The other fellow got moderated troll. But I live in Honolulu and two nights ago at 8 PM Hawaiian Electric started 30 minute rolling blackouts, which in total affected about 120,000 customers according to news reports. In Waikiki we were off from about 9 to 9:30 PM.

What happened is that two base load units went off-line during the day. There was a succession of rainy and cloudy days (it's the rainy season here) and solar systems were operating at reduced capacity. Guess what? Not enough available generation or stored power, hence the rolling blackouts.

There is a big rush to go green and renewable. That's an admirable goal. Keeping the lights on is also an admirable goal. It's just that it does take some time. It's a like a variant of an old adage: sufficient capacity, go green, do it fast --- choose two.

I received an email from Google Fi saying that my data had been compromised. I wrote to customer support saying that since both my phone number and my SIM serial number were disclosed, my 2FA for banking etc. had become completely insecure (I won't get into the debate about how insecure it was beforehand). I said I wanted them to send me a new SIM card. Seems like the least they could do, then deactivate the old one.

They wrote back and said, "we'll email you if your data was disclosed in the breach." Excuse me, but that's why I'm writing to you.

Of course I shouldn't expect anything better than a boilerplate response. I wonder if they even read my message. A lot to ask, I suppose.

I'd switch providers but no one else is any better.

"And since we don't seem to have a choice to install things or not anymore since Windows 10"

Actually you do. You can always upgrade to Linux :)

So, like the fellow that found the Linux vulnerabilities, obviously you've examined the Windows source code to ensure that Windows didn't have them, thus allowing you to make a definitive statement such as the one above.

Oh, wait ....

I think that independent of hating/not hating MS/Windows, there is some real irony here that is worth recognizing. When MS publishes a detailed and quite serious specification about how to secure your computer, but ensures that, unless you take special steps, some of them highly technical (like blocking phone-home IP addresses at your router), they themselves have unfettered access to your computer.

Hey, our favorite AC is back, posting "facts" that are just as believable as ever before!

Keep up the good work, braddah. We miss you when you're not around.

Well, (1) is a matter of opinion, and I won't argue that point because at some point beyond the absolute basics it's a religious preference.

As to (2), that may be true (I can't speak to that with any authority) but why wouldn't I just run a critical Linux workflow natively in Linux? And the same applies to your concluding statement.

The thing is this: I'm not necessarily preaching conversion to Linux. If you like Windows or need Windows or perhaps even think you need Windows, do as suits you best. I'm personally happy with Linux; it does everything I need and does it well so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

Which supports my "why bother" statement; if you have something critical, run it natively, whether Windows or Linux.

As a former audio professional, I don't agree 100%, nor do I disagree 100%. I came from the analog world into the digital world, and Audacity really does a surprising amount. Now, if you're mixing down 48 tracks maybe you need something else. But if you've got a final or near final stereo mix that can maybe use some tweaking or processing, Audacity will do it without skipping a beat (no pun intended).

And for amateurs it's a dream come true. So many musicians are on tight budgets and Audacity will work for them.

I did professional audio for quite a few years, and Audacity is just fine for quite a range of work. Very intuitive and easy to use, and lots of capability --- for free.

So make the reverse argument and say, Windows runs in VirtualBox, so just run that on your Linux system if there's Windows stuff that is critical.

The answer is the same no matter which direction you go ... why bother? If I have Linux critical stuff I'll just run it on Linux and save the extra bother. Likewise for Windows critical stuff. Run it on Windows.

Didn't know Siberia had moved to Eastern Europe. I learn a lot on /.

I had a similar experience; I went from being a top technical person into management (not given a choice either) and let's face it, I was a terrible manager, absolutely clueless. There was no training, you were just "supposed" to know what to do.

I started taking classes on my own. A couple of years later (I didn't get fired; my being a horse-manure manager didn't matter to the higher-ups) I had about 30 undergrad and grad level credits. I asked for professional training (seminars etc.) and at least the company allowed that (through indifference more than merit, but still).

Finally, I had a clue and started doing a better job. But the people I managed suffered during the interim, and there was nothing at all that was right about that.

You just proved that sometimes sensible things actually get posted on /. Thank you. The approach you suggest ought to satisfy most anyone ... but of course it won't.