12/16/2021

Linux Mint and Ubuntu are real options to replace Windows for a bigger set of computer users.

I've been using either Ubuntu or Linux Mint on my daily driver computer since 2005, and it has been a great experience. For the most part, it has been so good that I haven't had to really be conscious about the fact I run a Linux distro for the most part.

Since 2018 I've settled on Linux Mint, mainly because changes on Ubuntu has made Linux Mint the better option for my needs. All the software I use on my personal life is available, and works great, on Linux Mint. The best part, is that it has been getting better over time, and I haven't faced any mayor issue with Linux Mint at all.

What has made the whole experience better, is that I'm able to work using Linux Mint from both the office and home. Since we need to connect to a remote desktop, no matter where we are, being able to do so with no issue from my laptops using Remmina, has meant that I can keep working as usual using my laptop without any problems at all. So much so, that the IT department at work are finding that is viable use an Ubuntu based Linux distro all the company's computers and only use Windows on the server where we have to work.

Mainly because both Ubuntu and Linux Mint are friendly for users that not have much technical know-how, with the added benefit that there are easy to manage by the IT department. On the up side, all of the software needed for work can be run and controlled at the server, and any of the extra software most of us use, like Chrome, Firefox, or Spotify, is available on natively on both Ubuntu and Linux Mint.

As times goes on, Linux Mint and Ubuntu have made it easier to advocate the use of Linux for more people. Specially since the question of what OS is better for a particular user has been more of a question of the apps they use rather than how good a particular OS works.

Besides, Linux Mint just works for most users that just need a computer to connect to the Internet, listen to music with a streaming service, or watch streaming services like Netflix or Disney +. It just works the way most people expects a computer to do, though there a minimal learning curve the first few days one starts using it, just as with any new OS.

Other than that, there is no real issue to prevent the move.

12/09/2021

Technology is not what's pulling people apart.

Personally, what is pulling people apart isn't technology in itself. What is pulling people apart, is how people use technology. Most often than not, people use technology use technology to hide when the world they face isn't one that allows them to engage others in a healthy way.

When the world around them is one that facilitate the use of technology to connect with others in a healthy way, technology become another tool to do so. Yet, when the world people face is one that is toxic, technology acts as a shield to hide from it.

There is also how we were thought to interact not only with technology, but also with how to deal with our emotions when things don't go as we want, or expected, them go. If we aren't thought to deal with our emotions, and view technology as a tool and not as a replacement for the world around us, it becomes quite easy to use said technology to hide from our emotions and the world.

There is a need to stop blaming technology for people hiding behind it, and actually giving people what they need to interact with the world. If we don't do that, most people will keep using technology to hide since its easier to do so.

When we give people the tools to make meaningful connections with others, technology can actually be a powerful tool to create, and strengthen, connections with other people. Modern technology can actually bring people closer together when people have what they need to use it in that way.

The problem is not technology in itself, but why people use it either for connecting with others or to hide from the world. Unless we become conscious about this, and take steps to counter it, chances are the people will continue to use technology to keep shielding themselves form a world they don't have the tools to deal with in a healthy way.

We can se technology to change the world for the better, unless we don't give people way to do so.

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