I've been messing around on PC since the Counterstrike days in highschool. For gaming i never owned a console, was always into custom PC. I always enjoy learning new things regarding research, new hardware.
On GAW I have learned how to archive, meme, scrutinize more strictly and find better primary sources among many other things. I would like to learn more from my brethren here.
I will share a few. Keyboard shortcut basics:
https://prabidhi.info/en/keyboard-computer-shortcut-keys/
Clear cache/cookies manually:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/search?query=clear%20cache
We are all thirsty for knowledge!
If it's been a bit for you, Mint Linux has gotten WAY better with gaming in the last year or two. Not every game, but Steam and Gog both work, and alot of classic older titles work very well. Newer AAA stuff is harder to get working but there are driver tricks you can do. (but most new AAA is woke trash anyway...)
Linux is worth it just to get Bill Gates out of my computer. If I ever need to use Windows I download a bootleg version on a virtual machine.
Or just install Windows in a virtual machine and use it for 180 days (that's the limit you can use until Windows starts complaining that you need to activate it) then delete and install.
No need to install a bootleg version.
Or just don't activate. Yes you won't be able to use some of the services and drivers but if you are just doing some simple stuff then I doubt drivers/services may be needed for whatever you're doing.
I still prefer to bootleg just because default windows comes extremely bloated and you can find bootlegs that have all the extra shit removed along with no activation. I wouldn't do anything sensitive on it and always in a VM.
True, that's a good point. Didn't factor that one in. Totally forgot all about my friend who used this program to remove a lot of stupid junk from Windows so they can just "vanilla" install Windows on our test bench.
Gaming on Linux right meow! Its incredible but isnt as plug n play as windows
What's going on with Linux gaming as a result of the Steam Deck is fantastic.
The Steam Deck is an amazing platform that I recommend supporting.
Most games just work, and really well. Those that still don’t work, I think will only be a matter of time as more people support the Steam Deck and demand proper Linux support, which will be a win for everyone.
Plus fixes come out for games all the time and forks like GE-Proton help even more games run. I've run into very few games in my library that I haven't been able to get running.
You can get a lot to work, but compatibility is iffy and a lot of people don't want to make that extra effort. It has gotten better, but not nearly as good as the primary dev platform.
I'm not an IT Pro, but I'm very comfortable with computers. Linux is definitely secure but it's not easy to deal with when things go wrong. I've had a couple Linux Mint installations crash to the point of having to erase the whole OS and start over. I was not messing around with anything either, these were just updates that turned out to be catastrophic to my system.
I would not suggest Linux for the average computer user unless you're ok with the OS possibly deciding never to boot again. In other words, it's great for casual surfing and entertainment, but not for anything you absolutely need for making your living, unless you are an IT guy.
Well, there are a lot of versions of linux that are very user friendly now as compared to years ago. Most of the current debian versions are out of the box easy to use. Even fedora which is redhat based, is easy to use. You do not need to know the command line to get started immediately, or have to use vim(nano sucks). You do not need to compile drivers and tweak them as we had to many years ago, most every device now will run on linux. I always suggest people try and get away from windows, there is an open source version of most every piece of software you use, it might not always look as "polished" as something from windows world but it will do what you need, and in some cases will do more than you were expecting. You can customize most of the various GUIs very easily. You can make your installation your own.
Linux is also much more secure, thought it is not 100% secure. The only 100% secure computer is one that is unplugged and locked in a closet. It's super stable, there is a BSD machine sitting in Berkeley that hasn't been rebooted for a couple of decades at last I heard. Yes once in a while you will get an issue, the ubuntu 22.04 upgrade tanked one of my test boxes, and I have had to do a few kernel roll backs at work but nothing is perfect.
Give linux a try, you can run it as a live OS without installing, just burn to a disk or usb and see what it has to offer.
sauce: me, been using linux/bsd for 25yrs for work.
Sounds no different than Windows lol
Honestly the last 2 times I did a fresh Windows install, weird random crap went wrong that required more tinkering than my average Linux install.
I think most Linux distros have gotten a lot better, and Windows has gotten a lot worse, such that they have almost met in the middle now.
I've noticed that most people usually don't allow Windows to finish setting up. They would just start using Windows as soon as Windows boots up, interrupting the setup process.
That's one of the common issues that was brought into the shop I worked at and I had to do a system recovery or a clean install of Windows then just let it do its work until I see the "New Account" screen.
But the main reason why I stopped using WIndows about 10 years ago is because I got tired of waiting half a day for Windows to finish installing a single update.
That's weird, as any enthusiast PC would take seconds to minutes including boot times for most updates.
Windows Update has a penchant for corrupting itself in some fashion and completely breaking though which is incredibly annoying. Has happened even somewhat recently, and was -- depressingly -- due to an issue with Windows store which also has issues out the butt.
Troubleshooting Windows is basically an industry all its own at this point.
Well my mother in law has Windows 10 installed on her laptop and I had to apply an hotfix. Took about 6 hours for it to go through. Her laptop is HP and it's using OEM OS.
I had Windows 7 installed on my computer and it was the last Windows OS I used before switching over to Linux fully. I had like three or four updates to apply. Took literally all night to have them go through. That was the final straw for me so I switched over to Linux and haven't looked back. I was even using a SSD for it with 16 GB of RAM. At that time, my PC was an enthusiast PC that I built myself, and it was LAGGING with Windows.
Not only that but I had to service computers for about 5 years and I had to apply hotfixes, updates and all that. Half of the time, I had to leave them sitting on the workbench overnight for the updates to go through. Oftentimes I would think the computer had some more issues than just software but it was actually Microsoft that made the OS worse version after version. Not even going to use Windows 11.
Convinced my father to get off Windows and use a chromebook with Android stack on it and he's happier with it than he was with Windows. He kept saying, "I swear I'll sling this laptop into the sky and shoot that piece of shit!" when referring to his Windows laptop.
Yeah, the update situation is my biggest gripe too.
Not only how long they take, but the unpredictable restarts to install, and sometimes when they fail, figuring out how to get them to reinstall is a nightmare.
Windows 10 was especially bad. 11 has been a bit better as far as OS updates, but Windows will still sometimes try to pull in random vendor crap that’s actually wrong or outdated, and then any app that gets updates through the Windows Store is a whole other can of worms.
Haha, well since Windows 10 came onto the scene, I've been really happy with its stability. Sure it gets slow after a couple years and would benefit from a fresh install, but it rarely would fall as bad as Linux did. I want to love Linux so much, but I always get burned.
I beg to differ good sir, it has improved by leaps and bounds in a very short time, mainly due to Valve's push with Proton.
I have managed to run anything I tried running, some games seem to run even better than on windows.
in many occasions I came across a case where there's an older game people are pulling their hairs out to try and get running on that POS windows 11, while the thing just runs butter smooth with proton.
Linux is a good operating system for everything, period.
Currently using surfshark as a vpn (no logs allegedly) and mulithopping IP. Works well imo.
Mullvad is the one I use.
Great info thank you, I hadn't heard of that provider
Me too. I searched and researched high and low and settled here for now.
I currently using NordVPN and using double vpn feature
If you're coming from Windows like most would be. The best I can possibly recommend is Mint Linux. Built off of Ubuntu, which is a very widely used flavor of Linux, so help docs are easy to find.
Mint Linux adds a bunch of "Windows like" features. A "start menu", similar UI and interface and relatively familiar windows. EDIT: I hate googtube as much as the next guy, but this is a pretty fantastic "mint linux getting started" guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUC9RbrS0q0
For a personal use, daily driver stay away from Kali Linux and Fedora and others unless you already have extensive experience in something else.
Also, if you really want to control your data even more, look into buying a Raspberry PI and installing Pihole. Once on your network, you can block adds and tracking links on a network wide basis. Meaning, when my browser or phone tries to ping totallynottracking.fedbois.gov ...the request gets dropped into a 0.0.0.0 IP address. Make sure you know how to access the admin panel and temporarily disable it, I find sometimes I am blocking "too much" which causes some sites to break. The docs and the UI have extensive ways on how to troubleshoot issues as they arise.
Additionally, stay away from store bought NAS devices. (Network attached storage) alot of the OS's on them are compromised or have spyware built in (pi hole cal alleviate some of that). But if you need extensive storage at home for pics, videos, whatever.,,,just build your own either with w/ a RPi or your own board and cpu build.
Most antivirus software is not really worth your money or is spying on you. I've been in IT in gov and civ, and the only way antivirus is beneficial is to stop users from making a stupid mistake and clicking on things they shouldn't. And think for a second...do you trust whomever is making the virus definitions that the blockers are trying to block? A lot of people here or PDW that post "the site is blocked now at work/the store/public place!!" well, the site is blocked because they have some kind of antivirus and the powers that define what is and isn't "malicious" updated the definition to include things you enjoy. So why use them? Educate your self on what to not click on, critically think about things online before you do them and you'll be better off.
What I don't see talked about enough is Password management. Lastpass is okay, but they are hosted in the cloud and thus vulnerable to hacks (there was a recent one). If you have the technical ablity, get BitWarden set up and going. Just as cheap, but open sourced and works alot better. you can also host your "vault" (encrypted password store) on your own servers should you have them. But do NOT give your passwords to your browser, and EVERY PASSWORD if at all possible should be randomly generated, long, and with special chars. If you have to have a "easy to remember" password, don't use any words you can find in the dictionary, make up your own words, and know that to a computer "H3ll0" is basically the same as "Hello" your l33t speak means nothing to a password cracker.
VPNs are kind of a tough topic, because they all have trade offs. I use express VPN for almost all "day to day" activity. I have other ways for the serious stuff.
Lastly, is your router spying on you? probably. If your router can handle it, look into openWRT. It's a router firmware that's open sourced and very powerful. Just really watch your steps or you can brick the thing. It's very easy to do if you have a compatible model and go slow. If you can afford it, buy a new router to do it on.
You can also use Pihole as a router and then but external wifi access points (ubiquity is expensive but awesome, good prices on lightly used enterprise gear online.)
Happy to answer any questions or clarify the above. Tried to just give people ways to get started doing SOMETHING to help their digital footprint.
Hey thank you very much for posting this info!
Haven't used any of the Linux distros other than Ubuntu that people have suggested on here but I've used Mint like 8 or so years ago.
Right now I'm on Fedora and it's good so far. Yeah sometimes unstable but that's what I get for using an OS that's constantly updating all the time. Fedora 37 seems to have fixed most of the issues I was having in Fedora 35 and I'm a late adopter -- I don't always upgrade to the latest version, but for this one I had to because I was actually having stability issues with 35.
I have yet to install PiHole because my router keeps changing the IP addresses every time I set PiHole up so maybe I'm doing it wrong but then again, I'm using a shitty router, despite it being "top of the line" back then. It's not even compatible with OpenWRT... :(
Antivirus is one of the many reasons why I switched over to Linux because it's bloatware and slows your computer down due to it constantly scanning for everything you do online as well as offline.
Yeah Ubiquity looks nice and all but very expensive. I was also looking into using pfSense but I don't have what this video recommended getting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUzSsX4T4WQ
It looks like I may have to drop ~$800 to get everything what I need to use pfSense to manage my network...?
As for VPNs, I still haven't found one as I'm not sure which one is the best one out there and reasonable priced as well. Not sure about ExpressVPN, MullVad, BearShare or something like that. Just saw some people recommend SurfShark (At first I thought they were talking about WireShark lol). Anyways, I'd like to use a VPN service sometimes soon but it's hard to decide on which one, like you said, as they all have trade-offs.
For me, I avoid all password managers. Don't 100% trust them completely and I have complicated passwords anyways.
Anyways good info here. Thanks for sharing!
Fedora is nice, but I find Debian much more stable. Then again, Debian isn't exactly cutting edge, with updated, non-security packages being added later than other distros.
Yeah I just like to have some stuff now rather than waiting later but when I upgraded to 35, I saw what a lot of people were complaining about instability. Decided to finally upgrade to 37 and it's now mostly stable.
Haven't really used Debian but I've used Ubuntu so I got a good idea of how Debian can do and I'm sure it's lots better than Ubuntu. But I like Red Hat/Fedora because I used it first when I was in college, majoring in I.T. and loved it since.
For you Pi hole issue, you should be able to set a static IP either in the pihole or in the router.
Routers, (pfsense would be a router as well) use something called DHCP to assign IP addresses if some device comes to the router and says "gimmie IP" . Devices can also say "this is my IP I want, can I have it?" I used to do everything on the device (so setting a static IP on pi hole in your instance). but somewhere around 10 different devices it got too hard to manage so I moved everything to the router(I have a lot of servers on my network, this isn't typical). Look for a "DHCP" setting in your router, or sometimes in the advanced setting under "local network" or "LAN".
Thing about Pfsense if you can install it on quite a few things. Ideally you need at least 2 ports (WAN and LAN) but really cool setups have more ports (for multiple LAN ports). I personally buy most of my hardware off of ebay, cause I don't care about cosmetic damage from use. I have seen them on old enterprise firewalls (Watchguard XTM series, needs some work to flash, but man are they cool!), raspberry pis, or even an old PC tower, and then add on a network PCIE card. If I was in your boat and just trying to get started I'd look on Ebay or locally for a used HP or Dell workstation, make sure the motherboard and CPU can handle an external Ethernet card, and start there.
I prefer express VPN personally. Enough podcasters I listen to have a code from them, and I like the ease of setup on linux machines (uses openVPN spec so it's easy)
Yeah I'm in I.T. so I'm familiar with how DHCP distribute IP addresses and setting static IPs.
The thing is, when I set up the static IP for my PiHole, the LAN IP changed to a number up above the former one, i.e. 192.168.0.1 got changed to 192.168.0.2. I didn't change that, the router changed it by itself.
I followed this guy's explanation on how to set PiHole but I know he's using a Ubiquity router so I managed to get all what I needed to set up per his instructions but at the end, the PiHole is listening and scanning but because my router and the Pi-Hole are on two different networks (192.168.0.1 for PiHole and 192.168.0.2 for my router) so nothing is coming through the PiHole and I lost internet connectivity on my router.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X6KYN1cQ1Y
Had to reset router because I couldn't even get into the router's interface (don't know what it got changed to because I can see it by its IP address but whenever I try to get in the web interface via its IP address, it keeps giving me an error). Did some changing and all, but it took up pretty much all night for me and my child had to be in school (remote learning) and I had to have the router back in working order so my child can attend class via zoom.
Since then, I've been busy but yeah I'll try to look around and read some more on PiHole to see what I did wrong.
I'll look at eBay again. Last time I went hunting on eBay was when I was trying to find a working Cisco 2950 router so I can set up a home lab but there weren't any at the time or they were selling at a crazy price, like $1,000 for one when I saw it going for around $50 but got quickly sold.
Thanks for the info!
Linux is the best if you're willing to learn, but there have been some inroads towards turning Linux woke and this could be a problem moving forward. Choosing the right fork is good for...the...steak or..some analog.
Apple's trash for freedom, but known for their Mac specific design programs.
Windows is the best for gaming compatibility, but the worst for telemetry -- telemetry being background processes that are collecting your data.
For power user navigation on Windows, some of the most important ones are ctrl+shift+esc for process manager, win+R to bring up run, and if it matters for any reason, win+shift+S for snipping tool.
Win+L locks your screen
Win+P is good to know for multi-monitor setups and presentations where screen mirroring would be important.
Choose the OS that best suits your needs. Linux also is very good for "hacker" aesthetic if you're a nerdy coder, and offers fun practice for breaking your operating system.
For most users, Windows is gonna be the most chosen because of its ease of use and gaming. Apple will be chosen if your hobbies or jobs revolve around graphic design, video editing, etc. Linux will be someone who dabbles or wants to learn to get away from all the telemetry.
I think it's important to watch the flow of $$ on your Linux distros. Shuttleworth (Ubuntu CEO) warned us that root was given:
https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/44512/what-does-mark-shuttleworth-mean-by-we-have-root
Ubuntu was a popular distro that was struggling financially till for no business reasons whatsoever, it wasn't. We saw the same w/Twitter. Pretty sure they take .gov $$$ to install unconstitutional surveillance and back doors.
Ubuntu completely sucks now, they have turned the entire package management process into a snap package nightmare.
Linux noobs who don't know what they are doing will get funneled to tutorials that will install snap.d on Linux Mint (who specifically removed and disabled it), to just install LFTP which is a tiny command line program and already in the repos.
"sudo apt install lftp" is all that is required but the tutorials will launch into installing a massive blob that takes your autonomy and, on Ubuntu, installs ALL system packages as snaps, which are not native but have all dependencies shoe-horned into the packages themselves. They run like shit compared to native packages and there are open source options like Flatpaks when you need to actually do this with a single package.
Having ALL packages installed as snaps is not the way things have EVER been done in the Linux world, it is something new in this context, it is a fucking Rube Goldberg machine.
Ubuntu is a turd covered in burnt hair now and the biggest deep-state attack vector in the Linux world. Ubuntu has become the Microsoft of Linux.
Use Linux Mint and KDE plasma desktop environment.
The Linux Mint devs can see the writing on the wall, Linux Mint Debian Edition completely bypasses Ubuntu's crap and poxy Canonical's subverted board of diversity hires and deep-state hacks. They are developing it in parallel with Linux Mint as Ubuntu is going away, slowly and much like the Titanic.
What do people download censored content with anymore? Its been many years since I used whereisit.org
Wow this is great thanks!
Seriously you are a fool to do this.
If you want to go hard-core use an O/S like kali linux.
On top of that, buy an online server with bitcoin and run your own vpn server, make sure the logs from such are sent to null0.
Use your own firewall/router at home (between your machine and your provider's router) learn how to use it. You can run a vpn between your firewall and your own vpn server, that way you won't forget to turn your vpn on (it will also cover other devices on your network).
There's a lot more, but there are plenty of guides if you look.
Honestly Kali is more for pentesting but if you really want to be fully incognito online, use Tails on an USB stick.
I'm a bit out of touch to be honest, I thought Kali was a more recent update of Tails. I would have mentioned it if not for thinking that.
Yeah you're good. I believe Kali is a fork of Tails but with pentesting capabilities like Metasploit, Splunk and many more.
Tails comes with the TOR browser (TOR = The Onion Router) and have a lot of tips telling you how to remain anonymous i.e. do not maximize your browser, do not copy and paste, do not transfer files between Tails and your personal computer, etc. All of that can trail back to your real identity, even if it's very minimal. Tails is also lightweight.
Do not maximize your browser. Really? What is the risk
Sorry, been away from GAW for a while.
Yeah, if you maximize your browser, it creates a metadata on what resolution you're using to view the browser based on your monitor, and when the bad guys (the three lettered agencies) come looking for you, they can easily match the resolution of the monitor you've been using to the info found in the metadata.
If you don't maximize it, it can't really tell what resolution you're using, making it harder for them to match and identify you as the "guilty party".
If you use Tails and read all of the tips, it will explain everything why you should and should not do this and that. Also read Kevin Mitnick and his hacking experiences on how he got caught and how he evaded the three lettered agencies for years.
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
Goos stuff, thanks.
Woah I feel like I’m in 2005 jumping into this thread.
Clearing cookies anon?
Fwd:fwd:fwd:fwd re: from grandma
Ha thats the correct year for sure, and there are a wide spread of people here, not all pc fags
Not much has changed really.
Best antivirus is your freakin' brain. Email is one of the largest vectors for malware. Don't click on suspcious links and dont interact with scammers.
True. Protonmail is very good for many aspects for an email alternative as well.
As a dummy in these things, I like to see something like this.
Non techie old fart here, 74. I wanted to escape microsoft, so I got Linux Mint. When I was unsure, unknowing, I googled what was needed. I just copied the command line stuff ( hey Ma, look at me!!) and it worked. I seems crash proof so far for the last year. There were Roadrunner moments, but I scrambled back to the clif.
I think I'm going to give her a shot, thanks!
I recommend everyone learn linux. You can take the blue pill (Windows) and go back to believing whatever you want to believe, or you can take the red pill (linux) and see how deep the rabbit hole goes.
I second this.
It may seem intimidating, but there are many beginner friendly flavors of Linux out there, lots of resources for getting started, and when getting started, requires little to no more tinkering than Windows does today.
There will always be a learning curve when moving to something new, but this is worth the commitment.
As seen in the immediate aftermath of January 6 and the rush to censor all Trump supporters, label them terrorists, and kick them off many platforms, any software controlled centrally by one company (i.e. Microsoft, Apple, and Google) is subject to locking you out of your own computer system and data, for any reason.
While there ARE some woke influences in the Linux world, it isn’t centralized or owned by any one company. Because it’s open source, we have as much control over it as any other group. And the more we all start using Linux of any flavor, the more we build up the Linux ecosystem, and the less entrenched Apple, Microsoft and Google become.
Oh, re: antivirus.
In 97% of use cases, an antivirus is pointless at best and at worst sucking up RAM, compute time and storage speeds.
2% of those use cases are business antiviruses where you don't have a choice of using it.
1% are throwing it on elderly PCs that somehow have 390 taskbars and a massive porn collection from sketchy sites with Windows Defender turned off.
If you're on Windows, Defender does a really good job (surprisingly) when combined with common sense and things like uBlock Origin or other adblocking plugins.
Most malware nowadays ends up being through downloaded .exes that are pretty easily avoided unless you irresponsibly download and open every program you come across without knowing what to look for and how to handle it.
Another good one: https://www.sharklasers.com/
Excellent, thanks
I use Debian Linux on all of my machines, with XFCE as my window manager. I install the base system from the minimal ISO, and build my UI from there. Of course, it takes a lot of research and tinkering with Linux to reach the point of being able to do this, but in the end, it's all worth it, and I am NOT an IT guy at all. My setups are all blazingly fast, with only the apps that I choose to install, and all of my machines are literally 10+ years old or older. I'm typing this on a 2010 Macbook Pro running the setup described above. IPVanish is my VPN of choice, although it got me banned from Twitter kek
All of my (classic arcade) gaming is done on arcade cabinets that I've modified with PCs running Windows 7 and the MAME emulator, and not hooked to any network.
My husband says If you’re asking from a full tin foil hat perspective then then the most secure OS is openbsd. He says Linux kernel is really good too just because it has the most eyes on it from a developer perspective but as far as having the lowest attack surface by default openbsd is the best. Also its development is funded by the DOD.
Interesting, thanks to you both
check out sophia script for windows 10/11
use pi-hole as a dns server on your local network using lists from blocklist.site (if u like to shop online there is a referral whitelist available) atop this, you can choose to add an additional layer of blocking utilizing opendns filtering which is free for personal use
ublock origin is a low footprint ad blocker for browsers, don't use multiple ad blockers
antivirus is a myth, just use what's built into windows- if u catch something, run adwcleaner
make sure you're using drivers made for your hardware, check ur motherboard or pc manufacturer and then run windows update and check for optional updates
I've worked with both Windows and Apple OS X in networked commercial installations for many years. Now I'm retired, and all my hardware runs Ubuntu Linux.
I'm very happy with it, but in truth, I don't recommend it to anyone who doesn't have at least a casual Unix background.
Thanks for the advice, for i am not familiar with anything outside of windows yet. I currently use Avast for their VPN but it sounds like there are better out there.
Torguard for VPN. Very robust.
Here are some sites you may find useful...
https://github.com/Igglybuff/awesome-piracy/blob/master/readme.md
https://github.com/jivoi/awesome-osint
https://www.privacytools.io/
https://github.com/Penetrum-Security/Security-List
http://web.archive.org/web/20110709204449/http://www.proxy4free.com/list/webproxy_rating1.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20070202024504/http://tools.rosinstrument.com/cgi-proxy.htm
https://file.pizza/
https://riseup.net/en
If it is electronic, it is compromised. Don't worry to much with security when playing with deep states toys. Ur tv listens, ur thermostat listens, phone, everything. Hell, i bet ur dog is secretly a chyna spy (ok, exaggerated that last one...maybe). Point is, u could be secured 100% on the pc. Ur not secure from ur doorbell.
As far as pc is concerned, linux is best choice in my opinion. (Even though i use windows)
Antivirus is a nich thing in my opinion. Get whatever even if it is costco brand lol.
Vpn, in my opinion is like getting whole life insurance. Waste of money but the one with is feels secured.
I have an IT background, so what I do may not be for everyone. I've been a Windows user since it came out. I just lived with the spying. I've used Linux at work, but never thought of using it as my primary OS.
When all the censoring went into full gear after 2020 and we Trump supporters were forced to use alternative social media, I found a Telegram group focusing on using Linux for privacy: https://t.me/jptchat. I made a comprehensive list of all the applications I use and whether or not they either exist on Linux or there are Linux-based alternatives. IE, Libre Office instead of Microsoft Office. What I found was that out of all the applications I routinely use, only one, Quicken, doesn't have a Linux alternative. And most importantly, I found that a vast majority of stuff I do on my computer is done thru web browsers, which of course can run on any OS.
I recently built myself a new PC and am running the Unraid operating system. This is a Linux-based OS that supports both virtual machines (VMs) and Docker containers. I built a Windows VM and run Quicken in that. Everything else I've moved to either Docker containers or Linux VMs. It took me a while to get used to it, but I would never go back to using solely Windows now.
I do not play PC games, so that is not a factor for me. I chose Unraid because this computer will also serve as our household network attached storage (NAS) device to backup everybody's laptops, etc. They will continue using Windows for now, but hopefully I'll convince them to change in the future.
If you're like most people and just use computers for web browsing and email, Linux will serve you just fine. If you're a power user, then do what I did and catalog the applications you use and make sure Linux alternatives exist. I would not even consider an Apple, they're worse than Microsoft for spying IME.
Very helpful, cheers
Macbook with NORD VPN is what I use now. Used to have Microsoft with Windows. Afraid this old lady doesn't know how to Linux or any other platform. If there are tutorials though, I'm willing to learn.
I dunno bout anything here but I use PC Matic because it is American made in USA. Probably is as good or better than most but that is just opinion from a retard.
If you use Windows and have any valuable passwords or crypto wallets, you need paid antivirus. The free ones may miss an infection in realtime and only find parts of it when you run a manual scan. I lost crypto due to this and paid for Kaspersky Antvirus, which immediately found things in memory and cleaned up the laptop.