The hard drive may be 256gb but a big chunk of that is taken up by Windows and also there will be a hidden recovery partition. So 170gb sounds about right. You can't reduce how much space windows takes, and the recovery partition is worth keeping in case you get in to trouble.

There may be programs HP have installed that you can remove in add/remove software to make a bit more space. HP is notorious for bliatware - installing things to try and sell you stuff. Probably a good few gb may be that crap.

If you download a big game, then it's not a big deal if you're using that game. 80gb is still plenty. And you can delete the game when you're done and use that 90gb for something else.

256gb isn't much but it's enough unless you want multiple big games installed or have a big library of data such as movies or pictures.

Also it may be possible to upgrade the hard drive - depends on the model and how accessible the hard drive is. If you can access the hard drive to replace it then you could get a 1tb drive for example. There are guides online but basically you'd need to copy the existing drive to the new drive (would need a USB adaptor to mount the new drive first) and then swap the drives round. It very much depends on the laptop though.

Another option is an external hard drive connected via USB - it's not good for gaming or running big programmes but it is fine for storing movies and pictures.

If the priority is to have multiple different big games installed at the same time, then upgrade the hard drive. Most HP models it's generally doable without much fuss. More difficult with the ultra slim devices though. Search for your model online and see what people have done.

What have your issues been generally?

When it comes to ports, you need to make sure your firewall is open for your new port number. Can you access the server in a browser on the laptop itself? If so the issue is somewhere else on your network. If not, then the port isn't open in your firewall on Linux Mint.

For me, the biggest issue with setting up Jellyfin has invariably been setting up ffmpeg. I find the online official guide for a straight Linux install does not direct Jellyfin to find ffmpeg correctly - when you're setting up the path to ffmpeg you need to be careful even if you're installing the Jellyfin version of ffmpeg. Even if you install everything in /opt, the official steps don't work for me and I've had to adjust how I write the path in the config file to make it work - even if ffmpeg is in the locations the guide suggests. Even knowing that I've torn my hair out more than once trying to get it to work between reinstalls - everytime for me it came down to the path for ffmpeg.

The other common issue is permissions for Jellyfin to access your media folders. The guide isn't great on fixing those issues either - if you have those issues you're far better googling for solutions.

You may find the docker set up is better and more consistent. It does work well as a Linux service but it's wiki guide is just off enough that it's a pain in the arse to install.

I'm using OpenSuSE Tumbleweed and can recommend that. It's user friendly, especially with the powerful Yast tools for configuring a lot of things. I'm using KDE but it does have a good Gnome spin.

All of the tools you're using will work without issue, and I have an Nvidia 3070 which I've set up without issue with the official Nvidia drivers. I game a fair bit with steam and everything works well.

If you're not a fan of rolling release then OpenSuSE Leap is the same but point release.

OpenSuSE has good official repos and large variety of community repos, plus Flatpak if you need it. The only difficulties I've had are with Python which is installed in a weird way to allow multiple versions to be installed for devs - it can be fiddly installing python software dependencies into the right places, especially if they want you using pip.

Also you said you use VirtualBox - I used to use it but have switched to KVM and strongly recommend it. Guest systems - particularly Linux guests - work better in KVM. Worth exploring in your next system - in OpenSuSE it's been a doddle to set up but should be in most systems.

I see people recommending immutable desktops - I'd be cautious about switching your desktop to that if you don't have experience of that kind of system. They have strengths but definite drawbacks too. I'd try another distro not too disimilar to Ubuntu before exploring the world of immutable distros.

Maybe try an immutable system in a Virutal machine. I've played a bit with them and they've not been for me - too locked down and if you like to tinker or try niche things you'll find yourself fighting the OS. Also Flatpak is convenient but it's not the ideal or most secure way to be running all your software, and lots of software isn't available as Flatpak.

And for Nix, it is very good but can be used on many distros. You can get another traditional distro and try it out - if you like it by all means switch to NixOS but you don't have to use NixOS to use Nix. Again it seems too big of a leap to go all in to that on your main desktop. I'd make a smaller change unless you're open to reinstalling your main desktop a few times trialling bigger shifts.

Are you using Wayland or X11? It may be worth switching if you're having problems, as that many programs having issues suggest the problem is Gnome and the WM. Most likely Gnome with Wayland would be the problem?

Other thing to consider is video drivers but is unlikely of the desktop is drawing fine.

I use Tumbleweed and use Spectacle.on KDE on both Wayland and X11 without issue.

I would say it is unlikely - storage is so cheap that some form of local storage is likely to stay.

A terminal device still needs some form of storage to run the software to access the cloud. That might end up being some small storage on a chip but the difference is not between none and something, but some and more.

I also think there are enough people who want storage they own and control that it'll persist as a concept. Also having devices that work when networks are down is a benefit in itself - attempts to make devices dumb terminals get exposed as a productivity nightmare when networks do go out.

I think big business will certainly try hard to lock people in to their ecosystems. Remote storage, remote computing/graphics processing are all ways they will try. But conversely there are vibrant communities pushing independent & private alternatives that I don't see dying - whether thats Linux on PCs, or Graphene OS to take control of your android device etc.

Well when you get Biden pardoning a judge who literally took bribes to send kids to jail to benefit a for profit jail, I'd question how compelling the Democrats are.

Instead of voting 3rd party and trying to change things, many Americans seems to be locked in a pointless argument over which party is the least shit.

During the election people aggressively shut down criticism of Biden and the Democrats, and that any 3rd party discussion was just a vote for Trump.

This was and remains a crock of shit. Both sides of the US two party system are corrupt and irredeemable. When you vote Democrat you endorse this shit as much as when someone votes Republican endorses their shit. Even if they're the lesser evil, they're still an evil.

90 million people didn't vote in the US election. I don't blame them when you see what the dems get up to. And in particular, fuck you Joe Biden.

"one of the only countries in the world"?

Most of Europe, New Zealand, most of Canada, some of Australia, Chile & Egypt all observe DST of some form. Strange opening spin to the article.

But I agree it needs to be got rid of.

Moderation is broken because there is no longer a consensus on what is "right" or "wrong". The very term implies that there is a moderate position that is allowed, and you cull the extremes.

That consensus in moderating used to be simple in most adult spaces - no aggression/abuse/fighting, no porn. Everything else was fine.

Now things have drifted - you have corporate censorship in social media to respond to some perceived need not to "endorse" views. But you also have users deciding some topics are not allowed to be discussed and certain view points are censored just because some people disagree with them. There seems to be a notion that you have to "protect" people from being offended or that certain ideas are just dangerous or wrong.

I've even seen a moderator on Lemmy describe "freedom of speech" as nothing more than a right wing wolf whistle and banning someone.

This whole CEO murder is just highlighting how a complex and multifaceted nuanced case cannot be reduced into a simple good vs evil narrative. The old mainstream media consensus that everyone shows "sympathy for victim, condemnation for the bad guy" is just restricting debate and discussion on something that raises complex and fundamental questions about our society.

The "consensus" on what viewpoints are allowed is breaking down and people are mistaking them personally being offended as a barometer of what is right or wrong.

Good, it's about time the lie of Do Not Track was put to bed. It gives people a false sense of control over their data and privacy - the intention was good but if it's not enforced then it makes people think they've done something to protect their privacy when they have done nothing.

Maybe it's taken down on the basis it's a private email including multiple identifiable names and doxs those involved.

Even the to field is visible with multiple identifiable.

It doesn't matter whether the laws make sense or not, they are the context the instance has to operate. Unfortunately many counties in Europe do not have robust freedom of speech provisions.

The handbook has a guide on how to install X; it is not installed by default with FreeBSD: https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/x11/

If you want a FreeBSD based distro which does install a desktop environment by default then GhostBSD is pretty straight forward: https://ghostbsd.org/download It has a default MATE image or a community XFCE spin, but also other DEs available like KDE and Gnome, and is based on FreeBSD

While this is true, if your pc is secure and you don't install crap then this is not going to be a major issue for the vast majority of people. Both desktops have their own security flaws but always the number one flaw is the user.

Keep systems up to date, do not side load software from outside well managed official package systems, use strong passwords, use encryption etc. This counts for far more than the various security flaws and fixes that constantly come and go with any system. If you don't give bad actors a route into your system to exploit flaws then you are generally OK.

Like the screen copy flaw would need someone installing software that would exploit that - possible but unlikely in a well managed environment with a good robust distro.

And it's worth saying that generally Linux remains less targeted than Windows and Mac for malware. That does not mean people should then be lax in their behaviour but it's a better starting point for being secure if you look after your Linux install properly.

You can install both but it can get a but messy in menus with 2 settings apps and 2 versions of lots basic apps all over the place. It can be cleaned up but it can be a bit frustrating to do.

You may be better trying them both out with live images on USB sticks or a virtual environment like virtualbox. Both are relatively easy to set up without making any major change to your current pc.

I use KDE. It's very powerful and flexible. While it can be windows like, you an also craft pretty much any GUI you like with it with relative ease. It can be Mac like or something unique, or even Gnome like if you really want that.

It's also intuitive and user friendly, with well made apps and a comprehensive settings menu.

I've found KDE to be reliable and stable, as well as attractive and customisable.

There are a lot of apps made for it - the only downside is software bloat if you install all of them. I'd start with the basics KDE desktop and add apps one by one rather than install the whole KDE app suite. Although the apps are usually excellent lots of the apps may not be useful to you personally . For example I don't like installing the PIM suite (email, contacts etc) as I don't use it - all that is online for me so I don't need the native apps.

I'm personally not a fan of Gnome. It's got a single rigid GUI philosophy which you can now expand with extensions but I find they can be hit and miss on whether they work or are stable, and time consuming to set up how you want.

So for gnome you either like it as is or you don't, and if you dont like it then honestly I'd say don't bother trying to make it be what you want - just use something more flexible.

But regardless of what desktop you use, Apps will work on either or any of the others available.

Thanks for sharing, I've not come across these before.

KStars is particularly intriguing, but I also like the Itineray apps.

Not sure what a studio is to you, but here in the UK it's a 1 room apartment with everything in one room? Kitchen in the corner, couch and a bed. Bathroom. Usually a separate room though. Bedsit is the other name.

But what you describe is presumably a 1 bedroom apartment? Separate rooms for bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom?

Interesting, although in your screen shots the Linux version looks better? Are the screenshots the wrong way round or maybe just not able to represent the other changes you mention in the game?

The lighting looks better in the first shot and the items like the bin look better. But the textures of the posters look less good.

It seems very odd the game would use different textures at the same resolution and settings. Maybe they made some compromises to get the Linux version working as you say?

Also HDR is notoriously messy on Linux - maybe the Proton version of the game is managing to use it better than the native route on your system? Or maybe they didn't do a good HDR implementation on the Linux version as you say.

Would be interesting if people notice the same of the issue is the Proton version is better than the Linux native version.