Time for a Little Update on this Blog

 It has been a long time since I last posted something here!

All this Covid-19 situation and my shift to online work have taken a toll on my available time.  This year has been especially time consuming!

Still, I have to report that my Linux computers are all working seamlessly.  I have applied all updates.  In fact, I am applying 50 MB of updates right now as I type these words.

This reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend last weekend.  She told me that she (a Windows 10 user) always has problems when Windows 10 updates.  Her solution has been delaying them for as long as she can, but with that system you cannot stop them unless you pay more.  Sooner or later they will come and hit her box, unleashing all sorts of problems.

What does she do?  Well, apparently she takes the PC to a technician every 6 months to do a resetting or something so that she can keep using the computer.

Wow!  I am glad I am not caught in that situation.  I especially do not have the time for such a fun activity!

Cheers!

HP Laptop 15-bw022la: A Disaster for Linux Users?

I bought yesterday an HP laptop.  The model is 15-bw022la.  The price was unbeatable for the specs:  a HD of 1 TB, 8 GB of RAM, a DVD ROM, and it came with several goodies (I am not counting Windows 10 among them!)

I got a juicy discount because the machine was the one on display at the store and in spite of that and its flashy purple color, I bought it.

The first challenge was what to do with Windows 10.  My experience with that OS is almost null, so I opted for a dual boot.  First problem: the administrative account was already set and with no password.  That meant, of course, that I had to learn how to change that.

Since I am lazy about Windows, I thought of leaving it like that.  After all, I would not be booting that OS frequently.  Thus, I went for the partitioning step.  Unfortunately, I could not shrink the partition more than half of its space (Windows was storing some files in places that didn't allow me to reduce the size of its partition).

Now, leaving half of the HD to an OS that I will not use was outrageous.  I tried several options, like defragmenting, but was unlucky.  That way I learned to reinstall Windows from the recovery partition.

Certainly, installing Windows has become much easier (although not faster). A good chunk of my time went into that. When the process finished, I could set a new user and password and, more importantly, shrink the partition.

Windows, however, does not seem to have tools to format using EXT4.  No surprise there, hehe.

"Any Linux live USB flashdrive or CD/DVD will take care of the problem,"  I said to myself.

But here came the biggest problem.  The computer didn't seem to like any of my distros!  I even downloaded and made a Manjaro USB because it has the latest kernel and is the top one in popularity, so I thought that it would take care of my moody violet computer.  It didn't.  After all the choices, I only got a black screen.  (My other distros had gotten to the desktop but froze right after that).

Unwilling to accept that, I tried antiX 17.3.1 (Hellen Keller). I like antiX because it is modular, has a low footprint, and is really powerful.

Well, antiX did the trick!  It let me format the available space and then installed in less than 20 minutes.  It didn't enable the machine's wi-fi, though.

Using a USB adapter, I've been able to download and configure this distro.  Still some problems linger: the machine freezes at random times.  Right now I'm getting some help from the community to solve those issues.

Interesting... I thought HP was one of the brands that had more Linux support but so far, I've had problems with two HP laptops in a row.

In the meantime, I'll see this purple  15-bw022la laptop in my nightmares!  :P

In Search for a New CPU

How hard can it be to find a new barebones CPU?  In the past, one could go to several shops and get one.  Today, I  tried to find one and it has been impossible to get one without either Windows 7 or Windows 10 already installed.

The worst part is that they claim that "since Windows comes for free," buying a no-OS CPU would not cost me less.  Really?  Since when has Microsoft been giving away licenses of Windows 7?  Also, I thought that the "free Windows 10" offer was good for a year, only.

The only reason I want a new CPU is because my desktop is 32 bits and the software I must use to complete my taxes runs just on 64 bit computers.


Chromeboxes are not an option because the software does not run on them.

Well... there are still some shops I haven't checked out.  I hope one of them still offers a CPU with a clean hard drive.

If I am not lucky, I guess I'll have to buy the components separately and put together the computer on my own.

What about a Linux box?  I have to check that option out, too.

Linux Mint Spotted! (and How Many Septembers can there Be?)

Yesterday, I went to visit a little museum-market of aboriginal handcrafts.  I was amazed at the variety of items that aboriginal groups of my country had there.  I bought a shirt and several other crafts.

When I went to pay, I noticed that the computer was running LibreOffice's Calc.  Nice!

Then, upon further observation, I discovered that the PC was fueled by Linux Mint!  WOW!  (See?  Linux is FIT for business! :P)

I'll be buying from them again!  ^__^

By the way, if you read my entry about September's marketshare and the interesting (and little commented) change in the figures, I have more news:  Netmarketshare changed their numbers AGAIN!

Now Windows 10 has a solid 29% and Linux has gone down to 3%.  And you  can still see the disclaimer about the lack of reliability of those figures.

Really, 3 different figures for September?  How many Septembers could there be in a year?

And why aren't we hearing anything about this?

I'm glad that we are talking about honorable companies, otherwise one could suspect the worst.  Right?

September's Market Share: Windows 10 Drops, Linux Doubles and Is above Mac OSX

According to Netmarketshare, apparently, September was a bad month in terms of market share for Windows 10.  It dropped from 27.99% in August to 25.51%.   Windows 7 didn't do well, either.  It went down from 48.43% to 45.62%.  Windows 8 and 8.1 also saw reductions.

Mac OSX 10.12, however, went up from 3.59% to 4.11%.

And Linux?  Linux had seen a first time increase to 3.37% in August.  How about September?

I almost fell off my chair:  GNU/Linux DOUBLED its market share to a whooping 6.91%!  That means it went above Windows 8.1 and MacOS X 10.12.

Now, will Microsoft-friendly "tech journalists" trumpet this as they used to do all the time?

Or will Netmarketshare say it was another mistake?

I'll wait to see how they handle this.

FOLLOW UP 

Now I know how they handled that.  Netmarketshare silently corrected its figures.  With the new figures, Windows losses don't seem so bad and Linux is not the 3rd popular operating system anymore.

The report comes with a disclaimer that it has not been reviewed by Quality Assurance.  Nice!  Something seems fishy here.  But maybe it is all just a conspiracy theory. After all, we are talking about honorable companies and no tech reporter seemed to realize about the issue, much less write about it.

Nothing New...

I've been literally swamped.

I downloaded Pardus Community 4.0, but I haven't tried it yet.  Hopefully, I'll get the time to do it soon.

My systems keep working without issues.  Thus, I've kept reading the news about Linux. Interestingly enough, Net Marketshare reported that Linux hit another milestone last year.  Good!

On the other hand, Windows 10 keeps doing what it does.  I took my USB pendrive to the office of a journal because I wanted to submit an article for publication but their Windows 10 computer decided to render me pendrive totally useless.  Way to go!

Also, they replaced my office's computer with a brand new Windows 10 one.  I asked for permission to boot Linux from my pendrive and the IT guy had a horrible time taming UEFI to let me do it.  Is this really progress?

At least now I can use the new computer without giving Microsoft rights over my privacy.

Microsoft does not Need Windows Anymore? Interesting idea...

Eric Knorr of Infoworld published an article in which he claims that Microsoft, moving its focus to the cloud, does not need Windows any longer.  Apart of trying to portray Microsoft as an open company (which it clearly is not), that idea makes me think of several interesting questions:

1.  If Microsoft does not need Windows anymore, why is it pushing Windows 10 so aggressively and in many cases using deceitful means?

2.  If Microsoft does not need Windows anymore, then users don't, either.  That's some happy news!  :D  Users should ditch that platform that its producer does not need nowadays. 

3.  If Windows is about 10 percent of Microsoft's revenue, there must be something hidden behind the aggressive Windows 10 push.  Microsoft wants something worth much more than that 10 percent.  What could that be?  :P

4.  Why would someone want to paint Microsoft as an open company that does not need its flagship product?

5.  If Microsoft does not need Windows any longer, does that mean that this time it will actually produce something innovative instead of simply buying popular software?

I guess the problem with Surface Pro 3 and the market share decrease of Windows 10 last month might be related to this idea of painting Microsoft as a problem-free company.

Mom's New Computer: a Zombie PC!

Mechatotoro and I bought a new desktop PC for our mother, who wanted to replace her old box.

We went to the computer store and asked for a barebone rig.  The guy was quite amused to hear about people who did not want to add Windows.  He was a bit puzzled when he heard we would load Linux to it.  I guess he would fall off his seat if he knew the computer was not for us, but for our mother!

Then, we made a test.  Just to check for compatibility (new PCs come with UEFI, which does not play fair with Linux all the time), I took my outdated live MEPIS 11 pendrive and tried to install the OS.

About 5 minutes later, the installation was done and the store guy was amazed at the speed of the process.  "Linux has improved a lot these days!" was all he could say.

But remember: this was Mother's computer.  She should not be using an old MEPIS 11 OS to power her brand new PC.  Now, I have nothing against MEPIS 11: after all, I am typing this on my MEPIS 8 PC.

But the idea of the new computer was also having a new OS.  "What about Windows 10?", I asked her.  To put it diplomatically, let's just say she did not like the idea.

Then, after some thought, we installed MX-15.  Mechatotoro then customized the desktop with a full theme of THE WALKING DEAD that he designed for the occasion (Yes... Mom's a BIG fan of that show.)

The result?  Our mother couldn't be happier with her new spooky PC!  That surely gives a new meaning to zombie computers!

When I see Mom sitting happily in front of her computer, I think that all those people who claim Linux is too hard and that only computer geeks can use it are still living in the past, and a very distant one, by the way.  They might have missed one --or several-- important upgrades.

Too bad for them!  While they catch up, our mother will be using her zombie PC that runs MX-15 (an OS she had never touched before) and does EVERYTHING she wants.

What about Mom's old computer? Mom gave it to Mechatotoro's daughter so that the 5-year-old girl may use PicarOS (a GalPon MiniNo edition special for kids) to her heart's content.

Everyone's happy!  :)

The New Fullscreen Windows 10 Upgrade Nagging Reminder

Most people I've talked to have reactions to constant "upgrade to Windows 10" nagging windows that range from anger to desperation.

I wonder how they'll receive the new fullscreen "reminder" from Microsoft. This one:

I guess they will not take it very well, either.  If they complained about a small window, a fullscreen interruption will probably make them rabid.


But why being so negative about it?

Here are some examples of interesting and positive ways to take your Windows 10 nagging screen.  :P

A Tablet Locked with Windows 10? I don't Want it...and I Am NOT Sorry!

Recently, I went looking for x86 tablets.  If I could wipe Windows off and experiment with several OSs (Android x86 or several Linux distros), I didn't mind paying a higher price.

I saw that a company called Visual Land offered several x86 tablets and Android tablets.  Interestingly enough, the specs of their android tablets were lower than those of the x86 ones, that surely enough came preloaded with Windows 8.1 or 10 (shrug).

I sent an e-mail to the company's tech support.  After a couple of days with no reply, I contacted customer support to know if it was technically possible to get rid of Windows and install something else.  They made me go through the usual protocol:

1.  What OS do you want to install?  Windows 10? (My answer: NO!)

2.  The tablet is designed for Windows. (My answer:  Yes, but I want to see what I can do with it.)

3.  That could make your warranty void. (My answer: I understand, but I'd rather run the risk of bricking the device than being tied to Windows.)

At the end, the man from customer support told me he didn't know if it could be done or how hard it was.

A day or two later, I received the reply to my e-mail:

"Dear Sir.  You can't do that. The OS is locked.  Good day."

That's disappointing!  After all, I am buying hardware and they are selling hardware.  Why should they care what I do with my tablet after I buy it if I'm the owner?  If fiddling with my device voids my warranty, I'm perfectly willing to accept my responsibility, but why wouldn't they let me use the hardware I rightfully bought the way I want to?

As I replied to the company, I'll look for a company that cares more about its customers.  If we pay, we deserve respect...and respecting customer  freedoms is a good start for any company that values its customers.

The Windows 10 Plane Has Arrived!!

Back in 2010, I posted this little joke about Operating Systems running airlines.

Yesterday, I realized that a meme on the Web equates Windows 10 to a plane...and what a plane!

One would think that after all these years, Microsoft's OSs would gain more respect (to most people they are a necessary evil), especially if we take into account that Windows 10 is trying to imitate lots of key Linux features...

...Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much.  Here you have it: The Windows 10 plane!

Here's another version:

Add the surveillance cameras tracking your every movement and those pictures will be complete!  :P

For Those Who Love Market Share...

September's market share numbers are out.  According to Netmarketshare, these are the figures:

It is very interesting to see that Linux has surpassed Vista.  But where are the "tech journalists"?  Why nobody has mentioned it so far?  Whenever a new version of Windows climbs over Vista, these journalists always blow their trumpets...

Windows 10 climbed from 5.21% in August to 6.63% in September.  A 1.42% gain for an OS that is virtually pushed to most computers does not seem quite good, at least to me.  I'm sure that Windows fans and Windows-friendly tech journalists will see it differently.

Still, Windows 10 must make twice its marketshare if it wants to equal XP's current one.  It seems that the adoption rate of Microsoft's new Trojanwarhorse has not been as fast as they would have expected.

Methods to Activate Windows 10...

As several said before the release of Windows 10, the OS was not quite ready for prime time.  Some even say it's of alpha/beta quality and that MS is treating Windows 10 users as beta testers.  Others just realized Microsoft wants to do some massive data mining and now think of Windows 10 as a sophisticated keylogger with a GUI.  Well, the EULA stated that, didn't it?

All the privacy concerns aside, a new "feature" of the new OS seems not to accept the activation code.  That's a big problem if you need to activate your software to use your computer, say, for work...especially if you have deadlines to meet.

Now, the articles about the issue pretty much say the same: you must go back to your previous OS, then perform a clean install, and then cross your fingers.  Do they expect every regular user who experiences this to do all that?  And just how much time will that take?

Another solution: waiting.  It's so funny that first MS urged everyone to download and install the update (it is not an upgrade) and now they tell them to wait. How can people put up with all that?  Where are the Linux detractors who said that Linux was hard to install and work with?

I have the gut feeling that when Windows 10 malware hits, it will do it in a way we can't imagine (and there are even those who already call Windows 10 malware!) 

Although the information for activating Windows 10 in the articles is the same, the comments provide more information and are not to be missed.  Some of them will surely make you laugh...unless you are experiencing the bug, I guess.

Some users suggest the most amazing methods to activate your Windows 10 license.  They are worth trying.  Here are some I collected from Softpedia:

Something I thank Windows 10 for:  It has apparently made some Windows users recover their sense of humor! (and maybe the world will be a better place after so many people develop the patience of a saint!)

Good luck!