Seems to me that it is an affliction primarily of men, though I know of exceptions. It is the compulsion to take any object, machine, or device, and somehow “improve” it. I know of no man who does not suffer from this — and suffer is indeed the word — and if there is any I’m not interested in knowing him. We compulsive improvers make the world a more interesting if less efficient place.
When I made a list of suggested replacements for Windows on those machines which Microsoft Corporation has deemed unsuitable for Windows 11, I left one out because I hadn’t heard of it. We’ll remedy that shortly, but first a little history.
Let us begin by my saying that in my estimation Microsoft Corporation is a distillation of pure, if not always competently executed, wickedness. Microsoft has distributed evil since it expanded beyond BASIC programming language interpreters (which may or may not have been evil) in 1980. It is continuing its assault with perhaps its boldest attack on its customers ever.
My recent column on Apple’s declining software quality hit a nerve. So why do any of us put up with software that grows increasingly buggy? One word: hardware.
So it’s been, what, six months since I concocted my homemade television sets. Since then I’ve missed nothing that I would have liked to watch, and have watched much that was not available via the usual, um, channels. And I have maintained my privacy.
A few weeks ago I mentioned my intention to switch from the now-sketchy Ubuntu distribution of Linux, which I’ve used for 20 years, to the uber-reliable Debian. This was in lieu of buying a new machine. Well, actually, the parts to build a new machine; the last time I ran a store-bought computer was in the previous millennium.
The time has come. The inevitable can be postponed no more. I’m switching my desktop computer to Debian Linux. I should have embraced Debian from the beginning. Please allow me to offer my excuse for not having done so 26 years ago.
As part of my privacy-oriented DIY “smart” television project I had looked at applications that consolidate the many live streams from television stations around the world into some kind of useful form. I accidentally heard about and was drawn to something by the (kind of poor, I think) name of IPTVnator. And it works.
The idea of trying to build a privacy-respecting television box took root when I heard of something called Plasma Bigscreen. “Plasma Bigscreen is an open-source user interface for TV's [sic]. Running on top of a Linux distribution, Plasma Bigscreen turns your TV or setup-box into a fully hackable device,” says its website, linked above. “A big launcher giving you easy access to any installed apps and skills. Controllable via voice or TV remote.”