This is a running list of technology that I am currently using. I will update this list as I change. You'll
find old choices struck through.
This one is debated back and forth, and can change from time to time if you aren't using the Big 2 (Windows or MacOS). Currently, my main system runs Windows 11 with a catch. In the interest of security and privacy, I've brought my system into near-compliance with the Department of Defense's Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs). These are provided for free, to the public, and should be considered as a stable, trustworthy guideline for security and privacy on any system. I've also followed some of the suggestions found on PrivacyTools.io and from various trustworthy sources within the realm of enterprise IT in the US Army. I'd reccomend simeononsecurity's script for applying the STIGs to Windows, which can be found at github.com/simeononsecurity/Windows-Optimize-Harden-Debloat.
Normally, I'd be running some Debian variant and have a Windows 11 setup like described above on a separate, slower SSD to boot into if needed (i.e. gaming or testing something on Windows vs Linux). I've used everything from RHEL-based systems (primarily Fedora) to Arch, and have been on Ubuntu 24.04 since it's release, but decided to nix that (no pun intended) when NVIDIA drivers refused to work properly with VS Code &/or Wayland. Plus, I've been growing into a crotchety old mand and am getting over the "lInUX iS now cOol in 2023" hypetrain. I just want a system that works. I fix things all day at work for people who make way more than I am, and the last thing I want to do now is come home to a computer that doesn't work because of the decisions I made. Debian 12.6 has had nothing preventing me from doing what I need/want to do on my NAS, so that's what I'll be sticking with in the near future, although I'll be attending a Red Hat tour in Raleigh in mid-October, so I'll probably check out some Fedora/CentOS/Rocky/AlmaLinux sometime here.
It'l be just to kick the 'ol tires again. I haven't used a RHEL system for fun in awhile. I've been setting up a TAK server at work when I have some downtime, so I'm feeling more confident with DNF, YUM, and RPM's than I did a week ago. Rocky 8 is solid.
Oh, and I wish I was rich enough to use MacOS on a Macintosh. But no, half a used car for a laptop with 8GB of RAM is not the investment I'll be making anytime soon!
Currently, I'm on a Samsung S10e. It's a bit old, but I've got 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 4G connectivity, NFC, an FM radio, a headphone jack, an OLED display, fast USB-C charging & wireless charging, and a passion to save money by not buying into a cellphone. It was $124 when I bought it.
I'd like to move into a Samsung S22 in the future, once the S10e kicks the bucket, though I'd miss the headphone jack for those rare times I listen to music with an aux cable.
Why the S22? Or Samsung in general? Why not a Google Pixel?
Because: