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For many people, the #Linux vs #Windows vs #Mac debate is a privilege — it assumes you can choose. But working with the Computer Upcycle Project, I've seen the real choice is often Linux vs no computer at all.
~95% of donated computers are "too old" for Windows 11 or macOS. Linux installs on them anyway, adding 10+ years of life to machines #Microsoft and #Apple called trash.
This isn't Linux vs Windows. It's Linux vs e-waste.
Kotes likes this.
reshared this
Their motto is deception.
in reply to Mike • • •Sylkykat (she/her) 📚🖖🦉🐱☕️🇺🇦
in reply to Mike • • •Mike
in reply to Mike • • •Ashwin Dixit
in reply to Mike • • •It's time we show windows the door.
It's a castle made of sand, and I feel a wave of freedom coming.
rant.li/ashwin/castles-made-of…
castles-made-of-sand
rant.liPlan-A likes this.
thegardendude 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸
in reply to Mike • • •Mike
in reply to thegardendude 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 • • •@thegardendude I put one together just for this purpose. Or something more mainstream like Linux mint.
nixbookos.org/
Nixbook OS
nixbookos.orgAshwin Dixit
in reply to Mike • • •@thegardendude
I am an experienced Linux user and excited about nixOS. Doesn't it require some scripting though, compared to other distros?
This looks very good. I hope you put together some more sections on the webpage, like a FAQ, describing how you have made it easier.
I'm planning to derive a distro from nixOS, and replace the nix language with an existing, popular, battle-tested scripting language like Ruby or Perl. ( Ruling out Python & Raku ). This could drive adoption.
Plan-A
in reply to Ashwin Dixit • — (0.0.0.0) •@Ashwin Dixit @thegardendude 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 @Mike
NixOS doesn't require traditional scripting. Instead of writing imperative shell scripts to install packages or configure services, you define your entire system's desired state in a declarative configuration file using the Nix language.
This means you declare what your system should look like (e.g., "I want Firefox and a web server enabled"), and NixOS handles the "how" automatically. This approach provides powerful benefits like reproducibility, atomic upgrades, and easy rollbacks, replacing ad-hoc scripts with a single, version-controllable source of truth.
There is no other way..
Metamere
in reply to thegardendude 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 • • •Coming from Windows, I found Linux Mint to make for an easy transition. If you're more used to the Mac OS, I've heard Ubuntu might be a good option (wasn't for me).
Ashwin Dixit
in reply to Metamere • • •@Metamere @thegardendude
I agree. I was also excited about Ubuntu, though they have added snap packages, and other proprietary extensions.
flo
in reply to Metamere • • •@Metamere @thegardendude
Instaed of Ubuntu, check out Solus, which is pretty well maintained and doesn't need to hide.
I use it as my main distro since ~ a year and like it.
fourmiune
in reply to thegardendude 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 • • •🌈☔🌦️🍄🌱🍉
in reply to thegardendude 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 • • •Sensitive content
Elizabeth
in reply to Mike • • •Mike
in reply to Elizabeth • • •Plan-A
in reply to Mike • — (0.0.0.0) •@Mike Fedora Atomic version for the win, really.
Not only the upgrades are rollback but it's immutable> there get to know containers!
They can hack your container or a tool of it but not the host at all.
All tools are in their Podman under the hood container form named Toolbox ( an easy way to manage tools in a container with just 1 command)
As running all tools exposed to internet in a container, for other tools you can take Flatpak > on fedora they are sandboxed.
like this
Kagami is they/them 🏳️⚧️ and Mike like this.
⚛️Revertron
in reply to Mike • • •flo
in reply to ⚛️Revertron • • •@Revertron
Depends on what a user *really* does with their computer.
Supposedly, more than 90% us it for "standard work", like web browsing, mail, (simple) office work.
Linux can do these jobs well enough on most older hardware.
@codemonkeymike
Plan-A likes this.
deadguy
in reply to Mike • • •jandi
in reply to Mike • • •Damn right!
A friend asked me for help with their laptop, the manufacturer's site told me, when inquiring about the exact model, straight up TO BUY ANOTHER.
An 8GB RAM Ryzen 5!
The cherry on top is that, after installing Linux, fwupd worked flawlessly and updated the firmware right from the manufacturer!
The laptop is fully compatible with latest EVERYTHING and they don't even advertise it.
It's foolish and wildly anti-ecological. Please bring those machines to good use.
Elon Muksis 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇪🇺
in reply to Mike • • •Cliff'sEsportCorner
in reply to Elon Muksis 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇪🇺 • • •Jigme Datse
in reply to Mike • • •andybrwn
in reply to Mike • • •GunChleoc
in reply to andybrwn • • •@andybrwn You can take a gander at distrosea.com/
Also, you can stick a couple of Linux distros on a USB stick and run them straight from there. Unlike Windows, no installation needed until you are ready to commit to a distro.
@codemonkeymike
Test Linux distros online - DistroSea
DistroSeaPlan-A likes this.
Plan-A
in reply to GunChleoc • •VWestlife
in reply to Mike • • •purple 💜
in reply to VWestlife • • •brave to bring it on the internet :\
(yes, old crap is still in the wild)
tschenkel
in reply to VWestlife • • •Older versions of Windows are not an option. Since they don't receive updates anymore, they are open barndoors for malware.
Plan-A
in reply to tschenkel • — (0.0.0.0) •As base, if you want more install DistroBox and put another Distro Linux on it on top.
On this pc I use hypervisor to run my Linux with greatest part of SSD but others as refurbished iMac's are all Linux from boot.
Ana Tudor 🐯
in reply to VWestlife • • •Hans
in reply to Mike • • •Kyle Memoir 🍉🐧
in reply to Mike • • •Exactly.
My 13-y-o MacBook is exciting again.
And once again performing like the day I first unboxed it.
Because Linux/GNU.
Plan-A likes this.
izzy | Technically Good ✨
in reply to Mike • • •Yes!! I have an ASUS Vivobook from when I was in grad school ca. 2016 - would have likely gone to the Eco station if I'd tried to install Win 11 on it.
Instead, it is humming along juuuust fine with @pop_os_official on it. I use it to do research and write articles for my blog, plus assorted feed reading, browsing, email, all that good stuff. Even some light Steam gaming.
And it looks sleeker than Windows ever did!
#Linux #upcycle
💀 Mirko 💀
in reply to Mike • • •I don't want to win an argument, but please tell the full story. You are hurting only yourself.
Plan-A
in reply to 💀 Mirko 💀 • •Steen Eiler Jørgensen
in reply to Mike • • •Khleedril
in reply to Steen Eiler Jørgensen • • •QCCEクリス
in reply to Mike • • •You know, the CUP or C.U.P. is a perfect name for the perversion of AI infested systems. Since they will be spying on you all day and all night.
#Blue #MicrosoftCUP #AppleCUP
Howard Chu @ Symas
in reply to Mike • • •Tock
in reply to Howard Chu @ Symas • • •@hyc Especially "newer is not always better". ("Almost Human" was such a great TV Show.)
Windows 11's clarion call back in 2021 was "hardware vulnerabilities have changed the game." Here in 2026, AI backed exploits are impacting cybersecurity in a manner that resembles the rein of Caligula. Now consider the quantum computing threat that almost no one is talking about thanks to AI. This is essentially a promise of remaking encryption from the ground up... Making everything a degree harder and slower online for all.
No hardware choices are reasonably going to stop those issues.
Then throw in RAMpocalypse: Prices skyrocketing on storage and RAM, but not just RAM, CPU shortages are next. AI datacenters are eating up the consumer supply, threatening to destroy the entire tech market for computers below $500 (I'd argue $1,000 with Trump in office)... so it's all a wash anyway.
TL;DR: When the decision is "have a laptop that isn't perfect, or have nothing at all", fuck it. Keep going with Linux.
SevenDeadlyExes
in reply to Mike • • •