Linux Mint 19.3 has been released. I find Linux Mint one of the most polished, refined, and stable linux distros. Below are the release notes from DistroWatch and my XFCE test run screen shots. I also tried the Mate and Cinamon desktops and they are also very polished variations which offer different menu structures. The grub boot loader has finally been given a facelift, now including a black stylish black background. The inclusion of Draw instead of Gimp, and the new System Reports are welcome additions. Gimp has a long learning curve and the average user can now be productive with Draw. Celluloid is the video player now, which reminds me of VLC. Also the Software Store seems to load faster. I added the Nemo and Caja file managers which offer bookmarking locations.
The Linux Mint team has
published an update to the project's 19.x series, which is based on
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. The distribution's newest release is Linux Mint 19.3
which is available in three editions (Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce). One of
the big new features in this release is proactive System Reports which
will notify the user of potential problems. "You'll
notice something new in your system tray after you install Linux Mint
19.3. A little warning icon tries to catch your attention and indicates
there are a few things for you to review. In the past, we worked on
improving documentation (such as the installation guide) and the welcome
you get when you first log in (the first steps section of the Welcome
Screen for instance). In Linux Mint 19.3, we're going a step further and
we're trying to detect potential issues in your computer. If you're
missing a language package, a multimedia codec, if a hardware driver or a
new version of Linux Mint is available, this little icon will let you
know and provide solutions." Further details can be found in the release announcements (Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce). Download (pkglist): linuxmint-19.3-cinnamon-64bit.iso (1,942MB, SHA256, signature, torrent), linuxmint-19.3-mate-64bit.iso (2,004MB, SHA256, signature, torrent), linuxmint-19.3-xfce-64bit.iso (1,902MB, SHA256, signature, torrent).
See the picture above? You might have seen people sharing such desktop screenshot with terminal showing the logo of the Linux distribution used in ASCII art. Looking at those screenshots, you may wonder how to show the logo of Linux distribution in ASCII art in the terminal.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you two tools that will display Linux logo in the Linux terminal:
Neofetch
Screenfetch
Apart from the logo of the Linux distribution you are using, these tools also display the following system information:
Linux distribution version
System model
Linux kernel version
Uptime
Packages
Shell version
Screen resolution
Desktop Environment
Windows Manager
Theme and icons
Terminal tool in use
CPU, GPU and RAM information
Honestly, the main purpose of these tools is to be used in screenshots to show other users what distribution you’re running, what theme and icons you’re using etc.
1. Use Neofetch to display Linux distribution logo in ASCII art
Neofetch is a command line system information tool written in BASH that displays information about your system next to an image, generally your OS logo, or any ASCII file of your choice.
Neofetch is highly customizable through the use of command line flags or the user config file. There are over 50 config options to mess around with and there’s the print_info() function and friends which let you add your own custom info. You can read its wiki page for more information.
Neofetch can also be used in macOS and BSD systems.
Installing Neofetch
To install Neoftech in Debian, Ubuntu and other Ubuntu-based Linux distributions such as Linux Mint, elementary OS, Linux Lite, Zorin OS etc, use the command:sudo apt install neofetch
If you are using Ubuntu 16.04 or if the above command didn’t work, you can use this PPA:
Using Neofetch is fairly simple. Just type neofetch in the terminal and it will display the Linux logo in ascii form:
2. Use screenFetch to display Linux distro logo in ASCII art
screenFetch is another way to display Linux distribution logo in the terminal. You don’t have to specify anything, it will auto-detect the Linux distribution. And not just logo, screenFetch also displays some basic hardware information alongside it.
Install screenFetch
To install screenFetch in Ubuntu based distributions such as Linux Mint, elementary OS, Linux Lite, Zorin OS etc, you can use the command below:
sudo apt-get install screenfetch
Note: For Ubuntu-based distributions, you’ll have to add a PPA (as suggested by Benjamin in the comments). Use the command below:
To install screenFetch in Arch-based distributions such as Antergos, Manjaro, Chakra etc, use the command below:sudo pacman -S screenfetch
To install screenFetch in Fedora-based Linux distributions such as Korora etc, use the command below:
|
sudo dnf install screenfetch
Using screenFetch
Using screenFetch is utterly simple. Open a terminal and use the command below:
screenfetch
That’s it. You’ll see the logo of your Linux distribution displayed in ASCII art along with some information about your system:
Taking screenshot with screenFetch [Optional]
Now, this is optional because you can use the Screenshot tools to take the screenshot of the displayed ASCII art in the terminal. But if you install command line screenshot utility, scrot (it is available in the default repository of several Linux distributions), you can automatically take a screenshot of the displayed Linux logo along with your desktop with the command below:
screenfetch -s
If I combine screenFetch with vintage looking cool-retro-term, the result is even more awesome:
Issue: Linux Mint locks down the Firefox browser with a few sponsored search engines. My favorite Google is not even available. See below.
As a Linux Mint user, it is frustrating to use the supplied Firefox search engines of DuckDuckGo,, LinuxMint, Startpage, Twitter, and Wikipedia. There is a work around available right from the Linux Mint website. Select the Google Icon. The link is below. After applying the fix, select Google as your default search engine.
Microsoft has confirmed during its
Ignite 2019 conference that the forthcoming Chromium-Based Microsoft
Edge web browser will also be available on the Linux platform.
Initially designed only as a replacement for the existing Microsoft
Edge web browser that ships with the latest Windows 10 operating system,
the new Chromium-based build aims to be cross-platform, allowing users
to use it on their Windows PCs, Macs, and even Linux PCs, as well as on
mobile devices.
During the Microsoft Ignite 2019 conference, an annual gathering of
technology leaders and practitioners, the tech giant revealed all the
platforms on which is upcoming Edge browser will be compatible with,
such as Android, iOS, and macOS, and, to our surprise, a Linux version
will be coming in the near future as well.
Chromium-based Microsoft Edge launches on January 15th, 2020
At
the moment, Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge web browser is still in
development with an RC (Release Candidate) build already available for
download on Windows and Mac platforms. The company confirmed the general
availability on January 15th, 2020, but don't expect it to be available
on Linux at that time.
Microsoft hasn't detailed its plans for the Chromium-based Edge
browser on the Linux platform, so we'll just have to trust them and wait
for the first pre-release version to hit the streets to believe
Microsoft really does care for Linux users and it's not just showing off
to be cool again.
While the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser promises numerous
interesting features, most of them will be useful only to Windows
users, of course, so for Linux users the upcoming web browser might be
yet another Chromium clone, so you better stick with the original, which
is open source and free to download on all GNU/Linux distributions.
Here are all the platforms the new Microsoft Edge is compatible with. Linux coming later. pic.twitter.com/k5k0slsfAK
— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) November 4, 2019
The other day, I tried
to use an external USB key formatted in exFAT format that contained a
file of around 10 GB in size. As soon as I plugged the USB key, my
Ubuntu 16.04 throw an error complaining that it cannot mount unknown filesystem type ‘exfat’.
The reason behind this exFAT mount error
Microsoft’s favorite FAT file system
is limited to files up to 4GB in size. You cannot transfer a file
bigger than 4 GB in size to a FAT drive. To overcome the limitations of
the FAT filesystem, Microsoft introduced exFAT file system in 2006.
As
most of the Microsoft related stuff are proprietary, exFAT file format
was no exception to that. Microsoft has been open sourcing few of its
technologies and exFAT is one of them. The newly open sources exFAT file
system will be supported in the upcoming Linux Kernel 5.4 release. You may check your Linux kernel version to make things sure.
But
for Linux Kernel 5.3 and lower versions, it remains a proprietary
software. Ubuntu and many other Linux distributions don’t provide the
proprietary exFAT file support by default. This is the reason why you
see the mount error with exFAT files.
How to mount exFAT drive on Ubuntu Linux
The solution to this problem is simple. All you need to do is to enable exFAT support.
I am going to show the commands for Ubuntu but this should be applicable to other Ubuntu-based distributions such as Linux Mint, elementary OS etc.
Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut in Ubuntu) and use the following command to enable the universe repository
because this repo contains your packages. Chances are that you already
have the Universe repository enabled but no harm in double checking.
sudo add-apt-repository universe
Update the repository information:
sudo apt update
Now, you can install the required packages.
sudo apt install exfat-fuse exfat-utils
Once
you have installed these packages, go to file manager and click on the
USB disk again to mount it. There is no need to replug the USB. It
should be mounted straightaway.
I had been running ChalletOS 16.04 LTS (based on Xubuntu 16.04 LTS) on all my linux desktop builds. The Screenlets Info Manager widget has been an anchor for me staying with this older distro. Not many system monitors were appealing with a minimum of trouble setting them up. This weekend I decided to give Conky Manager a try. After trying some Conky Themes, found one I liked, and tweaked it for my i7-2600 quad core 8 thread PCs. It is called Conky Drex. The great thing is you can run Conky on pretty much any distro. So my preferred distro is Linux Mint XFCE 19.20. I have written about this stable distro before. It is polished and fast and has a large user community and based on Xubuntu. Below are my results and a link where to get the Conky theme. I am now a happy Conky user ! Enjoy.
New versions of Ubuntu MATE, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Kubuntu and other official Ubuntu spins are now available to download.
Ubuntu’s family of flavours issue their latest iterations alongside today’s main attraction, the release of Ubuntu 19.10.
And, like regular Ubuntu, all of the flavours mentioned in this post
are supported with critical bug fixes, security patches and app updates
for 9 months.
So keep reading for a quick look at what’s new and notable in each
release, plus the download links you need should you want to grab a
freshly spun ISO and go hands on for yourself!
Ubuntu 19.10 Official Flavours
Ubuntu MATE 19.10
If any flavour knows how to deliver, it’s Ubuntu MATE. Always
sporting a sizeable change log — I do wonder how there’s anything left
to improve! — Ubuntu MATE 19.10 features a wealth of changes, including:
Mate desktop 1.22.2
Evolution email client replaces Thunderbird
GNOME MPV replaces VLC
Updated Brisk menu with various new layouts
There’s also a new ‘notification centre’ applet (complete with ‘do
not disturb’ mode) to help ensure you never miss an alert, plus a new
screen magnifier, assorted theme tweaks, and improvements to the Marco
compositor.
Does all of that sound good to you? If so, grab an ISO and go explore:
As expected, Xubuntu 19.10 comes toting the recent (and well received) Xfce 4.14 release. This uplift helps give the flavour a little extra oomph throughout its core.
Xfce 4.14
Xfcewm improvements, including Vsync, HiDPIsupport
Xfce Screensaver replaces Light Locker
Two new keyboard shortcuts:
ctrl + d – show/hide desktop
ctrl + l – locks screen
New wallpaper
If all of that doesn’t sound as exciting as other releases on this
page well …That’s kinda the point! Xubuntu’s core appeal is that it
offers a functional, yet reliable, user experience.
The lightest on this list, the Ubuntu 19.10 ISO is a relatively svelte 1.65GB:
Ubuntu Budgie 19.10 feathers its nest with some welcome, if iterative, changes. These include an improved alt + tab switcher, a clutch of new wallpapers, and several other enhancements:
Budgie desktop 10.5
Nemo file manager v4
New options in Budgie desktop settings
New accessibility options
All of the core benefits of Ubuntu 19.10 are present here too,
including Linux 5.3, NVIDIA drivers on the ISO, experimental ZFS install
support, etc.
Kubuntu 19.10 ships with the KDE Plasma 5.16 desktop and associated technologies (the most recent Plasma release, KDE Plasma 5.17, is available via the back ports PPA).
KDE Applications 19.04.3
Qt 5.12.4
Latte dock available in the archive
KDE4 support removed
I’m really keen to explore KDE Plasma and Kubuntu 19.10 —
should autocorrect ever let me type it without changing it back to
‘Ubuntu’ — looks like a pretty good place for me to start.
Ahh, Ubuntu Studio. The creative workshop of Linux distributions,
this. Ubuntu Studio 19.10 has the following changes (amongst others):
Xfce 4.14 desktop
OBS Studio included by default
Ubuntu Studio Controls 1.11.3
Updatedapps,including Kdenlive, Audacity, et al
Ubuntu Studio ships with a lot of awesome open source software by
default. As a result it’s the “fattest” of all Ubuntu flavours, with its
live image weighing in at a whipping 3.2GB!
Linux is everywhere these days. For the ultimate proof, look no further than Windows. With the release of the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2, Microsoft is shipping a Linux kernel with its operating system. Not that long ago, that would have seemed like an April Fools’ joke.
While Linux may provide the backbone for a large part of the internet, it wasn’t created from nothing. Before Linux, there was Unix, and the newer operating system owes much of the credit for its current popularity to ideas born in the 1970s and even the 1960s.
What Is Unix?
While Unix itself strives for simplicity, describing exactly what it is isn’t easy. The original Unix was an operating system from AT&T, but these days, the UNIX trademark belongs to the Open Group. Unix is also used as a category to describe an entire family of operating systems.
Then there is the Unix philosophy. This serves as a general guideline for Unix programs to follow, with the core being that each program should do one thing well. Instead of aiming to pack in every feature imaginable, a Unix tool should simply do its job, ideally producing output that can feed directly into the input of another program.
These days, there are many Unix variants available, in both free and commercial varieties.
What Is Linux?
Linux is another term that is more difficult to describe than you may imagine. Technically, a complete Linux distribution is a “Unix-like” operating system, but this is just the beginning.
Many people use Linux as a shorthand term for what would be more accurately described as GNU/Linux. Linux itself is just the kernel, the part of the operating system that does the core computing and interfaces with the hardware. The core utilities that run on top of this kernel are just as important.
GNU is a recursive acronym that stands for “GNU’s Not Unix.” The GNU project doesn’t contain any original Unix code, but provides all the utilities you would expect to find in a Unix operating system. This is a key difference between Unix and Linux.
Unix vs. Linux: A Brief History
Even the creators of Unix didn’t create it whole cloth. Instead, Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie took inspiration from an earlier operating system, Multics. At Bell Labs, these two took concepts from that operating system and rewrote their own in C, which Ritchie designed and helped develop.
Unix was not open-source software. Instead AT&T sold commercial licenses, but it wasn’t the only company working on Unix. Academics at Berkeley initially developed an add-on called the Berkeley Software Distribution, or BSD. Eventually BSD became its own complete Unix.
In 1980s and into the 1990s, various companies began selling their own Unix offerings. These included IBM’s AIX, Sun’s Solaris, and Xenix, which later became SCO UNIX.
Linux Takes the World by Storm
In addition to the various Unix offerings, several Unix-like variants were available too. One of these was MINIX, which was intended for academic use. A software developer from Helsinki named Linus Torvalds was frustrated with the limitations of MINIX and aimed to create a similar kernel that could take advantage of the new PC he had bought.
At the same time, Richard Stallman was searching for a kernel. He had begun the GNU project in 1983, building free drop-in replacements for various Unix utilities. What he didn’t have at the time was a free, open-source kernel. Torvalds was already using GNU utilities with his kernel, and eventually so were others.
Linux quickly saw widespread interest. By the mid 1990s, the project had exploded in popularity due to the free-by-design nature of both the kernel and GNU toolset. Even as various other free Unix operating systems became available, the commercial nature of the first 20 years of Unix loomed over them. This still affects the Unix vs. Linux battle to this day.
How and Where Is Unix Used These Days?
Right now, popularity might be the main difference between Linux and Unix. That said, there are freely available Unix distributions that run many of the same software as Linux. The two most popular are FreeBSD and OpenBSD, both BSD variants, as the names imply.
Then, of course, there is Apple. Any Apple device you buy these days, be it a MacBook, iPhone, or even Apple Watch is running a Unix-like operating system. On an iPhone or Apple Watch, you would never know this from using them. That isn’t the case on a Mac computer though.
Simply launch the Mac Terminal app, and you’ll have access to standard Unix utilities like ls, pwd, and even editors like vim. These tools can be quite powerful. For an introduction, see our beginner’s guide to the Mac terminal.
Linux Is Everywhere
Linux might be everywhere, but that doesn’t mean you see it. Android, the most popular mobile operating system in the world, is a fork of Linux. You wouldn’t know that from running it, but behind the scenes is a version of the Linux kernel modified for use in mobile devices.
Much of the internet runs on Linux. While Windows and Unix variants power some servers, the vast majority of servers run a Linux distribution. Much of this has to do with the free nature of the operating system, but also how robust it is, which means less downtime. Unix isn’t less robust by any means, but the popularity of Linux means that most people will choose it in a Unix vs. Linux shootout.
One of the most high-profile appearances of Linux in the past few years is the Windows Subsystem for Linux. This lets you run Linux utilities on Windows, which is a major boon for web developers and software engineers. We have a guide on how to get started with the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Are You New to Unix or Linux?
Running a computer with either Unix or Linux is easier than ever before. Windows doesn’t run Linux at its core, but it’s still possible to at least run Linux on top of Windows. Any Apple device you buy has a variant of Unix at its core as well.
If you’re looking to run a “true” Linux on your computer, that’s easy as well. You could always install one of the countless Linux distributions on your computer yourself. Would you prefer a computer with Linux pre-installed? Look no further than our list of awesome Linux laptops.
OnlyOffice – which is supposed to be styled ONLYOFFICE, but I find that a bit too shouty – is a free, open-source office suite for Windows, macOS and (of course) Linux.
Weirdly, for a suite with a fair bit of momentum gusto behind it, it’s not an app I’d heard of until now.
OnlyOffice 5.3 Released
OnlyOffice Desktop Editors are fully compatible with Office Open XML formats
The ‘OnlyOffice Desktop Editors’ is a set of three productivity apps moulded in the guise of their Microsoft Office analogs: Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
This mimicking is not inherently a bad thing; looking like the most popular office apps in the world means those who are used to them (i.e. many) can switch to a free alternative with less friction, and less re-learning.
The apps “[allow you] to create, view and edit documents stored on your Windows/Linux PC or Mac without an internet connection”, says the official website, adding that the suite is “fully compatible with Office Open XML formats: .docx, .xlsx, .pptx”.
If the line about editing documents ‘without an internet connection’ sticks out it’s because is is; OnlyOffice is also available as a deployable set of online office apps for enterprise, cloud and business users.
Offering both an online version (‘OnlyOffice Editors’) and a desktop version (‘OnlyOffice Desktop Editors’) means the distinction between the two is often blurred.
To be clear, this post is about an update to the version of OnlyOffice for the desktop.
New features in OnlyOffice 5.3
OnlyOffice Desktop Editors 5.3 brings a raft of recent improvements in the online editors to the desktop equivalents.
Features including:
Edit pictures (flip, rotate, etc) without plugins
Connect the desktop apps to cloud (OwnCloud, NextCloud, etc)
Save documents as
MS Office Open XML templates (DOTX, XLTX, and POTX),
OpenDocument templates (OTT, OTS, and OTP)
ISO-standardized PDF
Support for audio and video files in presentations
“Send” plugin to send documents via default mail client
Support for Chinese language
Toolbar button placement tweaks
Switching to Linux is a great way to increase control over your
digital life. But that transition doesn’t make much difference if you’re
still using all the same sites and services that you used before.
Among them, Google is probably the largest and most difficult to leave behind. Alongside Facebook, it’s one of the tech giants whose data collection most intrudes on our privacy.
But
ditching Google is possible. Here are some Google app alternatives you
can consider on Linux. All of the desktop apps are open source, while
web services are more of a mixed bag.
Google’s
name has become synonymous with online search. But this is also
Google’s largest window into the most intimate details of our lives.
Through our searches, Google can almost read our thoughts. These
inquiries can reveal our deepest desires and fears.
DuckDuckGo is the largest search provider that emphasizes our privacy.
For starters, you don’t create an account (Google and Bing don’t
require accounts, but many of us use these services while signed into
Google and Microsoft regardless). DuckDuckGo also doesn’t try to
personalized search results, a process that inherently requires
gathering information about you.
Who
have you emailed over the course of your life? What did those messages
contain? Google scans every message we send in order to deliver us
personalized ads. Every year the company rolls out new services that
manipulate this data in different ways.
Want an alternative to
Gmail that doesn’t search your email and actually takes your privacy
seriously? The folks over at Kolab Now not only make those promises, but
they build their offerings using open source tools and contribute back
to the community.
Kolab Now accounts integrates best with KDE
tools such as Kontact, KMail, and KOrganizer. Kolab Now doesn’t have
ads. Instead, users pay directly for the service. Subscriptions start at
CHF 4.41 (just under $5) a month.
Many
people swear by Google Calendar as a tool that keeps them sane. But
it’s not the only way to keep track of dates and events online. Some
companies not only provide calendars, but they offer them as their
primary product. fruux is one example, and it happens to explicitly list
Thunderbird, Evolution, Rainlendar, and ReminderFox as supported
clients on Linux.
fruux is a great alternative to Google Calendar,
and it’s free to up to two shares across two devices. More than that
requires a plan starting at around $5 (prices are listed in Euros) a
month. Apps are also available for Android and iOS. The company uses and contributes back to a number of open source projects. Note:
If you decide to use Kolab Now email (mentioned above), you may want to
stick with that account for your calendar too. However, the calendar
functionality isn’t included with the lowest priced plan.
4. Ditch Google Hangouts, Use Linphone [No Longer Available]
You
don’t have to stop placing voice calls to friends, family, and
colleagues when switching to Linux. Skype and Google Hangouts both
support the operating system.
While you could
technically swap Hangouts for Skype, Microsoft isn’t exactly more
trustworthy than Google. In that case, there are a few open-source alternatives designed for Linux. Linphone has the added plus of also being available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and BlackBerry 10.
Google Maps, the site, has one major open source alternative. That’s OpenStreetMaps.
OpenStreetMaps
can show you standard and satellite maps of most corners of the globe.
Is it as detailed as Google? Sometimes it has less information, and
sometimes it has more. That’s because OpenStreetMaps relies on
contributions from people like you and me. On the downside, this
information is harder to access because the site isn’t as good at
converting addresses to GPS coordinates.
There are a few dedicated
Linux apps that access OpenStreetMaps, saving you from having to open a
browser. Check out GNOME Maps and KDE Marble. Download:GNOME Maps Download:KDE Marble
Among
cloud storage, Google Drive is really an alternative to Dropbox, which
is perhaps the easiest way to sync data across multiple computers over
the internet. But Dropbox isn’t a big step forward if you’re concerned
about your privacy. In that case, check out SpiderOak.
SpiderOak
promises that not even it can access your data if you stick to only
using the desktop client, which is available for Linux. That said, as a
proprietary product, we can only take them at their word. Download:SpiderOak (Plans start at $5/mo)
Image Credit: ONLYOFFICE
Google Docs provides most of what people want from Microsoft
Office for free. It also removes the difficulty of getting your hands on
a copy. All you have to do is visit the site with a reasonably fast
internet connection (which can be more of a challenge in some areas than
others). As for the catch? All of your data exists on Google servers.
ONLYOFFICE is an open-source alternative office suite
that puts the control in your hands. You can access the interface on
someone else’s servers, or you can host a copy on your own (both options
scale in price based on the number of users).
And for when internet connectivity isn’t available, you can always resort to a free copy of the desktop version. Download:ONLYOFFICE Desktop (Free)
Is
your phone your primary way of taking pictures? Does it automatically
upload every snap you take? There are any number of alternative cloud
services you can consider if you simply want to leave Google behind, but
you also have the option to store and manage your photos yourself.
Picasa is Google’s desktop app for the job, but it’s no longer supported on Linux. Fortunately, there are many other photo managers to choose from. If you use Ubuntu, Fedora, or elementary OS, your default option is Shotwell (or a variation of it).
If it’s the cloud storage aspect of Google Photos you’re most
interested in. Syncthing can keep copies in sync between your smartphone
and your Linux-powered PCs. Or you can use any of the other providers
linked to above. Download:Shotwell Download: Syncthing
Like
most online social networks, Google+ comes from a single company. How
we interact with the site is up to Google. The company stores every
letter we type, and what it does with the information is its choice, not
ours.
Mastodon is more similar to Twitter than Google+.
Nonetheless, it offers a decentralized way to share thoughts, links, and
images with others. No one group has access to all of the data. You can
create your own Mastodon instance.
YouTube
is the most well-known video distribution site on the web. Yet there
are reasons to dislike YouTube, and not just because it’s hip to snub
what’s mainstream. YouTube is a treasure trove of data for Google. It
also pays content creators relatively little money unless they’re
consistently bringing in millions of views on a steady stream of videos.
The site also demonetizes videos based on an ambiguous standard.
Whether
you’re looking for videos to watch or want a place to host your own, a
few alternatives are built on decentralized infrastructure. DTube is a
blockchain-based option. Then there’s BitChute, which uses peer-to-peer
technology.
With either one, don’t expect anywhere near the
diversity present on YouTube. You may also see many political videos
featuring content that’s less welcome on more centralized platforms.
These are early days for decentralized video distribution.
It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Google
There
are various reasons to have concerns about Google. Maybe you don’t like
the company’s tendency to discontinue less popular services, even if
they have millions of users. Maybe you have concerns over data
collection and privacy, given the way Google makes its money. Maybe you
just don’t like having all of your eggs in one basket.
Whatever the reason, it’s still possible to use a PC without a Google account. And you may be surprised to know you can ditch Google on your smartphone too.
