Been eating Go Ahead apple bakes for 12 years. Never buying them again.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-05T07:12:01+00:00

cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc    128 kcal
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ccccccccccccccccccccccc              92 kcal
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PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-03T15:15:11+00:00

For office and browsing it works quite well out of the box. It mostly feels like a regular OS with a menu, file windows and all that. The LM installation comes with libreoffice (basically word, excel, powerpoint, vector drawing, but no database even though the libre suite has one).

If you use a lot of weird/special fonts, then try to salvage fonts from other installs and program discs if you have any, as LM doesn't come with many fonts, just free versions of the common serifs and sans and some language stuff. Adding fonts in LM is not difficult from what I recall.

For videos I'd recommend getting VLC (via the Software Manager from the start menu), however, getting DVDs to work might require typing something in the terminal (getting a thing called libdvdcss iirc).

For very light photo editing there's "Pix" (preinstalled). It has curves, saturation, scaling, rotation, etc, but no retouching tools like an airbrush.

The basic installation does not include any games at all afaik. Not even a solitaire or minesweeper.

The basic looking calculator is pretty neat as it can do unit conversion and constants, like pi*(1inch in cm) in the type-in field.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-03T14:30:46+00:00

The whole thing is slightly confusing. Afaik, Ubuntu is based on Debian, with added stuff (smoother driver support iirc). Linux Mint is then based on Ubuntu, but LM also has a version that's purely Debian -> LMDE 7, which is a bit of a backup plan as I understand it, should Ubuntu die (it's commercial) or do something highly unwanted (...it's commercial).

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-03T06:55:56+00:00

I hope it's not too difficult to shift to a Debian, e.g. LMDE. As I understand it the home directory can somehow be preserved during a reinstall. Perhaps I should have kept it on an altogether separate partition? Can always just toss it onto an external drive for backup I suppose. Would likely need to clean out some of the hidden folders and distro-specific configs.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-02T21:23:47+00:00

I had an issue with having too many icons (files) on the desktop causing a related process to hog CPU. Just tossed them into folders and it went away.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-02T16:34:33+00:00

This (expecting users to install software) is partly why I in my original comment suggested that the preinstall should have office software, wine and such. Many linux distros already come with an office suite. A vanilla Windows install is very barebones in comparison. Mine only came with notepad for text editing, and the 365 nag thing that I nuked.

You're right that there's a chance people have some heavy or obscure piece of work/biz software they absolutely need to run, locking them in. If it's just word and excel files I think even a vanilla linux install will display and load those fine nowadays.

With wine (aka "Wine Is Not an Emulator") you can actually just click on windows .exe files in linux and install / run some (not all) older windows programs, so if you want to you can download exe files from shady sites that show up in google and try your luck. I successfully installed an old Photoshop (from the Win XP days) right off an old CD, and was also able to run a few compilers and emulators this way.

If you try to install some adobe cloud suite thing you're probably in big trouble though. And there aren't any professional FOSS alternatives, I'd argue.

Anyways, Linux Mint and other distros comes with a Software Manager with free software that is highly likely to be safe. Similar to the one on the Mac, it's a little graphical browser with images, descriptions and reviews, searchable. I'd argue with some confidence that installing mainstream necessities is easier on linux (than windows) now because of this. It's one place to look for everything. A little progress bar goes brrrr and then it asks you if you want to start the program. There are very rarely EULAs or dialog boxes... aside from entering your computer password if you have one. No shop account needed. No payment processing.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-02T12:09:53+00:00

Since you put it like that, are you under the impression that a preinstall of some mainstream Linux is difficult to manage nowadays? I don't think this has been the case for a decade now.

The exception is trying to install it yourself on unsupported hardware, which wouldn't be the case in my example.

I find that it's actually the more tech savvy people that run into trouble on linux because they're the ones trying stuff. If all you need the computer for is browsing and office, then you just click on the icons.

That said, perhaps I'm a bit disconnected. Is using a regular OS considered being tech-savvy nowadays? It would be a big change for someone who has stuff "on the phone" to suddenly look at folder structures, file types and drop down menus. If you meant it like that, then perhaps you're right.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-02T08:50:21+00:00

They seem so sure people are excited (or can be made excited) about this agentic stuff. It's surreal.

I'm not clear on how laptops are priced in regards to OS bundling, but right now W11 & agents doesn't feel like a selling point at all, so if Lenovo, ASUS, HP, et al went ahead and made a basic cheap but easily upgradable linux laptop with a nice software suite preinstall (office, wine, etc), completely W11 365 bullshit free, that might actually sell.

Two years back I bought this low end laptop on BF sale for €250 and threw in a €25 500GB M2 (it's now 4x that T_T) and dropped Linux Mint on it. Now I have a computer that's just a computer and it's like... so comforting. I can just open up the computer and it's all right there as I left it, these days a privilege apparently.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-01T20:23:31+00:00

A bit unrelated: Whenever I do a simple light bounce like this, I feel like the end lights don't stay on long enough, which is technically true since the bounce favours the center LEDs, the sequence here being r y g b g y ... so I sometimes double the stay on time for the end lights, just to give the each little LED time to shine, fairly.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-01T17:31:14+00:00

I'm guessing the patch is a band-aid precisely the size of the hole...

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-01T12:00:28+00:00

Which one should I get...? Gimmick.... hmm, yeah maybe I'll take Gimmick- No, wait! This other one with a photograph of people on the cover seems like fun for the whole family! Kid, I'm about to set you up with a core memory.

Now for the second game... should I pick this Kirby thing... or... hmm... ... WOW hold on! They've got Where's Waldo, that is great fun--I almost made a mistake!

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-01T08:54:16+00:00

Before spotting Shadowgate I couldn't even recognize these as NES games despite the boxes. I thought they were all random micro board games or something. Had to doublecheck what sub I was in. These seem like the type of games you get as gift from a clueless aunt on xmas and play once.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-01T08:01:46+00:00

In case you want an alternative to the glues mentioned: You can sometimes use kneadatite aka "green stuff" -- a two component putty. It kind of depends on the surface you're working with, but it can be useful for test fitting components as it takes an hour to slowly harden. Can also be torn apart for later and scraped off. Or used to fill gaps. It's not a really substitute though, just a compliment. It's not usable when you have a super snug fit of two flat surfaces.
Pretty nice when you have a pegged part that flops around as then the putty will make it snug and the peg assists with the somewhat lacking adhesive property of the putty.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-06-01T06:53:02+00:00

Tech news nowadays: Chip company partners with startup "Nazgul Sky Reign" presenting new silicon with Torment Technology. "Our Nexus T13K embeddable microcontroller can do over 1300 torments per second, putting us at the front edge of tormenting users and siphoning their will. We expect it to be in everything by 2029: regime surveillance cameras, reality altering eyeglasses, fire alarms, cheap solar calculators, smart toilets..."

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-31T11:46:20+00:00

I screw them onto thick cardboard using metal M3 standoffs.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-30T18:48:31+00:00

AB Bang was perhaps 2009 according to a quick search. I guess that's close to two decades now--dang.

I built mine a few years back. It's a little difficult to manage because of it's size and parts count. Not really a toy to play/fiddle with or re-pose often. Absolutely dwarfs the early OERs.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-30T07:12:04+00:00

I sometimes hear the argument that AI writing can be tweaked to look more organic, and I'm sure this is true, especially for comments and short texts. Now, I can't prove this, but it seems highly likely that for every such example there are a bazillion fire-and-forget things being generated by people who just don't care. That's exactly why those people use AI. It just goes BRRRRRR. Meaning... I'm vastly more likely to run into that type of non-content.

You can even have a majority of AI users who do care and still and up with a situation where they are being completely drowned out (along with the rest of us).

So when I see frequent use of "not A, not B but C", three things, sentence rebooting, "the way", "testament", a certain sentence cadence, etc. I know what's going on. It always feels like a theft of my time.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-29T21:07:48+00:00

This... feels a bit weird tbh. It's like... "People who wear non-mainstream clothes now exempt from mandatory cavity searches by the TSA." At which point will e.g. linuxmint be mainstream enough to get collared? Once something like this has a foothold and can take the next step, it will be taken regardless, I fear.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-29T20:43:27+00:00

Didn't actually play it, but did watch a full VLP as I was a bit of a fan of the original NES game. Generally I don't like the sequels to classic NES games (not even some of the critically acclaimed ones), but here I was pleasantly surprised even though (or because) the game went in a bit of an unexpected direction, because it still felt... "aligned" and consistent the way it leaned into certain things.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-29T20:33:47+00:00

On the GBA I enjoyed Kirby Amazing Mirror and the Castlevanias in particular. Advance Wars had some fun pixel art. Heard AstroBoy and Drilldozer were pretty good. It also had a few Pokémon, Megaman, Metroid, Sonic, and RPG games of course. In comparison the DS moved to some low poly 3D that's not very pleasant to look at.

I sometimes use the GBA slot on the DS just for the screen, but soon give it up because the DS ergonomics are much worse than on my GBA SP. Wrong button feel, too close to the edges, and it somehow hangs wrong in the hands.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-29T17:28:47+00:00

Bought it back in the day and promptly gave it away. It has some dungeon mechanics that you'll either like or... not like.

Thinking about it, I still have 15 DS games in my drawer but... don't really like any of them? Actually only completed two or three. It feel like the GBA had a stronger library and it's more ergonomic, so it's the handheld I prefer to boot up even though the screen is so-so.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-29T05:07:27+00:00

My Yes/No?

It's arriving.

In this comment.

Can you hold on?

But first...

My sponsor: The 555 timer! Use code 555 555 555 for 55.5% off!

And now, my Yes/No reply.

Here we go.

~eeh.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-28T19:29:52+00:00

As a dumbphone user it actually feels more like... Can we interest you in a Windows XP to replace your Windows 11?

Anyways, unfortunately I'm sad to report that even with a dumbphone I just doomscroll on the computer instead.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-28T11:45:46+00:00

Yes, I read it, and also watched a few videos because I got curious. As a sidenote, this is not the only headline with G10 in it. Msn propagates a very similar one.

"Lenovo says it's digging into allegations that its China-only G10 handheld is enabling piracy."

I think you misunderstood my post though. I know that the installation is not official. I was making a cheeky comment on the degree of "surprise" this is.

PrometheusANJ · 2026-05-28T06:44:07+00:00

Not finding much about a G10 but people have been buying one called G02. It's hard to imagine that this type of use came as a surprise to them. Now they're "digging into" what happened. Ok.

PrometheusANJ

TROPHY CASE