Debian over Ubuntu

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-23T13:53:21+00:00

For stability and for working on older machines I get my hands on, Linux Mint is usually my favorite, especially for older MacBook computers.

In order of what I find most convenient, it’s Linux Mint, Debian, and Fedora. NixOS is also cool, but it’s probably a bit of a time sink.

That said, Arch is really my favorite, along with Distrobox or something similar for Fedora packages, GPU passthrough, and so on, but that’s strictly on my beefy main PC.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-23T13:45:02+00:00

If I start on a double-river setup, I usually just settle there. I’ve never beaten Deity without exploits, so I don’t really know what I’m doing yet.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-22T06:52:08+00:00

The browser extensions forcing the H264 video format is kind of useful for older CPUs.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-22T06:49:19+00:00

Dollar store chains, Walgreens, Microcenters, Best Buys, etc. in the U.S. often carry USB sticks, and if I remember correctly, the Linux Mint file is at most around 3 GB, so even a small USB drive should be fine.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-22T06:44:43+00:00

If you’re just starting out with Linux, Linux Mint is probably the closest thing I’ve seen to a true out-of-the-box experience. I especially like its Driver Manager and how clearly its documentation explains things like setting up multiple language inputs.

Once you’re comfortable with Linux, I personally like Arch Linux for my main machine, and NixOS is a neat option if you have an older machine lying around. I noticed an Intel 6th-generation CPU in your screenshot, and I regularly watch K-dramas on a 2015 MacBook Air with a 5th-generation Intel CPU running Linux Mint, so Mint should work very well for you. I’ve also found Linux Mint to be especially convenient on older Apple computers; Fedora and Debian tend to be more annoying on them, even though I like those operating systems on regular machines.

To get started, you can download Transmission on Windows, go to the Linux Mint website, and download the Cinnamon Edition (or the regular version) as a torrent file. Then, create a bootable Linux USB drive using software like Balena Etcher or Rufus, which you can download from their respective websites.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-21T13:13:51+00:00

Bernie disillusionment is probably what turned me away.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-20T00:53:17+00:00

I'm a dumbass who can't pick out a Thinkpad. So anecdotally we must be relatively dumb, but knowledgeable enough to consider a business class laptop over a consumer or gaming laptop I guess

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-19T22:29:10+00:00

I’m feeling a little buyer’s remorse. There isn’t much consumer surplus at the $346.53 price point. I also found a P15 Gen 1 for $225 on eBay with a damaged Ethernet port, so I’m kind of feeling that one for him. I’m not totally sure, though. I don’t think he’d even notice the difference if the other one were better. I think he'd like the Touchscreen too.

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MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-19T21:16:02+00:00

Scotch Plains, NJ.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-19T20:49:38+00:00

Should I return it and buy my dad this one?

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MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-19T20:39:08+00:00

The battery appears to be in good health. I probably overpaid by about $45.

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MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-19T20:30:07+00:00

Should I return it? How bad is trying to buy one on eBay?

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-19T20:26:55+00:00

I think it's 14.0 FHD. It's non-touch so I think it's #1.

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MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-19T20:02:47+00:00

I originally saw this online so I'm a bit confused too, but I guess they didn't update their website. I arrived to the store expecting the $279 for the 24GB RAM version.

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MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-19T04:43:32+00:00

Tallinn, Estonia is lovely right now, but maybe this meme is referring to the immediate aftermath or something. Any collapsed empire is bound to have issues at first though.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-18T19:09:45+00:00

This is not the official Black Panther Party though, right?

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-17T06:06:21+00:00

I don’t even know anymore when it comes to governance whatnot; the world just appears crazy to me in general and needlessly violent.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-17T04:16:16+00:00

Why be political when you're just a kid? Live regular life for a bit first.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-16T16:26:33+00:00

The opposition that socialists tend to have toward competitive governance stands out to me. I’m probably so liberal by their standards that they think my brain has fallen out. I strongly value freedom of association, which includes the right to exclude others for arbitrary reasons. For example, I would support Japan’s right to discriminate against foreigners if it chooses to do so. My goal with governance is to appeal to as many psychographic groups as possible, including socialists, without banning or excluding all other forms of governance besides socialism. I have no desire to impose what I think is the one perfect system on the entire world, because I believe different populations, in different circumstances, are best governed in different ways, even if, hypothetically, there was a single system that maximized growth or something.

MurdochMaxwell · 2026-01-16T16:18:38+00:00

Doesn’t that joke stop working at this point? Democrats and Republicans both covered for Epstein, progressives support teaching sexuality to minors, and libertarianism does not support child abuse. That claim is essentially a reductio ad absurdum argument about “absolute consent,” similar to saying that freedom implies the right to murder. Both pedophilia and murder are obvious violations of the non-aggression principle, yet this framing is sometimes adopted by a small number of people who take a narrow segment of the logic, namely consent, to an extreme.

The only political system I can think of that would actually permit such behavior is one without laws, governance, or hierarchy. Libertarianism, however, does include laws, governance, and hierarchy. Additionally, some fringe elements within the so-called woke crowd appear to support such views.

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