After a few weeks with Debian Stable, I decided yesterday to switch to Debian Testing after all. On more modern computers, it really does make a difference whether I have kernel 6.3 or 7.2 available or can use significantly more up-to-date packages.

Last month I also played around with Debian Sid, and it was absolutely stable for me, though the constant updates—often several times a day—were annoying. So Testing is the perfect compromise for me.

Let me just say this: I still consider Fedora to be the best Linux distribution from a technical standpoint—the absolute gold standard. But unfortunately, in 2026, the world looks like this: Fedora = Red Hat = IBM = Big Tech = USA = Trump. And I absolutely don’t want to use anything from Trump’s shithole country anymore.

#linux #debian #fedora #opensource #freesoftware #usa #trump #surveillance #bigtech

Things have been very quiet here over the last few months, for various reasons: summer, vacation, health, and also because I’ve been watching developments around the world.

And, of course, especially what’s been going on in the Fascist States of America. And since the arrival of the dumbest president (not just in the U.S.) of all time—the sexist, racist, fascist, and brainless, uneducated moron with the cognitive development and vocabulary of a five-year-old - Donald Trump -
nothing good has ever come of it. The whole world sees it, except for the Americans. For the most part, they believe the bullshit their president lies about and stirs up.

This is also because the U.S. tech bros like Musk, Zuck, and radical evangelical-fascist leaders like Thiel exploit the president’s intellectual shortcomings for their own agenda. And that agenda is the subjugation of free society under AI-driven tech fascism.

Somehow, despite all my efforts, I was always dependent on US tech to a very small extent. Whether it was Fedora for Linux, Pixel phones for GrapheneOS, or even a few remaining Google services like YouTube. But now that’s over! Even though Fedora worked best out of all the Linux distributions, after much consideration I’ve decided to make a complete and permanent switch to Debian. Partly because I hope that, unlike other distros, Debian won’t integrate AI.

And even if I’m going to upset a lot of Americans right now by picking on their God-sent president—that’s what the whole world (except the U.S.) thinks of Trump. No one takes him seriously; everyone laughs at him. But like a criminal mafioso, he’s blackmailing the free world. Well, he is one, after all.

I hope for the sake of the U.S. and humanity that the country can free itself from the stranglehold of this radical evangelical fascist gang of Republicans and Trump in time, before it’s too late, and that the world will thereby become a better place again.

#linux #debian #fedora #trump #usa #midterms #opensource #freesoftware #bigtech #surveillance #fascism

Guys, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy with a computer purchase! Fedora recognized all my hardware perfectly right out of the box, and everything works great!

I’ve had very different experiences with my various mini-PCs made in Chinese factories using child labor, especially with the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth cards...

Thunderbolt 4 is also recognized correctly, as are all devices connected to it. That didn’t work at all or only partially with the others (for example, the monitor only worked via the USB-C port on the monitor, but there was no image via the monitor’s Thunderbolt port; when the Logitech receiver was connected through the monitor, the mouse movements and keyboard inputs were choppy, etc.). But here: problem-free and fast via a single Thunderbolt 4 cable!

The installation was done in a few minutes - that’s Linux for you. A Windows installation takes many hours for this… and then you’re left with nothing but spyware and ads on your computer.

Conclusion: Asus NUC 16 Pro - highly recommended for every Linux user!

#linux #unix #opensource #freesoftware #nuc #intel #asusnuc16pro #asus #fedora #microslop #minipc

Change of plans: I didn’t end up waiting for the upcoming Minisforum MS-03 Workstation after all, but instead decided on the ASUS NUC16 PRO on a whim.

The reason was that Wendell from Level1Techs really praised this NUC in his latest video. He also highlighted the great Linux support from both Intel and ASUS. I’ve linked the video below.

And unlike many Chinese manufacturers, you can easily find all the drivers on their support pages (both Intel and ASUS)—including those for Linux! Plus, the download servers are fast, unlike with the Chinese manufacturers...

It has 32 GB of RAM, but unfortunately it’s soldered onto the motherboard on this model—though it does offer faster speeds.

I had to buy the NVMe drive separately; I opted for a 1 TB WD Black SN850X. Since I store everything on the NAS, I need virtually no storage space on the computer itself—just enough for the operating system; 256 GB would be more than enough. But a larger NVMe drive means more speed and a longer lifespan.

Other specs: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, ASRock B390, 2x TB4, 2x 2.5-inch, 4x USB-A 10G, 1x USB-C 10G, 2x HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, two M.2 Gen5/Gen4 slots. It’s a breeze!

So, let’s install Linux on it! (To be on the safe side and to ensure the best possible support, it’ll be Fedora again...)

https://youtu.be/ZDT6ts3cfSA

#linux #opensource #freesoftware #minipc #nuc16Pro #fedora #level1techs #asus #nuc #pantherlake #intel

My brand-new powerhouse: MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 3MG

Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe, and much more.

What a beast!

My first Intel-based PC in many, many years. But the new Panther Lake generation is currently superior to AMD. I couldn’t care less about the “Copilot” feature—who needs that crap? I certainly don’t. But I wanted a new, up-to-date, and powerful computer again for the next 5 or 6 years. And even though it wasn’t cheap, if I spread the purchase price of 1,500 EUR over 72 months, that’s 20 EUR per month, so the computer has actually paid for itself in even less time.

But I’m curious to see which Linux—or rather, which kernel version—will run smoothly on it, given all these very new components. My planned testing order: Debian Sid, Fedora with kernel 7.2-rc, and finally Arch. I don’t even need to think about FreeBSD right now, but maybe in the future.

#linux #unix #opensource #freesoftware #msi #minipc #intel

A week ago, I treated myself to a new monitor: the BenQ MA270S, a 27-inch model with 5K resolution, 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports, and much more. The picture quality is incredibly sharp—the best I’ve ever seen! It was actually meant to connect to my MacBook Pro, but of course, it works just as perfectly with all my Linux and Windows computers. Once you’ve experienced 5K resolution, you’ll never want to go back. And this monitor is significantly cheaper than an Apple Studio Display, which ONLY works with Apple. But this model works great with ANY operating system! I’ve never seen my Debian look this crystal clear!

After a week of intensive use, I can wholeheartedly recommend this monitor to everyone—and no, this isn’t a paid advertisement from BenQ, but my honest opinion.

https://www.benq.eu/en-eu/monitor/home/ma270s.html

#monitor #5k #benq #linux #unix #freesoftware #opensource

The past two weeks with Debian Sid and my new work setup—featuring two NAS devices and a new internal network—have been a success!

One NAS serves as internal storage for all my documents, photos, videos, etc., while the second NAS acts as a personal cloud connected to my smartphones, backing up photos and videos I take, which I then copy to my internal NAS at home—if relevant.

Conversely, when needed, I move necessary documents, photos, etc., from the internal NAS to the personal cloud so that I have the required materials on hand at short notice for appointments and the like.

That may sound cumbersome, but I consider it more practical not to have everything stored on a single device that can also be accessed remotely.

#linux #unix #debian #opensource #freesoftware #cloud #nas #network #lan #privacy

Tried something new again: installed a fresh copy of Debian 13 and then immediately upgraded it to Debian Sid. I have to say: so far, it’s running remarkably stable and smoothly. Kernel 6.19.14 and GNOME 50—very nice!

As usual, for privacy and data protection reasons, I’m trying to keep the system lean, with only the absolute essentials: Firefox/Librewolf, LibreOffice, Signal, Nextcloud, Localsend, Tuta, Mullvad VPN, and Freetube as an anonymous YouTube client.

#linux #opensource #freesoftware #debian #debian13 #gnome #gnome50 #kernel #privacy #surveillance #bigtech

Easter test weekend, initial findings. 😎

:fedora: On Fedora 44 Beta GNOME Edition, the file manager crashes every time I try to access my NAS. There are also frequent freezes with apps that weren’t included by default and were installed later.

:ubuntu: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS also comes with GNOME 50, and unlike Fedora, it already includes kernel 7.0, which is great—especially for the latest hardware. This beta also seems to run more smoothly and stably than Fedora’s beta.

However, it’s impossible to install or get Flatpaks to work, even though I installed the feature myself.

It was also absolutely impossible to install the Nextcloud client, neither as a Snap nor as a Flatpak. I couldn’t get AppImage to start, even after making it executable.

Nevertheless, both distributions already make a great impression and leave me wanting more as soon as they become stable. Ubuntu, in particular, has positively surprised me after many years; major strides have been made, whereas with Fedora, hardly any major changes are noticeable—they’re more under the hood. 👍

#linux #unix #opensource #freesoftware #fedora #fedora44beta #ubuntu #ubuntu2604 #gnome #gnome50 #kernel #kernel7

I was bad... so damn bad! I went against my own principles! Out of curiosity, I broke my sacred vow NEVER to use something like artificial intelligence. Especially not for meaningless stuff, like most people use it for.

But then... I was looking for a new profile picture for myself.... and then... I got curious to see if all this artificial intelligence hype had any substance... if this AI is really as good in certain areas as many claim... so I tried out an image AI for the first time... and this is what came out: me as a UNIX Viking... I’m ashamed! So, judge me for my weakness!

But on the other hand: it does kind of look cool, doesn’t it?

#unix #linux #opensource #freesoftware #vikings #AI

And by the way, I decided to give OpenSUSE Tumbleweed another try today. Since Debian has its little quirks with my keyboards and I don’t want to use a distribution with a U.S. background like Fedora, OpenSUSE would be the politically correct choice for me as a European solution.

#linux #unix #opensource #freesoftware #opensuse #tumbleweed #europe #bigtech #surveillance

Crazy... After a week of continuous use with Debian (with daily reboots in the morning), my Logitech MX Mechanical keyboard suddenly started acting up: some letters got stuck and were displayed dozens of times while I was typing. Other keys weren't registering at all.

Well, I thought, maybe there’s something wrong with the keyboard—dirt, crumbs, dust, or something like that. So I switched keyboards to an MX Keys—exactly the same issue. No improvement even with a third keyboard (Cherry, via cable).

So I removed the built-in NVMe with Debian, installed one with Zorin OS—absolutely no input errors. Same thing with an NVMe running Fedora. Everything back to normal. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. The mysterious mysteries of Linux. 😆

#linux #unix #opensource #freesoftware #debian #zorinos #fedora #logitech #cherry #keyboard

Over the past few days and weeks, I’ve decided to downsize my digital and tech collection. I own so many computers, laptops, smartphones, smartwatches, accessories, and so on—I can never really use it all. I bought a lot of it just to own the latest “hot stuff.”

That’s why I’ve gotten rid of most of it—either giving it away or selling it for very little. And I’ve kept only the bare essentials. Often not even the newest or best.

For example: I now only use my Peladn Mini-PC with an old Ryzen 5 5500U as my computer; I don’t even use the newer, faster ones to their full potential, so I gave them away. I’ve now reinstalled Debian Stable on it, with an absolute minimum of programs—just the bare essentials: browser, LibreOffice, Tuta, Signal, VLC, Nextcloud, Localsend, Rustdesk.

I’ve moved away from Fedora because: Fedora = Red Hat = IBM = US Big Tech = US MAGA fascists.

I’m also saying goodbye to Proton and will only use Tuta and Posteo from now on.

All my new smartphones like the S25 Ultra, Pixel 10 Pro XL, etc., are gone; I’ve kept the cute Pixel 8a in beautiful blue, very compact, running GrapheneOS. That’s more than enough—it lasts almost 3 days, and here too, I’ve installed only the absolute essentials.

#linux #unix #opensource #freesoftware #debian #bigtech #surveillance #grapheneos #minimalism #digitaldetox #digitalminimalism #usa #trump #fedora #redhat #tuta #proton

At least I can now continue to use GrapheneOS with a clear conscience, which is an incredible relief for me and my workflow! I bought a Pixel 10 Pro XL shortly after it was released, which then sat in storage for a long time because porting it to GrapheneOS took longer than expected “thanks” to the new restrictions imposed by Google (which was not GrapheneOS's fault, but Google's attempt to screw with custom ROMs).
Since this device is practically brand new, hopefully it will work and receive GrapheneOS updates until this fascist nightmare in the US is over. Or until there is an independent European solution during this time. My dream would be a completely Android-independent, free smartphone operating system, as Huawei has achieved in China.

#grapheneos #linux #opensource #freesoftware #google #privacy #bigdata #bigtech #europe #eu

Postscript: What I and most Europeans don't understand: don't Americans understand what is happening to their country? That democracy and freedom are being destroyed and a terrorist state is emerging? The whole world hates the US now! Why are there still no mass protests, no coup by the army? Trump is a corrupt, criminal, mentally ill, fascist criminal, murderer, and narcissist who openly enriches himself and ruins the country! Everything, absolutely everything he accuses his opponents of, he himself is guilty of!

#trump #usa #ice #fascism #eu #democracy #minnesota

Considering that under Trump, the US is turning into a fascist terror state where opponents of the orange leader are simply shot dead on the street by his private Gestapo, ICE, or persecuted by his terror justice system, I am considering completely disposing of all US hardware and services that I still use to some extent.

In addition to Linux and Pixel with GrapheneOS, I unfortunately still use a few Apple devices such as MacBook Air, iPhone, Watch, and iPad Mini, and of course I also have a Google and Amazon account for some services. And it is precisely these that now need to be carefully deleted or replaced.

This includes the Pixel with GrapheneOS, both of which come from the US, and there's no telling what else the GrapheneOS team will be forced to do by this criminal government. Under fascism, there is no freedom, no privacy!

In the end, all that's left is an old dumb phone from Nokia. Apple, Amazon, and Google must go completely, and they can be replaced. It's purely for convenience that I haven't completely eliminated them yet. The planned Framework laptop is also canceled. Fedora/RHEL must be replaced by European Linux solutions. Signal, as a US service, also falls under the Cloud Act and is no longer acceptable.

I have a lot of planning and work ahead of me now...

#linux #unix #freesoftware #opensource #grapheneos #signal #apple #google #framework #fedora #rhel #pixel #europe #EU #trump #fascism #ICE #nokia #dumbphone

Well, folks, I'm signing off for this year and taking a few days' vacation. I wish everyone a happy New Year and all the best for 2026! May the coming year be a good one for Linux, open source, and free software and services!

I don't usually express my political views here, but with the orange criminal becoming increasingly erratic and escalating his behavior:

May the spirit of insight enter the minds of responsible politicians in Europe and everywhere outside the Fascist States of America, so that we may begin to free ourselves from the grip and scourge of US surveillance big tech - the dangerous dependence on US corporations such as Google, Microsoft or Palantir, and the danger posed by powerful tech oligarchs such as Thiel, Musk, and Zuckerberg!

And I also wish the American people insight into what a criminal, insane, fascist liar, megalomaniac, and fraud they have been taken in by, and that they correct this in the midterms (if free elections are still possible then...)!

Such a beautiful, great country with mostly wonderful people must not fall for the tricks of a small group of right-wing extremist pied pipers! As a non-American, it is simply incomprehensible that the good people there simply do not realize what a crazy criminal pig Putin's puppet and sex offender Trump and his MAGA clique are!

With this in mind: Make America human and free again. May humanity find its way back to reason and peace.

#linux #unix #opensource #freesoftware #privacy #surveillance #surveillancecapitalism #bigtech #europe #eu #trump #usa #maga #putinIsaWarCriminal #peace #fascism

So... in the end, I switched to the iPhone as my primary device after already having to use it as a secondary device alongside my Pixel 9 with GrapheneOS.

Before you stone me, let me say first and foremost that I love GrapheneOS and its almost perfect privacy features! But certain circumstances made a switch more or less necessary.

On the one hand, I don't want to constantly carry around two smartphones – especially when I don't want to lug around an extra backpack, wallet, and/or other bags, but just my keys and phone. Then there's the issue of two phone numbers.

On the other hand, I use “ID Austria,” Austria's digital government service (they can only dream of such technical achievements in Germany, muahaha!), and like my banking, it doesn't work, or only works poorly, without Play Services installed. The same goes for digital tickets for public transportation.

And finally, there's the logging of my health data with Apple Watch, as I have a heart condition, among other things, and Apple Health records all these values very well and perfectly prepares and presents all the relevant data for my doctors. In the end, my health is a little more important to me than data protection. At least I can convince myself that Apple is a little better and more trustworthy here than the data octopus Google.

And: the symbiosis between Linux and Apple now works very well. The iCloud calendar can be easily integrated into GNOME or KDE calendars, and that's what my entire daily organization revolves around. That was the most important point for me. And with Localsend, I have a perfect Airdrop alternative for data exchange, and Nextcloud also works smoothly on both platforms. So, apart from my health, I'm currently more than satisfied with how things are going!

#linux #unix #opensource #freesoftware #grapheneos #apple #privacy #health

Oh oh, I haven't done anything here for a really long time—but health comes first.

And to make matters worse, I lost a very, very good friend more than a week ago, who was taken by the damn MRSA germ... Rest in peace, my friend, you will never be forgotten! 😢

But during my own convalescence, I had enough time to return to my roots with Linux and switch my systems back to the tried and tested, beloved, and familiar. And I'm now leaving the time of experiments and trials behind me for good. In the end, you always find your way back to what has worked best for you for a long time, right?

So my main system is running Fedora Linux again, my second system is running Debian, and my ThinkPad P51 is running FreeBSD as always.

My ThinkPad T490s is running a completely slimmed-down version of Windows 10 IoT LTSC because of the built-in LTE modem, which cannot be made to work under any version of Linux. And I need this feature when I'm on the go, plus I'm paying for the SIM card with a contract. Apart from that, the battery life is significantly better with the slimmed-down Windows 10 than with Linux. Unfortunately, that's a fact.

So that's how things stand as we head into the new year.

#linux #unix #fedora #debian #freebsd #thinkpad #windows #opensource #freesoftware

Phew, it's been a long time since I've really been online—a nasty infection completely knocked me out for more than two weeks. But now I'm back to do Linux stuff! Let's go!

#linux #opensource #freesoftware