el_eh_chase

Just download Linux Mint and don't look back. I knew I was done with Windows completely so I quit cold turkey. It forced me to learn how to use Linux instead of running back to a Windows partition. The only reason to dual boot in my opinion is if you need the popular CAD software, or the popular Digital Audio Workstation software, or software like photoshop. If you just browse and game, then you should be fine.

I believe Linux Mint is the oldest beginner distro so it has a wealth of forum posts if you ever have a problem. It also has a bunch of GUI progams included for getting stuff done without terminal, but make no mistake you will have to use the terminal to do stuff on occasion, it all depends how you use you're computer and how much you want to customize. Don't be afraid of terminal though, just start with basic YouTube tutorials.

The last piece of advice I feel I should give is when switching to Linux you'll have to get used to installing software in mutiple ways. Linux Mint is great because you have access to all the major ways software is direstributed on Linux. I use the apt package manager, sometimes by adding new software repos to it, AppImages, Flatpack, and .deb packages. I usually just use whatever method is recommended on a softwares website. For Appimages definitely use the AppImageLauncher manager software.

Last thing. I see a fair number of bad opinions of Cinnamon, the Desktop Environment that ships with Linux Mint, but I've never understood why. It's very familiar to a Windows user, has a simle UI, and has any feature I've needed.

That's my two cents from a relatively recent Windows refugee. I know distro wars can get heated, so remember this is just one opinion on what a good entry point is for the world of Linux.

They'll do him up like Lenin

I appreciate you taking the time to write all that, I read the whole thing. However, I have to disagree with your take. You are making sweeping generalizations about online communities. I know for a fact that countless people have been banned from r/conservative, as a counter example to your claim that you only see leftist communities banning people they don't want to tolerate.

You're also making huge generalizations about the left in general, a famously fractured part of the political spectrum. I think these echo chambers you're describing are a natural result of people trying to find a safe harbour to congregate in the face of all the vitriol between the sides of the political spectrum.

That's a nice anecdote about the conservative tech blogger. Most reasonable people would agree that death threats are bad, I've never seen the point. I think it's disengenuous to claim that the left is equally crazy, stubborn, stupid, or whatever because some guy got a few death threats and kicked out of tech communities.

Zooming out, in my view the modern conservative ideology is one based on telling people how to live their life and depriving people of rights. If subscribing to that way of thinking gets you booted from a tech project, then boo hoo. If someone subscribes to modern conservatism and has no interest in budging on their opinion what value is there in giving them a platform? Sure, there are probably communities out there that are too heavy handed in how they moderate discourse, but that's inevitable regardless of political leaning. Humans are flawed beings and moderation is always a balancing act.

I think many leftists are happy to have discussion, but not when it's pointless. I think blindly saying 'free speech' is being infringed when comnunities moderate discussion is bad. With the internet, it's no longer someone preaching on a street corner, you have much more reach now. I think that means communities have more of a duty to chose who gets to stand at the pulpit. No one is pulling anyone's vocal chords out, they are free to share their opinions elsewhere.

Anyway, those are just some thoughts from a leftist who should be more informed on these matters. Also, please don't conflate the Democratic party with leftism.

Totally agree. If we can't at least expect certainty out of the current arrangement, then we should stop with any sweetheart deals. It's ironic that the gist of Trump's views on international relations center on other countries pulling more of their weight, and it seems he will ultimately accomplish that, albeit by burning all the bridges established with said countries.

It seems to me like these proposed tariffs were just a way to get Canada and Mexico to come grovel and kiss Trump's ring. Both countries naturally want to avoid such a destructive policy being put in place, so they'll do what Trump asks for now. I expect these sorts of actions by Trump to continue throughout his term though. This begs the question, when will America's historic allies finally have enough? I was thinking these tariffs would be the ripping off the band-aid moment that spurs Canada and potentially the rest of the west to start re-structuring its economy away from such an unreliable partner. I guess this tentative status quo will continue for now.

I was the exact same way. I could justify watching ads to support the people I watched, but then I learned how little compensation a creator actually gets from one view and decided my time was more valuable. Plus I just got too used to never seeing ads and could never go back.

This video sums up the sentiment you're describing nicely.

I just got set up on Simple X Chat. From my cursory research it seems to have the best security going in a chat app right now. I find the UI really slick too. It has all the features I use in a chat app anyway. The only thing to be aware of is that all the messages are saved locally, so backup/recovery needs to be handled by you. There's a couple videos an YouTube that go over the app.

All that being said, I still have WhatsApp on my phone. There's still the same problem of getting everyone in your life to download another app.

Couldn't have said it any better.

Reach has been glassed

Thanks for the detailed answer! That's honestly some of the best advice I've gotten on the subject. I'll definitely be saving this comment!

I saw an earlier answer where you said one of the hardest things in changing countries is making new friends as an adult. Do you have any advice for making friends in new countries? Generally I hear that you should find a group or club to join. Is there any types of activities that you find especial|y good for making friends?

Sounds like you had a good idea of what you were doing. I suppose I was making too many assumptions after reading your initial post! As long as you got the job done.

With a 7 year old heater and that much sediment/deposit it's definitely water quality. Where I am water heaters can run for 15 years on city water without a flush. I know there are many types of water treatment options for different scenarios, but that's about the extent of my knowledge. Luckily, it sounds like that's your area of expertise.

The 140°F setting is coming from memory so it's possible that I'm off or that it isn't a universal setting. I would tend to stick with the manufacturer's recommendations. I know it's possible to buy higher temperature rated thermostats then the ones we use though.

I don't know how equipped I would've been, I'm still just a helper lol.

Congats and good luck with the new home too!

EDIT: Just checked the spec sheet of the water heater brand I install. The Canadian models are set to 140°F, but the American ones are set to 125°F. I wonder why there are different standards?