What I Spend

[delay]

Want the latest and frequent updates? Try Arch Linux. Many of my developer and sysadmin friends use it, for good reason.

Yeah I imagine, Arch Linux is fun and good quality. It's great if you're comfortable on the command line. Debian is very stable, but also kind of raw, you can easily run into "we don't support this Wi-Fi card out of the box because there is no open source driver". Then you have a laptop without internet, and need a second computer to download a Debian package (or another OS.)

These recommendations seem on point: https://itsfoss.com/best-linux-distributions/ They recommend Ubuntu or Mint for new users. In my experience these play well with most desktops and laptops, and there's good software through their package manager. You'll still end up with DRM issues like Netflix playing on lower resolution. It's possible to play games but there will also be issues, you can easily spend an evening with trial and error.

If you don't enjoy solving computer issues, Windows with a fresh start every year is hard to beat.

[loutfard]

Debian is very stable, but also kind of raw, you can easily run into "we don't support this Wi-Fi card out of the box because there is no open source driver". Then you have a laptop without internet, and need a second computer to download a Debian package (or another OS.)

That is largely a thing of the past, since the Debian project has changed its stance on that. Debian since v12 is more welcoming to newcomers less aware of the issues non-free firmware pose. See https://wiki.debian.org/Firmware .

These recommendations seem on point: https://itsfoss.com/best-linux-distributions/

Those are good recommendations.

If you don't enjoy solving computer issues, Windows with a fresh start every year is hard to beat.

That's a reasonable argument to make when coming from a background with relevant experience maintaining an MS Windows setup, or outsourcing it. Outsourcing maintenance definitely is easier on Windows. Otherwise, I am not so sure:
- Maintaining MS Windows comes with its own learning curve. An annual fresh install is also maintenance, a crude form of it. In human speak: you will have issues either way.
- MS Windows and forces hardware obsolescence.
- The attack vector for security issues is larger. If not for design flaws, then market share will make it a more desirable prey.
- The MS Windows ecosystem is opulently rich in non-free software, but less so in free and open source software.

A free software system might sometimes seem to work against you, but that's never by design. I think it's fair to say it will always allow you to check under the hood and repair yourself, but that's very rarely necessary anymore.

Rereading my own comment, I feel a little bit of my proselytising energy of yesteryear popping up. I think that has something to do with feeling and experiencing how the ERE renaissance ideals and the remarkable successes of the free software world enable one another, especially in my case:
- I spend far less money and get so much more digital functionality thanks to free software. My e-reader, personal cloud, laptop, phone, home automation, my tools run free software or are built on it.
- I made so many friends and built so much experience thanks to it.
- I made considerable sums of money thanks to free software. I made over 20% of my net worth maintaining free software.
- I love to make my own humble contributions to free software, enabling others to gain from that.

[delay]

- MS Windows and forces hardware obsolescence.

As far as I can see they stopped doing that. New versions of Windows run better on old hardware than they used to.

What's gotten worse is intrusive advertisements. What used to be "Start" is filled with ads and headlines. OneDrive cloud storage is the default save location, really, no you can't change that. They also periodically push the Edge browser.

- I spend far less money and get so much more digital functionality thanks to free software. My e-reader, personal cloud, laptop, phone, home automation, my tools run free software or are built on it.
- I made so many friends and built so much experience thanks to it.
- I made considerable sums of money thanks to free software. I made over 20% of my net worth maintaining free software.
- I love to make my own humble contributions to free software, enabling others to gain from that.

That's great! Glad to hear it. If you have a friend who is a free software expert and willing to help that changes the picture. As a side note, people seem to be moving away from desktops, to laptops, a tablet, or even just a phone as their main device.

What open source e-reader do you use?

[loutfard]

What open source e-reader do you use?

I use a second hand Kobo. Some models run inkbox (FOSS). All can be synced offline from calibre, no Kobo accounts required. One (Clara HD) even runs mainline linux, but I haven't bothered with that. I keep the thing offline anyway.

[delay]

I use a second hand Kobo. Some models run inkbox (FOSS). All can be synced offline from calibre, no Kobo accounts required. One (Clara HD) even runs mainline linux, but I haven't bothered with that. I keep the thing offline anyway.

Thanks! I tried to get a Clara HD when I lost my old Kindle on a bus voyage. The FOSS compatible Kobo ereaders were out of stock and sold out on second hand marketplaces. So I got another Kindle. I also use Calibre, great program.

I see Kobo sells a refurbished Clara HD now.

[zbigi]

As far as I can see they stopped doing that. New versions of Windows run better on old hardware than they used to.

It's still going strong. Windows 10 will cease to be supported in less than two years, and a lot of older hardware cannot be upgraded to Win 11.

[Scott 2]

Windows
I ran the PC Health Check app and reconfirmed my processor is not supported by Windows 11. It's a 7th generation i5-7500 3.4ghz. There are unsupported install options. However - I've also seen rumors that when windows 12 drops in mid 2024, MS is widening support, due to poor adoption of Windows 11.

I hadn't seen the fresh start feature. If things start to drag on Windows 10, maybe I'll give it a try. I have very few complaints around Windows 10. It's been totally stable for me. No performance issues at all. My primary reason to look elsewhere is changes coming with Windows 11.

Funny enough - I ran head first frustrations caused by the subscription pricing model this morning. I accidentally tried to open a JSON file in Visual Studio. Apparently I installed the enterprise version while working, back in 2019. After several minutes to open, license denied. To uninstall it, first I had to update my Visual Studio installer. Who wants to live like that??? Why would I ever want a subscription based Office suite?


Linux
I'm eventually going to give Ubuntu or maybe Mint a try. Setting up in Hyper-V could be easy on my windows box. I appreciate all the discussion around distros. It highlights that while the OS is niche, there is strong community based support.


Leaving Amazon
I got the extract of my Amazon data. Incredible. It includes every single character typed, click made, even pause to read a web page. What we see via the UI is less than 1%. 125 megabytes of data, spread over 2500+ text files. Every address I've ever had a package sent to, even the deleted ones. What items I bought the last time I was at whole foods. The draw down rate of my kindle battery. Even every time I changed filter settings on the kindle. I wouldn't be surprised to find my freaking drivers license number in there. The data set is so complete, I deleted it from my own computer.

Intuitively, I understood they _could_ track me at this level of detail. And that my attention is the ultimate product. But seeing it is stunning. Especially compared to the protections around health data (HIPAA, HITECH, PCI, etc.) found in my own industry. And there's no reason any other big tech firm is different. Privacy truly is dead. On other side - maybe tech's stratospheric market valuations are not unfounded. The potential of that data is undeniable, especially unregulated! Thank you GDPR. One would have to completely leave society, to even attempt an opt out.

I appreciate mention of the Kobo ereader. I see it supports Libby. I'll have to share that with my wife. She runs dual Kindles and has been increasingly frustrated. Maybe that's a solution to her Amazon woes. Libby would have strong incentive to support a non-Amazon e-reader.

While I understand any vendor can track me at this level, I'm going to favor those who treat me well. And try to respect some basic practices like segregation of duties and avoiding single points of failure.

[Scott 2]

Some small frugal wins:

1. My library got a new app. I tried it and learned I can place holds on pre-ordered books! I previously had arrival notifications enabled on Libby, but would always get beaten by a handful of people. This is their secret!

2. The library has a PS5 waiting for me, along with a copy of Final Fantasy 16. I'm delaying my pickup, to see if Spiderman 2 and Harry Potter (Hogwarts Legacy) come in. But what a great deal. I get a week of PS5 for free. Then it's only a dollar a day. And I have a loophole in the "buy no new games" rule. Hah.

3. I made my first "shop with points" order via Paypal, starting the process of cashing in my latest round of credit card rewards. And the latest sign up bonus (worth about $650) posted.

4. The "free" gym bag from my insurance wellness program arrived. It holds all my stuff and goes on the inaugural voyage tomorrow.

5. My dentist sent a bill for $81. I called and said "what about my insurance!!!" Their response - "Don't pay that,it's a billing error..." Sure guys.

[zbigi]

2. The library has a PS5 waiting for me, along with a copy of Final Fantasy 16. I'm delaying my pickup, to see if Spiderman 2 and Harry Potter (Hogwarts Legacy) come in. But what a great deal. I get a week of PS5 for free. Then it's only a dollar a day. And I have a loophole in the "buy no new games" rule. Hah.

Not a judgment, as I play a lot of video games myself (although pretty much exclusively Magic Arena and Civ V - I can't get into anything else), but it's a testament to the values of society that libraries, which used to be devices for introducing population to knowledge and moral virtues via books, now are funded to deliver mind-numbing entertainment. All the while Chinese government is actively and quite seriously fighting video games' hold on young people (most recent batch of restrictions sent Tencent stock down 50%).

BTW, if you like to graze on different titles, incl. newest releases, then PC Game Pass/X-box Game Pass might be for you. For $10 a month, you get unlimited access to hundreds of titles, including recent releases.

[Scott 2]

it's a testament to the values of society that libraries, which used to be devices for introducing population to knowledge and moral virtues via books, now are funded to deliver mind-numbing entertainment.

What does a healthy public library model look like to you?

One of the reasons I leaned away from finding a part time library job, is the librarians are now social workers first. The library is a community center, catching people who might otherwise have nothing.

Others use it, but for the most part, I think that is e-lending.

[macg]

Not a judgment, as I play a lot of video games myself (although pretty much exclusively Magic Arena and Civ V - I can't get into anything else), but it's a testament to the values of society that libraries, which used to be devices for introducing population to knowledge and moral virtues via books, now are funded to deliver mind-numbing entertainment.

Yeah, I just don't buy this argument of "mind numbing" - the same type of thing has been used again and again, likely for centuries, to try and denigrate hobbies that people don't like. It could be said that anything is "mind-numbing" - from reading certain books, to board games, to hanging out at a bar, to taking walks, to sitting alone in a meadow.

What makes one thing more mind-numbing than the next? I know plenty of people who play video games that are smarter than people who read 40 books a year.

It's all a matter of perspective, and really, who are we to judge?

And I applaud anything and everything a library can loan out. Books, movies, video games, tools, whatever. Anything and everything.

[Slevin]

but it's a testament to the values of society that libraries, which used to be devices for introducing population to knowledge and moral virtues via books, now are funded to deliver mind-numbing entertainment.

This is a funny take on the values of libraries. Libraries (at least in the US), have historically stood as one of the very few free public meeting spaces in the US. Giving people access to books is definitely a primary function of every library I've ever been in, but for the past 75 years they have also been focusing on community programming and an expansion of more niche interests.

Moreover, public libraries remain some of the only truly free public spaces where local residents can meet outside of home and work. Public libraries, in cities and small towns alike, offer collaborative space (and now, wireless Internet and computer access) that are close and accessible to the community.

With renewed focus in the 1950s, US public libraries began extending their core services to include community programming. Typically, these include educational programs, like summer reading groups for children and discussion groups for adults, as well as spaces to host external clubs and groups from the community. The twenty-first century saw programming include computer and other STEM skills-building activities, hosting of concerts, art exhibitions, and gaming, the development of maker spaces, and extensions of their lending services to tool, seed, and even prom dress libraries.

(from exhibition on history of libraries).

Gaming, in all of its forms has been one of these things for a long time. Its a niche part of the library, but existing. I'd put it as less important than 3d printing, CNC machines, and makerspaces in general, which are also now a thing you can do at many of the public libraries in the US. Its an extreme tertiary function of the thing, like how some grocery stores in the US also let you rent carpet cleaners, but nobody would call it a "carpet cleaning shop". Overall the people in my public library are usually using it as a workspace to work on their homework / work projects, as well as consume books (and sometimes just a safe place to nap).

[zbigi]

What does a healthy public library model look like to you?

One of the reasons I leaned away from finding a part time library job, is the librarians are now social workers first. The library is a community center, catching people who might otherwise have nothing.

Others use it, but for the most part, I think that is e-lending.

Seems like libraries in the US are very different than those in Poland. Over here, libraries predominantly just lend books. So, for me, healthy public library just has a loot of good books However, looks like in the US, libraries have morphed into something much bigger than that (or were always like this?). I don't have an opinion on how they should look like, except they maybe should help people better themselves and not just provide entertainment (because entertainment is provided in abundance by the private sector already, so there's no need for public money to help there).

[zbigi]

Yeah, I just don't buy this argument of "mind numbing" - the same type of thing has been used again and again, likely for centuries, to try and denigrate hobbies that people don't like. It could be said that anything is "mind-numbing" - from reading certain books, to board games, to hanging out at a bar, to taking walks, to sitting alone in a meadow.

Unlike hobbies and past-time activities of yore, video games are designed to suck a player in and take dozens or hundreds of hours of their time and attention. Cases where people neglect their lives due to video games are widespread, while I haven't heard of anyone getting bad grades at school because they were doing too much cooking, knitting or sitting in a meadow.

Anyway, while I recognize certain dangers that go with video games, I'm not strictly against them. I'm just surprised they're funded with public money.

[Scott 2]

My local library has everything from passport services to yoga classes. Volunteers will help with your taxes. Books are less than 15% of what's happening in that building.

I think the video games are intended to draw in teens. They host tournaments too.

One of this month's events is a two hour maker studio social. To entice sign-ups, everyone gets a free alcoholic drink.

Is it over funded? Dunno. But people do get off tiktok and into the community. I found the events dominated by seniors and ESL immigrants. Given the impact of isolation, maybe it's a cost efficient social program.

[macg]

Unlike hobbies and past-time activities of yore, video games are designed to suck a player in and take dozens or hundreds of hours of their time and attention. Cases where people neglect their lives due to video games are widespread, while I haven't heard of anyone getting bad grades at school because they were doing too much cooking, knitting or sitting in a meadow.

Ehh, I personally just don't buy it. I've heard similar arguments (directed at me, in my life) against certain board games, reading comic books, watching TV. People tend to argue that things are bad and distracting for people without any regard of nuance or real understanding of the hobby.

I'm just surprised they're funded with public money.

This can be a topic here in the US. And what a library does/has varies greatly from town to town. It unfortunately can become a (local) political football as well. As stated, I'm in the camp of anything and everything, I'm pretty much a believer in the theory that everything can be educational and/or useful for the residents. And it's a good note that all libraries I have ever used, while being funded publicly, also do a lot of fundraising themselves.. but I have no idea what the percentages are between public funds -vs- fundraising.

[Veronica]

I don't think Amazon is necessary to my life. I know Meta is not. A Google or Apple may be.

Oh, how funny, as I'm the opposite. Amazon is absolutely essential in my current stack, both for consumption (amazon.com) and career (AWS).
I actually nuked meta and apple already, and am maybe a year or two out from being done with google.

We even have the whole family on amazon; I don't have TV, but parents do and they watch a ton of amazon prime video. And they are rural enough that it actually makes sense to get many things delivered this way.

[Scott 2]

Amazon is absolutely essential in my current stack,
...am maybe a year or two out from being done with google.

Location is a major factor in the value of Amazon. Within a ten mile radius, I have every conceivable shopping alternative. Their upside isn't that high, although avoiding AWS as a web user is impossible.

I'm starting to think in terms of personal threat model. Google controlling my phone, emails, contacts and calendar is obviously risky. Even if I trust them 100%, losing account access is tremendously disruptive.

I'm looking towards proton to diversify and secure those services. Though it introduces an alternate problem. If I lose my encrypted data credentials - nobody is saving me. I need to take ownership of data continuity.

[zbigi]

I'm looking towards proton to diversify and secure those services. Though it introduces an alternate problem. If I lose my encrypted data credentials - nobody is saving me. I need to take ownership of data continuity.

I'm on proton, for the same reasons. I just download all email locally in Thunderbird (there's a button for that), and then periodically backup Thunderbird profile to an USB drive.

[jacob]

Windows
I ran the PC Health Check app and reconfirmed my processor is not supported by Windows 11. It's a 7th generation i5-7500 3.4ghz. There are unsupported install options. However - I've also seen rumors that when windows 12 drops in mid 2024, MS is widening support, due to poor adoption of Windows 11.

Yes, there are ostensibly ways around the "health check" to install win11 on unsupported devices. It's not like the PC is unhealthy as much as it doesn't support a particular kind of hardware encryption that underlies win11. Manually adding a "proceed on your own risk" entry to keyreg makes it possible to bypass the health check. It's almost like the real healthcare system that way