Get or build a PC instead of getting a console. Introduce to kid to games. After a while, say “you know, computers can do other stuff besides play games” and introduce the kid to that as well.
Tell them to keep their personal life completely separate from their online life. NO personal info shared online.
Well if you’re still interested in updating your laptop, Soundblaster actually makes a sound card on a USB stick for less than $20 (Amazon). :)
It might be worth getting a cheap Soundblaster card for your computer. Mint seems to have good support for all of them.
I’m really enjoying the learning curve with Linux because it’s a valuable skill to master. On the other hand, every time I’ve had to “go under the hood” with Windows, it’s been to keep it from doing something awful to me.
Tampermonkey (Firefox extension) has a Youtube Tools script that still works for downloading.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently gave Trump a 24 carat gold bribe.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/07/tim-cook-trump-gift/85555805007/
Windows already has a rootkit on your computer. It’s called Microsoft CoPilot and Recall. Giving up things that hurt you shouldn’t be hard, when there are far better alternatives to Windows and EA.
I’ve got 2 Brother printers that work just fine with Linux Mint, the Brother L2640 and L2685. They’re both black and white toner cartridge printers that use either wireless or a USB cable connection. I print maybe a dozen pages a day on both printers and replace the cartridges ever 4-5 months or so. I can get third party replacement toner cartridges on Amazon for around $25 for a 2-pack. Replacement drums are about $25-30 every 3 years or so.
Congratulations! If you feel you need further tip on safe driving habits I would start with
If you’re still on the fence about switching to Linux, try downloading a Live Linux USB image and booting it from a USB stick. This lets you try out Linux without changing anything on your Windows drive. The Live version will also let you see if Linux detects all your computer’s hardware before you install it for real.
I recommend Linux Mint for beginners.
Anyone who thinks Charlie Kirk was just some nice Christian who loved the First Amendment needs to get MUCH better sources of information than they currently have.
The 5-layer burrito is delicious and it’s only $5. It’s a bargain, even with the extra meat option.
This. Also, get a VPN service, like Nord that’s preferably not based in the US. Also, Microsoft is literally installing spyware on your computer already. (CoPilot and Recall). They would have NO problems turning over your computer data to the Trump regime on their whims.
“I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.” - Charlie Kirk
Another vote for trying a live distro. If the live version detects all your computer’s hardware, it will detect it when you install it for real.
I’ve had 3 different graphics cards since 2009.
I have an nVidia RTX 3060, running on a desktop I built back in 2009. I’m running Linux Mint with the KDE Plasma desktop with no problems. All the Steam I bought on Windows, run with no problems under Linux.
Any non-Steam games, like Giants: Citizen Kabuto or Deus Ex (1) run on Wine under the default settings with no problems.
I think adopting Proton was the smartest thing Valve ever did. They are going to capture 90% of gamers switching from Windows to Linux.
I’ve been using SearX for over a year now. https://priv.au/
It returns old-school, unranked results. It currently has at least 50 Instances you can choose from. https://searx.space/
The only times my shaders get recompiled is after a Steam game updates or I get a Linux firmware update. I usually run Steam on a second desktop after I boot and am planning to play games later.
I also have the System Info widget, running in the Taskbar on my main desktop, set to show CPU usage. When the CPU usage drops to near zero, I know at a glance when the shaders are done compiling. (It usually doesn’t take more than 5-6 minutes).