Seems to be working OK for me on FF with Ublock and Privacy Badger running.

I believe LMDE includes the proprietary stuff you might need and, as others have said, Debian 12 is starting to as well.

For a new user who just wants a good OS to start with, Pop_OS is a fine choice. A little surprised you had trouble with Mint identifying your WiFi card but, I see others have posted on it. Mint is typically my go-to recommendation for new Linux users.

cyberspace vs meat-space

bullshit

I looked at LBRY for a while, but it kinda looked like the “trashy tabloid” section of the internet.

Palia is brand new (still in open Beta) It's more focused on low-key crafting/farming and community, but opportunities to socialize are there.
;
Guild Wars 2 is my favorite "no subscription required" MMORPG that could work for you (but you have that one).
.
ESO Online is my favorite "subscription" MMO and I've met people there.
.
FFXIV is decent for socializing but, the hard-core gamers can stress you out. Works best if you join a low key guild that doesn't want to speed-run all the duties and crap on you for not being as good as they are.
.
General rule for MMORPGs in general is, find a guild you like and hang with them.

Have to agree. They had a great start by enhancing Debian and being user friendly but, then they just kind of lost their way.

Although, speaking as a fan of Mint who used it as my “daily driver” for years, I think the time has come for them to switch from Ubuntu to Debian and embrace Wayland. I know that, if I’d stayed with Mint, I’ve have gone to LMDE by now.

NIce! Thanks :)

…and Cable TV didn’t eliminate commercials…and ATMs didn’t reduce banking costs resulting in higher interest on savings…etc…

I don’t know, Linus is still trying to excuse and justify. It would seem taking him out of the driver’s seat was the right call. As for the rest, they are responding because their backs are against the wall. Time will tell if they will really make any changes.

I’m not really that familiar with LTT. I did subscribe to his channel, mainly because I was bemused by him borking his PC by rushing an install of Pop_OS and Steam. (“yes, do as I say”, if you recall). Reading the PC Gamer article, it appears he did the same, “just drive on without thinking it through” approach to this prototype cooler. I haven’t watched a lot of his videos and anyone can make a mistake but, there is an expectation that a “tech expert” show a bit of diligence. Plus, if he’s showcasing a vendor, he should make sure they have every chance to shine.
.
…this guy is starting to look like a poser now…

You can’t. Furthermore, the consequences of “people pleasing” and “conflict avoidance” can do far more damage than the occasional bad rep. In fact, if you’re consistent about setting and enforcing reasonable boundaries, you’ll ultimately gain more respect in the long run.

I generally tell people on Manjaro to stay off the AUR. If it’s not in their “curated” repository, then just go with the flatpak.

I’ve used both. Manjaro, in their attempt to be “user friendly”, winds up disconnecting you from what makes Arch good. EndeavorOS, on the other hand, is basically Arch nicely set up for a “daily driver” PC along with some nice tools of their own you can use or not at your discretion. I’ve also used just plain Arch and I actually prefer EndeavourOS of the three.

I work in aviation regulatory law but, a friend of mine does work in this arena. I did ask him if my analog existed in the nautical world and he was able to walk me through how he’d managed to avoid any regulatory oversight. There’s SOLAS but, other than that, it’s a gap that apparently needs to be closed.

I don’t know, I’m an aircraft structural engineer and, based upon what technical commentary I did hear him make, it kinda sounds to me like he knows what he’s talking about.

I don’t know about the others, but Coast Guard gets paid regardless. These events justify their budget. It wasn’t an “extra cost” to the taxpayers.