lti wrote on Today, 01:15:

The other problem is outdated documentation. For example, I booted Fedora live on my laptop, and I forgot that this laptop has broken panel self-refresh. Even in Windows, panel self-refresh results in random screen flickering, but it was easy to turn off in the Intel graphics settings. In Linux, the instructions I found online refer to the old (I don't think it's under development anymore, and it doesn't support some features anyway) i915 driver instead of the modern driver.

Probably worth reporting so a quirk can be applied to disable it (e.g. PSR is disabled on all Apple panels so MacBooks consume more power at idle in Linux). Otherwise, yeah, knowing to add i915.enable_psr=0 to the kernel command line isn't exactly straightforward 😀

lti wrote on Today, 01:15:

Fedora looks good so far, but I don't know if it has any kind of third-party repository like Ubuntu PPAs or the AUR in Arch.

Yep, Copr.

lti wrote on Today, 01:15:

If that's the one with 2GB of RAM, then I don't think any modern OS is going to run well on it. Your only hope might be antiX, but I haven't used it in such a long time that I don't remember how easy it was to set up.

I quote only you, but acknowledge others that have responded to my post messing with that laptop.

Yeah, it's that one, Mint 22.2 seems more loaded than 32-bit Win10 1809. It was a live session, so couldn't look at the logs. I'll try again with real install, which I did this weekend, with updates applied. I replaced Ubuntu (Mate) 16.04 install, seems unlikely I'll mess with the old version again. But, Compiz was a nice touch.

I should buy more RAM for it at some point while I can still find it more easily. Doesn't cost much, but, it just hasn't been a big priority. I mostly have this laptop because I needed actual portable computer once in my life. Now I just turn it on occasionally so battery doesn't go totally kaput and occasionally try some software on it or browse the web.

One odd thing about Mint, they hide Grub boot menu by default, even if you already have another operating system on computer. I always pick "something else" when installer asks about partitioning. I go with one ext4 partition for all data and OS and one for swap. For some reason, I got a warning that EFI partition is missing and that it likely won't boot. It's strange since I still use MBR and classic BIOS mode on that laptop. It's possible to use UEFI, but I wanted more certain compatibility with random bootable stuff. MBR limitations don't bother me either.

Ozzuneoj wrote on Yesterday, 02:47:

This is the kind of stuff that kills it for me. I want everything I do on my PC to work the best it can, and if it doesn't I want to be able to figure out why and fix it if possible. There are well established tools to make almost all of this happen with Windows (30 years worth... and most still work in some capacity)... and if some specific niche problem can't be fixed with a program, I have spent years making sure I have work-arounds in place via registry edits or other things. I think the biggest problems I'd have would be with hardware related or hardware-specific programs... monitoring\tweaking programs (MSI Afterburner, Ryzen Master, Fan Control), extremely specific refresh rate and resolution settings (including things like DLDSR, which I can almost guarantee isn't a thing in Nvidia's Linux drivers), ClickMonitorDDC (amazing for quickly changing monitor brightness), Hotkey Resolution Changer, Nvidia Broadcast (excellent mic noise canceling), equalizer APO + Peace for multiple audio devices, Hard Disk Sentinel...

that's not the linux way! when you encounter such issues in linux you just

hgw /.-y.1 -ht 1/o
and then pld -01/fltpk.1

and so on for about an hour, then you flatpak something and compile some other things that will slowly mess everything up, then recompile the kernel (wowzer such freedom , aaaah), then do some more command line things that are strictly consonants only, with elaborate arguments involving slashes dots and dashes and then, after a few weeks of that - and navigating forums where people say "try this", "i want to know too" or haughtily repeat the utterly ineffective commands you already typed, you'll pick up on something that is propriety (oh the horror..) which no one will help you with ("unclean!") and then you give up while weakly trying to tell yourself how great this "freedom" is...

well, not really 😀 - but it can feel like that. thats why is like linux mint when its installed, but i don't push my luck - if it doesnt do what i want in one or two steps i wont chase it down

Ozzuneoj wrote on Yesterday, 02:47:

I think the biggest problems I'd have would be with hardware related or hardware-specific programs... monitoring\tweaking programs (MSI Afterburner, Ryzen Master, Fan Control), extremely specific refresh rate and resolution settings (including things like DLDSR, which I can almost guarantee isn't a thing in Nvidia's Linux drivers), ClickMonitorDDC (amazing for quickly changing monitor brightness), Hotkey Resolution Changer, Nvidia Broadcast (excellent mic noise canceling), equalizer APO + Peace for multiple audio devices, Hard Disk Sentinel...

Yeah, Nvidia's Linux drivers are pretty barebones. And the lack of MSI Afterburner and Nvidia Profile Inspector makes it difficult for me to switch as well. Granted, not everyone tweaks their games so extensively, but I personally appreciate that level of customization. For example, I like how Nvidia Profile Inspector can force DLSS4 in games which use an older version. Similarly, it can replace DLSS with DLAA for improved visual clarity. This can be done with just a few clicks on Windows. Also, using MSI Afterburner to check GPU utilization, frame times, average FPS and 1% lows, and then adjusting in-game settings to get the smoothest possible experience is something I do on a regular basis. Not having that ability would be a big loss for me.

That said, Microsoft is doing everything in their power to push me away from Windows 11. There isn't a monthly update that doesn't break something, and they keep shoving AI slop into every single thing, including the goddamn Game Bar. I use Win11 LTSC to avoid the worst of it, but even that version is now affected to some degree. If SteamOS hits it out of the park, and gives me the customization tools that I need, I might just go with an AMD GPU next time and ditch Windows for good.