Debian has specific installers for Macs, for example.

1. Distrohopping is just re-installing with a different distro. I don’t why some people switch all the time, I’d consider it a waste of time. Also, I once tried many distros and then settled on one. Sticking with one means you’ll be able to know it very well at some point. I for example opened a lot of bug reports and then even started fixing some packaging, I doubt I’d have gone that far with hopping.

2. How about: Put Linux on an external SSD in a USB adapter and then swap macOS/Linux SSDs once you’re ready? You could also use a 2nd computer for learning. Take your time and set up things to work for you before deleting your main OS.

3. Debian, because it has extensive documentation and works really well. If you search for something, you will find a how to. Install the GNOME or KDE flavours, depending on what you prefer. There are also other flavours of course, but considering you want something somewhat familiar coming from macOS, I believe GNOME (+ extensions, perhaps) would work really well for you.

a) privacy friendly and the Debian wiki even lists where Debian could improve b) beginner friendly and especially due to the amount of documentation, also if you need some specific software, it will likely be in the repos c) Debian comes in various flavours, try out a live system or watch some Youtube videos to decide what you like d) works with gaming and there are usually packages for Debian and Debian-based systems

4. I’ve tried out a Fairphone with /e/os just yesterday. The OS is probably fine, but perhaps also have a look at iode.tech, they are closer to upstream and afaik do security patches quicker. And iodé OS is the next best thing when you don’t want to use a Google device. They support a couple more devices and also something important for security: A locked bootloader. They are based in France. And /e/os collects unique IDs from devices. Ultimately you could get a Fairphone and just try out both. Flash them and play with the UI for a bit. Choose what you like.

5. Don’t replace your devices as long as they do what you need them to do, an exception would be if you can no longer install security updates, as usually is the case on phones after a while.

Debian is not behind. Changed enter the repos pretty quickly and every 25 months you get a release. Which is perfect, as it means I don’t have to maintenance for my mother that often.

Still there are security patches.

If you want the newest shiny stuff, use Testing or Unstable. I’ve done that for years, for that is not the right choice for everyone, as things change on the time. And I don’t get paid for the tech support I do for my family, so I’d rather see them have larger changes less often. Family would agree, as they find it difficult to learn how to deal with the changes.

My parents for example do not care about tools for drivers installation (everything works just fine already), they don’t know what a kernel is (so there’s no need to switch), snapshots/Flatpak/Steam/Wine/faster package manager are not important (they don’t know what any of that is).

They use a browser and occasionally a text editor, that’s it. Debian + GNOME works really well for them.

Often something simple is just right.

That’s why I recommend it for non-technical users that just need something to browse the web, Debian will not disappoint them.

Also, GNOME is good for that. Many believe it has to look like Windows for less technical people, but people nowadays mostly are more used to Android than Windows, so having overview of open apps, a menu with shutdown and brightness and volume and sort of an app launcher seems quite natural to them.

Recently installed it for people that have never used Linux before and they immediately got it. One of the two struggles with writing emails and attaching files and things like that, but GNOME is simple for them.

Often simple solutions are the best, flashy solutions break and don’t give the stability that’s expected.

As there’s currently no functionality for that type of Secure Boot, it’d require an exploit that manupulates the firmware, which is unlikely to happen any time soon.

I don’t even like Flatpak, yet here I am thinking this is a stupid comment.

Congrats to Katzenmann for publishing this app. Will try it on my Debian phone, was looking for something like this!

Also, CLI apps are not that great on phones. I like CLI on a desktop computer, but on my Debian phone I prefer GUI.

I just wish I could have Secure Boot on a Mac, that’s the reason I don’t have one running Linux, currently on a ThinkPad X13s with a Snapdragon SoC. Encryption without something like Secure Boot… nah.

Once that’s a thing, though, it gets very interesting to me.

Let me know if you try it again, would like to know if that’s something that I can recommend to those that are still on Windows.

Well, of course it seems outdated, Ubuntu 24.04 was released two years ago. :p

I prefer just reusing the same software I use on my desktop, which is what I’m doing on my phone. I’ve ported Mobian to the Pixel 3a for precisely that reason.

I want the same software on the go.

Android is a Google project, you’ll always keep fighting your upstream.

Thanks for your rant, you’re absolutely right.

Now, regarding the original question, what is good? Celebrate the great technology you use! :)

Don’t worry about having people to talk to, XMPP is going through a renaissance!

Nowaydays XMPP uses OMEMO. It’s what Signal uses, but made to work with XMPP and with a different name for legal reasons.

OTR is not what you should use nowadays, it’s been broken.

XMPP hasn’t been very mobile friendly around a decade ago, which has in large part been due to OTR, which only works with two devices and both have to be online. Also, there hasn’t really been support for offline message storage.

A lot of other things have improved and nowadays XMPP is pretty much the most battery friendly option out there and Conversations can even be a UnifiedPush provider. Which makes sense as both Google’s and Apple’s push implementations are based on XMPP, so we know it works well.

What do you like about it?

That’s why we need to decentralise communication everywhere.

Good luck trying to surveil all of XMPP. It just does not work. The server operators could be forced, but the client developers would just not release an update with a backdoor and instead just stop developing their clients.

I never understood the obsession to use Facebook Messenger in Denmark. First time someone asked me whether I “use messenger”, I said “Yes, three different ones” and the person was bewildered while I was confused.

This is an important area where everyone can start:

1. Find an XMPP provider
2. Install app, create account
3. Move conversations over
4. Delete Facebook account at some point

Free conversations from big tech, use something that does not depend on a single provider. Monopolies are bad, not just if they’re from the US. Try to use something from Europe that isn’t based on monopolies.

Here’s a flyer from the Digital Independence Day that has recently been proclaimed by the Chaos Computer Club and several other German organisations: https://shop.digitalcourage.de/files/xmpp-folder-engl-druck.pdf

Thank you! I thought I lost it somewhere!