Quoting: gbudny

Quoting: BlackBloodRumI think you're missing the point that for many of us users, Linux is a full replacement for Windows :smile:.

BSD/Solaris with Wine, Linux with Wine/Proton, and macOS with CrossOver won't replace Windows. You turn off the emulator, and you have to deal with the Unix-like operating system.
Users don't have a full replacement for Windows 9x/NT - It's hard to recommend ReactOS. I can say that FreeDOS could replace DOS, and ArcaOS is the great alternative for Windows 3.1.

That was my point. I don't want an NT-like experience. I do not wish to emulate the way Windows works, nor do I want my OS to become Windows.

When something breaks, I want a proper error message for example. Not just "Something went wrong. Contact your admin. 0x342342" - where googling "0x342342" results in a Microsoft help page that states "well it could be this, so try this, if not it could be this, so try this, or it could be that so try this. Or it could be none of these, so try re-installing your OS".

In most cases, their suggestions simply don't work and the ultimate "solution" is to re-install Windows, after running you around in circles.

I do not want that experience at all, nor do I miss it. I should never need to re-install my operating system since that's not fixing a problem, that's working around it. If you need to re-install to fix a problem, then there is something fundamentally wrong with the OS. Just give me the verbose error and where it failed, and let me fix it. Don't give me random suggestions and say "could be broken here, here or here, we just don't know". That's just plain annoying and not helpful.

I do not try to emulate Windows at all and all of my applications are FOSS or open source with the exception of games.

In all honesty, I never even think about Microsoft or Windows in the slightest, they're just not a part of my life. They haven't been for many years, and never will be again. I do things the Unix-like way and I very much prefer that.

So for me, Linux replaces Windows entirely.

Quoting: gbudnyI have low expecations about Linux. You can easily find hardware that doesn't support Linux or barely works. I don't blame Linux, but it can't replace Windows in this area. However, I can avoid buying problematic hardware if I use Linux, which can give me a better experience.

Similarly, Linux has many applications and games that we can use. We can accept them with all the issues or jealously look at Windows versions.

Considering I never actually look at Windows nor use it at all. I never look at Windows in a "jealous" way. I simply do my work with Linux applications and the unix-way without much further thought.

In 99% of cases, the applications I use work just fine, and I am able to do all my work and hobbies without issues.

As for hardware, it's been a very long time since I had any sort of compatibility issues, and I do buy some obscure hardware sometimes.

Quoting: gbudnyWe overestimate Linux with Wine/Proton as a replacement for Windows. Users are smart enough to notice that they have higher expectations than even the playable state of a game for Windows.

It's just terrible marketing for Linux, and people shouldn't promote it in this way.

But promoting it in a way which falsely makes it sound terrible is not going to help either.

Some users may want the Windows experience and want to stick to it, and that's fine. For those users, I simply suggest they stay on Windows. Since clearly that's what they want and prefer, anything else will never be fit for them. I may recommend they move up to Windows 11 for the best Windows experience and to ensure they keep up to date/secure if they are using an older version. Beyond that, they're not my problem.

However, for other people who do not want the Windows experience I will happily help them migrate to Linux if they ask.

TL;DR: Not everyone wants a NT-like experience and for many of us Windows is simply not necessary, and we have fully replaced it with Linux.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: gbudnyI think the issue is that many users treat Linux with Proton as a replacement for Windows. The current situation with games for Linux is different now than it was before 2010. On the other hand, I have treated this system since 2004 as something "terrible" that frequently amazes me when I can run some great games on it.

Linux is something better than many other versions of Unix, but it is very similar to them.

I think you're missing the point that for many of us users, Linux is a full replacement for Windows :smile:.

I have been using Linux exclusively for many years now, even before the mainstream gaming companies started supporting Linux. There was a time where gaming was near non-existent on Linux. I still used my computers with no Windows at that time too.

I haven't used Windows as my primary OS since Windows XP, and frankly I have no intention of going back. My personal computers, and my business computers, servers don't need nor use windows.

In this day and age, it's realistically not required for many of us.

With that said, I don't treat Linux as "something terrible" as for me, it works and it works well. It fits me like a glove.

(I am however a more "extreme" case. If Valve or any other company started pushing for too much control over my Linux system I would give up gaming again and go back to purely FOSS.)

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: CatKiller

Quoting: BlackBloodRumI can't help but think that if I'm using the Deck online, and the microphone is active, it could be bad. I tend to rest my deck on my lap while sitting on a sofa or bed when I'm using it. So I guess if I fart it will be "aired" to all players? :unsure:

The microphones are probably directional, meaning that they'll pick up sound more strongly from in front of the Deck (I've not tested them at all). You'd probably still get the bass rumble aspects, though.

Kudos on providing a serious answer with serious face. Respect! :grin:

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: CatKiller

Quoting: BlackBloodRum

Fixed internal microphone not working in certain cases like desktop applications.

The Steam Deck has a microphone? Huh. I honestly did not know/notice that :huh:

It actually has two, for positional audio. They're behind two pinholes at the top of the screen.

Interesting. :neutral:

I can't help but think that if I'm using the Deck online, and the microphone is active, it could be bad. I tend to rest my deck on my lap while sitting on a sofa or bed when I'm using it. So I guess if I fart it will be "aired" to all players? :unsure:

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Fixed internal microphone not working in certain cases like desktop applications.

The Steam Deck has a microphone? Huh. I honestly did not know/notice that :huh:

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Liam Dawe

Quoting: BlackBloodRumAlthough, pirates and things related to that stuff aren't usually my kind of thing

Lie detector is going hard right now

:grin:

It's the truth, honest, cross my swords and hope to pillage. :whistle:

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: CyborgZetaI wasn't planning on getting a Deck OLED, but I somehow ended up messing up my original Deck. I opened it back up to replace the 512GB SSD I installed when I first got it with a 2TB SSD...but after that it randomly shut down on me while playing a game, would fault to fully boot, and the picture would get all glitchy and none of my buttons would work. I think it go an error downloading the 3.5 update since, when it went to reboot, it got stuck on a black screen and got hot, with the screen getting colorful and fuzzy for several seconds, before I manually shut it off. I can only speculate that that experience caused the internals to overheat and damage something.

The 2TB SSD I got definitely wasn't the issue. Not only did it pass SMART no problem, but I just put it into my Deck OLED and everything is fine. Very strange experience.

... is everything connected/seated correctly? You'd be surprised how many odd things a loose cable/loose seating could cause.

That honestly sounds to me like something isn't connected correctly/fully, or something got damaged while you were changing bits.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Might pick it up on GOG at some point :grin:

Although, pirates and things related to that stuff aren't usually my kind of thing :unsure:

:whistle::wink:

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: TruckStopSantaClaus

Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: TruckStopSantaClausHuh, I think this is the first time I've heard of RetroDeck. Is it better than Emudeck or something?

Well, if you have an emu, obviously Emudeck is better.

Ok well that's good since moving over would take some time

You might want to read his post again :wink: :grin:

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: BlackBloodRum

Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: BlackBloodRumPlus, I'm trying to reduce my overall e-waste in general (this is why I stopped buying mainstream phones, and am now looking to more repairable devices).

Ah, yes, me too. That's why I've never yet acquired a cell phone--not because I'm a skinflint who refuses to pay $50 Cdn./month for a device that will let people bother me when I'm alone. Nope, it's the e-waste thing. For sure.

:grin:

In fairness, I don't take out those sorts of contracts either, and it absolutely is because I'm frugal. I buy my phones outright immediately, and then just use a pay-as-you-go style SIM card. :happy:

Thing is, Canada may be the worst market in the world for cell phone plans, even worse than the US. Far as I know, around my way there are no genuine pay-as-you-go things--there are things that say they're pay-as-you-go, but then you look at them slightly more closely and it turns out the money expires after a year whether you've used it up or not, and/or there is actually some kind of semi-hidden monthly charge, and stuff like that.
I've considered getting a cell phone just to use where there's wi-fi.

Wi-Fi is certainly an option there, though it does come with a caveat: You either depend on Google's Wifi calling (depend on google) or use third-party apps such as signal, but then that means convicing your contacts to switch over to it (easier said than done! Explain the privacy benefits and the response is "yeah, but I like whatsapp :-/" followed by an eye-roll from me.)

The UK Mobile plans can get a bit.. confusing. But the contract ones are always dodgy as hell. It's like they always just want you to give them more money, and that's all they care about... wait.. that's exactly what it is :grin:

For the last few years, I've got along well with GiffGaff.com, it's like getting a semi between pay-as-you-go and contract. You're not tied in, you don't have to pay at the end of the month if you don't want to, and you can switch/swap plans with a whip.

I use the "monthly rolling plans" which basically let me buy a set amount of "data" automatically per month and use that.

It's far from perfect, but it is what I felt the most suitable/best option for my use case :neutral:

Quoting: damarrin

Quoting: BlackBloodRumRegarding e-waste, in my defence - my e-waste pile is in my own home. I quite literally have a computer in a cupboard behind me that has a Pentium II CPU in it that hasn't been powered on for years.

That makes me feel a lot better about myself. I took out a 486 in an AT case (no USB! Hard power switch!) the other day and unfortunately it refused to turn on. I'll take a look at it... before the turn of the century for sure.

It's a geek/nerd thing. :tongue:

Quite literally every geek or nerd I know has some old junk tech just sitting around in their homes, that they keep because it "may come in handy" or it's "retro". Heck some of them might even go to auction websites to buy someone else's old "retro" tat :tongue: :grin:

I still have a boxed Gameboy Advance somewhere in my home, not that I could find it when looking for it last. I have old nokia phones from the early 2000s etc. Just tons of tech junk just sitting around. :unsure:

So I've been told I should probably avoid adding more to that pile :tongue: and some people have the cheek to say "Why don't you throw it away? It's old! Are you ever going to use it?". They just don't understand :angry:. The most complained about thing is an old 2000s 6U rack-mount server that's neither in a rack nor being used. But it is heavy, has dual power supplies, classic hot-swappable SCSI drives, a proper classic Xeon i686 CPU, 32GB of RAM (yes, really, for an early 2000s machine) etc. But nope, "you should throw it away if you're not using it!". So I powered it up a few months ago, booted up Linux on it. Only to be told "that things too noisy! it sounds like a space ship! I can hear it all the way over the other side of the house!", I can't win :unsure:

PS: Never answer "You're old too, should I throw you away?". This does not go well. :whistle:

Quoting: damarrin

Quoting: Purple Library Guythere are things that say they're pay-as-you-go, but then you look at them slightly more closely and it turns out the money expires after a year whether you've used it up or not,

I'm in Europe and that's actually a standard thing. They'll require you to top up after some time to unblock the unused money you have on there and keep making calls.

I buy iPhones because privacy (perceived or real, I don't really know) and they get updates for many years before Apple stops supporting them. My current phone is 6 yo, works fine and I'll only buy a new one once they stop putting out security updates which I hope is still a bit away. The iPhone 6 from 2014 I was using for work got its last security update early this year and shortly after that Signal stopped working on it, so I should be good for another 2 years or so with this one.

I'm currently looking at the "Fairphone" for my next one. It's fully modular and user repairable with ease. Busted screen? No problem, order a new one (direct from manufacturer!) and install it, the install will take you around ~10 minutes thanks to the modular design, no glue or other crap stopping you.

Also it has user - replaceable - batteries :woot: :woot:

The current one claims to come with 10 years of software support, but even if it doesn't it's not locked and such like most phones, so you can easily unlock the bootloader install another OS and then re-lock the bootloader.

But still: At the end of the day, it is just a phone. If I do decide to pick it up, it'll be the most expensive phone I ever bought :tongue:

View this comment - View article - View full comments