VRchat, the OpenXR format, and custom-built/3d printed VR headsets come to mind.

Wonder how much a company could make providing a low-cost VPN whose sole purpose is to to make US residents appear to be from California XD

4GB RAM? That’s a whole vanilla Minecraft Java edition server right there, for free! :)

I’m currently in the inverse situation - was an active Mint user, but I’m running into gaming-related roadblocks due to Mint’s update philosophy, so I might be jumping to CatchyOS.

Nah, Ubuntu is perfect for a Mac user - they love the abusive, arbitrary decisions made by their OS designers lol

Holy shit voyager dude. Could I get a virtual autograph? Love your app!

Like 9limmer mentioned, Bazzite would be a good gaming focused choice for a beginner. There are alternatives like CatchyOS, but those are geared towards more experienced users.

I guess a good question would be what software you plan on using. If it’s something more reliant on frequent updates and feature releases like gaming, the choice would be a bit different compared to something like office work or common browsing, where stability would be prioritized (at the cost of slower updates).

Mint, for example, is a great jumping off point for Windows users because of the familiar User Interface and a focus on stability and lack of prior knowledge required - but it lags behind when it comes to cutting edge stuff for things like gaming.

From Ebay it sure doesn’t. That’s like claiming Nintendo gets a cut of second hand cartridge sales.

Shoutout to Revanced patcher if you’d like an app equivalent with the same level of customization

When I was working as an IT contractor for a California High School district, I remember replacing the windows 10 machines myself with newer prebuilts that met the windows 11 requirements. My boss told me to throw them all into a pile, and when I asked him if there would be upcoming auction or liquidation of the spare parts, he gave me a weird look.

He then told me, “Yeah, I know it’s a lot of e-waste, but these were bought with public money, so it’s straight to ‘reclamation’. No one can sell, buy, or take these. The IT department would be in trouble.”

Talk about easy targets for ransomware gangs and info-stealers. I wonder what’ll be listing all over the .onion sites within a month.

Most of my gaming friends have been asking me about linux setup (or win10 LTSC), so it seems that crowd is ready.

I’d rather install win10 LTSC than use an MS account for the OS lol

eBay would be the most obvious place (often where computers sold from government auctions or business liquidations end up), but also e-waste recycling centers, actual auctions held by the companies themselves (this is where having a guy on the inside willing to give you a date of liquidation would be perfect), or just simple donations and giveaways that are “as-is”.

Do note you can’t take all machines that are being removed - in the US at least, computers bought with public money (most often schools), must be sent to e-waste or scrap reclamation due to compliance with government accounting mandates. There are exceptions to this (auctions), but those are usually never at schools or libraries.

There is a rational reason for it - some types of software expect Ubuntu during their installation and usage (especially game server panels for some reason), and I’d imagine they wouldn’t work properly if Mint was closer to Debian than Ubuntu.

I’ve found Mint to be more stable compared to my Ubuntu installations because the Mint team doesn’t include the fluff and bad design decisions when making releases.

(Like never requiring snap)

If you want my two cents, Mint’s default Desktop Environment (Cinnamon) is far more windows-like compared to Ubuntu, and Mint includes more quality of life applications for less tech savvy people compared to Ubuntu out of the box. (Mainly graphical apps for updates, backups, disk management, etc…)

I first tried Ubuntu when I was starting my Linux journey, but it didn’t really click until I used Mint. Save yourself some pain and go for Mint first :)

Edit: Also, Ubuntu contains ads for things like their “Ubuntu Pro” update service, and they’re known to commit some tomfuckery when it comes to installing apps and compatibility (see Snap Controversy)

A removable physical or electronic SIM on a system that has full control of inbound or outbound traffic (linux phone) would still be a whole lot better than nothing. Imagine having a switch to reliably sever any heartbeat signals between the tower and the device at any time.

I’ll do you one better. Murders have been committed using data purchased from brokers: https://www.wired.com/story/minnesota-lawmaker-shootings-people-search-data-brokers/