11/22/2023
Linux Mint: my go to Linux distro and the one I recommend to most people.
10/28/2023
Nice addition to Spotify on Linux Mint with the last update.
Spotify just added the capability of being able to run on the background on Linux Mint at the last update, and with that it got the 100 score for me as a music streaming service. To be honest, I might be nip picking about it, but being able to close my music player, and it being able to stay open on the background while playing music, is something I expect.
I use Rhythmbox to play my music local music library, and it has continually supported playing music on the background when I closed the window, so Spotify not supporting the same behavior kind of baffle me for a while. But, now that the capability has being added to Linux Mint, it has improved my perception of it.
While not being able to do so wasn't a deal killer for me, since it is something nice to have but not vital for the user experience, being able to do so now is one of those thing that it's really nice to have.
To be honest, I was weary of media streaming services when they first came out. But, Spotify won me over when I tried it about it ten years ago. While it doesn't completely substitutes having my favorite music on my laptop, it's a great complement and my go to music and podcast platform on my smartphone. Specially since Movistar adds Spotify as one of the apps on which they give me unlimited usage with my GigaMove 6GB plan.
Spotify has become my go to music streaming and podcast platform, and now being able it can keep playing on the background, it has made it even better for me.
9/30/2023
Bluetooth headphones have become affordable.
A few years ago, when Bluetooth headphones where starting to be pushed to consumers on smartphones was starting to be pushed on consumers by omitting the 3.5mm jack connector on some models, my problem was pricing.
At time, finding a decent pair of Bluetooth headphone under $25 USD was almost impossible. Now, you can find some well under that price point easily, since the tech has become common place not only in smartphones, but also in other consumer electronic devices like smart TVs, most smartphones, and laptops. That has helped to bring down prices of devices with Bluetooth connection, and the price point of a decent pair of Bluetooth headphones will only come down with time.
While the audio quality of most Bluetooth headphones will not be what an audiophile wants, it will be more than good enough for casual use. I use wireless headphones on the go with my smartphone, and at work with my laptop when I need to focus, and they work quite nicely. So much so, that I won't go back to wired headphones on my smartphone, and have headphones that use the 3.5mm jack just in case the battery dies on my headphones.
As time goes by, and Bluetooth become more ubiquitous I only expect the tech to become more affordable and better for audio.
Its quite amazing that in my lifetime Bluetooth headphone have become something that only businessman would have, with a bad audio quality reputation, to something with a decent audio quality that more people could afford.
9/11/2023
Missing remote work, since in made me better at my job.
After a few months of coming back to the office, after more than a year of working remotely, I've come to affirm how important is for me to be able to work remotely.
Working remotely make work a lot less stressful, cut down on transit time, and makes me a lot more effective. It also helps me to focus more on being more productive, since I don't face most of the interruptions I face on the office, like coworkers coming to ask about unrelated stuff of having to fix printer jams when they occur. Not only that, not having to face the transit times, means that I can use more of my time to actually focus on my job and not worrying if I'd be able to make on time to the office, or if I'd be able to do personal stuff when I go out.
Working remotely also saves me money, since I don't have to pay for transportation or meals if I can't prepare food at home. Most importantly, since I can better manage my work and personal time, I stress less about it making me more productive and focused on my job when I'm on the clock.
It also helps me to make less mistakes at work, since not being interrupted constantly, or have to worry about things outside work, helps me focus on the task at hand. Being able to completely focus on what I've to do at the moment, knowing I won't be interrupted, means less stress and feeling more satisfied about my work, and allows me to be able to see if there is anything wrong with what I've to do in order to correct any prior mistake, or propose improvements to the process if needed.
Most importantly, it made my more satisfied with my job. Since I had a better time management ability, I could focus better on my job, and, most importantly, stress levels were far more manageable. I wish to be able to go back to work remotely, and at least go to a hybrid work model.
8/26/2023
Remmina: a great option for Windows remote desktops on Linux.
For about 4 years now, I've relied on a remote Windows desktop for work. At first I used a desktop using Windows 7 provided by employer, and it did a great job. To be honest, Windows 7 and Windows XP are the two best OSes released by Microsoft, but I prefer using Linux Mint as much as possible.
Then, the pandemic hit and forced us into home office to keep going. To be honest, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to work from home since at home I used Linux Mint on my laptop, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to connect remotely to the work server in order to keep my job.
After a few hours of research, I found Remmina. Since I know my way around computers, yet I'm my technical skills are no really all that advanced, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to configure it correctly. Yet, it was easy to set up the remote desktop quickly.
So far, I still use my laptop even after we have come back to the office. I prefer to use it, because since we use WhatsApp and our email isn't run on the remote desktop, having 2 monitors really helps me to keep on top of what I've to do at work.
Not only that, I've been somewhat of a beta user at work in order to make a case to make the jump to Linux Mint on the end user computers, while only using Windows on the server used for the main software at work. There are some kinks to work out, like being able to use the network printer, but so far the user case looks really good.
For me Linux Mint, is an Linux distro that stands true to its slogan: From freedom came elegance. And it has become my go to OS for my personal and professional computing needs.
8/19/2023
The best operating system depends of what you are going to use it for.
Every time I hear that Windows, macOS, or Linux is the best operating system, I can't help to ask the best operating system for what? Each one has its strengthens and weaknesses, that make each the best solution for different set of use cases.
The best operating system for me is Linux, in particular Linux Mint. Linux Mint just works for me, but I'm sure that it isn't the best option for everyone. Some of the people I know are better served by Windows while for other macOS is the better option. At the end of the day, it comes down to what each person does with the computer they own and/or the apps they use to get things done.
For example, I LibreOffice does all what I need from an office productivity software, even at work. For others, Microsoft Office is a most have, so Linux wouldn't make sense for their use case. If a user used Final Cut Pro, then macOS is the only way to go, since it isn't available for Windows or Linux. Most of the most used CAD(computer-aide design) software used professionally only works on Windows.
As such, which is the best operating system depends on each user needs it for. Personally, I'd like more software to be available for Linux. Yet, I understand why sometime that isn't viable, or why developers don't want to make it available for other operating systems.
And while I know there are alternatives for almost all apps in other operating systems, making the jump to those alternatives isn't practical for money issues or you can't make customers or providers to make the jump with you. At the end of the day, it may just boil down to that making the jump is just to muck work to make it work on the long run.
While I prefer Linux Mint, and would love more people to use it as their main operating system, I do understand that it isn't practical for everyone to use it.
8/08/2023
Mozilla Thunderbird 115: a leap forward.
ARM based laptops support on Linux Mint.
As an avid laptop user, when Apple introduced its ARM based M1 chip and I saw the improvement on battery life, I started to wish other C...
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I recently got a Machenike L16A to replace the HP laptop I've been using for about 4 years now, and it has been quite a good upgrade. T...
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I've been using a Machenike L16A with Linux Mint as my daily driver for four months now, and I must admit that I'm impressed with ...
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It has been about a week since I upgraded to the Linux Mint 22.1 Xia, and it has been one of the best point releases Linux Mint has had i...