Hey everyone! I’m lazydayz, and I’ve been a Windows user for longer than I’d like to admit. My very first personal computer was an IBM PS/2 in 1987, and it opened up a whole new world of possibilities – from floppy disk collections to endless hours of gaming. Doom, HalfLife, Carmegeddon, then the mmos. oh my.
Over the years, I’ve built countless PCs for myself and others, primarily with NVIDIA GPUs and AMD Processors. I’ve installed and reinstalled various versions of Windows more times than I can count. In fact, I’ve become something of a Windows wizard, fixing issues and tweaking settings for friends and family members. Like many many of you I’m sure.
Most of my life, I’ve worked for smaller manufacturing companies as a supervisor of some department slash the tech support department or as a slash systems administrator. Not having an actual technical education always limited my opportunities, but small companies loved my affordable knowledge and I loved my job just the same. I learned something new every single day. Im mostly retired now and live the good life as a house husband and full time nerd. “The Dream”.
The last few years, though, my Windows experience has taken a turn for the worse. The bloat has become unbearable, and I found myself longing for the clean, streamlined PC of my youth. So, I decided to dive into the world of Linux “again” – a move that would turn out to be part adventure, part comedy of errors.
I started with Ubuntu, Debian,then played with Fedora, Tried Mint, Deepin scared me with Chinese symbols in way to may places. They look cool and all but I have no idea what they mean. Dabbling in each like a chef sampling different ingredients. But, like a bumbling chef, I often ended up with a messy kitchen (or, in this case, a frustratingly non-functional system). I spent countless hours reading documentation, watching tutorials, and experimenting with different configurations, but I still encountered various issues and challenges. I am learning to be much more discerning on what I read and that has been a huge help.
Not long ago, I stumbled upon an article about Arch Linux, I had always been under the assumption that it was going to be all way over my head so I had hadn’t experimented with it in many many years. But the article sparked curiosity, and about ready to give up again I decided to give it a shot. My first attempt was with Manjaro, but it didn’t quite click for me – maybe because I was still trying to figure out what “click” meant in this context. I felt like I was stumbling around in a foreign land, trying to decipher an unfamiliar language.
Undeterred, I tried Garuda and Endevour, Dragonized was cool but no. Endevour so so close but hiccups stopped me. It was starting to feel like a never-ending episode of “Failure: The TV Show.” I was on the verge of giving up and returning to Windows, frustrated by my lack of stable progress.
But then, I discovered Reborn OS, and my fortunes took a turn for the better. It was user-friendly, allowing me to customize my install with my favorite programs – like a kid in a candy store, but without the sugar rush. My end result is still a somewhat bloated OS but its not so much bloat I guess, but I wouldn’t call it lean, its just my stuff that I choose and that I want. Not what some Company says I need.
Each attempt at installing, reinstalling, and trying to master Linux has helped me grow and become more comfortable with the new systems and the collection of all of these experiences has strengthened my Linux skills.
While I’m still a Linux newbie, I’m excited about learning more and being a contributing member of this community. So, I’m eager to connect with others who share my interest in technology and are willing to help a newbie like me learn the ropes.
Cheers!
lazydayz