Raspberry pi’s didn’t even have power buttons until this latest version. I fully expect to be able to unplug an SBC at any point with very low chances of corruption. It’s not like they’re designed for that, but they don’t really give you much choice. Having 10% fail like that is ridiculous.

In fact, I’ve done it hundreds of times and never had an issue.

I’m doing a computer information systems degree, but it’s through the business school. So my first class is “how to use Microsoft Office”. The assignments are basically “do these things to make look exactly like this” so I have to pull out the VM to look to see if the formatting stuck (it usually doesn’t on the little obscure things).

Plus there’s a locked down browser for testing that ONLY works on a full install of windows (not even VM) but I have yet to be required to use that, so Windows is staying off until they time. I’m super tempted to try to put windows on a USB so I can throw it across the room in a biohazard bag when not in use.

If it wasn’t for work/school and Microsoft fucking around with document standards I’d happily never see a windows machine again. My last true windows machine was 7 for gaming and correcting document formatting in college.

I went 15 years without needing a windows machine and now I’m taking online courses where a full windows install is required for some test taking, so I have tiny10 on a dirty gross separate drive, dual booted, fuck off with windows 11. I have a VM with it as well for fixing formatting in docs and spreadsheets I make in libreoffice, because Microsoft STILL has to just fuck with open standards.

I’ll be damned if I have to use it more than I have to.

Fuckin’ a man. My backup server uses 70mb of ram, My NAS, 250mb. My laptop, about 1GB doing normal usage things. Open up one webpage with a YouTube video embedded and the processor constantly runs all 4 cores at 30%+, fan is on high, 3GB ram getting eaten away at for a paused video and text. It’s ridiculous.

I was going to ask if you were in my area, because we recently got some nodes on mountains, but I figure at this point if there’s a mountain, it’s got a node on it at this point.

Ah, well the good thing is its pretty easy to set up. Most nodes are already flashed with recent enough firmware, so you just attach antennas, connect to your phone, do some quick setup for your region and go for a walk.

Then you realize you want a node that stays at home.

Then you want one on your car.

And reachable from work.

Then you see that hill in the distance and think “that’d be a good spot”.

Then you see the mountain on the horizon and wonder if you could hit a node up there.

Then all of a sudden you realize you’ve single handedly set up the infrastructure for your part of the state and are out more cash money than you told your partner and need a side hustle to afford to finish the second mesh you’re building out.

What do you need 8 extra hours for? Affording the 8 other nodes you buy after your first one?

…fond memories?

I actually did attempt LFS about 15 years or so ago. I was actually quite proud to reach a usable CLI that I did myself. I promptly reinstalled Ubuntu once I got there because I was in college and needed to write a paper that was due in a few days.

Nice, now I kind of wish you could see what other people have tagged users as. Except for the rampant abuse that would proliferate from that capability.