My only comment is I was surprised my work - which uses Windows and has closed source software exclusively - has VLC installed on all workstations and even as the default media player as well. It’s a testament to how ubiquitous and approachable VLC is to be included in such a fashion over just Windows Media Player or some other form.
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I heard about this new company called Linux
I thought it was funny at least, so you gave me a good laugh.
I’d say Linux Mint or Ubuntu (you’re familiar with this one) would be good “Out of the Box” options. They run an environment known as “Debian” so they’re super similar and are pretty similar to what Windows offers in all honesty. You just burn them to a USB, run them from your desired computer’s BIOS, and the rest is through a GUI interface you can follow along with. I have no experience with a touchscreen as I’m running Linux Mint XFCE (lightest weight version) on a laptop from the early 2010’s with an Intel N2820 in it, but I’m assuming some workaround can exist to implement that. You also seem somewhat familiar with the alternative programs for different purposes, but rest assured both Ubuntu and Mint come with file explorers (Mint XFCE uses one called Thunar which is pretty effective) and you can easily swap out/install a different file manager to get jobs done as needed.
Plus - any programs you used with Windows which may not have Linux alternatives or versions - can be run through Wine. I’ve encountered a few hiccups when doing this (like a program I needed for school which was unable to pass the initial installation and actually run the program).
I’ve run Linux Mint XFCE as my daily driver for work and school tasks on my laptop for about 2-3 years at this point and it’s been pretty great. Full disclosure: I still run Windows 11 on my main PC at home and have Windows 10 on a HTPC/Server with docker on it (though I’ve been debating switching to Ubuntu for this as well) so I still know there are benefits to a Windows system (while working to remove any and all advertising and AI garbage) but if I were to recommend someone a distro it would be as I’ve said above.
Good luck! Hope you find one that works for you!
mbryson@lemmy.cato Fediverse@lemmy.ml•Would there be interest and support in potentially building an art focused lemmy instance?5·2 years agoI have no way of helping, but this is a great idea. Art by nature supports collaboration, and so having an instance wherein users can be local to other mediums or discussions on the same instance as a whole is a wonderful idea!
mbryson@lemmy.cato Gaming@beehaw.org•Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of August 6th1·2 years agoLoop Hero! It’s free on Epic right now and I’ve been really enjoying it! A nice blend of procedural generation, deck building, and roguelike allow it to be a very rewarding and engrossing experience overall where I feel I’m consistently progressing.
I still haven’t been able to beat The Lich yet, but little by little I’m knocking his health down that much further to make the loop (heh) feel rewarding!
mbryson@lemmy.cato Technology@beehaw.org•Threads Has Lost More Than 80% of Its Daily Active Users5·2 years agoIsn’t mastodon the federated microblogging replacement? Lemmy & kbin are the forum/news aggregator replacement instead, correct?
mbryson@lemmy.cato Free and Open Source Software@beehaw.org•The Fediverse has a Mental Health Problem33·2 years agoAs much as Reddit has done wrong (hence me being here as a part of the migration) one thing I always liked was the mention of “remember the human”. This isn’t a network of bots, but actual individual people interacting and - in the case of this article - creating the things you are utilizing. Jerboa has a weird issue where if I hit “back” on what I think should be a sub screen to “home” as the main page of the app, I instead leave the app entirely. Does this mean I am warranted to passive aggressively - or even with well intentions - tag the developer on mastodon to request a fix? No. That’s what support requests are for.
I think people with the advent of the internet and the ease of communication over text have forgotten empathy with those alongside them on the internet. We need to refocus the way we communicate on these platforms - federated or not - to respect the opinions and thoughts of those around us. (Not necessarily agree, but respect.) I also like the proposed idea of the support line for developers of federated tech and sites, as it may provide alleviation for the stress sudden large influxes of users can cause on often one person teams acting as Atlas and holding these instances and servers up for their userbase.
TL;DR: Everybody Love Everybody.
mbryson@lemmy.cato Gaming@beehaw.org•Has anyone heard anything about a game called "YEAH! YOU WANT 'THOSE GAMES RIGHT' SO HERE YOU GO, NOW LET'S SEE YOU CLEAR THEM!"4·2 years agoI haven’t played it but I heard about it on a podcast I enjoy: Podquisition. One of the hosts - Laura K Buzz - seemed favourable towards it and recommended it to those drawn to that style of quick to understand but continuously engaging games with simple tasks to complete, and after listening it genuinely made me want to give it a shot.
mbryson@lemmy.cato Music@beehaw.org•[Day 15] F NOTE - Too Many Zooz - 100 Days, 100 Albums3·2 years agoMy wife loves these guys, specifically Leo P on the saxophone. Neat to see them mentioned here. I’ll have to check out the album!
mbryson@lemmy.cato Linux@lemmy.ml•My little brother loves the dualboot setup I installed for him. He says "It's like iOS"10·2 years agoI had the same thought process seeing the software repository on Linux Mint for the first time. It really is set up like a MacOS or general Appstore interface.
Happy for your brother getting comfortable with Linux so quickly! Way to go!
mbryson@lemmy.cato Linux@lemmy.ml•What are the main challenges in Linux adoption for New users, and how can it be addressed?English13·2 years agoA lot of people have already talked about the onboarding/installation experience, so I’ll just chime in and say a lot of new users are unfamiliar with using a terminal for commands and instead favour a GUI experience solely for their tasks. Most modern and commercially appealing distros are moving in this direction (ie applications running the same terminal commands in the background with an easy to understand UI at the front) but I’d still say the community’s insistence on terminal over all other forms of executing a command may be a turn off for the layman trying it for the first time after Windows and MacOS.
Almost makes me think it would be more ideal to reduce the stigma associated with executing commands in the terminal and find some way to get people more comfortable with using it, both via Linux and also CMD for Windows as well.
Honestly? My old laptop was having issues (not major but not ideal in terms of overall performance) running Windows 10 and it inspired me to try out a few distros. I later learned after trying a few:
- Overall Linux isn’t scary at all, with an abundance of tutorials and documentation provided. (Just be aware of trying not to solve all problems with random hammers, or rather using any tutorial to fix the symptoms you’re having)
- In terms of customization it’s second to none. Privacy wise has been well documented, but even aesthetically via the UI you have a ton of options. (Plug for unixporn@lemmy.ml for some inspiration.)
- Finally it’s nice just to tinker with Linux as a project. There’s only so much you can do with Windows or MacOS, while Linux is open and allows for a variety of programs, tools, and more. It allows you to get more comfortable with your computer and by extension more comfortable with technology in general!
mbryson@lemmy.cato boardgames@feddit.de•Do you have boardgame cafes in your area?English2·2 years agoWe have two near us and both are a great time! My wife is more into board games than I am but the food is delicious usually and their selection has both old favourites alongside new board games to try for the first time as well! It’s a really great outing idea whether for a date, a social get together with friends, etc. Highly recommend going if one’s close by!
mbryson@lemmy.cato Fediverse@lemmy.ml•This happened quickly…Lemmy is now the second biggest platform next to mastodon!?!1·2 years agoMastodon numbers are crazy when compared to the rest of the software on that list. Makes me wonder just how many are active users and/or how many search “Mastodon” after Musk bought twitter, made an account on mastodon.social and left it.
mbryson@lemmy.cato Technology@beehaw.org•Update from Lemmy after the Reddit blackoutEnglish29·2 years agoI’m really enjoying Lemmy to be honest. A decentralized platform rekindles the feeling of internet forums and the excitement of finding something new in each community. Seeing such a candid report from the developers is nice as well and reaffirms my decision to stay, regardless of reddit’s decisions or direction as a platform.
Keep up the great work everyone involved!
mbryson@lemmy.cato World News@beehaw.org•Netflix is reportedly getting ready to stream its first-ever sporting event2·2 years agoNHL on Netflix might make me more inclined to subscribe, though IIRC doesn’t NHL have its own streaming service or similar concept?
mbryson@lemmy.cato Technology@beehaw.org•so, which Big Tech company do you think is going to shit the bed next and popularize its Fediverse/FOSS equivalent in the process?2·2 years agoIt’ll be hard to get people to not only detach from something they’re accustomed to, but also then attach to something unfamiliar.
I tried and am trying again with Mastodon, but a lack of users I wish to follow, a more confusing premise at times, and just overall more enjoyment overall (if that) with twitter as a platform makes it a challenge.
Lemmy however has checked all the boxes. It literally feels exactly like Reddit, and honestly like a fresh start to avoid the various decisions both Reddit admins and the community itself made along the way. I’m hoping more for the latter experience than forming when diving into the fediverse, but my above statement is most likely applicable for a wide sample of people out there.
Discovered these guys recently. Lot of good stuff off of their latest NO HANDS. WHERE U FROM is especially a major highlight for the unconventional beat alone.