What is your computer to you?

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What is your computer to you?

Unread post by Mæstro » 2022-10-01, 19:56

Moonchild’s statement on the Windows 11 thread that his computer is foremost a tool to him has inspired this post; I am creating a new thread to avoid diverting the topic.

I do not see my computer as a tool, for I do not use it for practical things. My nearest approach to that is my academic work, and my field happens to be pure mathematics. :lol:
For me, my computer is almost like my house or bedroom. It is where I can be safe and happy, a place where I can surround myself with the books and art and film that I like, wherein anyone I like can be with me, where I can discover and learn new things and where I can play with ideas and friends in safety. I can look at my desktop and see friends there. I can talk with anyone I like within the comfort of my bed, with the simplicity of text instead of the confusion of the spoken word. I can keep whatever I like, for ever. Nothing must change; everything can stay the same. It is an island of sorts, where I can flee anything that is harmful and shut it out without worrying about it coming here. It is private and safe, and all can be as it ought to be. To call it a refuge would imply that my surroundings are bad, which is not so. A better likeness would be to a harbour; a ship will come to its haven after its adventures sailing.

What is your computer to you?
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by Lucio Chiappetti » 2022-10-01, 20:29

TheRealMaestro wrote:
2022-10-01, 19:56
I do not see my computer as a tool, for I do not use it for practical things. My nearest approach to that is my academic work, and my field happens to be pure mathematics. :lol:
What is your computer to you?
Yes, essentially is a working tool (where "work" may involve also e-mail and browsing, and of course text processing, not only data analysis and computations), or at least that was the case for the generation of poseidon I to poseidon VI (and to prior mini and mainframes). And even now with agilulf I at home, it's not unlike that, although I use it also for housekeeping. I never used it for games or movies or music (although I realise with quite some surprise from a national Ubuntu forum that a lot of users do that).
But I agree it should be stable, with the look and feel I established.

There was a pun in a book, "the most expensive scientists are experimental physicists, who use big machines, big computers, paper, pencil and dustbins; then come astronomers, who use somewhat smaller intruments, computers, paper, pencil and dustbins; then come theoretical physicists, who use computers, paper, pencil and dustbins; then come pure mathematicians, who use paper, pencil and dustbins; last come philosophers, who do not use the dustbin.
I made even a drawing out of it (unfortunately in Italian) http://sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it/~lucio/P ... cienza.pdf


I should add: I lived without a real (desktop) computer at home until one year ago, and without any until 2020. But I had poseidon I to VI (and terminals before) at office where I stayed a lot and did everything. I also read a lot of physical books, and I';m either reading, cooking or walking when not at the computer. I do not own a smartphone.
Last edited by Lucio Chiappetti on 2022-10-01, 21:40, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by athenian200 » 2022-10-01, 21:08

My computer is kind of a big deal to me. I rely on it the way most people rely on their phones. It's the way I communicate with others, it's the way I do work, it's the thing that keeps me solving puzzles and stimulating my mind, it's how I play games and amuse myself, it's the way I watch movies and listen to music, it's the way I learn new things, it's the way I comfort a friend, it's the way I write creative works or fix up other people's essays for them.

I spend all day in front of it doing all kinds of things, I have my room setup to accommodate two of them and flip between two sides to use two different setups. I have multiple monitors so I can see everything. In fact, I would find it hard to function without my computer.

It might sound like hyperbole, but my computer is pretty much my whole life, outside of family, books, and meals. When I'm not on the computer, usually it's because I am reading a physical book. Most of my life does seem to revolve around either the Internet or books. I was always fascinated by computers and used to constantly buy books and old CD-ROMS to try to get them to do new and different things even before I had the Internet.
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by basicuser » 2022-10-01, 22:56

My computer is my window on the world. I'm a news junkie, but gave up TV many years ago due to it's limited, dumbed down and biased offerings. The computer gives access to tens of thousands of news sites (including MSM), entertainment, information and communication. So a big deal to me.
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by andyprough » 2022-10-02, 01:02

I have lots of computers with a couple different GNU/Linux distros loaded on them. Each one is just a way of accessing my data, all of which is constantly backed up on separate storage. Usually I keep one PC on my desk, a laptop in the kitchen, a laptop in the dining room, and a laptop in a backpack ready to grab and take to meetings. They are all getting a bit old, and I rarely pay for them - I get a lot of them as hand-me-downs from family members who are upgrading to something newer. They know that I'm the one who can keep a computer alive and productive practically forever. My family is all on Windows or Mac, so they all have to upgrade once every few years or their systems start bogging down terribly. I do buy and build my own computers occasionally, but most often I have more of the donated ones sitting around than I know what to do with.

I like using antiX GNU/Linux because it installs in less than two minutes, and it has built-in persistence on all of its live USBs. And it has an awesome "ISO Snapshot" tool where I can quickly make a complete working ISO of my system at any moment in time and stick it on a live USB, all in less than 10 minutes. Being able to run out the door with a completely up-to-the-moment version of my entire computer on a live USB in my pants pocket in under 10 minutes time is a killer feature that I don't think any other OS or distro can match.

So bottom line - what is my computer to me? One of many convenient ways of accessing my data.

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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by Mæstro » 2022-10-02, 01:33

Lucio Chiappetti wrote:
2022-10-01, 20:29
There was a pun in a book, "the most expensive scientists are experimental physicists, who use big machines, big computers, paper, pencil and dustbins; then come astronomers, who use somewhat smaller intruments, computers, paper, pencil and dustbins; then come theoretical physicists, who use computers, paper, pencil and dustbins; then come pure mathematicians, who use paper, pencil and dustbins; last come philosophers, who do not use the dustbin.
I made even a drawing out of it (unfortunately in Italian) http://sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it/~lucio/P ... cienza.pdf
Ha, I had heard a variant of that joke at my old school! We shared a building with the philosophers, while the physicists and astronomers had another to themselves, so you can guess how the joke was abridged. :mrgreen:
andyprough wrote:
2022-10-02, 01:02
I like using antiX GNU/Linux because it installs in less than two minutes, and it has built-in persistence on all of its live USBs. And it has an awesome "ISO Snapshot" tool where I can quickly make a complete working ISO of my system at any moment in time and stick it on a live USB, all in less than 10 minutes. Being able to run out the door with a completely up-to-the-moment version of my entire computer on a live USB in my pants pocket in under 10 minutes time is a killer feature that I don't think any other OS or distro can match.
Hm! After a fire two years ago, I have made it a point always to carry a USB with my home directory (backed up every other month) in my pocket whenever I go out. I hear only nice things about antiX, like its miniscule system load, and it would make moving between hardware systems much smoother. Perhaps I should use it for my next computer. It sounds like it would suit my needs well.
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by Moonchild » 2022-10-02, 01:41

andyprough wrote:
2022-10-02, 01:02
Being able to run out the door with a completely up-to-the-moment version of my entire computer on a live USB in my pants pocket in under 10 minutes time is a killer feature that I don't think any other OS or distro can match.
That's great, if your computer's footprint actually isn't larger than the size of the stick ;)
I have way too much data on my workstation for that to ever work.
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by Night Wing » 2022-10-02, 02:26

I'll make my answer short.

My computers (2 desktop towers, 3 laptops) are my magic carpet ride. They take me to sites where I need to seek out information, places to see (webcams), store information (data & items of interest) and to converse with other people no matter where they live on this earth.
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by andyprough » 2022-10-02, 02:40

Moonchild wrote:
2022-10-02, 01:41
andyprough wrote:
2022-10-02, 01:02
Being able to run out the door with a completely up-to-the-moment version of my entire computer on a live USB in my pants pocket in under 10 minutes time is a killer feature that I don't think any other OS or distro can match.
That's great, if your computer's footprint actually isn't larger than the size of the stick ;)
I have way too much data on my workstation for that to ever work.
You tell it to add the data that you need, not all of it. No need to be sticking 20 terabytes of data in your pants pocket, hahaha

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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by Moonchild » 2022-10-02, 10:37

andyprough wrote:
2022-10-02, 02:40
You tell it to add the data that you need, not all of it.
Well, you did say "my entire computer"... ;-)
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by Pentium4User » 2022-10-02, 10:52

I cannot live without a computer. I need it for work and communication. I do communicate with more people in the internet than in real life.
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by Moonchild » 2022-10-02, 11:11

Maybe the importance of my computer for me was downplayed a little here in the original post, so I'll clarify a little while I have my coffee sitting at my desk in front of my computer like I do most days ;)
My PC is first and foremost a tool, like I said. But it is still an essential tool and a tool I use for many hours each day. It's a tool to access my data, to do my work, to stay in touch with others through various media and networks and a tool I use to entertain myself with media and games. The fact that it is something I probably don't want to live without at this point however doesn't change its role for me: it is still a tool; a device I use to perform tasks. The issue in the thread spawning this one was the question in how far I would want to change my computer to adjust to the latest OS. Mind you, "my computer" for me comprises both hardware and software. It is a unit, a collection of parts. So... maybe I should call it a "toolbox" rather than a "tool"? e.g. I have 500+ passwords that I don't all remember but are stored in my password manager on my computer. Without my computer, that would be a lot more difficult to keep secure. Then again, without my computer I likely wouldn't have a need for that many, at all. Computer use is like a reinforcing feedback loop in that respect.
Can I live without my computer? Absolutely. But: I would need to change many aspects of my life because it has become an integral part of it (and I wouldn't be doing my work without it, so would need a different job too :) ). Does that importance make it any less of a tool/toolbox for me? No.
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Re: What is your computer to you?

Unread post by mr tribute » 2022-10-12, 21:14

My computer means a lot to me, probably too much actually. I should be more focused on real life than the digital world I think. But the digital world is so accessible when you feel tired and have more mental energy than physical energy.

Internet is what everything revolves around these days. It's funny how the browser is "everything" on a desktop PC, but not that important at all on a smartphone where many sites have been turned into apps.

I kind of love GNU/Linux I guess (but I would like to pull the server mentality out of it). What I love about GNU/Linux is the decentralized model and the FOSS model. Everything I need to do I can do on my Linux system and it has been like that for many years. However I do need to use an Android phone to authenticate when I do banking on Linux.

I haven't really used Windows since maybe 5+ years ago. The last version I used was Windows 7. After that I lost interest in Windows despite some technical and usability improvements in more recent versions.

Linux has been a time-consuming hobby, but I should be thankful for it I guess. One question I have regarding basically all platforms is "where do we go from here?". What is left to invent? There is much polishing that needs to be done everywhere for sure. I think the work with the PC form factor can't be considered complete until all proprietary code is optional.

I look forward to the day when GNU/Linux can be a serious alternative to Windows for both office and home use. A user shouldn't have to know what a "repo" is. The distro/OS maintainer can throw all packages into one repo/software center that update to highest available version. Stable versions and beta versions can be installed and updated side by side just how it works with Chrome in its current apt repo.

I think one of the more exciting things in Linux right now is the "linglong" package format from Linux Deepin. I don't know how much it will solve in the real world other than provide sandboxing by default. Apt package manager and deb packages are efficient, but not bullet proof for desktop use. Most of the time dependencies and "empty repos" (older packages are automatically removed) make it very difficult to revert a bad update. It is easy to solve by packaging without package dependencies that change between versions. Chromium, Firefox and Pale Moon updates are easy to revert if older versions are kept in the apt repos. If something is used in production the the easiest way to minimize downtime is to go back to the older version while problems with the new version are investigated.

The problem with Linux Deepin is that it forces its own UI (just like Windows and macOS). It also includes the kitchen sink (just like Windows and macOS and many Linux distros for that matter). I think it is a bit ridiculous that people complain about Free Open Source Software from China and then go on to use the proprietary Chrome browser or the proprietary Nvidia driver. A bigger problem is all the hardware based "backdoors" that pop up as security chips. How many cores does a certain SoC have? That can be almost impossible to answer, because no public documentation is available. Only the CPU can have several undocumented cores. On the hardware level there is a ton of work to be done to achieve privacy and security.

I HAVE COME TO BURY THE BIOS, NOT TO OPEN IT: THE NEED FOR HOLISTIC SYSTEMS
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PS I wish I didn't need Android with Google Play store, but all in all I can't complain about all the possibilities that software gives me. I hate to say it, but my digital life might be more important than my real life. I interact more with people through a computer screen than in real life. My only excuse is that I don't watch TV and I don't even own one anymore.