sturdiest seems to be WSL2 on Win11.
Also nice is that Windows recognizes the driver support for server drive hardware on newer motherboards... so I can run super cheap large drives.
I plugged one of those in years ago, wondered why the hell it worked then looked up the specs of the SOC on the motherboard and found it had the minimum amount of hardware support necessary on SATA for server drives. Am really happy w/ that system.
Meanwhile, my 2013 Mac is kinda my client OS for accessing other things. It's good but I wish Avie Tevanian and the NeXT guys would come back and finish MacOS properly. -
@tg9541@mas.to @codemonkeymike@fosstodon.org @lpryszcz@genomic.social Very good point. Yes, probably couldn't put most distributions on the Pentium III. The cost of replacing the battery may be more than a low cost laptop, especially if you're willing to look at the used market. Where you may be able to get a good processor, in a solid machine. Mostly the laptop isn't in use, as I've not had a reason to need a portable machine.
@JigmeDatse I own an Atom N280 "netbook" which runs the last viable Debian distribution, soon likely without an up-to-date web browser. Battery life is still good after 15 years, but unlike in its prime it's only fast enough for console applications these days. I still keep it around because it served me well in the years where I used to be a "traveling engineer". Back then mobile Internet was expensive and I ran a "DNS tunnel"; good enough for a shell.
#nostalgia
