Nice! Thanks for sharing this analysis.

I thought our primary way of producing new Linux users was sexual reproduction and then indoctrination from birth…

Interesting. I would have guessed that Mint gave ChromeOS a run for it’s money, by now.

Yes. By the porn stats, Linux already crushes ChromeOs. Let’s not take any advice from it.

I’m not sure Grandma and Grandpa would want a steam machine as a replacement for their aging Windows 7 home computer.

Fair. But for my gram, it would have been a slam dunk day one buy. She loved her playstation and only tolerated her PC. She would have called a Steam Machine “my game console that can check email” and would have adored it.

I tolerate continued existence out of a morbid sense of curiosity.

That’s beautiful, in it’s own way.

I felt that way at one point. It led me, eventually, to moments that I later decided mattered very much, to me.

If I hadn’t had that morbid curiosity, I’m not sure I would have made it to those moments I now cherish.

Here’s to morbid curiosity!

I grew to love Linux because I was hating Windows, I don’t hate Windows because I love Linux. And I don’t want to hate Windows, I wish they were slowly becoming anti-user, but they keep adding (forcing) features that are so unfriendly to the user.

Yes. If Windows was still like Windows XP, I don’t know if I would have ever switched. It used to be fun, not soul sucking.

There’s lots of other reasons I’m glad I switched, of course.

I find the windows update and Linux graphical updater processes identical. They only diverge at the end when the Windows one fails with a mysterious error message and offers to retry or open a troubleshooter that won’t work.

Windows arguably is, indeed, two or three different systems stapled together. There’s the C code kernal bits, the .Net runtime higher level bits, and the Electron “this didn’t need to be fast anyway and we only knew how to write JavaScript” bits.

until it came time to install new software.

That is the big giveaway. I used the term “It’s free” too many times when setting up software for them. “I used to have to pay for all of that.”

I always hard code IPv4 addresses. Load balancing and DNS resolution are an admission of weakness.

(This is sarcasm. WTF Steam?)

Linux Mint is so nice.

I would turn off “Secure Boot” in BIOS before doing the upgrade.

It officially works, but can throw in unnecessary challenges - and Mom probably isn’t traveling with national secrets next week anyway.

I text my friends. I assume that everyone else just thinks I died.

The move between seeing “your brother in law took the kids to the zoo” to “your brother in law liked this trash article” was such a jarring transition.

It was awful.

“Oh, look. He’s a little bit racist. Now I get to know that. Thanks Facebook.”

Pen and paper is great for whenever I can’t get my hands on a chisel and rock wall.

This is the way.

Or do I just have a really weak electric stove?

I think you might just have a really weak one, or poor compatibility pots? I’ve had both, and if anything my gas burners feel a little slower and cooler than my induction stove did.

Tablet pornography must be nice.

That seems like someone who made a plan, and then lived out their best evening.

I imagine those tablet Pornhub users probably prepared themselves a nice mixed drink, set out some snacks, and got all cozy in a bathrobe first.

Tablet pornhub sounds like some kind of intentional self care.

Haha!

But uh…I would watch that. That sounds pretty hot.

Be sure to take a moment to reboot into desktop, and search the built in Linux app store for free games. There’s some absolute gems.

Edit: And after installing, right click the game on the desktop or menu, and choose “Add To Steam”, to make it show up in the usual Steam interface.