Or just refusing to run servers in California. Much like the US DRM encryption restrictions of the 90s. Where the whole Linux community just had distributions required parts of the download to happen in non US servers.

A single, (although big and very active in Linux) state, will always have more limitations then a nation. The issue comes if it becomes US national. And then the US starts pushing other nations to sign agreements.

Given at some point trumps harm to all international treaties will likely be repaired. Their may come a huge opportunity for US politicians to renegotiate international treaties.

Assuming trust is ever returned.

MoHonestly, it has improved over the years.

Most distros now have dark mode installs with higher contrast. But adjustable font size and any form of text to speech during install seems missing.

Text to speech is available on most DE’s but very like windows. It is still very unintuitive for low vision rather than 0 vision use. Unfortunately, developers with no vision issues still fail to recognise speed matters in real life. And folks with limited vision tend to need the ability to only use text to speech on set text. IE the ability to enlarge most text and just speak on text we choose. Android is very good at that now. But desktop OSes still make visual impaired difficult to compete time wise with non-disabled users.

I have found it impossible to adjust menu font sizes on the vast majority of DE’s using a start like menu. Not to mention how bad the majority of more modern (fasionable) DE and application interface trends are for people needing to remember locations.

Fortunately, most Linux DE’s do have the ability to quickly magnify sections of the screen using alt and mouse scroll.

As for some applications, insistence on gray text on white or lighter gray backgrounds. Why the hell is this so darn common now. Even folks with good vision find it awful.

Seriously take the OS 3d slicing software available. Every time I install one. I takes most of a day to find out how to make anything even slightly visible. Their is absolutely no reason for it.

Atkinson hyperledgable. Made by the RNIB.

I’m visually impaired and it really helps.

It is also a good font in general for easy reading.

There is also a next version. Little more modern looking and a mono version.

Sorry to grin at you. But in OS theory Linux is known as a monolith kernal. So you choice of words would have given my lecturers a freakout.

But while your terminology is a bit crossed. The ideal you are explaining is fine.

Better Technical way to put it. Linux is just the kernal. Much of the interface you see is actually programs or apps running above that kernal. A d can be changed amd selected.

Windows is also started multipart. But has become less so over time. And it’s single distributer makes it way less obvious. By preventing any competition within it’s internal structure. The original monolithic kernal of Windows was the MS Dos command.com program. But I no lying those of us from the 80s and early 90 remember using it.

The complaints are more about lack of support for OS drivers. If using proprietary drivers is not a worry. Then they are fine. Often the OS stuff works if your set up is simple.

My advice. Do not upgrade to quickly. They tend to have errors in their new proprietary drivers. Watch and see how others have done. Before upgrading essential machines.

The other issue. For non rendering. Their latest models performance to £$ etc is getting very bad. But blender still has major speed advantages on Nvidia. But that is looking more and more short term as blender grows.

Exactly. No matter the y dimension. Barcode data is only stored in x. Whereas QR uses x and y for data.

They also use the corner squares and a few specific dots to allow scanning from greater angles. Basically allowing the data to be read in 3d space. Even though only 2d is used to store that data.

This is why QR can work well with cameras. Whereas bar codes are designed for very short range laser reflection.

PS lots of info on QR online including open source programs to make your own.

The same goes for bar codes. But readers involve some very simple maker skills. Making simple barcode readers was a common school science project in the early 90s.

ATM the boat is being rebuilt inside. Replacing everything.

So the system is in bits. Hidden in the engine bay.

I have old pics of the boat before we regilt all the electrics etc. if it’s the shape etc your interested in.

If your a Brit who knows the canals. Think small sprinter but with a flat hull. It’s not actually a springer but same steel standards etc.

Yep that can work. But ignores all the well documented and supported development community comments I pointed to while also indicating other options exist.

As for.

Turning some switches on and off while monitoring input values doesn’t sound very computationally intensive.

You realise IO wise that describes your keyboard and mouse interaction on the most powerful gaming PCs.

It’s what you do with the results that matters.

GPIO supports a fair bit more then the on and off input and output. It’s slow compared to other systems. But has multiple serial protocols of differing types. Simple GUI displays can also be run via gpio connections. Low Res Lidar devices are available connected via the spi connections with all the data processed on that host PC.

So no gpio use can require all levels of processing power post connection. It is after all designed for experimentation and prototyping.

For my project. You clost to correct. I just use a simple GUI displays with xorg. So a pie 0 is plenty. And way lower power then the other options. It links to a pwm controller to power 2 12v 200w water tank heaters a relay for a 750w AC heater. Bluetooth connection to a BMS and solar MPPT. While operating multiple temp sensors measuring at different levels. And warning of legionaries risk. If the tank has not been over 65c in 14 days (actually 10 days but I’m over careful given the health status of my brother and I).

So much less then the tiny Pie 0 would not be able to cope but mainly due to the need for the vision impaired interface. Speaking functions dose not take much. But doing so without being unusably slow is about the limit of a pie 0.

Worth noting pie 4 and 5 no longer recommend 5w PSU. And tend to fail if anything is drawing on the USB.

Not simple to remove. They can all be taken out.

But the fire risk is a very valid point. All laptops should indicate they should not be left alone when charging. While many do. Setting one up in a unobserved location to run permanently should be batteryless or Lifepo4 adapted. So laptops may not be best suited to this environment. A used thin client or other DC input option may be much easier. Or an old desktop if batts and not wanted.

Add use of gpio to reasons to use pie.

While gpio adaptors are available for pc. The software architecture is not as well rounded and documented.

So for any complex hardware project development. Gpio based SBCs are often essential.

So space, low power and gpio development.

Otherwise yep old laptop or even desktop can be cheaper and more able.

But overall. The wide software support and documentation for hardware connectivity is a bloody good reason to keep pie supported.

I’m setting 2 up to control the hot water and solar dump system on my shared little boat. As I want to link 12v Lifepo4 batt charging with the solar dump and visually impaired control for AC and diesel heating of the water.

Pies really are the best option to play with. While low power and easy to design a unique low vision interface.

Also UK boat safty. Is issuing warning about permanently connected li ion batts on boats. So it is likely setting up a laptop to manage this while not on the boat. Will be banned in the near future.

Only an issue for UK boating but worth considering the risks of leaving laptops to run when not observed.

Tech support. Knowing you have available staff who understand how to fix issues. And will take responsibility

These are always the questions that sell commercial software over os to big corporations.

Anyone who has ever worked in a big corp recognises the arguments even if they disagree.

Microsoft will offer to build a big data warehouse there then.

For m$ it is very much about not having a big gov org successfully moved over. As then corps may consider it.

Again.

Every few years we hear a nations gov say this. Them m$ makes a deal to good to be true. And it all resets.

It’s basically become an accounting trick for national govs.

If I say “the life support system for the USS Enterprise”,

Unfortunately contact mean that example dose work both ways.

If we say enterprise system for life support. People will also understand.

But voyager system for enterprise could apply either way. To be fitted to enterprise or allow enterprise activity on voyager. Or voyager activity on enterprise. For is just bad language in this context.

Here Microsoft should’ve used a possessive. Voyagers enterprise support system would be more normal.

Or Windows Linux support system.

But marketing and a history of no other OS matters means Mickey$oft insists on it’s own layout. Over language clarity.

Thanks til. After 30+ years using Linux exclusively. That is very useful.

Admittedly GPUs were not a thing when I started. It’s cool to learn new useful things. Thanks.

I have one I paid a little more for a year ago. So likely the same things internally.

I use it occatioally on my boat with a mini pc or pi 400.

The only negative is the usb c power port dose tend to get disconnected. And it takes about 15secs to reinitialise.

This really is only an issue when trying to use in unstable ways. On the whole well worth what I paid at the time.

I now have 2 newer non touch screen 18 inch ones. One 4k one 2k at an comparable higher price. I’m happy but the general usb connection loos es and reconnection delays are identical.

I hate facebook messenger, its buggy as hell”, “try signal then”, “no.

If your goal is to rant about these people. Yep you may have an audience. Not me I’m a very old user who just doesn’t find much of the modern arguments interesting. Unless they relate to actual changes in how Linux works.

If on the other hand your goal is to change minds. Then taking an in-depth approach to how to use alternatives will both help more. And get you more viewers looking to change.

I’d also subscribe and point friends and family to useful vids.

slackware followed by red hat mothers day 2.0 also used LMDE for several years

Agreed. As I say blender is less fast on amd. Atm

I don’t play games much. 0ad being the main exception.

But yeah I’d never advise a non blender user to go Nvidia.