TBH, when Manjaro broke it was my fault, I know it was my own fault, and I feel if I was running EndeavorOS the results would’ve been the same if I did the same actions.

That said, yes the miss-matches repos drove me insane, especially as someone who likes keep my update number at 0, and I can’t update AUR packages. And there were a few niggles and grips here and there. But as a power user, who didn’t want to touch a terminal, Manjaro has the best set of Setting and Configuration GUI’s I’ve used thus far in Linux. If another distro took what Manjaro did, but kept it to the Arch Repos, then I’d use it in a heart beat.

I too am using Linux, but finding an “automatic” linux is difficult since most distros are about performance. It’s like trying to find an Italian Sports Car with an automatic.

And for the general user, they don’t install their OS. It’s preinstalled on a Laptop, or an all-in-one, think-dell office PC that their company provides them. Sign in like you do with everything today and you are good to go. Even Macs do this.

Linux has improved, but the desktop os’s need to be more stable (in 1 year I broke 2 manjaro installs and my BTFS file system died in my Fedora install), packages need to be more up to date, and there needs to be gui’s for any setting that a user needs to access like restarting a systemd process. A general user will not touch a terminal. Let alone download a git repo, just to update the latest build of Mangohud since the Ubuntu version is so out of date that the GOverlay GUI Utility that’s on Ubuntu doesn’t work with it.

Because to most people, a computer is like buying a car, it should just work.

A Mac is an Automatic, no configuration is needed outside of your favorite radio stations. Sure most people hate that the infotainment was replaced with a touch screen that only support carplay. But hey for the rest of the time they don’t think about it. A widows PC is the same thing, but made by Tesla/BMW where the heated seats are a subscription service.

Linux is a range from manual to a kit car. Sure it can look like the big boys or even cooler. But the amount of work that’s required is insane to the average user, and most people won’t want to touch the hood, let alone to configure the infotainment so it can connect to your iPhone since it technically supports car play. But to those that know how to use it will swear that their manual car is better in every way than an automatic.

PlayStation Vita. It was the fame system that could, but has no support, then was saved by indis.

Has very little use now-a-days thanks to switch and steam deck, but as a easy to mod system with PS1, and PSP support, I still love it.

Most kindles and kobos with color temp front lights are your best friend.

Kobo Clara 2e or the Kindle 11th Gen should work.

You also need more than 512 MB of ram on a dual core.

I’ve seen enough Android Go phones sour many peoples view on Android that their second phone is always iPhone.

I think we need to define cheap.

Cheap as in a used iPhone that still works. Agreed

Cheap as in a new Android phone with Android Go and the bare minimum specs that will keep it going. Hard disagree unless you are using it as just a dumb phone.

I’d check on eBay for old office laptops. You may find an old thinkpad there

You can get away with an Intel Mac Mini, and the iPhone 6.

I think you need to figure out a project first.

No point in saying I’m making an app, use Swift then realize that you needed Objective C since the app was a game.

You also want to look at your coding preference, and existing frameworks.

Node and React is a perfect and quick way make simple web based apps that work on iOS, while also giving your self the opportunity to learn how to use xcode and swift if you need native call functionality.

Unity, Unreal and GoDot are all gaming frameworks that have iOS build support. Again with xcode and Objective C native call support. I think swift also works but I never got it to work 😅.

The project determines the framework, the framework determines the coding language. And yes making a native iOS project counts here too if you feel its the best fit for your project.

Yeah I can give more context for that. Memory is hazy, but we had our day split into 4 periods, which our classes were held. 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon noon. For half the school year we take 4 classes, like English, Math, Chemistry Religion, and Gym. Then the other half of the school year we take another 4 classes like Civics, Physics, and two of our choice.

In Gr. 9 and Gr. 10 we only had the option to choose 1 extra course, I remember taking music. In Gr. 11 and Gr. 12 it was mostly chosen by us outside of the University track classes or the College track classes.

The issue is Religion was technically a “optional course” that we had to take. I was in Ontario when I was in school. According to the provincial law, you can’t force a student to take religion which is why we were never told. Or the option was selected for us.

The problem is that if a kid wants to take Physics, Chemistry and Biology, but also business and coding, they’d have to choose to not take one of them. Since the school will “encourage” them to take Religion, though I think with the right guidance councillor will help them find a way. Legally they can’t force them, but then why are they there, and you won’t graduate with a catholic school diploma.

I feel a lot of my issues stemmed from more of the staff encouraging the behaviours of cliques, rather than the students being naturally cliquey. Kids and kids and will do terrible things to each other. I feel it’s up to the adults in a situation to give a guiding hand.

Now I was given an out in my last year to back to public school. Not sure what it’s like where you are.

Hey internet stranger. Here is another internet strangers 2 cents on Catholic High Schools based on my personal experience.

TL:DR Education is good, but the school might make it so they can’t take the classes they want or need for Religion Class (unless they mess up). And at my school there were cliques that socially isolated me and many others, with unchecked bullying which felt encouraged by the staff. I am happy I completed it, but I’d wouldn’t want my kids to go through the same thing.

This happened over a decade ago, but the school I went to was both good, and very, very bad. The pro was why you are considering it. The education quality is much higher than the local public school. I was prepared for University much better than those I meet at the University I went to, who went to public High School.

The con was two fold. First some education options were denied to other students due to “optional” religion studies class. Technically a school can’t force a high schooler to take religion where I went. But the check box for that course was always checked before I got the class sheet. Which meant that I couldn’t choose what optional courses I wanted if it overlap with that religion course.

On a side note they messed up 3 ways in my last year. They couldn’t get me in a gym class for gr 12, so I had to goto a gr 10 class, then I took a CAD course which I wanted and a coding, but by the time they realized I wasnt taking religion, it was too late. I was given a speal on how I couldn’t get a religion high school diploma, but just the normal one. It was fun especially since.

The second big con. The school was extremely cliquey. Like debilitating so. I was from another community, my bus ride was an hour away. So in Gr 9 I tried to make friends… But the cliques were already made. And I as well as many others were socially isolated. I didn’t find the misfits hiding away at lunch in the media classroom until like gr. 10/11. There was another crowd in the art room. This attitude sadly felt encouraged by some the staff, and bullying was out of control, it often resorted to physical violence more than once. I stayed off of the radar but I hated those 4 years. If it wasn’t for my activities outside of school I would’ve been in a really bad state.

With that said, there was another (3 in total) Catholic high school in my local area, which my extended family went to. Apparently the one they went to was so much better.

Retrospectively, I understood how much of a benefit it was to go there. I am happy I was able to stick it out. But I would do a lot of research before putting my kids into a Catholic high school since I don’t want them to have a repeat of my time.

I found the $600 to be reasonable considering how much I make. But they do sell smaller ones for 200-300 the bowl just has a smaller volume.

Amazon sells them with the search term “with compressor”. I got this one 2 years ago, it’s pricey but you can get smaller ones with less volume for cheaper. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01FXMW4AS/

An Ice Cream Maker. Been making my own Ice Cream for years now and its amazing. The cheap machines which requires you to freeze the bowl is nice, but the one with a heat pump built in is amazing. In 3 hours I can make batches of Mint, Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream.

Yeah yeah tell it to the Judge

FreeCAD. All the CAD you need without the subscription and blocked off features.

Software. What’s a computer without software other than an over glorified calculator.

That was my first experience with Linux back in the early 2010’s and pretty much up to recently. However with changes to my workflow and Steam improving and sharing the improvements with Wine. My software library went from web browsing and office software t

99% of games, and all of my business software.

The UX experience needs some work under the hood. There is still a nasty tendency to over rely on the terminal to fix basic problems. (IBT=off for VM to work).

But its close enough that I can almost recommend it to my grandparents… Almost.

Do I use adblockers? Yes

Why? Honestly it’s not about the ads, nor the tracking, or user privacy (though it is a perk). Nope I block ads for simple device security.

Fake links to sites I never wanted to visit with fake download buttons, or play buttons which download viruses or malware to my machines. I remember having a machine with Norton, and having to re-install the OS every year or so since too many accidental clicks caused me to download the wrong things.

And don’t get me started with those old grotesque ads found on the bottom of pages. Nor the cleanup of my Grandparents machines with Viruses that live in RAM, or Ransom Ware which a cousin installed while looking for minecraft skins.

An AdBlocker is a security tool on the internet, it makes sure that the links you are clicking are from the site itself. It helps simplify the decisions needed since now instead of 2-10 download and play buttons, there maybe 1 or 2.

My Grand Parents don’t have viruses any more, I don’t get viruses any more. Sure it sucks that the site I visit doesn’t get the $0.05 which it might get from ads if I visit. But after trying to do it legitimately for years, I just can’t trust ad providers (even on Google) to get me the correct links or information any more.