Computer Died (Rant Alert)

[deepakdeshp]

There are password keepers.
https://itsubuntu.com/top-10-best-linux ... -managers/

[rossdv8]

I had some dramas when I tried a password manager once (once turned out to be enough).

It was one of a number I tried on a site like:

https://itsubuntu.com/top-10-best-linux ... -managers/

I settled on one that seemed to work, for me - until it didn't . .

You mileage could vary

[MurphCID]

How is it going with your machine? Still working good? Are the repairs holding up?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

How is it going with your machine? Still working good? Are the repairs holding up?

So far so good, kinda sorta. I've been having problems with NVIDIA updates. Three of the last four have been problematic. Two updates broke the ability to adjust screen display brightness and I had to do Timeshift restores to back out the updates. The last NVIDIA update borked the OS and it wouldn't boot; I had to do a Rescuezilla Restore to fix it. System 76 eventually recommended a complex fix so only certain updates (Ubuntu updates only and not the ones System 76 customizes) will come through but I haven't tried it yet (I'm waiting until Saturday after I make my next Rescuezilla update and have time to horse around with "fixing" any problems that arise from the System 76's fix).

[MurphCID]

How is it going with your machine? Still working good? Are the repairs holding up?

So far so good, kinda sorta. I've been having problems with NVIDIA updates. Three of the last four have been problematic. Two updates broke the ability to adjust screen display brightness and I had to do Timeshift restores to back out the updates. The last NVIDIA update borked the OS and it wouldn't boot; I had to do a Rescuezilla Restore to fix it. System 76 eventually recommended a complex fix so only certain updates (Ubuntu updates only and not the ones System 76 customizes) will come through but I haven't tried it yet (I'm waiting until Saturday after I make my next Rescuezilla update and have time to horse around with "fixing" any problems that arise from the System 76's fix).

Seems to be a System 76 common thread.

[DPM]

So far so good, kinda sorta. I've been having problems with NVIDIA updates.

That's why I went AMD all the way with iGPU, both on my laptop and desktop. Nvidia doesn't make that much sense for a Linux system.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

So far so good, kinda sorta. I've been having problems with NVIDIA updates.

That's why I went AMD all the way with iGPU, both on my laptop and desktop. Nvidia doesn't make that much sense for a Linux system.

Oh yeah! When I build my desktop rig, there's no way in Hell I'm ever going to use NVIDIA in it!

[151tom]

That's why I went AMD all the way with iGPU, both on my laptop and desktop. Nvidia doesn't make that much sense for a Linux system.

I've had no problems with AMD/ATI graphics with Linux.

Oh yeah! When I build my desktop rig, there's no way in Hell I'm ever going to use NVIDIA in it!

I agree Nvidia graphics can be problematic with Linux.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...

Oh yeah! When I build my desktop rig, there's no way in Hell I'm ever going to use NVIDIA in it!

I agree Nvidia graphics "is" problematic with Linux.

FTFY

[151tom]

...

Oh yeah! When I build my desktop rig, there's no way in Hell I'm ever going to use NVIDIA in it!

I agree Nvidia graphics "is" problematic with Linux.

FTFY

[MurphCID]

I recently asked System 76 when some of their laptops would be back in stock and got a very abrupt answer of "when they get stock in due to the chip shortage". I also asked about their Pangolin AMD system, and asked why it only had a 49 w/hr battery, and was told that the Lemur was their big battery model, and just accept the smaller battery. Tuxedo has a larger battery on their AMD version so why would what appears to be a great potential laptop (multi core/multi thread) be crippled by a small battery? It makes no sense.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I recently asked System 76 when some of their laptops would be back in stock and got a very abrupt answer of "when they get stock in due to the chip shortage". I also asked about their Pangolin AMD system, and asked why it only had a 49 w/hr battery, and was told that the Lemur was their big battery model, and just accept the smaller battery. Tuxedo has a larger battery on their AMD version so why would what appears to be a great potential laptop (multi core/multi thread) be crippled by a small battery? It makes no sense.

My computer has an 82 w/hr battery and, when it is fully charged, it will last between 1 and 1.5 hours on a good day. Adding insult to injury, the battery is never fully charged because I always run the machine on AC only so, to prolong battery life (not charge life), I changed the charging setting in the BIOS to charge the battery to only charge up to 80% charge, then not charge again until the battery drops below 40% charge. Currently, my charge level app is showing the charge at 71%, which may or may not be accurate due to the BIOS setting change. To be fair, my laptop is a massive workstation designed to be a desktop replacement (lower to mid end desktops, that is) and wasn't intended to be used as a machine one could easily tote and use on battery power around all day (the darned thing and its literally brick sized and weighted charger already weigh a virtual ton; a battery big enough to run all day on would need a forklift to move around).

I mentioned somewhere about the ongoing global silicon chip shortage due to unusually high demand causing shortages and price increases in products that use the chips, ranging from computer components to automobiles and aircraft. I recently ordered a spare SSD after it had been out of stock everywhere except from scalpers for weeks (forum rules will not let me accurately express my feelings about scalpers, not to mention it would require words Mama told me not to use) and paid around 20% more than what I had paid in the past.

This chip shortage is not going away anytime soon. It was caused by a phenomenal high demand for new computers at the beginning of the pandemic due to the surge in people working from home and demand still continues to be high. It takes a long time to grow silicon crystals (you can't just melt sand to make chips) so ramping up production takes a long time. Existing chip making plants were already at peak production when the pandemic hit and it takes a long time to build new ones and get them up to speed. Adding insult to injury, at least one plant lost a run due to equipment/power failure, setting them back weeks to months. Add to that the hampered logistics of production and shipping during the earlier months of the pandemic due to the quarantines and lock-downs needed to impede the spread of Covid.

The SSA Government is pushing for chip production to be moved back to the SSA and some new plants are scheduled to be built but it takes years to go from proposal to full production.

While System 76's customer service has never been what I would call stellar (again, I'm hampered by my Mama's linguistic restrictions, said Jeannie, tongue in cheek), I suspect that System 76's curt reply to you may have been due to a possible deluge of inquiries of when stock would become available again.

[MurphCID]

Most likely.

[DPM]

Tuxedo has a larger battery on their AMD version

They don't. System76's Pangolin is using the 5x00U series. The Tuxedo competitor is the Aura 15 with 4x00U series, and that has a 49Wh battery. It's also a completely reasonable choice because we're looking at laptops with iGPU only. These are made for business, office, web, multimedia. I have an Aura 15 myself and am happy with it, including the 49Wh battery.

[MurphCID]

Tuxedo has a larger battery on their AMD version

They don't. System76's Pangolin is using the 5x00U series. The Tuxedo competitor is the Aura 15 with 4x00U series, and that has a 49Wh battery. It's also a completely reasonable choice because we're looking at laptops with iGPU only. These are made for business, office, web, multimedia. I have an Aura 15 myself and am happy with it, including the 49Wh battery.

Good to hear that, i love to hear good things on Linux computer companies. I was thinking about this one: https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Linu ... en1.tuxedo

[DPM]

I was thinking about this one:

Yeah that's what I had had in mind earlier, but if you look at nearly twice the battery with only 20% more running time under office load, that means a lot more heat that has to go somewhere so that I'd figure it isn't as quiet. Even the Aura 15 is only tolerable for my taste, but my usual standard is inaudible even under full load. My desktop does achieve that, but I assembled it from components because you just cannot buy anything like that.

[MurphCID]

I was thinking about this one:

Yeah that's what I had had in mind earlier, but if you look at nearly twice the battery with only 20% more running time under office load, that means a lot more heat that has to go somewhere so that I'd figure it isn't as quiet. Even the Aura 15 is only tolerable for my taste, but my usual standard is inaudible even under full load. My desktop does achieve that, but I assembled it from components because you just cannot buy anything like that.

100% agree assembled with your chosen parts beats prebuilt all the time.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

More on the causes of the chip shortage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SREbl7Mpw2g

[DPM]

More on the causes of the chip shortage:

The automakers are particularly funny. They went to "just in time" production, relying on solid supply chains, and then cancelled their chip contracts in 2020 because they expected reduced car sales in the short run and always treat their suppliers badly. Then they slammed face first into reality where they are the tail, not the dog, when it comes to the semiconductor industry that had no trouble selling the freed capacity elsewhere.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

More on the causes of the chip shortage:

The automakers are particularly funny. They went to "just in time" production, relying on solid supply chains, and then cancelled their chip contracts in 2020 because they expected reduced car sales in the short run and always treat their suppliers badly. Then they slammed face first into reality where they are the tail, not the dog, when it comes to the semiconductor industry that had no trouble selling the freed capacity elsewhere.

Automakers are not the only ones to use "just in time" production. It's pretty widespread in industry in general. Normally, it makes good sense. Ordering parts long before you need them creates excess overhead, tying up funds and storage space that could be used elsewhere. The formula is pretty complicated since lead time to manufacture and deliver parts has to be factored in as well as projected demand. I worked in the warehousing branch of Supply for a major AZ irrigation and power utility and we worked with "just in time" stock levels. The only time it didn't work was when the Line construction Division failed to tell us of an upcoming project.

Normally, this works very well but these have not been normal times. The pandemic has thrown a massive monkey wrench into the works, creating previously unknown scenarios that are still being worked out.