Night Wing wrote: ↑2026-01-15, 19:00
You are using Debian 10 which is quite old since Debian 13.3 is now the current distro. I think you are using Debian 10 because your computer is "old" which cannot handle more robust distros so performance is going to be "less" in my opinion. And even "used" (second hand computers) can be costly. And if I recall, your Debian 10 ELTS is a paid for "extended long term support". This gives you until 2029 when your Debian will reach "end of life" without any support.
I installed Debian 10 in 2020, when it was current. Because coping with technical problems is, without hyperbole, bad for my sanity, I have long since learnt to leave well enough alone as far as technical matters are concerned. Technical problems possess the near-unique power, comparable only to those which affect direct bodily needs like sleep (I am quite sensitive to sleep deprivation) or food. (
Technical problems mean more than computer problems. My flat’s water supply here is possibly suffering a critical failure which could result in my absence here for days or weeks beginning later tonight.) This is because, by their nature against the background of my handicap, they can come on without any warning, robbing me of the ability to live my life as normal or even take a break from the problem to calm myself or reach out to friends or family for emotional support. I know better than to look for trouble, which discourages any sort of tinkering.
In particular, replacing the OS would first require a complete system back-up, itself an all-day affair I can only really spare between academic terms,
ie when I am on holiday and would rather be relaxing with things I actually like doing, I would need to make sure in advance of relevant details in choice of distro to ensure that it will actually meet all my needs
before I install it, for the cost of recovering from failure would be prohibitively high. Hence, in switching to Debian 10 from Windows 7 to begin, I needed to wait until after my uni’s autumn 2020 term ended and I had thoroughly researched hardware capability
etc so I could know for sure that I could do so safely. It is better for me to wait until the spring, after my present academic business is behind me and I am again living somewhere else, where coping with technical problems is somewhat easier, before attempting any OS replacement, but wisdom tells me I should avoid making any drastic changes, like OS replacement, unless it is imminently necessary, like when the updater misbehaved in 2022, or three years hence as ELTS for Debian 10 lapses. Unless or until this happens, it is safest, in the sense of sparing me from miserable evenings with my mind addled by prolonged panic attacks, to avoid migrating. (It may be noted that ELTS is free for private users, as Freexian, who offers the support, has informed me in private correspondence.)
Hence, I am using this time to gather information about possible successors to Debian 10 on my computer. In the interest of ensuring my transition is as smooth as possible, the then-current version of Debian is a natural candidate, but because older computers tend to be neglected, I have recognised that a lightweight OS like AntiX might be necessary. I have spoken elsewhere about the sentimental value this computer has for me and my intent to continue using it for as long as it still works. How to tell which should meet my needs three years hence without actually testing them is challenging. My frequent questions here from experienced Linux users serve this purpose.
But I intend to show you my 2013 backup desktop tower, which originally came with Windows 8. I got it on the cheap, $300, but even though it was built around 2013, it has lots of "oomph". It has a fourth generation Intel i7 chip with a processor speed of (3.40) with 32 GB of memory. I will post this message, then get on my backup desktop and come back and edit this post to show you it's specifications. Even with an old 2013 desktop tower computer, it does not suffer much when it comes to "performance".
Laptops are inferior, of course. This one from 2012 has a 1400 MHz processor, which would be overclocked by default to 1900 MHz until I forbade this with
cpufreq. It has also got only 6 GB store, of which only five are usable, where lag is notable if over four are being used. I have said elsewhere that I am used to living within 2000s limits, and this is another example of that. I do not know how much this computer had cost in 2012, for it was a gift for me when I was a child. I had bought a spare computer last year for €400, but I have lost its charger and cannot give you its figures until I have replaced it. I must go now to test whether the water has failed as feared, but if it has not, I would like to edit this to report my own computer’s detailed specifications.
Edit: The water supply is holding for now, but I cannot rule out such a disruption to my presence here until my landlord hears from the bacteriologist about possible bacilli in the plumbing. Here the information for my main computer. The spare one must wait until I have found a charger.
