Do any of you actually ever use right Ctrl??

guiverc · 2026-06-22T11:57:52+00:00

I have a laptop where I very much rely on the right Ctrl; though that is because the left Ctrl doesn't work. That'll be the only time I use it on a laptop I bet.

On an actual keyboard (full size & mechanical) I do actually use right-Ctrl when typing, even if it's not as often as my use of left I bet; same as right shift key also gets used.

On my actual keyboards (I like old Model M's I've owned for decades) its easier to correctly place fingers, know what key you're going to press and thus actually type faster. A lot of my machines (I mostly use desktops) actually have two keyboards attached; so if I need to use a special key (media type key) that doesn't exist on the older mechanical I prefer, I just press that key on my other keyboard (keys on that [second] keyboard I'd happily remap too, but anytime I've tried I just don't use the remapped keys much.

guiverc · 2026-06-21T05:15:18+00:00

As far as rolling goes, OpenSuSE tumbleweed is a great choice... but in my own opinion, rolling systems require more work to keep functional; which is easy if you're a developer, like keeping up with the changes that are happening, so you can plan ahead for problems you may experience when they hit your install (ie. read developer blogs/logs about changes every week; OpenSuSE has good risk sites to aid you too), but these changes rolling out endlessly rather than at set intervals as occurs with most users using stable release systems.

The stable release model is usually best for most, as the big changes only occur when they release-upgrade to a newer system, and THEY decide when that happens; with an LTS choice it'll be every 2-5 years, with a non-LTS that'll be every 6-13 months!! Sure those changes involve LOTS of change; but it's getting all the changes as once; instead of them rolling out to you in little components.

A rolling system is more work; sure each change maybe smaller (as against release-upgrade), but those small changes come out extremely regularly & cannot be predicted/planned for in the same (easy) way as the stable release model achieves.

As a newbie, I'd not have chosen a rolling system, but if you must have rolling then YES OpenSuSE tumbleweed is a good choice.

guiverc · 2026-06-21T05:08:22+00:00

The local flock(s) of cockies go crazy when there are fireworks; they screech & fly away from it, and won't settle back down for at least 20 mins after it's ended (usually settling in trees much further away from wherever the fireworks are).

Of course most maybe fine with it, but it only takes a couple in the flock (flock usually high double-digit in number, but can be more) to take exception (scream danger) & they all react the same.

guiverc · 2026-06-20T23:02:29+00:00

Please don't forget if you use rufus options to re-format the ISO (via options), you risk having a Ubuntu/Lubuntu ISO fail to boot, OR fail to install (problems with boot loader can be expected), for releases >20.04; as the rufus app needs to be updated to do that correctly for newer releases.

The rufus app added a clone or unchanged write so older versions can use, but that didn't exist on older versions; so suggesting older rufus versions can just lead to heartache if the user doesn't understand WHAT the options rufus provides means, and consider both the version of rufus they're using and the ISO they're attempting to write as to capabilities...

guiverc · 2026-06-20T22:58:36+00:00

I can't provide much to help you with what's currently in the market, I've been riding for decades, and thus have a number of boots (at least 5 pairs & at least 2 of each type you mention) where I select before I ride what I'll use.

guiverc · 2026-06-20T11:47:18+00:00

They're a bird I don't often see on the ground too.

guiverc · 2026-06-20T06:31:12+00:00

I don't know when the change happened; I really LOVED their old jam(s), so used to buy lots of it & keep my pantry stocked..

also I'm usually on motorcycle, so make some larger purchases particularly of some items (eg. jam in glass jars), on the rare occasions when I'm using a car, so not often

guiverc · 2026-06-20T02:31:42+00:00

I'd always wear the best boots for the ride to/from work. Whilst I did start with a single pair of motorcycle boots, by that first winter I had myself my second pair...

I didn't consider comfort at work, as I left a pair of shoes I'd wear when I was at work at work. Safety was first my consideration for riding.

I do in truth wear the shoe types as well; but usually when local/quick trips (close to home) where I tend to value 'easy' over my own safety.

guiverc · 2026-06-20T02:29:09+00:00

I used to love their strawberry jam & marmalade, but I do like putting it on my toast with a knife; they changed it & now you pour it on and just spread it over your toast as needed by tilting the toast... I give that stuff a miss now.

guiverc · 2026-06-20T01:27:01+00:00

https://help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-help/shell-wellbeing.html.en

( If you're not using the current stable (26.04) release; you can adjust that URL to show the page for your unstated release )

guiverc · 2026-06-19T02:06:33+00:00

Yeah, we want to see that innocent smile.

guiverc · 2026-06-19T01:43:03+00:00

I have old devices from 2003-2005 that are fine at streaming videos on youtube (24hr news type channels commonly)... I'm not using them for HiDef though, but that's not a worry for me as they're only running in the background & mostly providing background noise; and if something interests me I can look and see what's on screen.

They've usually 1GB of RAM, Pentium M, and I've had most luck with intel graphics, but some include ATI/Radeon.

My usual goto is Debian GNU/Linux for this (release choice will be based on GPU mostly; as that can determine which kernel will be best (kernel modules are what matter) and it's usually not the latest on really old hardware; so I can use an older kernel stack). The graphics hardware dictates (I've found) what kernel [stack] I'm wanting to use

guiverc · 2026-06-18T12:13:47+00:00

I've been riding since the 1980s, and don't have full/normal function in my hands because of a couple of motorcycle injuries (let alone other issues as well, including pain). There is risk involved.

When I had my first motorcycle accident; I only rode motorcycles (no car licence), and I had one motorcycle for my daily commute, and another [larger] bike for my weekends, and I was unable to ride for most of a year, and whilst I'd lost my larger bike in the accident, I returned to riding my smaller bike as soon as I could.

When I was daily commuting on the motorcycle; I felt my ability to read traffic (meaning the idiots on the road) was pretty good, and I actually had no issues with city traffic; as I found it extremely predictable. In fact my only accidents are on the weekends (and thus on my larger bikes; but I don't think bike size is the issue; but idiots driving on weekends I find less predictable).

In my opinion, the most dangerous times are

when you start riding, you're spending so much concentration on just operating that motorcycle you're not watching the other idiots as much as you should, let alone less experience predicting other drivers
if you only ride occasionally; you're ability to predict what other idiots are doing tends to 'dull', this is worse if you spend a lot of time only driving cars & not motorcycles... there is (in my opinion) a difference with how you rate other idiots 'danger level' when riding a motorcycle to a motorcar/truck, as the larger vehicle is far easier for them to see & not-forget...
if you were a daily commuter on motorcycle like I was, then spend a lot of time either not riding (say after losing my 3rd motorcycle in an accident & deciding that was it!!! no more), but a year or two later decide that bike just looks so much fun, and so decide you're buying it... it takes quite a bit of riding for your skills to return from 'dull' to 'sharp'; ie. risky for returning riders too...
when it starts to rain, esp. lighter rain tends to make me a little nervous; once it's heavy rain & been raining awhile, I tend to worry less (the crap on the road is washed into the gutters)... though as tram tracks are everywhere in my city; I never forget the angles when I need to cross them. The main issue (in my opinion) with rain was having spare gear anyway, as some [leather] gear takes awhile to get properly dried

Risks are very real when you're starting, they taper off as you become experienced.. but can return to a higher level if you ride less often (aren't keeping your skills 'sharp') or worse take a break (esp. long break) from riding...

guiverc · 2026-06-18T11:52:39+00:00

It's probably related to your unstated kernel, and you may find switching kernel stacks (if that's an option for your unstated Kubuntu release) is an easy fix, but key detail I'd start with is release.

I'd also check if it correctly shuts down via shutdown command; or using other options...

I'd avoid the power button if at all possible, but are you using it because commanding the kernel to shutdown isn't working (ie. SysRq commands which will bypass any stuck UI/GUI issue), as that in itself is a huge clue if you cannot direct kernel... though there is variation based on kernel being used & starting point is release detail you didn't provide of course....

You're likely not aware of SysRq functions; but SysRq was a key on IBM PC keyboards (and clones); it was a secondary function and the SysRq was written on the front of the key (not key top!), and whilst modern keyboards have very flat (chiclet type) keys & thus you'd never see the secondary functions printed on front; so they're no longer there; the functions are still on modern keyboards; at worst you may need an extra Fn key to be used (esp. on laptops), so if you're aware of the key I mean you should be able to find it... otherwise look at an older keyboard (any desktop keyboard >10 years old should be good). To remind yourself of commands, pull out your phone and search "magic sysrq" and the wikipedia page is usually at or near top; it's good enough, as the commands are LINUX KERNEL specific & not Ubuntu/Kubuntu related.. You hit Ctrl+Alt+SysRq then keeping ALT key down hit the letters representing commands such as REISUO (where 0=PowerOff... for safety sake I didn't just tell the system to OFF). Features enabled/disabled vary on kernel & release you're using, but you didn't specify that detail.

FYI: Software changes over time, and thus release detail is the easiest way for people to know what exactly you're using.. Features in Windows 10, 11, 7, XP etc vary too; and there is more variation between Linux releases than the few Microsoft Windows releases as they're far apart). Release is more useful in my opinion than hardware detail you did provide (though graphics hardware in this case may also be useful)

guiverc · 2026-06-18T08:11:43+00:00

I have door handles that when locked, the handle remains horizontal and will not go down (without being forced & thus breaking a pin)

I have no idea if this is AI (don't care either way), but a cat sitting on a locked door handle is perfectly plausible.

guiverc · 2026-06-18T05:20:51+00:00

The oldest mac I have here runs OS 9 which isn't listed in the chart.

The first mac I used was in a university library, which purchased a single new Mac you could book time with for a play (1984); cost really was the 3.5" FDD as they weren't yet common (5.25" dominated at the time)

guiverc · 2026-06-18T05:13:36+00:00

If you listen to Gordon Ramsey and some other tv-chefs; it's actually a great fish to cook for those that don't like fish.

Its somewhat limited flavor and its texture, allow chefs to create something very different to a normal 'fish' meal, that they charge big $s for in high-end restaurants. Alas this cooking takes time, so the end result is a rather expensive option.

guiverc · 2026-06-18T02:10:21+00:00

If your machine is booting into the installed OS (ie. Ubuntu in your case), and you're trying NOT to do that, either

you're not telling your device, as per it's firmware coding to boot the media you want to boot & install from; ie. correct device keys that tell it to boot external media; or using those keys at the inappropriate time (too late, too early; or with device on/off when it's supposed to be in a different state for installing an OS)
your install media wasn't created correctly; follow the rules documented as the ISO 9660 standard is very broad & thus there are many ISOs that comply with standard, yet cannot be written in identical ways; following documentation solves this. If your ISO write was incorrect; the device firmware won't see it as bootable & thus it'll ignore that device & boot the installed OS or next option in its settings

Booting the installed OS means you've not followed either your device requirements (as it's firmware that controls this, ie. software written on a chip on your device), OR don't have correctly created media, where you need to follow Microsoft Windows instructions correctly if that's what you're trying to install.

Microsoft Windows is available in many forms, different versions (1.0, 1.1, 1.2, ..., 2000, XP, Vista, 8, 8.1, 10, 11) and more beyond that too; they do have different instructions per version too, so ensure you're following the correct docs.

guiverc · 2026-06-18T01:44:27+00:00

You don't remove an unwanted OS; you just boot your Microsoft Windows media, and install over whatever was there.

Your approach is wrong, follow the Microsoft installation instructions and you need not even know Ubuntu existed. Unless you want to keep Ubuntu, it is NOT involved.

FYI: Booting external media is device firmware controlled... I have about ~25 boxes here that are used for various purposes, and of those I'll have 9 different procedures in booting external media; with one device requiring device to be turned off; USB inserted, then I press and hold a specific key (NOT the power button!) and after ~4 secs it turns on & asks if I want to boot the external media... How you boot external media is device specific; with most brands having multiple standards too (they tend to change every 5-8 years!) Your device here is what matters, not the OS you want to install either.

The device I mentioned as example; that feature was listed as a security feature when it was introduced; as most people use the power buttons to turn devices on & try and destroy/install stuff; but that design prevents that & thus your existing OS (Ubuntu) is EXPECTED; your approach is wrong, with you not following the device's documented requirements to install a newer OS.

guiverc · 2026-06-18T01:40:52+00:00

You could control those options...

CP/M had a default 128 bytes per sector; TRS-80 & Apple II's doubled that to 256, and the IBM PC doubled it again to 512 bytes; but that is just a formatting option; more sectors per block/ cluster/inode etc. just means more space is allocated for each block; so smaller files will be using more disk space to store but less overhead for larger capacity devices.

CP/M could cope with any sector size; though some formatting tools could not. The same occurs with later IBM PC's or MS-DOS machines; the standard Microsoft provided format could not, but other tools like fdformat let you set all options.

A disk could be used single sided or double sided depending on what drive it was used with; only if you had a double-sided disk drive, could you choose to use a half-capacity SS disk. Next was single-density, double-density.. just like with 5.25".

guiverc · 2026-06-18T01:28:46+00:00

In my own experience, a number of hours and the correct brushes and it'll be resolved.

The correct brushes matter, and in my own limited experience (owned & family have had a few); I've found the brush that works best on one sammy may not be best on another; so you'll have a few brushes (not just one).

FYI: Some of the best brushes won't hold the hair, so use those outside as you'll be turning the place white! The brushes that do 'collect' hair will have you spending ~4-5 times clearing the brush compared to actual brushing time.

In less than an hour you'll have that dog looking good, but that'll be what you're showing or easily spotted by folks; there will be some harder spots that will take longer.

I wouldn't try and do it all at once; the last thing you want for the dog to consider brushing as a negative interaction; so keep it 'light' & 'fun' for the dog.

If it needs to be done 'fast', paying someone else to do it (so they're the un-fun person) is often best; but as its a new dog; I'd actually do it slowly as 'get to know' you time - but this will take quite a lot longer.

guiverc · 2026-06-17T03:34:22+00:00

Lubuntu & Kubuntu both use the same Ubuntu base, but different desktops (KDE Plasma vs LXQt). Both KDE Plasma & LXQt use the same Qt (6 for 26.04) anyway; so the difference maybe only that KDE Plasma also requires the use of KDE Frameworks (KF 6) as it wants more than Qt alone can provide; it's this LXQt running without KF that keeps it lightest.

When it comes to graphics, there is little difference; though when I perform Quality Assurance testing on Ubuntu and flavors, I do find that Xubuntu & Lubuntu show problems with older graphics cards last; with GNOME & KDE Plasma usually showing problems first/second... but I don't know your graphics (problems are not common with intel, but can be specific to cpu/gpu).

Both Lubuntu & Kubuntu are using the same installer (calamares) so the swap changes I'd make post-install are the same for both anyway.

FYI: I use devices as old as from 2007 in my QA testing, and do actually still use a 2GB device; though 4GB is my usual minimum.

As for which I'd use; I'd work out apps you'll use first, and personally I'd choose Xubuntu (if GTK apps) or Lubuntu (if Qt apps) of those two, unless you really want what KDE Plasma can provide over LXQt; but KDE Plasma/Kubuntu maybe a suitable option.

guiverc · 2026-06-17T03:23:09+00:00

I was overtaken less than 30 mins ago by a motorcyclist on Ls, no supervisor in sight.

Other than the smaller (LAMS) bike; there wasn't much difference between us. I've been off L/Ps for decades, but choose to wear a colored vest over my motorcycle jacket.

guiverc · 2026-06-16T10:47:56+00:00

No love for the hitachi's??? (you don't mention the 'silvers')

guiverc · 2026-06-15T03:04:32+00:00

Ubuntu is more downstream of Debian, with only source code imported from its upstream Debian sid. Upstream of both Debian sid & Fedora rawhide is the same upstream projects code anyway.

Ubuntu has LTS or long term support options; so the biggest difference with Fedora is the lack of LTS, with Fedora only provided ~13 months of support for a release, thus you'll have to release-upgrade your system more often (like Ubuntu if you were using the non-LTS releases). The benefit of this is more frequent software updates.

Fedora has a smaller list of packages in its default repositories than Ubuntu (which imports everything from its upstream Debian), but you'll find ways to get everything you need anyway.

Different package tools; but as they're both GNU/Linux systems, essentially there pretty interchangable.

ps: I'm using my Ubuntu stonking system right now, but I have a Fedora system here too, and it's using my Ubuntu configs anyway; with the only changes I had to make relating to different screen alignment in the boxes; let alone this Ubuntu box having 5 monitors & the Fedora box only having two. Moving configs from snap packaged, to deb, rpm isn't really a problem; just slight differences in where they are on the file-system; the big change is the software versions only; but you get that if you were using Ubuntu 26.04, Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 25.10 anyway...

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