Sorry for being so late Neo, I got your letter last week, got busy and the Wifely Unit piled a bunch of newer mail on top of your letter.
I finally got back to it this morning, work kicked my ass last week.
I was so beat that I came home Thursday and Friday, walked in the door , fell down in my chair and went to sleep for three hours.
I’m still tired. But anyway, Thank you !
I would also like to thank everyone who stepped up and donated to the hosting fund drive.
The response was over the top!
You all exceeded my goal not twice over, not 3 times over but you quadrupled what I was asking for when it was all said and done.
I am humbled to my core at your support and generosity.
So I just got through renewing the hosting for this site for the next 3 years with some left over!
That included paying for Domain Name fees and everything else.
That is a huge relief and a giant load off my mind.
As for the remainder, if no one has any problem with it, I would like to upgrade to a newer laptop as this one is five years old and I have worn the letters off of several of the keys at this point.
Since I have to use the old Hunt and Peck method of typing, I wind up spending a whole bunch of time fixing typo’s because I can’t see the letters I am looking for when I am typing.
The issue I am going to have with getting a new laptop is that they are all going to have Windoze 11 pre loaded on them and I hate that with a passion. I may have to break down and try to learn Linux.
The computers at work just got updated to Windows 11 and it is a disaster as far as I am concerned.
I am in no hurry at this point, I have been fixing my typo’s on this thing for over a year now because I was dreading the upgrade.
So The Good Lord Willing and the Creek don’t rise, we should be good to go for quite a while.
I haven’t forgotten CederQ and his efforts to keep this place varied, entertaining and constantly updated either. I might have to do something nice for him despite his protestations.
Once again, I thank you all and look forward to being around for quite a while now.
Linux Mint (linuxmint.com) is trying to be friendly to users coming over from Windows, and it’s a major/popular distribution. Consider it like a visit to a foreign country. All the details are different, but the new details aren’t necessarily worse, just different.
navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2016/11/22/destroyer-zumwalt-breaks-down-and-gets-tow-in-panama-canal/
Rumor has it the Zumwalt Navy shop broke due to a Windows failure. People better switch over to Linux real soon, or we’re going to see astronauts dying on Mars due to Windows failures.
i liked winblows xp. Dealt with the BSOD on win 10, tried to fix repeatedly – no dice. Even tried a free migration to stinking win 11, ssdd. Winblows sucks donkey & f gates. Winblows would run fer a very few minutes before bsod, luckily i got 95% of files saved externally before windeath. Have been running linux mint cinnamon fer prolly 2 yrs+, been very happy with it. Use free rufus program on a flash drive usb stick to partition usb & put linux image on. Change boot order in bios/uefi to boot on stick as primary. In bios/uefi 1 must disable Intel RST, if running an Intel cpu. Linux mint cinnamon rocks! If this late boomer can do it – most can. YMMV
I think XP was the best realization of Windows. Microsoft produces new versions to keep up the churn.
It may interest y’all to know that I have archived all versions of WinDoze from 3.0 to 11.0. Just in case.
I MUCH prefer Linux, RedHat is my version of choice and Ubuntu is second. We used CentOS (derived from RedHat) in our F5 machines beause it was SOLID and fast.
Of course, you realize I started with AT&T System 2 back in 1966…
Well, you got me beat. I started out on an IBM 360 in school, but that was 1981. IBM 4341 at my first job in 1982. Lots of DEC systems for a while, but I didn’t work in Unix until 1995.
I laugh at people who talk about installing RH from floppies. You haven’t lived until you’ve done an RSX Sysgen from mag tape.
My first real program was written on punch cards.
“I may have to break down and try to learn Linux.”
Try Linux UBUNTU. I ditched Microshaft years ago for Ubuntu, and have no regrets. Easy to learn, and you can actually run most of it right out of the box. Open Office included, spreadsheet, word processor, browser, email included. It does take a little time to aquaint yourself with it. It DOESN’T come with an antivirus software package ’cause it doesn’t really need one, although ClamAv is an add on. All free of cost.
My 2 cents.
Same here except Linux Mint.
And I liked Windows 7 best of all.
Get a keyboard with a USB cable, plug it into the laptop and use that. I get about 2 years out of a $20 keyboard before the letters wear off or the keys start binding and if you spill something in the keyboard, worst case, it’s a temporary $20 setback. I have found that I can gently wash a keyboard with plain cool water and set it outdoors in the sun for a couple days to dry out and it’s good as new.
I already suggested that to Phil through CederQ, that AMAZON has illuminated ones with large legends on the keytops. And they’re dirt cheap too.
I don’t want anything, I told you that.
So he’ll have to force you to accept the honors.
I will second trying Linux Mint which is what I have used for the last 7 or 8 years. If you decide to try it, I recommend the Mate desktop version which is similar to the classic Windows desktop and is what I use.
Do what you need to keep the show on the road.
Not begrudging you a new laptop because you certainly deserve that for all that you sacrifice and do here, and for what you bring us. I would most willingly contribute to that new laptop endeavor. You deserve the best. But in the meantime, have you considered taping or painting some letters on the worn out keys to make your hunt and peck life easier? Nail polish comes in handy sometimes. Yes, I’ve done that.
Thank you for bringing this like minded community together and letting me be a part of it.
I follow sandy – how about replacing the keyboard on your laptop? it’s usually easy to do (especially for you!). Alternatively, how aout a secoind hand Dell – I use old 6400s running Windows 7 and they seem durable. I’ve never got used to Linux as something always seems to fail when I try (also I’m used to W7 now – and the lack of updates makes it better)
Yup, that’s what I did when the motherboard on my desktop died. And the thing has been in my possession for over 7 years and is still going strong.
Even if you have been hunting and pecking for decades, if you spend 90 days using a touch typing program (like Mavis Beacon, free ones available) for fifteen minutes a day, you will learn to touch type and never forget it. Once you add this skill you will be very glad you did it as it will save you a ton of time you can spend doing other things.
If you decide to get a new laptop install Linux on your old laptop while learning it.
Once you are satisfied with your abilities install Linux on the new one.
Or, get a new laptop with Linux already installed. Available from Dell, System76, maybe others. Keep using the old laptop while you learn Linux on the new one, and can get your files migrated over.
Though I currently use Ubuntu, and have used Mint in the past, I can’t say I recommend either of them, due to the inclusion of Zeitgeist:
https://community.linuxmint.com/software/view/zeitgeist
It’s possible to uninstall it, and on my system, only one other thing used it, so I got rid of that too. Whether the same is true for newer versions of Mint / Ubuntu, I don’t know. Ubuntu is known for tossing lots of crufty things into their build of Linux, and Mint is based on Ubuntu.
Unfortunately, I haven’t yet dug deep enough into the other variants to know what I’d recommend. It’s true that Mint and Ubuntu are pretty friendly for users migrating away from Windoze.
You can install Linux onto a thumb drive and if you alter the boot sequence to make the thumb drive 1st choice, you can “try before you buy” without doing anything to the pre installed OS and when happy, install Linux onto the hard drive.
Keep the thumb drive in a safe place and if you have a systems failure, boot the computer up from the thumb drive and use it to rescue any files on the hard drive. I’ve saved several peoples bacon that way.
System 76 has their version of Ubuntu called Pop_OS that anyone can download, don’t have to buy their computer. I have one of their laptops (Pangolin) and like it. Removes some of the unneeded overhead and boots much faster than core Ubuntu. Runs all the same stuff. Comes with Libre Office which is very similar to Microsoft Office. Fairly easy transition from Windows. https://pop.system76.com/
I gave up on microsoft crap more than 10 years ago, and migrated to an iMac. Never looked back. I do run MS Outlook for Mac for email, because old dogs have difficulty learning new tricks.
Once you learn it, it is so much better and easier than windoze (I will now use that misspelling forever). Yeah, apple products are a little pricey compared to other hardware, but IMHO it is worth it.
I have the Raspberry PI 400 that is a breeze to use, it controls various stuff around the house and I use it for my CNC router as well!
It was dirt cheap, too – $125.
Makes a GREAT travel computer too.
Absolutely get the new computer, Br. Phill! It’s a work related expense, and you work your tail off keeping us entertained and informed.
My 11 year old HP gave up her keyboard to a shot of bourbon a few years back and only survives thanks to a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard & mouse compo. But with Win11 on the horizon, I finally joined the dark side and bought a Mac. Not a proud moment in the annals of my family. Maybe I can make penance by pouring out a good Single Malt on my father’s and grandfather’s headstones at Arlington.