Literally in the last month or so Windows pushed an update that messed up the BitLocker check and locked a ton of company laptops . I’d point out this was also a major security update.

But at least we agree updating for the sake of updating is bad policy on any software if you care about stability, so we can set that argument aside now, yes?

For this new argument you’ve moved to: Distro hopping is for fun for people who like tinkering with computers. You wouldn’t get it. It’s not for everyone, plenty of people just pick a long term support release and call it day.

As opposed to forcing updates that break basic functionality?

Anyway, it’s certainly not common to do no upgrading, just not mindlessly pushing every single new release when you don’t need it (ie, not a major security fix or something). Which is a good thing if you value stability in your system, no matter what software you’re running. The ones dealing with the BitLocker locked company laptops right now after the last Windows update kerfuffle could probably tell you all about it. It’s a lesson hard won by neophyte system admins.

Lots of reasons today, but I started out of necessity: a poor kid that couldn’t buy new hardware, much less a windows license. Discovered the magic when I picked up a little pre-Chromebook XP mini laptop that the person gave me for $20 because it just couldn’t run usably with windows’ overhead. Put one of the light Ubuntu distros on it, and damned if that little thing didn’t get me through college.

Honestly stoked a real passion for how Linux can be a really effective way to repurpose what would otherwise be e-waste and get it to people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to really get into technology all with an opportunity to learn how the machine works.

I’m likely relocating soon, but I’ve really considered afterwards setting up a local non profit dedicated to flipping old machines like that to get them into poor kids’ hands, maybe even with pipelines into basic Linux/terminal learning, security basics, programming, etc for those that show an interest.

This was my understanding, but I really am not in the loop enough to say it with certainty, so appreciate the confirmation. I agree, I think we’re seeing from contributions made by people like Valve that there’s real value in requiring derivative work to give back to the community it drew from. But again, I’m really not super well informed. I just tend to pick GNU options when available.

I feel like there’s a lot of concern about more and more free software moving over to the MIT license.

I honestly don’t know the ins and outs, but it’s probably relevant to people concerned about it.

Yakuake. Nothing major but a nice quality of life upgrade for terminal work.