Technology

Using Linux Mint, Part 4: End of line (for now)

Tonight I pulled the plug on my Linux Mint installation, fixed the boot launcher to boot straight into Windows (farewell, grub!) and reclaimed the space on my main drive that had been reserved for Linux, allowing Windows to once again hog all of it.

I may try Linux Mint (or another distro) in the future because I’m still interested in messing around with it, but if I do, I will put it onto its own drive. I’ll still need to dual boot, but won’t have two OSes sharing space on the same physical drive, which puts constraints on both.

The main reasons for nuking Linux Mint for now is related to something I saw (that I cannot find now) stating that Linux is 98% there for most people–which seems excellent! But that last 2% may include a vital piece of software that isn’t available, and becomes a dealbreaker. Linux Mint is free, which is great, but once you eliminate the price and just look at what it offers vs. Windows 11, it comes very close in most regards, but ultimately falls a bit short–for the average computer user. And for me.

I could use Firefox, Discord, Signal and Obsidian. This was nice. But I could only use the online version of Word. OneDrive likewise is reduced to the web version without using third party solutions that aren’t officially supported (and may come with subscriptions). The photo-editing software is not what I want, and just getting photos into the OS is more of a hassle. The game support is actually decent, but imperfect. Again, that 2% is the killer.

In the end, Linux Mint was fun to play around with, to experiment in, but just didn’t have quite what I needed to be a primary OS. In terms of how I’d rate them in overall functionality for my own use:

  1. Windows 11 10/10 – does everything, though not equally well
  2. macOS 8/10 – comes close, but falls down on gaming and third party peripheral support remains spotty for me.
  3. Linux Mint 7/10 – falls down on photo-editing, some specific apps it lacks, cloud storage and gaming (to a smaller extent)

Quote of the Day for June 26, 2023: Boring (and the need to be bored)

As seen on Mastodon:

I’m feeling more and more that smartphones are an enemy of creative thinking. If creativity requires boredom, a device that ensures you’re never bored is an effective barrier.

The internet is wonderful, but never being left to your own thoughts breeds conformity.

Ben Werdmuller

Werd, Ben1I swear I didn’t do this entire post just for this horrible bit of wordplay. But I maybe did just a little..

I’m not sure if I’d say the lack of boredom leads to conformity, per se, but I think it does dull the mind, and easy access to the internet 24/7 can train you to perpetually stimulate your brain, even if it’s with vacuous nonsense, which is found on the internet (and for most people via their smartphone) in quantities that are effectively endless. The smartphone makes it all the more insidious because of its ubiquity. Everyone has one, and it’s always right there on your person, in your pocket, or in your hand and…hey, put the phone down and look at me! Have you ever noticed how often people will take the slightest gap in a conversation as an opportunity to pull out their phone and start interacting with it? Think of those halcyon days of yore, where a few moments of thoughtful silence were just that.

Writer/artist Austin Kleon has written about the need for boredom as well: Boredom is a pit stop.

Being bored sometimes is good. Having a few minutes to just lose yourself in your own quiet thoughts is good. The next time you feel restless and pick up your phone, set it back down and give yourself a few minutes to just marinate in your own thoughts. You might come out of it pleasantly energized. And if you can’t set the phone down, maybe consider one of these.

DuckDuckGo-Go ~or~ Hey, let’s try yet another browser

UPDATE: I have discovered that DDG has imported a bunch of wrong/old passwords from Firefox, forcing me to copy/paste or—gad—actually remember my passwords. This is a dealbreaker. Off with you, Ducky!

I have been using Firefox for about 500 years, or since it basically launched back in 2004 (while this is 18 years ago, I actually would have guessed Firefox was older still). I have only deviated a few times from it since then:

  • I tried Google Chrome but for reasons I can’t specifically recall now, did not care for it. And this was before I was fully cognizant on how Google is a data-sucking machine.
  • Microsoft Edge. Mainly the Chromium version and it’s not bad, but while it offered some neat tricks (before Microsoft started to lard in more questionable features) it didn’t offer anything compelling enough to get me to switch over full-time.
  • Vivaldi. This is the “tweak to your heart’s content” browser that should be perfect for a tech nerd. And yet, I find its UI utilitarian and off-putting. It looks like something designed in the 90s. I keep it around as a Chromium alternative.
  • Arc. This is currently in beta and Mac-only (a Windows version is due later in 2023) and it really does some new things, mostly by rethinking how tabs should work in a way that I have to admit, I really don’t like. I’m not one of those 100-tab guys, so I’ve never felt having a dozen or so tabs open is a big issue. It feels like Arc is trying to solve a problem I don’t have and feels weirdly confining as a result.
  • Safari. I’ve never really used Safari very much. Every time I do, its UI just grates on me. It has to be different, but not better. Poo on you, Apple.

Today, after reading about DuckDuckGo launching a Windows version of its privacy-focused browser, I decided to give it a shot—on the Mac. It lacks extension support, so this is a good test of how much I rely on extensions for my browsing experience.

In the first few minutes it seems clean and unobtrusive. I’ll report back later if it drives me crazy. I now have six (!) browsers installed on my Mac:

  • Firefox
  • Safari
  • Edge
  • Vivaldi
  • Arc
  • DuckDuckGo

Windows 11 reset, several days later: Kind of a bust

In some ways, the reset of Windows was a success. It got rid of a lot of junk I’d collected over the years on my current PC, and now I’m just installing stuff as I need or use it, resulting in a leaner, tidier system. This pleases the OCD side of me.

But in other ways, it has not really helped, which makes me believe my issues are either hardware-related, a result of some weird software interaction, or a manifestation of minor and probably bored demons.

  • The wallpaper issue, which I was relatively sure the reset would resolve, continues unabated. Sometimes the wallpaper changes to one I used last winter (always the same one, which seems like it should be a clue) and the past two mornings it’s just changed to a solid colour (also the same colour).
  • Diablo 2 crashed upon exit. So much for stability! At least it didn’t take down the entire system.

I suppose I should be happy this is all I’ve encountered so far in terms of bugs or glitches. But I am in a position now that would have been unthinkable in the olden days: If I could do everything in Linux–yes, Linux!–I would ditch Windows. But alas, I cannot.

I’d also switch full-time to a Mac, which comes tantalizingly close to doing everything, but still sucks for gaming. It’s getting a little better, though. Good enough for me? Probably not. Plus, Apple locks things down way more than I like.

Anyhoo, I have installed more stuff:

  • PowerToys (I started to miss some of its features)
  • Vivaldi (which will be my Chromium-based alternate browser for now)
  • Stella (an Atari 2600 emulator I’d been mucking around with just prior to the re-install)
  • Diablo 3 (I know, I know)
  • Diablo 2 (technically it was still installed, the battle.net launcher just couldn’t “see” it)
  • EarTrumpet, which allows me to better manage multiple audio sources

Also at the suggestion of a gaming pal, I bumped up my mouse DPI from 1600 to 3200. It definitely takes less movement to do stuff, which is good. I am still overshooting a bit, but will hopefully adjust. I’m still trying new things, look at me! Maybe I’ll get into metal next.

Haha, no.

Radioactive mutants following the Windows 11 reset

A few glitches and things following last night’s reset of Windows 11:

  • Despite uninstalling all the non-included software, my Start menu settings were preserved, which means it’s littered with uninstalled apps. This is suboptimal, but not a dealbreaker or anything. I can manually prune the Start menu by going here: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs, and I’ve kept some of the stubs as reminders of stuff I may want or need to install later.
  • The wallpaper–which had been randomly changing on its own despite me turning off or tweaking every conceivable option to make sure it wouldn’t do that–had randomly changed when I logged back in this morning. I went through to see if one of the possible triggers had gotten reset in the reset. It’s resets all the way down.
  • I’ve re-installed Signal–because I was using it!
  • I re-installed ShareX because it is totally skookum for screenshots, of which I take a lot
  • I remembered to bump the refresh rate of the monitors, since they support 144 Hz
  • I still haven’t opened Edge
  • I disabled those weird streaming Steam audio settings I’ll never use but always show up as options cluttering yup audio settings
  • The audio on the monitors, which have speakers that can be described generously as “tinny” seem louder than before. Maybe that’s just me.

I can’t say I regret the reset yet. But it’s still early!

Next on the list:

  • Install Unity

More will follow along after Unity, but that will get me going.

UPDATE: The following additional software has been installed, as noted below.

  • Unity Hub and Unity editor
  • iCloud for Windows. It’s crappy, but it lets me get photos from the iPhone into Windows.
  • Steam client. Once Steam found all existing games, I uninstalled a bunch of them.
  • Epic Games Launcher. I tried the same thing here, but it doesn’t work as seamlessly, so I just nuked a bunch of game folders. At least I know there’s no lingering registry entries! I installed Torchlight 2 as a test case.
  • Canon EOS3 Utility software. To allow photos to be transferred from my camera to the PC.

I dropped a tactical nuke on Windows 11

Tonight I was playing Diablo 3 (I know, I know) and it started getting very laggy. Then it froze. Then I realized my entire PC had seized up, something that hasn’t happened in a long time. I thought about it, then decided to go ahead and nuke my Windows 11 install, using the handy Reset PC function:

I chose the less destructive first option, Keep my files.

The process went smoothly and a little faster than I expected. When it was done, I was prompted to log in and was greeted by all the yucky Windows 11 defaults and none of my previously installed apps. Windows 11 comes with a fairly large number of apps on its own, however.

I am now following my usual rule (that I always end up breaking) of only installing apps as I need them. We’ll see how it goes.

The list of re-installed software so far:

  • Firefox (I got this through the Microsoft Store, so I didn’t even need to open Edge to get it and switch over)
  • Discord (I tried getting this through the store, but it threw out an error, so I got it from the Discord site)
  • Obsidian (from the website, it’s not on the MS Store)
  • MS Office (from the included stub app)
  • Diarium (from the store)
  • TickTick (from the website)

As of this post, that’s it! This covers the essentials I use on a daily or near-daily basis. After this, I’ll only install an app when I am about to use it and gasp in horror because it is not there. Totally.

There are plenty of apps I’ll continue to install, but only as I use them. I mean it this time. Totally.

In terms of drivers, the only ones I’m really concerned with are for the mouse and video card. I decided to install the GeForce Experience to make the Nvidia drivers easier to install, but logging into it has turned into a gong show because it doesn’t seem to remember me. Or I don’t remember it. Fun! Actually, having investigated some more, I managed to get into my Nvidia account, get logged into the GeForce Experience app…only to have it tell me I already have the latest drivers installed. OK!

Anyway, I think this is enough PC fun for one night.

If Windows 11 continues to misbehave after this, I will do one of the following:

  • Go with the full nuke option
  • Curl up and cry
  • Both
  • Donuts!

All that I can’t leave behind

With apologies to U2.

We went on a two-day trip to Kamloops for a wedding, so I packed way more stuff than I would ever need for two days. This is my way. But just going by the tech stuff, let’s see how sensible I was.

Things I packed and actually used

  • iPhone 12. I mean, I carry this with me all the time, so it doesn’t really count. But I’m putting it here anyway.
  • Apple 12 watt USB charger and lightning cable (to charge the phone)
  • Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop (2018 vintage). Used for journaling and my to-do app.
  • Canon EOS M50 camera. I took about a hundred or so shots with it.

Things I packed and did not use:

  • Kobo Libra e-reader. I did not e-read.
  • iPad Pro with pencil. I did not draw, noodle around with, or at any time take the iPad out of my backpack.
  • My drawing glove. See above.
  • The charger for the ThinkPad. Not needed!
  • USB-C charger for iPad. Not needed, obviously.
  • A USB-C to USB-A cable I packed for some reason. This wouldn’t have actually connected to anything I had with me. Whoops!
  • Sony wireless headphones. Never listened to any music.
  • Probably a few other miscellaneous cables.

Lesson: Pack sensibly for a two-day trip, not like you’re going away for two months.

I am confident I will never learn this lesson.

Using Linux Mint, Part 3: A few software wrinkles

After some more time using Linux Mint, which I’ve done more often the past few days as Windows 11 is perpetually applying updates that require a reboot (thus making it easy to select Mint from the boot menu), I’ve encountered a few things that have made the experience a little less smooth vs. the Mac or Windows:

  • Music: My music library is a local folder on the PC and while I might be able to find a way to access the files remotely, right now the music player in Mint wants to just redownload everything, which is not an idea solution (though it works fine if you let it do its thing)
  • OneDrive: There is a paid solution (InSync) and while I can access my OneDrive folder on the PC through the Mint file manager, it obviously does not actually sync changes or anything. For that, I need to use the web version, barring setting up an open source/free alternative.
  • Microsoft Office: While I generally only use MS Word when I have to, Office is not available on Linux, requiring me to use workarounds like saving in .docx format in LibreOffice, or using the web versions, where it’s surprisingly easy to come across something the web version doesn’t do.
  • Journaling: My go-to journaling app, the unfortunately named Diarium, is available on every platform–except Linux. And there’s no web version.
  • TickTick: My to-do app of choice also has no Linux version, though the web version works decently, at least.
  • Pixelmator Pro: This is my primary photo editing app and is Mac-only.

On the plus side, it still feels snappier and more solid than my current Windows 11 install. I’ve actually toyed with the idea of completely nuking all 3 terabytes of storage I have on the PC and just starting over. I don’t know if that would actually fix or improve anything, but it appeals to my urge to cull cull cull.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to juggle between all the OSes like a big dum dum.

Using Linux Mint, Part 2 of an undetermined number of parts

You can see my initial post on using Linux Mint here: I’m posting from Linux, woo (woo?)

For the past month, I have been generally ignoring the Linux Mint installation, because my desire to explore strange new OSes apparently ended shortly after I had completed the initial set up.

However, Windows has been driving me mildly batty lately for a few reasons, some more important than others:

  • Less important: The desktop wallpaper keeps changing on its own. I’ve spent more than a fair share of time troubleshooting this, to no avail. It’s simple to correct, but it’s maddening that it happens. Probably related, Windows will also move my desktop icons from one monitor to another, then back, seemingly at random (not on the fly, but after a reboot or when it is awakened from the screensaver). Multiple monitor mayhem? Maybe!
  • Somewhat important: General slowness all around the OS. The Start menu hesitates when I click on it, or icons take a few extra moments to load. Nothing feels “tight” or snappy. I almost feel like Windows 11 has regressed to that “time to reinstall the entire OS” version of Windows we used to go through in order to regain lost performance. And that was way back in the Windows 98/XP era. Yeesh.
  • More important: File Explorer is crazy slow, even at simple things. I have always found File Explorer slow (this is one of the few ways I find the Mac’s Finder to be superior) and it often wants to (slowly) refresh a folder that hasn’t had any changes made to it. Bleah!

Anyway, enough kvetching about Windows 11. I have updated Mint and installed a few apps:

  • Firefox (actually, it’s pre-installed, but I have updated it)
  • Obsidian (initially as an AppImage file, then as an actual installed app)
  • Discord

Those three apps alone give me most of what I need. I have also spent some time tweaking the settings, look and feel of the desktop, and have run into a few kinks with permissions to the non-Linux folders on my PC. But still no need to use a command line yet!

As a bonus, Linux also hasn’t changed my desktop wallpaper arbitrarily. What a treat. For maximum lolz, I am using the AI-interpreted version of the original Bliss/XP wallpaper that you can find on Microsoft’s site here.

My desktop (click for full size):

At this point, I’ll probably keep using it until I need another OS for something specific (Windows for gaming, Mac for photo/image-editing). Maybe I’ll find yet another OS to install. Maybe I’ll just start doing everything on a used Commodore 64 and pretend it’s 1985.

Right now, Mint does feel faster than Windows, but it’s also only a month old and has minimal software installed. We’ll see how it goes. Stay tuned for Part 3, in which maybe I have to use the command line or something horrible like that.

A cogent reflection on social media and puzzles, not from me

In an Ars Technica story on Reddit iPhone app Apollo shutting down due to exorbitant new API pricing, a user opines thus:

I have quit Facebook and Twitter and now spend more time doing jigsaw puzzles and taking walks. My mental health improved drastically.

Ripaille

I just really love the idea of replacing Twitter (or any social media, but especially Twitter) with jigsaw puzzles.

You know what’s fun? Click to find out!

Yes, a literal clickbait title. And yes, the fun part is sarcastic.

The network went down here this morning, which I found out in the usual way–something not loading in a browser. A restart of the router/hub/magic box fixed most things quickly, and this time it went about a month between drops, which is better than the usual two-week average. Still, it’s always “fun” to see what doesn’t quite work right and requires some Tech Troubleshooting 101 to resolve.1Turn it off and on, of course One day I’ll be able to stomach trying to contact Telus support to look into this again, but today is not that day.

As a bonus, Bitwarden2Yes, I’ve really gotten into the Dvorak thing of bolding key words for no particular reason is not loading on Windows. Wait, I rebooted. Let me try again right now!

It works! Rebooting fixes everything. EVERYTHING. I’m a professional, you can trust me.