First, I got a Raspberry Pi, a little ARM-based computer that packs a pretty good punch given it's size and processing. I had tried to use it for a media server, and it works okay for that, but it isn't the best, especially with the media being in a network attached storage device (well, sort of; it's on a USB3.0 external HDD attached to the router).

Second, that laptop that I had Ubuntu 10.10 on? Well, since switching to another machine, I installed Linux Mint on it. The computer, itself, is in pretty rough shape thanks to some poor handling by the children, but it runs Mint just fine. It's a nice little operating system, too.

But, I also have another Ubuntu machine. I don't recall when, but I got a micro tower Dell (think the kind you can find in ER rooms) that came with Windows 10. Of course I would put something else on there—Ubuntu Budgie. It is our more powerful media server for the detached media drive. Intel i5 with 8GB of RAM and a 500GB HDD. We have it attached to our TV as the monitor, so we also use it to Skype as a family from the living room. I've thought about putting a USB3.0 card in so that I could attached the HDD directly to it, but it's working well enough as it is.

So, there's the updated update. Another post...it works.

When I last wrote in this category, I had gotten a new laptop on which I installed Ubuntu 10.10. Since then, I really hadn't updated that computer.

I have, however, since then acquired a new laptop on which I installed Ubuntu Budgie 18.04. It's a nice machine. It came with 4GB of RAM, which I upgraded to the maximum of 16 so that I can use the virtual machines that I also install on it (primarily Windows 7 so that I can use Logos on it). It's been almost two years, now; I got this machine at about the same time that Ubuntu Budgie 18.04 was released (by the version number, that would have been April 2018).

As with all of my Ubuntu experiences, this one has been good, too, so far. I don't expect that to change.

• First of all, I got a new computer. My old laptop still ran well, but it was showing wear and tear otherwise. Keys were popping off of the keyboard, and they wouldn't go back on. The USB ports were getting finicky. So, I got a new laptop. Currently, I'm running Ubuntu 10.10 as my main operating system (I'm not too fond of the GNOME interface used in the later version; I know I can change it, but I'm kinda lazy about it right now).
• I said that Ubuntu was my main operating system. Truth is, I'm running a few on this computer. I'm dual booting, having kept the default installation of Windows 7, shrinking it's partition. It works wonderfully this way.
• However, there are times when I don't want to restart the computer to get into Windows, especially for a Windows-only program I want to use (Luther's Works on DVD, using the Libronix/Logos interface), I have installed VMWare Player in Ubuntu. In VMWare, I have four virtual machines: Windows XP Pro, Haiku (a BeOS clone), Android (an older version), and Mac OS X Leopard. I play around with the other operating systems for fun, but I use Windows XP Pro for more than fun, as mentioned.

Now, however, I can't find the P2K Product ID for the Krave. I can't figure out how to do it with what I have on my computer or by installing some new program. I can't find the information anywhere on the web. I have one other option available to me, but it involves installing a program on another computer, one that may only work on Genevieve's laptop (unless someone out there has the information already and is willing to share it).

Basically, the only thing holding me back from doing some hard-core searching is the necessity for connecting my phone to my computer. I can charge my phone from my computer with no problem. But, I have no need to be able to view and transfer files between my computer and phone's file system...at least, I have no pressing need.

I happened upon an ad on a site I visit regularly. This ad was for Best Buy and Microsoft Office. The central point of the ad was that Microsoft office was "essential for school."

With school starting again soon, I feel honor-bound to let prospective buyers of a Microsoft Office suite that there is a free alternative out there. There is no need to buy one of the suites for $150 (or just $100 at Best Buy, on sale) for just the bare-bones suite or upwards of $680 for the "Ultimate" package. Check out Sun Microsystem's OpenOffice. For a grand total of $0, you get Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, and Base—word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing/diagramming, and database programs, respectively. Each of these are the equivalent of (and in many ways, superior to) Microsoft's Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Access (while Draw really doesn't have a Microsoft Office counterpart, though Publisher comes close). If you're looking for a replacement for Outlook, look no further than Mozilla's Thunderbird with calendar plug-in.

The Microsoft Office suite that comes closest to the OpenOffice/Thunderbird combination would put you back $500. Instead, pay $0 and enjoy software that works better than Microsoft's offering.

Will I keep on doing this via Flock? Probably not. I'm not able to split an entry up so that only part of it displays on the front page (and the rest, thereby, accessible on an entry page). Nevermind that my default and preferred browser is Firefox. Still, it's kind of neat to be able to do this; so, I may do an occasional entry from Flock if I ever find myself using the browser again in the future.

Now, I'm not exactly in the market for a new computer. Sure, I'd like another laptop for Genevieve's use. And, if the right deal comes along for something else, I might bite. But, I'm certainly not actively looking for another computer.

But if I were looking for another computer, having Windows as an operating system is not a selling point (as it is often advertised). If I were to get a computer for myself, I would put Linux on it (assuming it's not a Mac). And if I do get that laptop for Genevieve, I would ask her if she wanted to stay with Windows (Vista is probably the version, especially if it's a new computer) or learn Linux from me.

I just don't like Windows anymore...I simply don't want it.

But, there seems to be some sort of conversion going on...in me. I find myself having become one of those dreaded "linux users" I used to shake my head at when talking to them online. Everytime there was any kind of quirk—from a mild nuisance to full-out bug and error complaint—the gist of their response was always, "Well, linux is better." I'm finding that to be true.

The thing is, though, I remember once, while still exclusively using Windows, writing to them to stop making such claims to me because they weren't helpful. Windows has the market share; Windows is what developers develop for; Windows is what one is expected to know how to use if computer experience is required. And, at the time it was what I was used to, it was what I knew, and I didn't have the time (nor did I want to put in the effort) to learn another operating system, no matter how superior to what I was using—despite any previous experience I had with it (or ports and spoons of it).

Now, like I said, I've discovered the truth of the superiority of linux over Windows (and guess what, folks...it isn't that hard or time-consuming to learn). More than that, however, I'm becoming one of those "linux users" where I'm scorning (almost) everything that is Windows. In fact, I've become more anti-Microsoft that I ever used to be (before, I merely tolerated them).

For instance—moving into the video-gaming scene—I hear/read stories left and right of people's X-box 360s breaking down. In fact, Microsoft has admitted that the problem is bad enough since they've automatically extended everyone's warranty to 3 years (since most consoles only come with 90-day or 1-year warranties). And, the first thought that always comes to mind when people complain about this is, "And we expected better from the company that brought us Windows?"

Yup, I think my conversion is almost complete.

And here's the kicker. I'm comfortable doing it. I know what I'm doing. I mean, I'm no expert at this OS, but I get by. And what I can't figure out, the internet is a terrific resource for line commands and programs to use to get done what I need to get done. And installing programs is so much easier here than in Windows.

And, speaking of Windows, here's the other kicker. I don't miss Windows. Seriously! Almost everything I can do in Windows, I can do with my linux machine. There are only two things that I am doing without (and, really, they aren't big deals): latest flash player (Linux users are currently stuck at version 7, while Windows users have version 9...some web sites require "the latest version" to function properly), but that is being worked on by Adobe, from what I understand, and the ability to play all DVDs (some DVDs are non-free to play, so to speak, and Windows has the licenses to play them, actual DVD players, for all intents and purposes, aren't affected). Also, it is true I'm more comfortable using some Windows programs, such as Photoshop over The Gimp, but I know The Gimp well enough right now that I can do some things, and I'm sure I can learn it well enough to use it as well as or even better than Photoshop.

So, the short of it is, I like linux!

Now, the computer joke of the household (though speaking long-term, not a joke), is that our next computer is going to have a DVD-burner on it (great idea for large storage backup...though a blu-ray burner would be nice for really large storage backup). And it'll probably have a pretty large HDD and be a dedicated file server. Windows? Probably, just so it communicates nicely with everything in our house (though I could do that with linux, too.