Operating System Discussion

Ubuntu

If you're looking for a semi beginner Debian based Linux distro, look no further! Ubuntu is a pretty beginner friendly OS, there might be some instances where you'll need to use the terminal to install things but it's not too complex. It's one of the oldest Linux distros that's still actively being worked on too. Are you rocking Ubuntu? I currently have it installed on a external SSD and I dual boot with Windows 11 and Ubuntu. If I could I would make the full switch to Ubuntu, but there are programs that I use that will not work under Ubuntu. Anyways if you're looking to switch to Linux give Ubuntu a try! Note: Ubuntu is also used for hosting. The link below is for a desktop environment, not a hosting one!
https://ubuntu.com/desktop

I've used Ubuntu and it's my favorite distro of Linux. Used it for years after I settled on it. Back when I ran my first forum, Ayeka's Bliss, I ran my own server, and compiled everything I could on it. I had an IRC server, ShoutCast server, and a bunch of other normal things like FTP and junk. Before I made the switch to Ubuntu, I was rebooting my server nearly every day. Yeah, as awesome as Windows XP was, it was still pretty trashy. (We're talking 2003 - 4, here.)

I also had an Acer laptop back in 2010, and the hard drive just died on it. I was super pissed off, because I had 80% of a business plan nearly completed on that laptop, and it was gone! I was also broke, so I couldn't afford to get a replacement hard drive. Luckily, I remembered that I had a copy of Ubuntu on a USB stick and I installed the ISO to the same USB stick. It worked! I seriously didn't think it would but it was a game changer for me, because now, I could literally take my entire computer with me in my pocket wherever I went. I thought it was pretty neat.

Today, I have a copy of Ubuntu on this crappy ASUS laptop with 2 GB of RAM I got from Best Buy. I still haven't really had a need to use the laptop, because I use my smartphone for most things when I'm on the go. Anyway, I put Ubuntu on there becase I wanted to play around with the OS some more. I will say, it's one of the most stable distros I had the pleasure of working with. Maybe if I ever get a desk job again, I'll have a need to use a laptop, and I'm pretty sure that I'll just keep using Ubuntu. At least that's not tied down to a stupid subscription service, like Window$ is going to starting with version 12.... but that's a rant for another day.

Lubuntu would probably work a bit better on your crappy laptop lol. I had Lubuntu on a flash drive before I got this SSD and installed Ubuntu on it. I also have Linux mint on a hard drive, wasn't the fastest thing since it's a mechanical hard drive. I need to install Ubuntu on my gaming HP Pavilion laptop that Windows 10 didn't update properly on. :V

I'm not too worried about performance. Mainly the laptop is just a desk weight at this point, collecting dust. It's my emergency oh crap, my computer isn't working and I have this crazy idea I need to get down on paper NOW! coping device. If I ever get a job working Unix/Linux Sys Admin then I'll really kick my re-mastery of the OS into high gear, but that's unlikely because I don't have the certs, the time to get the certs, the money to get the certs, and I don't have a college degree

Or when Microsoft forces me to abandon using Windows because I absolutely refuse to pay a monthly subscription to use my computer that I already bought and paid for.

I know this OS but never used it. I might try this on my old devices (I have one 8 years old laptop) because they say this OS is better on old hardware.

So I might make the full switch soon to Ubuntu. I hate being forced to update Windows when I don't want to. I looked into some of the programs that I use for Sonic hacking, and the emulator I use is compatible on Linux so that's good. The compiling tool I use for my Sonic disassemblies also has a native Linux build. I would need to get a decent text editor that has markup tools for z80 assembler and I would also need to rewrite my batch file that is used to build the ROM to work in Linux but I could probably figure it out. I have a ton of files that I have saved on my windows install though.

Yeah, tell me about the intrusive Windows Updates forcing me to update and reboot, when all I want to do is go to bed. It's been obnoxious lately, nearly every other day it seems.

On Aug 14, 2026, Senkusha said:

Yeah, tell me about the intrusive Windows Updates forcing me to update and reboot, when all I want to do is go to bed. It's been obnoxious lately, nearly every other day it seems.

Yeah when I made that post we were getting a thunderstorm and I had already updated Windows the night before but it still only gave me the option to update and shut down. x_X Also the Windows Recall feature I think may have snuck it's way back into the operating system which isn't good.

Looks like I need to do some research about this Windows Recall feature…