I picked up an old optiplex I'm trying to use as a NAS and do other things with. Initially I put Debian on there but felt like I was running into too many problems with things like power management, remot desktop, Docker, and mounting drives.

So I put Openmediavault on there and it's working now. But what are some of the best ways to get the most out of it?

Can I do most things through the browser interface, or should I remote into it to install things?

How easily can I mount it as a network drive to other computers? I still have a Windows PC so I'd like to access it from there too if possible.

And what's the best way to get other services running on it? I'm thinking of how it's possible to set up torrenting software and control it with a remote app from your phone. (For managing and sharing my distros, of course).

Happy to hear any feedback on what people do with OMV, or their setups for a NAS in general. This is more of a tinkering computer to get me more familiar with networks and Linux.

I saw the End of 10 campaign on other parts of Lemmy and wanted to get involved:

https://endof10.org/

I also do some tech support work on the side helping people at an aged care facility with their devices. I see people using their Windows computers and I just feel they would have such an easier time using Linux.

I reached out to my local Repair Cafe about End of 10 to help people switch over if they don't want to get a new device. They're happy to talk about so I want to make sure I clearly explain the value of switching to Linux, both to hold on to existing devices and move away from corporate spyware.

Here are the things I thought I'd bring up when I talk to them: -Linux is free, but not in the 'you're the product' way -Linux Mint is made to look and work similar to Windows to make the switch easier -It works on older hardware and takes less resources, so can often feel like a performance boost to an existing PC -No tracking or telemetry so what you do on your computer is private -Linux can cover the general computer use case of using a browser, word processing, image viewing, and maybe some light graphic design -There are free software equivalents to just about all major software you use on your PC -The package manager makes it easy to download and maintain software -You can give Linux a 'free trial' by bootloading into it before installing -You can dual partition so you can still run windows if you don't want to make the full switch -Games and Windows software can run on Linux with WINE if necessary -There's a huge community you can reach out to if you're stuck with anything Linux

I was thinking of using the analogy that software on Linux is a bit like shopping at Aldi. It doesn't have the major brands but there are free alternatives that do the same thing, and are often better than the paid versions you're used to.

I'd also bring an old laptop I put Mint on for my kids to play with. It's from 2012 and Windows stopped supporting the wireless drivers. It could connect to the internet with Mint right out of the box so that's one device already saved from e-waste with Linux.

Is there anything else you'd mention? I know there's deeper technical reasons why Linux is better but I want to keep it high level as I'm not sure of the technical proficiency of the people I'll be talking to.

one fart and I'm dead

"It's da freakin' bat!"

When you want to play a game as intended but want to make sure the big boob mod doesn't clash with the futa mod and you have all the relevant dependencies for the Gangster Edition TM splash screen.

Look out, they might put a ferret in your bathtub

This might be obvious to some people but I just figured it out and I feel like a genius for it.

I wanted to make some ROMS readily accessible on my kids' laptop because I hate menu diving in Retroarch to do anything, even launch the last game played.

There's no native way to save a favourite or a configuration from Retroarch to your desktop for quick access either.

But then I figured out you can pretty much do that with Lutris. You select a ROM, it 'installs' it for you - where it pulls some metadata and configuration from the internet, then it comes up in Lutris like a regular game and you can add a shortcut from there.

It still uses Retroarch in the background, but it makes playing and configuring ROMs so much easier, and is probably a good option if you're trying to play a game from an obscure platform or something from one of the weird cores.

I've installed the fitgirl repack of the original Bournout: Paradise on an old HP laptop running Linux Mint. The game runs fine but will not recognise input from my 8bitdo Pro2 controller.

The controller works on the laptop, as I can play Midtown Madness 2 with the controller no problem.

I've tried the Windows and Android modes of the controller, and neither of them work. I've installed the game through Lutris and it's running on Wine.

Any help on workarounds for this is appreciated. The easiest solution would probably be a program that maps the controller inputs to the keyboard inputs for the game.

I thought they were things he'd just talk about forever then just forget about them the second he left the room.