Trying Linux Again
To keep my general everyday browsing and computer use (what little that there is) separate from my blogging activities I use a separate laptop just for writing. I like to think that having a dedicated blogging device that only contains blogging related files and bookmarks puts me in a more focused mindset (never mind that I could just add another user account to my everyday laptop).
As we all know Microsoft are going to render thousands, if not millions, of computers and devices obsolete with their restrictive requirements for Windows 11. Whilst I can appreciate that lines need to be drawn to ensure a baseline level of security and reduce the amount of hardware configurations Microsoft need to support and test, I can't help but feel that the line has been drawn for hardware that really isn't old enough to become unsupported.
The laptop I use for writing is an HP Elitebook 8470w with a third generation i5 processor. I'm not about to argue that this machine should still be supported by Windows 11 as it is over a decade old (though still perfectly cable for basic tasks) but as Windows 10 will stop receiving updates in about a year, I need to think about how I proceed forwards in order to keep the machine up to date. To install Windows 11 I'd need to perform some workarounds and it appears that feature updates will need a manual install, something that I can't really be arsed to do.
Inspiration struck - this is a perfect opportunity to try Linux.It will reinvigorate an old machine and keep it supported with security updates and offer a chance to become more familiar with Linux.
My first experience with Linux was on an Acer One netbook around 2009. My dad bought one and it ran some Acer-themed linux distro which was very restrictive and basic. I managed to follow some online guides and install Ubuntu which I was quite proud of at the time. It worked, but it had quirks, and I found that I needed to extensively Google how to do almost all basic administrative tasks. Online guides all assumed prior knowledge, so I'd be Googling how to do each step individually! 'Enter this command', where? 'Change directory to X', how? Everything was alien to me as a lifelong Windows user.
I did install Ubuntu on a couple of machines since this first experience, most notably once at a previous job to use as a USB scanning machine to ensure media was clear of threats before plugging into a domain PC. It was quite usable but it had certain issues - I think sleep didn't function right and WiFi could be funky, but it worked well enough for its intended purpose.
It seems like not much has changed since.
Linux Mint is running well on this old Elitebook, but it feels very similar to Ubuntu of ten years ago. The mid 2000s theming is charming in a low-rent, basic computing sort of way, and it really screams on this SSD machine - much better than Windows, but guess what? WiFi is mostly okau but sometimes needs a little nudge along to connect and sleep results in some graphical issues when waking. Feels very familiar..!
I could see it working ok on a desktop machine where there is much less in the way of unique hardware to need special drivers - less hardware, less risk of something not being supported - and for web browsing this ten year old machine feels great! Most productivity on computers these days, for me, can take place almost entirely in the browser so the software support factor becomes less problematic.
It crossed my mind that perhaps this could be an option for my partner, whose X1 Carbon isn't supported by Windows 11, but she is a Microsoft 365 subscriber and a heavy OneDrive user, so instantly there is a compatibility issue. I'm sure workarounds probably exist but any friction for someone who wants their computer to purely be a tool will not be received well. It needs to 'just work' and I wouldn't be confident that could ever be the case, not to speak of any other software that could be needed for jobs at a moment's notice!
So I'll stick with Linux on here and perhaps I'll even try some different distributions or mess about with customisation. Stepping out of the Windows world is refreshing in some respects and it gets me itching a little to investigate other platforms for shits and giggles. I'm a nerd for retro computers, so I could write on some obscure OS, as long as I could shuttle the data over! Or I could try an old Macbook..