No-one wants to discard old hardware, but we do it all the time with cellphones: Most modern cell phones are supported for 2-5 years, and at that point become ineligible for security or OS updates. So, most people upgrade to a new phone.

— John Bennett

Yes, the tech companies have a sweet grift going on there.

That might sound harsh, but it’s nothing personal against Ms. Stapleton herself.

Rufus T. Firefly:

Sure, but who wants to wade through online Linux groups to find the right magic incantations to type into a terminal window for some specific problem?

Not me. And I’ve been a professional in this world since the 80s.

No. Until recently and in the more sophisticated distros Linux was a hacker-only OS. Ordinary users had much to fear from Linux if they just wanted to get some work done without a guru down the hall.

Rufus T. Firefly:

You’re not wrong. If one just wants to browse, play YouTubes, handle email and do GoogleDocs, Chrome is fine, great even.

I once bought a ChromeBook thinking it was a real computer. I’m a hacker. I hated it.

Chrome is about child-proofing the personal computer.

John Bennet:

Point taken but … I’ve been buying personal computers since 1977. Half my computers are pre-2019. “Recent” is a relative term.

Sure, there’s great bang-for-the-buck these days in PC purchases. I follow the pricing. But why spend $149 or whatever if your present computer is still doing the job?

Microsoft obviously make more money if people junk their old computers and buy new ones. Microsoft has always been a predatory company.

No reason to fear Linux*, or be super concerned about a major, as yet uncovered security flaw in Windows 10, but if you want a skinny, easy to run O/S give Chrome a try. I’ve installed it on several old PCs for convenient access to a browser. It’s even easy to make an autobooting instance on a USB drive. I have one in my garage for car repair videos and entertainment when I work there. I have one I carry outside to watch football in the elements in autumn. I even frankensteined one as a music stand for digitally displaying sheet music at gigs.

It runs Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc. but also MS Office through MS365.

*The Linux community is ubiquitous online, verbose and very willing to help.

To officially qualify for Windows 11, your computer needs a processor from 2018 or newer—specifically, Intel 8th Gen, AMD Zen 2, or later.

This isn’t really “very recent hardware”.

Obviously, there are some other requirements as well, including TPM V2, and UEFI, but these attributes have been available on most PCs for years.

No-one wants to discard old hardware, but we do it all the time with cellphones: Most modern cell phones are supported for 2-5 years, and at that point become ineligible for security or OS updates. So, most people upgrade to a new phone.

You can get a Windows 11 PC with 16 GB memory / 512 GB SSD for about $149, far cheaper than a cellphone upgrade.

I’m certainly not a shill for big tech, but I am a tech guy: I’ve owned a software development business for thirty years. And as much as Linux is intriguing, the potential issues of moving my regular workflow and software (if it’s even available) to that platform is not worth the hassle. I’ll spend the $149.

The embattled election vendor has new ownership and new branding. Scott Leiendecker, a Missouri tech entrepreneur and former Republican director of the St. Louis City Board of Elections, bought the company for an undisclosed amount.

Excited yet? You should be.

“As of today, Dominion is gone. Liberty Vote assumes full ownership and operational control,” a press release announcing the sale revealed.
…
“Leiendecker says he wants to use the renamed company to restore public confidence in the US electoral process. Liberty Now also vows to be bipartisan as it works to reshape Dominion’s image. Dominion’s election products were used by millions of US voters across 27 states last year,” reports CNN. “Dominion’s founder and CEO, John Poulos, confirmed in a one-sentence statement provided to CNN on Thursday that, ‘Liberty Vote has acquired Dominion Voting Systems.’”

Leiendecker added, “Liberty Vote is committed to delivering election technology that prioritizes paper-based transparency, security, and simplicity so that voters can be assured that every ballot is filled-in accurately and fairly counted.”

Naturally, CNN is hitting the panic button.

Bought by a man who appears to believe in putting Trump’s policies about elections into action.
Let’s wish him success!