BananaTrifleViolin

I like the way Cyberpunk did it in the end - you have your items to equip but also a wardrobe outfit that is visible. So you could equip the ugly ass powerful helmet but look like you had the cool shades on instead. Or appeaf naked if you really wanted.

This feels more like an anti-dad joke. The kind of joke that would tear a family apart. It'd cause arguments around the table about what a joke is, and probably ultimately end up in divorce for the parents and a 20 year schism between father and child that would only end when forced to reconnect after a family tragedy.

Everyone is already being tracked and monitored by the tech and advertising companies all the time. But there are ways around it.

You can start with your OS - the main Linux distros do not track or monitor your use. And on Linux you can install anything you want. There are privacy respecting browsers - Firefox is far more private than any of the Chrome based browsers, and Firefox forks like Librewolf are even more secure and private. You can also use your own firewalls, VPNs or access Internet alternatives like Tor or Freenet.

You can do much of this on Windows but it's a bit like trying to use a sieve to carry water - no mater how small you make the holes it's still a sieve. Linux is more like a bucket - you can put holes in it if you want to but it's not leaking everything by default.

Linux is not a single OS - it's whole structure is decentralised and fragmented.

Linux actually a kernel (the thing that bridges between the hardware and the software) which is paired with a group of basic software called GNU Utilities that make up the basic OS. Then there are lots of other software on top of that such as the graphics engine (X or Wayland) and the desktop environments (such as KDE or Gnome) and then all the software (video players, music players, office apps, steam and games etc).

All of this core software is open source and licensed to be free and independent. If one component were to be subverted anyone can fork it and make a free version again. There is some proprietary stuff but most of this has free alternatives.

As it is not centralised and instead a collection of lots of projects, it is difficult to both control it or suppress it. Anyone can compile the kernel, anyone can compile the basic apps or any other components. The source is freely available si anyone can audit it.

As a user you have total control over what is installed. If you want a totally private and secure system you can do it.

As it's not owned by any big company or government you have total choice what is on your system. You can "secretly" and privately use Linux without fear of governments or organisations knowing you're using it.

Linux is not perfect but it's is light years ahead of Windows in terms of privacy and security. It's nigh on impossible for Linux to disappear or be subverted - it's everywhere and it's freely available. No single group or organisation can suppress all the versions to force you to use their "approved" version.

Even if you remain skeptical about Linux long term, one thing is certain. Right now Windows is spying on you, harvesting your data, and using that to make money from advertisers, profile you for marketers and try to sell you more Microsoft goods. Linux will not. So even if it's just for today, Linux is by far the better option.

Just cover it in some chocolate sauce. That'll make it look better.

Unfortunately I think some of this perception is an example of the echo chamber problem of social media.

If you're in the politics and news echo chambers you see horrendous toxicity all the time. But if you're in hobby groups and interest groups that have nothing to do with politics it's generally not toxic in my experience.

I'm in both and there are loads of positive and kind communities and people around. I fear the moderators in particular have an understandably skewed view as they have to trudge through the toxic shit every day and protect a lot of the rest of us from it.

I think there is something to be said for more defederation of entire instances where toxic cuktures are allowed to thrive, even if they also happen to host more positive communities too. Those communities need to move and the priority for the Threadiverse tech needs to be enabling movement of communities as easily and painlessly as possible so the toxic areas can be left to fester on their own.

They're not going to shift to the left. But a split right wing vote favours the left under the first past the post system.

So encourage right wibg Trump voters to join Musk lol

Open source software such as Ansible, Puppet, Salt etc deployed on a custom Linux server with networking hardware.

If you want an all in one system / support package then search for Ansible orchestrator for example; there are plenty of EU based companies selling their own network kit configured for Ansible.

All of these can be run on any Linux distro. Dropbox is probably a better choice than Google Drive as Google drive doesn't have an official Linux app (but you can get it working beyond just using it in a Web browser if its a must).

I'd go.with Linux Mint as it's well supported but any point release distro will serve your needs well. For example Fedora KDD or OpenSuSE Leap, Debian etc. I wouldn't recommend Ubuntu.

I personally generally recommend Mint as a good starting distro. It is widely used, which means lots of support readily found online. It also has some of the benefits of Ubuntu without having the Snap forced on users. It also generally works well on a wide range of systems including lower powered systems due to its selection of desktops.

Your laptop is decent and I'd personally be running a slick desktop on that, specifically KDE. But alot of that comes down to personal preferences, and Mint isn't the best KDE desktop as it's not a main desktop for it (although it is available).

However once you get to grips with the basics of Linux I think other distros offer better more focused benefits for different user groups. There are lots of choices such as Gaming focused distros, rolling release vs point release distros, slow long term projects like Debian vs bleeding edge focused projects, immutable systems etc.

I personally use OpenSuSE Tumbleweed because it's cutting edge, but well tested prior to updates, with a good set of system tools in YaST, and decently ready for gaming and desktop use. I also like that it is European. But that may not be a good fit for your specific use case. Leap, the OpenSuSE point release distro would be better - a nice KDE desktop with a reliable release schedule and a focus on stability over cutting edge.

That's not entirely true. Snap is a good reason to avoid Ubuntu as you're not given the choice whether day to day apps like Firefox are a native app or snap app. You can only have snap versions. The lack of choice in having a slower less efficient version of apps forced on users without official alternatives is a good enough reason for people to recommend avoiding Ubuntu.

That is regardless of all the commercial and proprietary concerns people have.

That does not apply to Ubuntu based system like Mint where users are given choices and still benefit from other aspects of the Ubuntu ecosystem.

Only caution on this is KDE has had significant improvements in each of it's point releases. Trixie is looking to launch with KDE 6.3.5 but latest is now 6.4.

It's always a balance between stability and latest release, but KDE has had quite rapid improvement as it's still early in the 6 era. Having said that the it does feel like the changes now coming through are mainly polish and new features rather than fixing fundamental issues - so 6.3.5 might be a good base for Debian Trixie.