They’ll get round to it. They’re doing the graphics first. They’re currently making individual 3D models of “all the stars”.

Mint, after about 20 years of Linux.

I think I tested a bunch of Linux distros about 2006, and settled on running Ubuntu v6 on an old laptop for occasional use and learning. Ubuntu was brown and it looked beautiful.

Later, I dual booted Ubuntu and Windows XP on my main computer from about 2008 until about 2014ish - I remember being annoyed that I had to install some launcher thing called “Steam for Linux” so I could play this newly released Linux game called “Crusader Kings II” (I was sure I’d never use this “Steam” thing for anything else).

2 laptops and one desktop bought since 2014 have been Linux exclusive. The old desktop still chugs along on Ubuntu, having been upgraded through versions for over a decade, and somehow still works. The old laptop and newer laptop (my main machine) have only ever run Mint.

Turns out that “Steam” thing was quite useful.

Adverts, subscriptions, marketing, tracking, surveillance etc

I think many of the bugs were introduced in “Web 2.0”, so surely we can just fork Web 1.0 and start again from there? :P

It’s not so much forgetting, but waiting until Windows “changes it” - the “yeah, just go here in the settings… oh… there’s not a setting any more… there used to be an option for this…”

[…]organisation representing musicians Large Corporate Record Companies who bought the rights off someone[…]

They’re an extortion racket for large music recording labels, who generally fuck over small music venues and individual musicians.

I didn’t even realise “no SD card” was an option. That’s shitty and awful.

I’d add “less than 15cm tall” too. I’ve had enough of stupid giant phones that don’t fit in pockets and where you can’t even reach the top or other side with your thumb.

ⓘ This user is suspected of being a bear. Please report any suspawcious behaviour bearhaviour.

Kent Wanker.

It’s on my to-do list when I have a bit of time :)

I was meaning the NHS in the UK. I’d not heard the phrase “single-payer healthcare” before and sort of assumed it was some form of “health insurance” thing, but one significantly less insane than the American system.

I tried looking at the Wikipaedia page for it, but now it’s even less clear - it says “The term was coined in the 1990s to characterize the differences between the Canadian healthcare system with those such as the United Kingdom’s NHS”, suggesting it very much means “not the NHS” - though it also mentions UK healthcare elsewhere on the page???

Anyway, the essence of the point is the same - the way the American system works is insane and barbaric, and there are better, proven to work, options available which are currently used in other countries :)

Or a National Health Service?

Lovely idea, and I’m glad to see a “real forum”.

I fear you’re underestimating his depravity.

I think Ubuntu has a long way to go to “Microsoft levels”, but yeah, some of their actions are why people are less keen to recommend them to new users (and why I don’t myself). As the other person said, Mint is separate to that - it’s a bit like “Ubuntu with the crap removed”.

“So, Mr Trump, how did you watch it, if you never paid the licence fee?.. Did you perhaps… commit TV Licence Fraud!?!”

Straight to jail. Finally, we got him on something he can’t squirm or lie his way out of.

I did this for my dad, and then his neighbour… and then his other neighbours… also for quite a few older people near where I live.

Anyway, assuming the initial setup goes okay with wifi/printers etc and all the software is present, then it’s pretty much hands-off most of the time - though they’ll likely have 100 tiny questions initially, none of which they feel are “worth troubling you with” - so you may need to nudge them every few weeks a few times, and if possible go over and check things yourself.

There may be a sense of not wanting to bother you, or embarrassment about a mistake, then they just put up with it - for example, accidentally zooming in in the file browser, so all the files are massive, then just putting up with it instead of “bothering you”.

Any solving you do, you can show them where you find the answer/option e.g. teaching them to search the mint forums - but also knowing the Ubuntu ones will mostly work too (and for some things, any Linux ones).

You’ll need to remind them about updating, because it’s not forced on them, and if they’re prevously Windows/Mac users, they may distrust updates. You may also need to be on hand for version upgrades, at least in the first year, depending on how computer-literate they were previously.

It’s worth setting up some sort of backup with them, and setting up autosaves for office programs - then making symlink shortcuts to where those autosaves are kept. Generally you’re looking for ways to undo the panic if things go wrong - “here’s how to reverse it if you lose it/break it”.

Assuming you’re putting an adblocker on, you will probably need to show them how to update it and how to disable it if absolutely required by a website.

Check there’s something in place to transfer photos from their phone/camera etc - or any other use case where they want to transfer things on/off the computer - this might include things like “Calibre” for ebooks, or “Shotwell” for photos for instance.

Other than that… depends on the specific person and what they’re doing.

Generally though, Mint is pretty intuitive, especially if they used older Windowses - so you may find (as I did) there’s almost no support needed once it’s up and running.

NTFS was around in the 1990s, exFAT is from the 2010s - and I think was also caught up in some sort of copyright/proprietary shit for another 10 years. There are brand new 2025 TVs which still won’t read exFAT.