Computer Help and Support

I was using that when I first logged on to Democratic Underground.

Now my desktop machine, and one of my laptops, run Debian. The Debian laptop can also be booted into Windows 10.

Linux installations don't always go smoothly. I wouldn't do it without a full backup on an external drive and a second computer.

With a second computer you'll still have internet access so you can find out what went wrong.

I usually install Linux when I first get a "new" computer.

All my new computers are used. A computer that is sluggish running Windows 10 will be quite nimble running a lighter weight Linux desktop, especially LXDE.

LXDE will run well on a machine with 1 gigabyte of memory. That's the desktop environment the $35 Raspberry Pi uses.

I use LibreOffice which is a fork of Open Office. It handles Microsoft Office documents without any problems.

I'm posting this from a Chromebook. It's actually the machine I use most, and the one that "just works" for internet browsing, email, and writing. It runs eight hours or more on a battery charge and I never have to fuss with it. It's the machine I bring with me when I travel unless I absolutely *must* bring a Windows or Linux machine.

The only things I don't use my Chromebook for are complex photo editing, writing and compiling code, or emulating other machines. I don't play any hardware-intensive computer games so that's not a problem.

Now that the newer Chromebooks run Android apps as well as Chrome OS apps they'll be very familiar to anyone who uses a smartphone.

Honestly, I don't want to hear about anyone's misadventures with Windows anymore. I just want to tell them to buy a Chromebook and quit bothering me.

The IT departments at our local high schools have been totally corrupted by Google. Students and teachers can use their own laptops, but Chromebooks are recommended and that's what the kids who can't afford their own computers are given. There's not a lot of sympathy for people suffering Windows or Apple problems.