Free Software Thoughts

Switch to a free operating system and software set

Everything on this page is only my personal opinion.

Linux is in my opinion the best choice of operating system for modern computers. This is for several reasons. Windows is now so full of bloat, so full of login demands, so full of nuisances, that it just isn't worth using anymore. As of the end of 2023, Windows 7 and 8 licenses no longer activate newer versions of Windows, so all the COAs on old laptops are no longer useable. So it's now no longer frgual to me either. I buy old laptops on ebay and use them until there is nothing left, and I don't like to spend more than $50-100 on my daily-driver. Any i5 or i7 will do just fine for most computing needs, and everything runs fast so long as you don't run out of RAM or use a hard disk instead of solid state. That is, unless you're a modern gamer, or a graphics artist, or something of that nature. Powerful computers are not needed to enter data, browse the web, watch movies, etc.

So, instead of paying for something that is such a pain, frequently demands your data, is full of bloat, and is made by one of the worst corporations on the planet, just download a free operating system. These days they are bloated too, but not to nearly the same degree. Plus, it can look like whatever you want it to look like, unlike recent Windows which can only look like Microsoft wants it to look like. I choose the Windows 95 look with the Chicago95 theme:

[Lubuntu] Basically Ubuntu with a different, better default software set. Best for a casual user
[FreeBSD] Another Unix-like. A favorite of mine, though I haven't used it in forever (excluding PFSense), not best for a casual user

If the idea of a new OS scares you, try it in a [virtual machine] first.

My other free software favorites:

Graphics editing

[GIMP] Gets more annoying with every release but still infinitely useful
[Krita] Flashy and smooth, better for artists

Web browsers
Almost every web browser shares common lineage, unfortunately. They all run on Blink, which is based on Webkit, or Webkit itself. The exception of course being Firefox and derivatives like Waterfox. Still, I find Vivaldi to be decent.

[Vivaldi] my favorite browser, currently
[Firefox] a decent browser but I still hold a grudge for [helping destroy Dissenter]

[GPT4All] Instead of sending all your data and thoughts to Microsoft or OpenAI, try this simple piece of software with a 'brain' like Mistral. It runs on basically everything with 8GB of RAM or more. Then advance to more complicated stuff if you get hooked. I personally use Ollama and Oobabooga on top of llama.cpp these days but those are not for the casual PC user.

Routers

[PFSense] A router distro running on FreeBSD. Very useful for businesses.


the new names don't make no damn sense neither
[Apps] [About]	Switch to a free operating system and software set Everything on this page is only my personal opinion. Linux is in my opinion the best choice of operating system for modern computers. This is for several reasons. Windows is now so full of bloat, so full of login demands, so full of nuisances, that it just isn't worth using anymore. As of the end of 2023, Windows 7 and 8 licenses no longer activate newer versions of Windows, so all the COAs on old laptops are no longer useable. So it's now no longer frgual to me either. I buy old laptops on ebay and use them until there is nothing left, and I don't like to spend more than $50-100 on my daily-driver. Any i5 or i7 will do just fine for most computing needs, and everything runs fast so long as you don't run out of RAM or use a hard disk instead of solid state. That is, unless you're a modern gamer, or a graphics artist, or something of that nature. Powerful computers are not needed to enter data, browse the web, watch movies, etc. So, instead of paying for something that is such a pain, frequently demands your data, is full of bloat, and is made by one of the worst corporations on the planet, just download a free operating system. These days they are bloated too, but not to nearly the same degree. Plus, it can look like whatever you want it to look like, unlike recent Windows which can only look like Microsoft wants it to look like. I choose the Windows 95 look with the Chicago95 theme: [Lubuntu] Basically Ubuntu with a different, better default software set. Best for a casual user [FreeBSD] Another Unix-like. A favorite of mine, though I haven't used it in forever (excluding PFSense), not best for a casual user If the idea of a new OS scares you, try it in a [virtual machine] first. My other free software favorites: Graphics editing [GIMP] Gets more annoying with every release but still infinitely useful [Krita] Flashy and smooth, better for artists Web browsers Almost every web browser shares common lineage, unfortunately. They all run on Blink, which is based on Webkit, or Webkit itself. The exception of course being Firefox and derivatives like Waterfox. Still, I find Vivaldi to be decent. [Vivaldi] my favorite browser, currently [Firefox] a decent browser but I still hold a grudge for [helping destroy Dissenter] AI [GPT4All] Instead of sending all your data and thoughts to Microsoft or OpenAI, try this simple piece of software with a 'brain' like Mistral. It runs on basically everything with 8GB of RAM or more. Then advance to more complicated stuff if you get hooked. I personally use Ollama and Oobabooga on top of llama.cpp these days but those are not for the casual PC user. Routers [PFSense] A router distro running on FreeBSD. Very useful for businesses.

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