About two weeks ago, I posted my frustrations with Linux, and how it seemed unstable and breaks too easily. At the time, that had been my experience every time I tried Linux over the last 20 years.

But I made an effort to persist, tried some other distros, and found my happy place!

Thank you to the people who sent me on the path of "atomic" distros, and mentioning the likes of Bazzite, Bluefin, and Aurora (All from the Universal Blue group).

The last two weeks have been pure Linux joy on my daily-driver (Framework laptop), with only a few problem-solving expeditions.

I was looking for stability, and got it!

As a Windows user since the 90s, it's such a breath of fresh air to use an OS that's clean and designed to serve me (and not the corporation in charge!).

And I've also replaced windows on the minipc hooked up to our family room TV, and will also replace Windows that I've got on a lesser used desktop.

It's exciting to see just how far Linux has come, and even though I'll likely need to learn some terminal commands, I don't feel it's necessary for most people to even get into that.

The GUI in both KDE and Gnome already offer more than Windows. And I'll never have to see those goddamn pop-ups and banners about Office 365, OneDrive, or Xbox, at least not outside a VM!)

Freeeeeedom!

Thanks again!

Hey folks. I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with Linux for over 20 years. Usually, my attempts to use it are either thwarted by issues installing, issues booting, or general problems while using it... leading to “catastrophic failure” that I can't fix without digging into hours of research and terminal commands.

Windows 11 (even 10) are rock solid for me, even as a very heavy multitasker. No crashes. No needing to reboot, unless I'm forced to with an update, and really no issues with any hardware or software I was running.

But with Linux, I just can't believe how unstable it is, even when I do the absolute basic things.

I'm trying to learn why this is, and how I can prevent these issues from coming up. As I said, I'm committed to using Linux now (I'm done with American software), so I'm open to suggestions.

For context, I'm using a Framework laptop, which is fully (and officially) supports Fedora and Ubuntu. Since Fedora has American ties, I've settled with Ubuntu.

All things work as they should: fingerprint scanner, wifi, bluetooth, screen dimming, wake up from suspend, external drives, NAS shared folders, etc. I've even got VirtualBox running Windows 11 for the few paid software that I need to load up from time to time.

But I'm noticing issues that seemingly pop out of nowhere on the software/os end of things.

For example, after having no issues updating software, I get this an error: "something went wrong, but we're not sure what it is."

Then sometimes I'll be using Firefox, I'll open a new tab to type in a search term or URL, and the typing will "lag", then the address bar will flicker like it's reloading, and it doesn't respond well to my mouse clicks. I have to close it out, then start over for it to resolve.

Then I'll open a different app, sometimes it might open, sometimes it won't.

Or an app will freeze for no obvious reason, and I'll get a popup asking to wait or quit.

Another time I left my computer while I went out for a walk, came back, and it was like I just rebooted... all my work was gone, and it was starting fresh from the login screen.

I'm trying not to overload things, and I'm doing maybe 1/5th of what I'd normally be doing when running windows. But I don't understand why it's so unstable.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

FWIW, I'm not keen to switch away from Ubuntu, because I do still want official support if there's ever a problem with getting hardware to work.

UPDATE: Wow, I did not expect to get so many responses! Amazing!

Per suggestions, I ran a memtest86 for over 3 hours and it was clean.

I installed Fedora 41 and am now setting it up. Seems good so far, and elevated permissions can be authorized with biometrics! This was not something I had to. Ubuntu, so awesome there!

Any specific tips for Fedora that I should know? Obviously, no more Snap packages now! 😂

UPDATE 2: Ok, Fedora seems waaaay more stable than Ubuntu (and Mint). No strangeness like before... but not everything works as easily. For example, getting a bridged network adapter to work in virtualbox was one-click easy on Ubuntu... not so much on Fedora (still trying to get it working). And Virtualbox didn't even run my VM without more terminal hackery.

But the OS seems usable, and I'm still setting things up.

One thing I have noticed, however. When I search for how to fix or do something, nearly all websites and forums reference Debian/Ubuntu commands, so the fragmentation there is a little annoying

It's also infuriating that cars still take funding priority, when there's obviously a massive demand (and need) for more public transportation options here.

Does anyone else feel restricted because of shipping fees?

I know that many of us have ditched Amazon, but it's hard to ignore their free shipping policy.

When you're looking for Canadian products sold by Canadian companies, and have to pay $10-$20 extra for shipping because it's not available locally, it's like a premium on top of a premium.

And yes, some places offer free shipping past a certain amount (usually well over $100), which just incentivizes buying extra stuff you don't need.

I mean, shit, you can get products shipped from China for free, so why can't we offer free or very low cost shipping within Canada (via Government incentives)?

Does anyone have any tips to ease this pain point?

I wish other grocery stores with their own brands start doing this!

I'm in Canada, and it seems like all bike multi-tool brands are American. I thought Lezyne was from Europe, but nope, American.

Park tool, crankbrothers, Silca, Blackburn... All American.

Are there any European made, or even European brands of multitools for bikes?

I think Topeak might be a European brand, so that could work.

EDIT: Found one! Unior has an entire line of regular tools, and bike tools. Made in Europe (EU) and I can get them in Canada. https://uniortools.com/eng/category/940477/multitools

EDIT 2: wow, they really make everything! They could easily replace all Park Tool tools. I wish I found this brand sooner!

Even though I don't live in the city, I enjoy supporting Toronto bike shops because they carry brands that my local shops don't.

I've purchased several items from Urbane, and just saw that they are having a sale for their 28th anniversary. Cool!

One of the items I was looking at was the Apidura packable musette bag.

Urbane lists it at $81, but on sale for $60. This didn't seem right, because I've seen it for around that price at other shops, so I looked again:

• La Bicicletta Toronto: $56 (regular price).
• Dismount Bike Shop (Toronto): $66 (regular price).
• Cyclesmith (Halifax and Dartmouth): $56 (regular price).
• The Cyclepath (Toronto): $66 (regular price).

Look, I can appreciate that "sales" can drive sales, but I know they've done this with other items, and have done it in the past during other sale events.

Is there any reasonable explanation why they would want to damage trust like this? I want to support them, but I don't want to be ripped off in the process.

EDIT: formatting

Does anyone know of a place that sells their own beverage syrups to flavour carbonated water?

Not looking for brand names, so knock off cola and or root beer is totally fine.

EDIT: If you are downvoting, please explain why. Are you OK with repeat offenders taking up taxpayer funds? Do you disagree that there's a problem? What is it that you dislike? This isn't a topic we can ignore.

Not long ago, there was an article posted saying that over 50% of court cases in Ontario are basically dismissed because there aren't enough resources to handle them.

But every time I read police statements for crimes in my region (Durham), I notice a pattern:

Kaley-Ann FREIER, age 25, of Ajax is charged with: Assault with a Weapon x2 and Fail to Comply with Probation Order x3.

Keith Theodore CONSTANTIN, age 45, poses a significant risk to the community, especially children. This individual has a history of serious criminal convictions, including Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault with a Weapon, Assault with a Weapon, Assault, Robbery, Possession of Explosives, Uttering Threats, and multiple violations of probation orders.

London BOSSIO, age 28 of Whitby is charged with: Robbery; Assault With A Weapon and Breach Of Probation.

Noah COLLINS, age 21, from Brock is charged with: Assault with a Weapon or Imitation Weapon; Assault/Cause Bodily Harm; Fail To Comply With Undertaking and Breach Of Probation

Jalil Luddin SAYAH, age 28, from Oshawa is charged with numerous offences including: Pointing A Firearm x2, Assault with a Weapon or Imitation Weapon x2, Possess Firearm While Prohibited, and Fail To Comply With Release Order x5.

Marten WOODS, age 37, of No Fixed Address is charged with: Uttering Threats to Cause Death or Bodily Harm; Point a Firearm and Breach of Probation.

Michael DE LAURENTIIS, age 41 of no fixed address is charged with Mischief/Damage Property Over $5000, Theft Under, Possess Property Obtained by Crime Under $5000 and Fail to Comply with Probation Order.

Zachary LINTNER, age 33 from Courtice is charged with: Break-and-Enter, Possess Property Obtained by Crime Under $5000, Fail to Comply with Release Order, and Fail to Comply with Probation Order x2.

Joseph DAVRIEUX, age 55 from Clarington is charged with: Break-and-Enter, Dangerous Operation, Flight from Police, Operate a Conveyance While Prohibited, and Fail to Comply with Release Order x2.

These happen daily, and it seems like the all of our resources (police, courts, victim services, etc.) are being drained by individuals who are simply not compatible with society.

What solution(s) do we have that are effective and could be agreed upon by all political parties? This madness has to stop.

For context, I'm going to need to buy cereal at some point (even though I prefer oats), but this applies to anything, really.

So many of these "buy Canadian" websites will list companies like Post and Kellogg's, because they have manufacturing here.

But there are also Canadian-owned companies. Some "have manufacturing in Canada or the US", and there's no guarantee that the ingredients used are even from Canada.

So... when there are no Canadian companies who make products in Canada, which alternative gives the most impact (i.e. keeps more money within Canada)?

Is it better to buy products that are made in Canada, even if the company is American owned.

Or should priority be on Canadian companies, regardless of where products are made?*

*I'm totally fine supporting products made outside of the country, if I have to. But American made is at the bottom of my list.

For my wife and I, I could likely make our own mix of muesli cereal from Canadian and NotAmerican ingredients. But our grandkids are used to regular cereal brands, so we need to accommodate.

What have you guys been doing?

I keep seeing the Bernardin brand online and in stores.

Despite marketing themselves as "Canada’s trusted leader in mason jars... for over 100 years.", I was surprised to see that they are actually made in the states.

Are there any canning jars still made in Canada?

"45% less plastic and 75% less water!"

But the product they are comparing it to has 90% more detergent...

EDIT: Thank you for pointing the error of my ways, guys.

This article cleared up some misconceptions I had. TIL, there's way more water in liquid detergent than you'd think!

Ok, so I've nailed yeast down to Instaferm, which is made by a company out of Montreal. The problem is, I can't really find it locally (Durham Region, Ontario)!

Our Metro says "out of stock", and all other places are online.

Are there any known retailers of this stuff? It's frustrating that stores like Sobeys don't have online ordering so you can at least see what they carry.

I live very close to Foodbasics, Nofrills, RCSS, Freshco, Metro, Sobeys... and of course, American stores like Walmart, which I'm sooooooo over by now. LOL

LOL. I hope this passes. So hilarious that Donnie fucked around and is finding out!

Cancel your trip to the States. Buy a bike instead, and explore Ontario!

In addition to the Arkel post that someone else made, Atwater Atelier also makes bike bags out of Quebec.

Some retailers across the country sell their stuff locally (like Urbane Cyclist out of Toronto), but they have online ordering, too.

I've got one of their handlebar bags, and the quality is excellent.

True story: I became aware of the brand when I spotted a cycle tourist while I was on my own ride along the waterfront trail. We rode and chatted (he was from Montreal and doing a cross-Canada ride), and he mentioned the brand after I spotted his Arkel bags, and we got on the topic of bike gear.

Americans don't deserve Bernie.