There should be no updating unless enabled <…> and never nag the user.

I disagree, at that point you might as well continue using Win10. Security updates are the #1 reason to do this. Most computer use nowadays is networked (actually in a browser), and it’s super important we keep that updated.

If updating is turned on, it should be very conservative, updates hand curated by grandmasnixos, basically never uses software that hasn’t been proven rock solid for at least 6 months

Eh, this sounds like a lot of work. Probably just use the stable channels, and only manually test when switching to a new stable channel.

Rolling back any update should be one-click-trivial

Agreed, should also be very obvious (like a label on the desktop that says “Issues after update?” and gives you a button to roll back and reboot)

The desktop environment should be something occasional win10 using grandma will not get lost in

This is the main question IMHO. I’ve not used any DEs for a while, so don’t really know which one would fit this best while also being simple and robust.

I think we can be even simpler than that. Don’t ask any questions. Simply generate the hardware-configuration.nix and have a single configuration.nix that is unchanged:

• Some easy-to-use and simple DE. I’m thinking something like lxqt or xfce, maybe Pantheon - but that would be more familiar to Mac users than Windows. KDE seems way too complicated to just have it in configuration.nix without touching it, and it can sometimes break on updates.
• Chromium (with pre-installed ublock origin)
• Libreoffice
• Some flatpak store (so that people can install apps without touching configuration.nix)
• Make a simple “update” app that just pops up once in a couple weeks or so, prompts you to click a button and then runs npins update and nixos-rebuild boot, and finally annoys you until you reboot (it should also update to the next stable channel when that becomes available, and make that a big deal so that a user understands it might change some of their workflows)
• Set up the bootloader so that if a generation “fails” (some script in the autostart of the DE doesn’t set a flag somewhere) on the next boot it boots a previous generation, kinda like Android’s A/B slot system but better. I don’t think systemd-boot allows this sort of thing, but I think it’s possible with a GRUB script
• Maybe add a shortcut to open tmate and copy the URL to clipboard, so that you can send it someone in the know and they can help you troubleshoot
• Finally, use impermanence to make sure everything outside /home, /nix, and wherever flatpak are stored, is wiped on every reboot and recreated from the generation, so that “reboot it” is a viable troubleshooting strategy.

Hmm, I’ll pitch this idea to a couple of Nixy lfriends, maybe we can hack something together. Also throw a Linux install party!

I’ve not used Guix but I don’t think any distro has anything close to number of desirable available packages as arch— so be prepared for that

nixpkgs would like a word

Most consumer hardware on earth does already (Android phones). The problem is those drivers are usually proprietary bullshit that’s very difficult to integrate with anything but OEMs kernel fork & Android version. Unfortunately I don’t really foresee that changing in the near future, hopefully if Linux becomes more mainstream, Linux phones become too and then we get some progress.

And for laptops/desktops, I think the situation is pretty good already as well. Many mainstream OEMs have an option with Linux pre-installed now, and the drivers there are mostly FOSS. I’m hoping that the problematic part vendors e.g. NVidia and Broadcom step up and provide sources for their drivers - otherwise they will continue to be a buggy mess that most people hate.

Expect a steep learning curve even if you know Linux inside out. Don’t assume things work the way they did on Arch (or most other distros). If your hardware doesn’t work well, or you otherwise need some proprietary stuff, check out https://gitlab.com/nonguix/nonguix. Good luck!

Physical media is the only media you really own.

Hard disagree. You can own any file encoded with an open standard. And it’s easier to index, search, manipulate, back up, etc. It feels more like owning than having the data on a micrometer-thick metal layer sandwiched in a fragile plastic disc that can easily scratch or discrot. There is a reason people have been ripping CDs since PC CD drivers became a thing.

Nah, that shit will probably outlive all of us. As the last humans are struggling to survive in the hot hell they used to call earth, someone somewhere will be making a device with USB A <-> Micro B cable included in the box.

Unless digital artists are replaced with AI entirely, I don’t see that happening. iPads (unfortunately) are kind of the golden standard there. If anything I expect drawing tablets without screens to disappear.

If burned properly they hold storage for a very long time without data loss

They also need very particular storage conditions (temperature and humidity in particular), otherwise they will discrot. But yeah they are likely to store data for longer than solid-state media at least.

Honestly I don’t think that’s tru. There were very few kids who truly tinkered with their computers in the old days too - first because not many kids had computers in the first place, and then because computers started being useful without any tinkering. There are still a lot of youths (12-16) today who are flashing LineageOS on their phone or installing Linux on their Chromebook, or whatever. I know because they keep flooding the NixOS Telegram chat that I’m managing - and I try to welcome them with open arms!

smartphones are a black box.

Many Android phones still have a bit of that tinkering ability to them (you kinda have access to the file system, and you can root them/flash custom android distros), but it’s quickly diminishing because (1) OEMs are locking the bootloaders, (2) it’s getting harder and harder to get hardware working without proprietary OEM hacks, (3) bank apps and other proprietary garbage that’s becoming a necessity in modern times refuses to run on an unlocked phone.

I just hope that something like GNU Taler (which keeps buyers’ privacy and forces sellers to report their earnings properly) becomes the norm, as opposed to the proprietary plastic card transactions we have now. I myself am guilty of switching to that system because cash is just insanely inconvenient, but I also recognize it’s pretty bad.

The numbers suggest that 2025 could be a turning point for Linux on desktop computers

Ah yes, the year of the Linux desktop

(in all seriousness, this is looking really good, my main hope from all this is that hardware manufacturers step up their FOSS drivers game)

The ssh key to access the private git repo is on the same yubikey as the decryption key (they are technically different GPG slots but I don’t need to care about that, just plug the key in, type in the pin, and it all works automagically)

The process then still is: check out that Git repository, except there’s another step: copy over your private key so that you can decrypt your secrets.

I store my secrets in a separate private git repo and automatically decrypt them with my hardware key (https://github.com/balsoft/nixos-config/blob/master/modules/secrets.nix) so for me it’s literally just plug in my yubikey and nixos-install github:balsoft/nixos-config#hostname

Good luck, and be careful. In any case it would probably be a fun new experience - getting components, soldering them, and then either you get a working blanket or some tiny very dangerous fireworks :)

I think NVK is only for newer cards though, right?

And with no real reason

The real reason is planned obsolescence. Your old GPU working is bad for NVidia because it means you’re not buying a new one from them.

If the problem with the device is only those clearly damaged components, I think you can give it a shot. If there’s something else wrong (which caused that resistor to slightly explode in the first place), it would at least be beyond my paygrade, I wouldn’t recommend spending time trying to fix it if you’re a complete novice. If my guess is correct, the problem is indeed the overheated resistor and the blown thermal fuse and it should be possible to fix-ish.

Yellow box is definitely a capacitor (a radial film 0.1 μF 275VAC X2 class capacitor to be specific - typically used for EMI suppression). It’s possible that the board will work without it (as seems it’s only used for filtering/interference suppression) but I would replace it. If you do replace it, definitely spring for an X2 class as well, don’t cheap out or you can end up with a spicy explosion. You will need the same capacitance (0.1 μF / microfarad) and the same or greater voltage (at least 275 VAC / Volts on Alternating Current). Maybe even get the same one - https://www.ebay.com/itm/405324404548 although $10 for just two capacitors is insanely expensive. Here are some more which should work: https://eu.mouser.com/c/passive-components/capacitors/safety-capacitors/?capacitance=0.1+uF&safety+rating=X2&voltage+rating+ac=275+VAC (just make sure to get the Lead Spacing right - I’d guess yours is 10 mm, but better to measure out).

The device below that blown resistor is likely a thermal fuse, designed to prevent exactly the situation that happened (that means two things - this exact event has probably happened during manufacturer testing, and your thermal fuse is not up to spec). I would try replacing it with a thermal fuse that’s at least 240VAC rated voltage, something like 10 A rated current, and something like 150°C trip temperature.

It’s a bit hard to identify the exact value of the resistor because it has discolored so much. It’s especially annoying since the third band kinda has the biggest effect on the value (it’s the exponent) and that’s gone completely. I would try desoldering it, measuring it with a multimeter (on Ω/Ohm setting) and see what value comes out, then get a 2W or 3W resistor of a larger value and see what happens. This is the most risky part of the whole ordeal, if you get it too high the thing will probably not work, if you get it too low it might explode again. Probably would stay away when plugging it in for the first time :)